Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan's winter-to-date
 
The notable moves made by the Baltimore Orioles under Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan since the end of the 2003 season. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

10/03/03 -
Outrighted Robert Machado to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Carlos Mendez to AAA Ottawa. (Mendez refused and became a free agent.)
Outrighted Pedro Swann to AAA Ottawa.

10/14/03 -
Outrighted Felix Escalona to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Jose Leon to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Mike Paradis to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Willis Roberts to AAA Ottawa.

10/17/03 -
Signed Tim Corcoran to a minor league contract.
Signed Darwin Cubillan to a minor league contract.
Signed Cory Harris to a minor league contract.
Signed Chris Lemonis to a minor league contract.
Signed Luis Lopez to a minor league contract.
Signed Carlos Mendez to a minor league contract.
Signed Sean Spencer to a minor league contract.
Signed Pedro Swann to a minor league contract.

10/29/03 -
Declined option on Brook Fordyce ($4 million, $500K buyout).
Declined option on Pat Hentgen ($4 million, $300K buyout).

Hentgen had a nice second half last year, but I doubt the Orioles considered picking up his $4 million option too seriously. Given the young pitching coming up through the system, this probably makes sense, even if the Opening Day rotation isn't going to be anything to write home about. He's gone to Toronto where, if healthy, he should be a fine #4 starter. Not picking up Fordyce's option is an absolute no-brainer.

11/07/03 -
Named Lee Mazzilli manager.

Why Lee Mazzilli? He's coming from the Yankees and the Yankees have done a pretty good job winning lately. And I assume he interviewed well. But he's got no relevant experience for us to look at, so it's hard to have any good guess as to what kind of manager he'll be.

11/13/03 -
Declined option on Deivi Cruz ($1.5 million).
Declined option on Kerry Ligtenberg ($1.2 million).

Cruz was adequate for parts of last year, but he certainly isn't a guy you want to keep around at any significant expense. The Orioles found a slightly better replacement for him (12/14/03). He's gone to Tampa, where he really doesn't have a place to play given that Julio Lugo is the incumbent shortstop there and is coming off a decent 2003 season. Ligtenberg might've been worth keeping around at $1.2 million, but he's gone to Toronto.

11/20/03 -
Claimed Walter Young off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Unlikely to have an impact on the major league level. That said, Walter Young's been a productive minor league hitter, and by all accounts, he's a lot of fun to watch. Picking him up for nothing more than the cost of a waiver claim is a pretty nice move.

12/05/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Tony Batista.

Being replaced by Melvin Mora at third in Baltimore. Batista was pretty bad in 2003, finishing up with a .235/.270/.393 line in 161 games (631 at bats). He'll move to Montreal, where he should be something of an improvement on the likes of Jamey Carroll and Fernando Tatis, but he really hasn't shown much since 2000. Good for 25 home runs, but not a whole lot more.

12/14/03 -
Signed Miguel Tejada to a six year, $72 million contract.

A lot of money, but the Orioles wanted to make a statement (that they're willing to spend money), and they succeeded. While his OBP isn't quite as high as you'd like from a guy making this kind of scratch, there's little dispute that he's among the best shortstops in the game and a damn productive hitter. He's slugged at least .472 in each of the last four seasons, and at just 28, is a reasonable bet to continue to be productive over much of the life of this contract. This deal was initially thought to be for something like $54 million, which would've been significantly better - but Tejada's probably not going to be a burden over the next six years.

12/15/03 -
Selected Jose Bautista of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule V Draft (1st round, 6th overall).

Once a very well thought of prospect, the Pirates couldn't find a way to get Bautista on their 40-man roster, so the Orioles snapped him up. Given that Melvin Mora is currently slated to play third everyday and that Bautista might be able to play a credible third (offensively and defensively) right now, it seems possible that he could stick and actually get some time in the majors in 2004.

12/19/03 -
Signed Napoleon Calzado to a minor league contract.
Signed Eddy Garabito to a minor league contract.
Signed Chad Mottola to a minor league contract.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Jason Johnson.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Damian Moss.

With the pitching the Orioles have coming up through the system, it's hard to argue with either of these moves. Moss was brutal in Baltimore in 2003, kudos to the front office for not holding on to him just because he came over in the Ponson deal. He'll be in Tampa in 2004. Jason Johnson's an average innings eater, but likely would've been awarded more than he's worth had the team taken him to arbitration.

12/22/03 -
Signed Javy Lopez to a three year, $22.5 million contract.

A lot of money for a guy who's had one good season any time recently. Lopez will fill the team's void at catcher this year and potentially at first base in 2005 and 2006, but he'll need to prove that his 2003 wasn't a fluke before this contract looks like a smart investment. If he can continue to slug close to .700 over the next three years, this'll be a bargain. His 2003 performance was just so out of whack with the rest of his career that he's going to have to prove he's worth this kind of money.

12/30/03 -
Signed Mike DeJean to a one year, $1.5 million contract.

Do the Orioles really consider themselves contenders? If so, signing a guy like DeJean makes some sense...he's a good relief pitcher and could be a contributor in a contender's bullpen. But if not - and realistically, I don't know how they can in 2004 - what's the logic in signing a guy like DeJean to a one year contract? Sure, he improves this iteration of the Baltimore Orioles...but next year, in 2006, in 2007, when the team might actually have a chance to make a run at the division...what do they have to show for it? Mightn't it be an idea to allow your young pitchers to get some valuable experience in the bullpen, even in high leverage spots? I guess if they're going to turn around and ship DeJean out later in the season, I can buy this. Otherwise, I don't really understand it.

