Evaluating the Baltimore Orioles
Rebuilding The Right Way
The Baltimore Orioles are in the process of selling off assets to the highest bidders, as the team begins its rebuilding process.
So far, the Orioles have moved star SS Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-for-one player trade, and LHP Zach Britton to the New York Yankees in exchange for three pitching prospects.
Trade talks are now centering on CF Adam Jones, who may be the next Baltimore veteran to find himself elsewhere this season, as competitors look to shore up rosters before the trade deadline.
The Machado Trade
In the short-term, Baltimore got significantly worse when it dealt Machado to the Dodgers.
Machado is having a career season, which is saying something for a guy who finished in the top five of MVP voting in 2015 and 2016 and has two Gold Gloves to go with his four All-Star appearances.
The Orioles had no choice, however, as they find themselves with not only in the basement of the American League, but with the worst record in the Majors.
The team has lost a league-high 73 games this season, while notching a league-low 29 victories.
The Orioles are going nowhere fast and keeping Machado on the roster wasn’t going to make a big enough impact for it to have made sense to keep him.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Dodgers, who are tied for first in the NL West with a 56-46 record, are prepping for what they hope will be a second-straight World Series run. With Machado’s offensive and defensive prowess, the needle moves in favor of Los Angeles, which needed to replace SS Corey Seager, who had Tommy John surgery in May.
Machado is set to be a free agent at the end of the season and was unlikely to return to the club that signed him in 2010. Trading his contract for a king’s ransom was the only move that made sense for Baltimore, and even if Machado is a three-month rental, the deal makes sense on the Dodgers end as well.
In return for Machado, the Orioles received five top prospects from L.A., who have the potential to develop into valuable starters through the Orioles farm system.
Players Exchanged
Orioles Trade (2018 Statistics):
IF Manny Machado | Age: 26 | Measurables: 6’3” – 185 | Orioles + LAD
101 G | 389 AB | 121 H | 48 BB | 55 SO | 66 RBI | 24 HR | .311 BA | .384 OBP |
Dodgers Trade (2018 Statistics):
No. 4 Prospect | OF Yusniel Diaz | Age: 21 | Measurables: 6’1” – 195lbs | Tulsa Drillers + Bowie Baysox
64 G | 236 AB | 71 H | 43 BB | 45 SO | 30 RBI | 6 HR | .301 BA | .415 OBP |
No. 27 Prospect | IF Rylan Bannon | Age: 22 | Measurables: 5’10” – 180 | Rancho Cucamonga + Bowie
93 G | 349 AB | 102 H | 60 BB | 106 SO | 62 RBI | 21 HR | .292 BA | .398 OBP |
No. 28 Prospect | RHP Dean Kremer | Age: 22 | Measurables: 6’3” – 180 | RC + Tulsa + Bowie
18 G | 92.0 IP | 7-3 Record | 2.93 ERA | 131 SO | 32 BB | 74 HA | 7 HRA
Prospect | RHP Zach Pop | Age: 21 | Measurables: 6’4” – 220 | Great Lakes Loons + RC + Bowie
32 G | 45.1 IP | 1-3 Record | 7 Saves | 1.59 ERA | 50 SO | 15 BB | 27 HA | 1 HRA
Prospect | IF Breyvic Valera | Age: 26 | Measurables: 5’11” – 160 | LAD + OKC Dodgers + Norfolk Tides
58 G | 210 AB | 59 H | 22 BB | 21 SO | 26 RBI | 6 HR | .281 BA | .348 OBP |
The Britton Trade
On Tuesday, the Orioles made the decision to send longtime reliever Zach Britton to the Yankees in exchange for three of New York’s pitching prospects.
Unlike Machado, Britton, a two-time All-Star, was struggling this season (due mostly to an Achilles injury) with his highest ERA since 2014, but that didn’t stop the Yankees from striking a deal with the Orioles, as they looked to add proven pitching depth for a potential playoff push.
