The Orioles finally spent some money in free agency, inking pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to a four-year, $48 million deal on Monday. It's the first time Baltimore has given a four-year contract to a free agent since catcher Ramon Hernandez agreed to a 27.6 million contract in 2006. And it's the biggest offer the O's have made to a free agent since Miguel Tejada signed a six-year, $72 million deal in 2004. But could the team spend some more?
Jimenez is the high-profile addition Baltimore never made last offseason, choosing to keep together the virtually the same team that won an AL wild-card playoff bid in 2012 and make another run at the postseason. Unfortunately, the 2013 season didn't work out the same way. The Orioles dropped from 93 wins to 85 and finished fourth in the AL East.
General manager Dan Duquette knew he couldn't take the same approach during this offseason. Yet the free agent market wasn't working in his favor. Players such as Nelson Cruz were seeking rich, multiyear contracts. Additionally, they received qualifying offers from their former clubs, thus attaching first-round draft pick compensation to them. With the 17th selection in this year's draft, that was a high price to pay for Baltimore.
But the Orioles still pursued free agents that didn't require giving up a first-round pick to sign, such as Grant Balfour, Fernando Rodney and A.J. Burnett. The O's agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with Balfour before backing out due to concerns over the reliever's shoulder discovered during a team physical. Baltimore badly wanted to add Maryland resident Burnett to their starting rotation, but weren't willing to match the Phillies' one-year, $15 million offer that could become a two-year, $33.5 million deal.
So once again, the Orioles were looking at making no major offseason additions. How was Baltimore going to compete with the defending World Series champion Red Sox in its division? The Yankees added Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Masahiro Tanaka, surely pushing them ahead of the O's in the AL East. The Rays look as strong and deep as ever, despite losing Jeremy Hellickson to injury. Another fourth-place finish looks very possible for the Orioles.
Facing that prospect, Duquette and the Orioles apparently decided that losing their first-round draft pick wasn't as much of a deal-breaker as originally believed. MLB teams have already reported to spring training and several top free agents are still available. This late in the process, Baltimore decided to bite down and sign Jimenez, though he costs them the No. 17 selection in the draft. (Additionally, as ESPN's Buster Olney writes, if the Orioles didn't get Jimenez, the Red Sox or Blue Jays may have.)
Perhaps the O's decided that the draft pick was an acceptable loss toward inking Jimenez to a less expensive deal than he surely hoped for when the offseason began. Waiting the market out until Jimenez lowered his demands worked out in Duquette's favor here. Additionally, the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina reports that the Orioles believe that signing 17-year-old Carlos Diaz from the Mexican League and 16-year-old Jomar Reyes from the Dominican Republic recently could make up for losing that first-round pick.
With Jimenez, the Orioles now have a top-of-the-rotation starter that can hopefully lead a relatively young starting rotation. Baltimore's starting staff is definitely better than it was a day earlier. But is Jimenez enough to make the O's a division title or wild-card contender? Can this team compete with the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays in the AL East? How do the Orioles stack up against the Indians, Royals, Rangers and Angels for one of those wild-card spots?
Now that Duquette has seemingly broken the "in case of emergency" glass to sign Jimenez, why not push this a bit further to try and make the team even better? The Orioles already took a big step in adding Jimenez and disregarding the loss of a first-round pick in doing so. That increases Baltimore's opening day payroll to $97 million, according to Encina. So perhaps suggesting that the team do even more in free agency is a bit much.
But besides money, what do the Orioles have to lose here? That No. 17 pick is gone already. Baltimore also lost the No. 35 selection when it acquired Bud Norris from the Astros last season. So another free agent with a qualifying offer attached would cost the Orioles the No. 55 pick, a second-round selection. That's not an insignificant loss. But if it meant bolstering the lineup at designated hitter or left field, couldn't it be justified?
Last season, Orioles designated hitters batted a collective .236 with a .708 OPS, 20 home runs and 66 RBI. That ranked in the middle of the pack among AL teams. Baltimore's left fielders hit a collective .251 with a .706 OPS, 16 homers and 42 RBI, finishing in the bottom half of the league. Kendrys Morales compiled a .277 average, .785 OPS, 23 homers and 80 RBI by himself last season. And he did that playing his home games at Safeco Field, a far more pitcher-friendly ballpark than Camden Yards. Nelson Cruz slugged .506 with an .833 OPS, 27 homers and 76 RBI last year.
Either of those hitters would be a significant addition to an Orioles lineup that scored 745 runs in 2013, tied for the fourth-highest total in the league. And at this point in the offseason, either player would likely be willing to sign a short-term, lower-value deal if it meant having a job for the 2014 MLB season.
Perhaps Stephen Drew should be under consideration as well. He could be insurance at third base until Manny Machado is ready to return from knee surgery. Drew could also presumably fill in at second if Jemile Weeks falters. And if he signed a two-year deal (which he's reportedly seeking), maybe he could be the Orioles' next shortstop if J.J. Hardy leaves as a free agent after this season.
Duquette says he can push the Orioles' payroll to $100 million. Maybe that won't be enough to get either Morales or Cruz. The GM might have to ask owner Peter Angelos for a bit more wiggle room to add another slugger to the roster. Morales made $5.25 million last year, while Cruz earned $10.5 million. But both players are currently unemployed. Signing a one-year deal and going into free agency again might be in their best interest — especially if the Orioles don't extend a qualifying offer after the season. (Though there's certainly no guarantee of that.)
The Orioles might think adding Jimenez — along with pitcher Suk-min Yoon — might be enough to boost their chances this season. The two pitchers certainly make for a better offseason than Baltimore had a year ago. If the team stays healthy and continues to get MVP-caliber production from Chris Davis and Adam Jones, while Jimenez pitches like a No. 1 starter and the rest of the rotation pitches well, Baltimore should contend.
But why not make those chances even better? The opportunity is there.