01/08/04 -
Invited Napoleon Calzado to spring training.
Invited Raul Casanova to spring training.
Invited Darwin Cubillan to spring training.
Invited Eddy Garabito to spring training.
Invited Luis Lopez to spring training.
Invited Carlos Mendez to spring training.
Invited Pedro Swann to spring training.
Signed Bill Haselman to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed B.J. Surhoff to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Probably nothing that impacts the team here. Surhoff is pretty much done, he apparently wants to come back, but there's not much room for him anymore. Pedro Swann's been mashing in the minor leagues for years now, and there's no reason to think he's about to break through. Calzado's been okay, advancing as far as AAA Ottawa in 2003, but with no power to speak of - there are much better players in place at the positions he can handle at the major league level. Carlos Mendez did smack around AAA pitching (.347/.375/.500) at Ottawa in 61 games last year, and might get a look, but only because Javy Lopez's backup is probably going to be Geronimo Gil. Not much here to be excited about.

01/10/04 -
Signed Rafael Palmeiro to a one year, $4 million contract.

Palmeiro is obviously getting old, but he's continued to be a very productive player. As long as the team doesn't have better options at first base and in the outfield corners (because Jay Gibbons could conceivably move to first if they had someone else to play right), this makes some sense. You certainly don't want David Segui or Jack Cust manning first base on a full-time basis, and this is only a one year commitment (with a club option I believe, but I couldn't find terms on it). I'm not sure how much impact signing a guy like Palmeiro for a year will ultimately be in a division that features three of the best teams in baseball, but at least it ought to excite the fans a little to bring in a Hall of Fame caliber player.

01/14/04 -
Signed Sidney Ponson to a three year, $22.5 million contract.

He's fat, but I really like Ponson. While he's been a health risk his entire career, he's coming off his best season and makes the trade that sent him to San Francisco look that much better now that he comes back to the Orioles. He'll be the #1 starter in what ought to be a good but inexperienced rotation.

01/16/04 -
Invited Mike Fontenot to spring training.
Invited John Maine to spring training.
Signed Keith Osik to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Both Fontenot and Maine have great shots to be major leaguers in some capacity in the not-too-distant future, but not yet. You know what Osik brings to the table, and it's not much.

01/20/04 -
Signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one year, $1.65 million contract. (avoided arbitration)
Signed Luis Matos to a one year, $975,000 contract. (avoided arbitration)

I'll be honest - I didn't realize how good Hairston was last year. He was hurt, but his numbers (even including those he accumulated after he returned, which were crappy) were easily the best of his career. If he can come close to replicating those, he's an asset to the team at second base and a bargain at this price. Matos also had a breakthrough season, and bringing him back at this price is a steal.

01/28/04 -
Signed Clay Bellinger to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Melvin Mora to a three year, $10.5 million contract.
Signed Rob Ramsay to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Mora's probably the Opening Day third baseman now that Tony Batista is gone to Montreal. Mora was terrific in 2003 (.317/.418/.503, easily the best season of his career), but his real value is probably in his versatility - he can play any infield or outfield spot and not embarrass himself offensively or defensively. He's already 32 though and unlikely to match his 2003 numbers, so the contract seems a little bit excessive. Neither Bellinger nor Ramsay are likely to have any impact with the major league team.

02/04/04 -
Signed Mark McLemore to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

A crappy, older version of Mora. Not long ago, McLemore was a valuable contributor in Seattle, but while he's got a decent shot at making this team, his offensive contributions from 2003 (.233/.318/.314) don't point to him being an asset. I don't know what McLemore brings to the team that they don't already have in Mora and Brian Roberts (a much younger player with more offensive skills who can also play a few positions).

02/11/04 -
Signed B.J. Ryan to a one year, $1.275 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Eh. Ryan's been an average reliever over the past three seasons, though he took some steps forward in 2003 with an increased strikeout rate and decreased home run rate. There are a lot of relievers out there, but $1.275 million isn't really breaking the bank, particularly with the way the team threw around money this offseason.

02/12/04 -
Signed Jay Gibbons to a one year, $2.6 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Not a guy I want to pay a whole lot more than this to, since he's not that young (he'll be 27 in 2004) and kind of limited in what he can do. That said, he can handle right field and hits for some power, so he's worth keeping around until they can find a viable alternative.

03/01/04 -
Invited Jeffrey Montani to spring training.
Invited Richard Stahl to spring training.

I'll be rooting for Montani, a product of the state university system of the great state of New York (he went to Binghamton). He's been a minor league closer to this point, racking up 38 saves over the past two seasons between rookie league Bluefield and A Delmarva. I'm sure he's just in camp so the organization can take a look at him. Stahl's a first rounder from 1999 who also finished at Delmarva.

It's a good thing that Orioles owner Peter Angelos wants to spend on his team again, and we're getting to a point now where it looks like we might have a division in the AL East where every team is competitive (I can't remember such a division in recent years) before too long. Tampa's not good yet, but there's a lot of young talent there. My hope is that what could be a down year in Baltimore in 2004 (with 19 games a piece against the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays) doesn't discourage them, as they should have some really good young pitching coming soon. It's a shame they missed out on Vladimir Guerrero, who they were close to signing, as he would've really set the tone for an excellent offensive team. As it is, the additions of Tejada and Palmeiro help, but I wonder if it'll be anywhere near enough to compete with the dynamite lineups the three divisional powers are likely to be sporting for the forseeable future.
posted by VZW Watcher at 5:34 PM -