The Yankees are 5.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, with a 64-36 record.
Catching the red-hot BoSox, who are 71-32 this season, will be a tall task, but if Britton can turn things around down the stretch, and the bats come alive, the Yanks have an opportunity to beat out their bitter division rival.
Britton began his 12-year career with the Orioles in 2006, playing in the Minors for five seasons before he was brought up to the Show in 2011. He’s just two years removed from his best season as a pro, which came in 2016 when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting and 11th in MVP voting, posting a career-best 0.54 ERA in 69 appearances.
As with the Machado deal, it does not appear either team prospered significantly more than the other. Baltimore let another expiring contract go, and the Yankees grabbed a former Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award winner who still has some zip.
Players Exchanged
Orioles Trade (2018 Statistics):
LHP Zach Britton | Age: 30 | Measurables: 6’3” – 195lbs | Orioles + NYY
16 G | 15.2 IP | 1-0 Record | 4 Saves | 3.45 ERA | 13 SO | 10 BB | 11 HA | 1 HRA
Yankees Trade (2018 Statistics):
No. 9 Prospect | RHP Dillon Tate | Age: 24 | Measurables: 6’2” – 195 | Trenton Thunder
15 G | 82.2 IP | 5-2 Record | 3.38 ERA | 75 SO | 25 BB | 67 HA | 7 HRA
No. 15 Prospect | RHP Cody Carroll | Age: 25 | Measurables: 6’5” – 215 | Scranton/WB RailRiders
32 G | 41.2 IP | 3-0 Record | 9 Saves | 2.38 ERA | 55 SO | 18 BB | 27 HA | 0 HRA
Prospect | LHP Josh Rodgers | Age: 24 | Measurables: 6’3” – 220 | SWB
19 G | 109.1 IP | 6-8 Record | 3.95 ERA | 83 SO | 29 BB | 118 HA | 13 HRA
Adam Jones Rumors
It’s more likely than not that Jones could soon be the third veteran out the door in Baltimore.
Several teams have been mentioned as possible destinations for the five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, but the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians have become his top two suitors.
At 57-44, which has them atop the NL East, the Phillies are in good position to make a playoff run for the first time since 2011. Jones would likely supplant the struggling Nick Williams in CF for Philly, and would add power and consistency at the plate. The 32-year-old could be the answer to how the Phillies stay ahead of the 54-44 Atlanta Braves, in what’s sure to be a fun division battle through September.
The 55-46 Indians have a comfortable eight-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, and are looking to add a piece to help them not only reach the World Series for the first time since 2016 — but win it. Tyler Naquin has struggled at times in center and Jones would likely rotate in, adding additional experience and depth to the Indians’ outfield.
There’s also a chance Jones stays in the place he has called home for the last 11 seasons. The 13-year veteran has a no-trade clause in his contract and could decide to be the face of the franchise as it goes through its rebuild. There have been rumors the Orioles wouldn’t mind if he endured, but an offer for Jones from a perennial contender may end up being too good for either party to pass up.
2018 Statistics:
CF Adam Jones | Age: 32 | Measurables: 6’2” – 215 | Orioles
96 G | 393 AB | 109 H | 13 BB | 64 SO | 38 RBI | 10 HR | .277 BA | .304 OBP |
Final Thoughts
If you’re a baseball fan, then you know this is the time of year when things really start to get interesting.
Winning teams are focused on adding last minute pieces for potential postseason runs, while losing teams start looking to the future — and begin their rebuilding efforts.
As a South Florida-based site, we’re familiar with the term fire sale, but that does not appear to be what the Orioles are doing. Rather than making shrewd moves to cut salary, Baltimore’s front office is working hard to retool the franchise with a youthful crop of prospects.
“Fans” and “Future” were not terms Jeffrey Loria and David Samson ever seemed familiar with, but, at least from the outside, it appears the Angelos are dedicated to a necessary rebuild of their beloved Baltimore team.
