Closer Situation

The Orioles had signed Mike Gonzalez, the former Braves closer, in hopes of solidifying a shaky back end of the bullpen this past offseason. On paper, it seemed like a great move, since Gonzalez had great numbers the past years in Atlanta, and even prior in Pittsburgh. Gonzalez has been anything but dominant so far in 2010 blowing multiple saves and having and ERA which hovered around 18.00. He has lost all command as well as confidence, while only being able to manage one save this year.

Recently, Dave Trembley informed the media that Gonzalez was placed on the DL with a strained left shoulder. The injury was realized during a bullpen warm-up in a game when we faced Tampa Bay. In a corresponding roster move, right-hander Kam Mickolio was summoned from Triple-A to take over. It is not yet known how long Gonzalez will be out, but for right now, you would have to think Mickolio is in the mix for action as the closer for the Orioles.

Orioles 2010 Outlook

It's about 19 hours before the first pitch of the Baltimore Orioles 2010 season. Baltimore made some key stopgap acquisitions as I profiled previously this past offseason. With some key position prospects emerging and potentially ready to fill in for 2011, the Orioles have mixed in some veteran leadership with the youth already in the majors. Kevin Millwood got the nod to start opening day this year, and should provide some stability to the rotation while taking pressure off last year's ace, Jeremy Guthrie.

As much as I root for them to, the Orioles will not be claiming the AL East crown this season. This is a good chance to get more seasoning and growth from the young core group that the team possesses including Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters, Felix Pie, and Nick Markakis. I would say that Baltimore has the talent to finish very close to, if not right at .500 for the season. My prediction will be 79-82 wins. The Orioles can play spoiler to the East powers such as the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays when not in contention at the end of the season. One thing that is important every year is staying healthy. Health questions already surround Brian Roberts, who is in the first year of his big extension, as well as whether Nolan Reimold is fully recovered from offseason surgery.

I think with the opportunity for maturation and growth, the Orioles can make some noise, even in the very talented American League East, a la the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, in years to come.

Orioles News and Notes

Recently, the Orioles made two important decisions regarding their roster moving towards opening day. The backup catcher to Matt Wieters was named as was the number five starting pitcher to open the year. Craig Tatum will be backing up Wieters. When the move was made, Chad Moeller was to be optioned to the minor leagues, but refused the assignment. By doing that, Moeller declared himself a free agent.

On the pitching side of things, David Hernandez was selected to be the fifth starter. This may come as a bit of a shock because people thought Chris Tillman was a virtual lock for the position before spring training began. Tillman, along with a bunch of others, got optioned to the minor leagues for more seasoning. Tillman will be brought back and play a role in the future of this franchise, just not right now.

The Orioles also acquired Julio Lugo from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named later. Lugo will primarily be used as insurance in case Brian Roberts injury is more serious than was thought and may keep him out longer than expected. With this transaction, Robert Andino and Ty Wiggington may find themselves with less playing time or even on their way out of Baltimore since Lugo can fill in at most of the infield positions.

Orioles Give Gathright a Second Chance

Before I get to my outlook for the Orioles in 2010, I wanted to share with everyone the latest transaction for the birds. Once again, the Orioles inked speedster outfielder Joey Gathright to a minor league contract. In 2009, Gathright was in the minor league system for the O's, mainly in triple A hitting .329 and stealing 24 bases while appearing in 80 games.

This gives us some outfield flexibility in case injuries arise once again. Gathright was released recently by the Toronto Blue Jays after a less then stellar spring training.

Orioles Offseason-Major Signings.

The Orioles did make some new additions in the offseason gearing up for 2010 baseball season. The most glaring weakness during the season was the lack of a staff ace. Jeremy Guthrie, who came into 2009 as the number one starter, simply did not live up to expectations. His HR rate was up as was his ERA. With that said, the Orioles dipped into the trade market and acquired Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers. The main piece that the Orioles sent to Arlington was relief pitcher, Chris Ray, who was coming off a series of injuries and was ineffective in his return.

In getting Millwood, the Orioles may not have gotten a true ace, but they did acquire an innings eater who will take pressure off Jeremy Guthrie and tutor the young starters the Orioles have. Kevin Millwood has excellent baseball knowledge having come up through the Atlanta Braves organization. He learned from the best, including Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. Other stops for Kevin have included the Phillies, Indians, and Rangers. He is a proven pitcher that should be a great presence to lead the Orioles pitching staff.

