The Oriole Report

The Orioles signed right handed starting pitcher Steve Trachsel, formerly of the Mets, to a one year deal with a club option for 2008.

Trachsel: 15-8, 4.97 ERA, 164.2 IP, 1.60 WHIP, 4.32 K/9

Cost: 1 year/$3.1 Million, 2008 club option/$4.75 Million

Grade: C

The Orioles pretty much had to sign a veteran pitcher to replace Kris Benson after he injured his shoulder. I would say Steve Trachsel was the best choice out of what was left out there. Others included Mark Redman and Ron Villone. I just hope they don’t guarantee him a spot in the rotation. I would rather see him battle with Hayden Penn, Garrett Olson, and Jeremy Guthrie in Spring Training with the best of the group grabbing the 5th starter’s spot. I would have liked to have had Rodrigo Lopez to put in this spot, but there was no way the O’s could have seen the injury coming. Trachsel should come close to what Benson would have produced, if not we have other options. There is no way that club option gets picked up.

The Orioles have re-signed relief pitcher Todd Williams to an incentive laden one year deal.

Cost: 1 year/~$775,000 - plus incentives

Grade: C

This isn’t really much to get worked up about. Williams will come in to Spring Training and compete for a spot in the bullpen. If he pitches like he did for much of last year, we’ll probably cut him. If he wins a spot, he’s likely to do most of his pitching in the mop up role. The deal is cheap and he could bounce back. He was hurt at the beginning of the season and that might have effected him throughout the year.

The Orioles signed 1B/3B/OF Aubrey Huff to a 3 year deal.

Huff: .267/.344/.469, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 21 homeruns, 66 RBI

Cost: 3 years/$20 million

Grade: B

Huff has been a target of the Orioles for a while now, lately this off-season, and we finally got him. We waited for him to lower his asking price and then did what we had to do to get the deal done. Not that Huff is the greatest player (his defense is suspect and he hasn’t been the same player the last 2 years he was in 2003-04), but he was probably the best available in the free agent market. If he can get back to the production he had a couple years ago it could be a great deal, but even if he doesn’t he’s still a solid .800 OPS hitter. I’d still like to see a everyday left fielder (Jay Payton doesn’t count - in a perfect world he would be the 4th outfielder) signed/traded for/step up (Jon Knott?), but the O’s keep heading in the right direction.

The Orioles signed OF’s Jon Knott, Jason DuBois, and Bubba Trammell to minor league contracts.

Grade: A

I love the Knott and DuBois signings. Bubba Trammell? Not so much, but more depth at AAA never hurts. Knott and DuBois are guys that could play for the O’s major league club at some point during the season if needed. Knott is 28 and has continuously crushed left handed pitching in his minor league career. He was with the Padres organization. DuBois was with the Cubs and has had decent numbers in the minors as well. Trammell has been out of the big league for a couple years, having played for Detroit, Tampa Bay, San Diego, and both New York teams in his career.

The Orioles re-signed Chris Gomez for the bench.

Cost: 1 year/~$1 million

Grade: C

Gomez had a hot streak in September to make his stats look good, but it was in only 132 at bats. He has hit lefties well and he can play all around the infield. I would be ok with it, except we already have Freddie Bynum and Brandon Fahey. I guess this move means Fahey gets sent down to AAA and Bynum will eventually placed on waivers. Not a bad move, but not really a good one either. Chris Gomez won’t really have much of an impact on the Orioles season next year.

The Orioles signed outfielder Jay Payton, who played for the Oakland A’s last season.

Payton: .296/.325/.418, 32 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homeruns, 59 RBI, 8 stolen bases

Cost: 2 years/$9.5 million

Grade: C-

I can see this deal going one of two ways. If the O’s don’t acquire another outfielder and Payton is the starting left fielder, I would grade this deal as a D. If we do manage to get someone better to play left field (Marcus Thames?) and Payton becomes the 4th outfielder/center field platoon, then I would grade this signing a C+. Payton would be good in the second scenerio, albeit a very expensive option. Payton plays good defense and shows the occasional pop. He has some speed, but doesn’t have much patience at the plate. Lets hope that the Front Office can trade Rodrigo Lopez and get back a real left fielder so they can make this signing look good. (Or at least better.)

The Orioles re-signed Kevin Millar to a 1 year deal worth $2.75 million and an option for 2008.

Grade: C

Theres nothing wrong with the signing, unless Millar is the starting first baseman all season. Millar would be fine as a back up 1B/DH, as he can get on base at a high rate, but he doesn’t have the power that a first baseman/designated hitter should. The option for 2008 is a vesting option that is based on a certain amount of at bats. Hopefully that means they don’t plan on him being a full time player or that they plan on trading him at the deadline, like Jeff Conine this year.

The Orioles signed relief pitcher Chad Bradford, formerly of the Mets, to a 3 year deal.

Bradford: 4-2, 2.90 ERA, 2 saves, 62 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 6.53 K/9

Cost: 3 years/$10.5 million

Grade: A

Bradford is my favorite to be the best of all the relief pitcher signings. He came cheaper than Walker and Baez despite being better than both. He has been solid throughout his career and is an extreme groundball pitcher, especially to right handed hitters. He also rarely gives up homeruns. Bradford is best known for his role in the book “Moneyball”. Besides the Mets, he has pitched for the Oakland A’s, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox. This is the 4th signing for the bullpen, completing (I would think) the reworking of an awful group last year. This new version is without a doubt much improved. Now its time to move on to the other areas of weakness.

The Orioles signed catcher Paul Bako to a one year deal.

Bako: .209/.261/.229, 3 doubles, 10 RBI

Cost: 1 year/<$1 million

Grade: D

The deal is for one year and less than a million dollars. Bako will to Spring Training as the favorite to win the back up catcher job at this point. There had to be better options out there than Paul Bako, who managed a sub -.500 OPS last season in 153 at bats. Reports say he is a good defensive catcher and game caller, but I don’t think is enough to make up for his lack of hitting skill. Looks like a standard Orioles back up catcher.

The Orioles signed right handed relief pitcher Scott Williamson who pitched for the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres last year.

Williamson: 2-4, 5.72 ERA, 39.1 IP, 1.60 WHIP, 9.62 K/9

Cost: 1 year/$900,000

Grade: B+

This is a nice low risk, potential high reward signing. If Williamson can get/stay healthy next year he could be the best pitcher in the Orioles bullpen. He’s a high strikeout pitcher who has had success when hes been healthy throughout his career. A nice cheap contract that won’t make us lose a draft pick is another bonus. Combine this with another reliever signing soon and our bullpen is going to be vastly improved. Good signing, now its time to focus on some other areas like LF/1B/DH/SP.