As far as hitting was concerned, the Orioles had two primary needs, which were the infield corners, first and third base. The Orioles had looked at some of the free agents including Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre, and Nick Johnson. After checking out their options, the Orioles decided to bring back a former player in Miguel Tejada. This time however, the familiar face will be moving over to third base, which he was completely open to. On the other side of the diamond, the Orioles signed Garrett Atkins, which was heavily speculated throughout the offseason. Atkins seemed to work his way out of hitter friendly Colorado with three straight years of declining power numbers, but the Orioles hope he can regain his power stroke at similarly hitter friendly Camden Yards. Tejada's power numbers have been in decline as well, possibly linked to performance enhancing drugs. Miguel still hits for average, makes great contact, and can be counted on for 15-20 HRs and 75-85 RBIs per year.

Time will ultimately tell if these moves pay off for the Orioles. They can also both be viewed as short term signings as prospects Brandon Snyder (1B) and Josh Bell (3B) are coming up fast.

Next entry will take a look at the Orioles chances to contend with the big boys in the AL East in 2010, plus a glimpse into what lies ahead.

Orioles Offseason Needs: Starting Pitching Edition

The Orioles had a large amount of rookies pitching both in the rotation and out of the pen in 2009. The question is, which rookies showed that they were ready to stay in the big leagues? Let's start with the rotation. Heading into the 2010 season, there are some holes that need to be plugged for our starting five. Koji Uehara, who was previously a starter, will in all likelihood working out of the bullpen because of stamina and injury problems last year. The de facto number one starter heading into the season would be Jeremy Guthrie only because there is little competition for the position. Brian Matusz seems to have a hold on a spot next year as well as Brad Bergesen. Rich Hill was cast aside (but may return) and David Hernandez seems better suited for a bullpen spot. That leaves three spots assured, which Chris Tillman having the inside track on a fourth.

The free agent class this winter provides a plethora of options for a team looking to add a veteran in the rotation. Some of these veterans are coming off career years while others were derailed by injury in 09. Some of the often mentioned key starters on the market this offseason are John Lackey, Erik Bedard, Ben Sheets, Brad Penny, Rich Harden, Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, Jon Garland, Carl Pavano, Jarrod Washburn, Justin Duchscherer, Randy Johnson, Brett Myers, and Vicente Padilla. Sheets, Harden, Bedard, and Duchscherer have had injury histories that may turn some teams away; while Washburn, Lackey, Marquis, and Wolf had years that may allow them to cash in this offseason.

With the Orioles current situation, the best fits out of this group seem to be Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, Carl Pavano, Jon Garland, or a return to Baltimore for Erik Bedard. These pitchers can mentor the younger guys and hopefully be innings eaters as well. Harden, Sheets, Pavano, and Bedard are all risky injury wise but can be a big help to a staff who depends on its bullpen way too heavily.

These pitchers are most likely going to sign contracts with low base salaries but incentives as well, and may be willing to settle on a one year deal. The Orioles just need pitchers to keep those rotation spots warm until the rest of the young arms develop their way in to pitchers at the major league level.

Next entry will profile available bullpen free agents as well as who would be the best fit for the Orioles at closer in 2010.

Orioles Offseason Needs: Hitting Edition

With the 2009 baseball season finally coming to a conclusion, we can now focus on the offseason for the Baltimore Orioles. With Melvin Mora's option being declined, the Orioles are in the market for a third baseman to hold down the hot corner until prospect Josh Bell arrives. Another position of uncertainty is directly across diamond at first base. As the roster stands now, Michael Aubrey is the incumbent starter. Other possibilities include Luke Scott and Ty Wiggington.

The Orioles have no true cleanup hitter so one of those positions should be filled with a power bat. Another direction that Baltimore could go in would be to acquire a full-time DH with power to slide into the number four slot in the lineup. Off the top of my head, Jim Thome and Carlos Delgado come to mind. Other players that could be given consideration would be Adrian Beltre, Pedro Feliz, Nick Johnson, or even Vladimir Guerrero (if not resigned).

Carlos Delgado would be a great fit, even if relegated to mostly DH duty. Delgado is a given for 30 HR's and 90-100 RBI's a year and the Orioles sorely need that production As for first base, Nick Johnson could be looked at but may be looking for a multi-year deal.

The outfield will be crowded in 2010 just as it was this past season. With Felix Pie proving valuable in a fourth outfielder role, the Orioles have great depth. Adam Jones put together a great year, Markakis is the mark of consistency, and Nolan Reimold looks to be showing the talent that was seen in the minor leagues. Let's not forget that Luke Scott is out there as well, currently holding the DH position with spot starts in the outfield.

The Orioles could look in to Chone Figgins but he will probably be commanding to high a salary to be landing in Baltimore. The catching duties will be handle by budding star Matt Wieters with Chad Moeller possibly returning after being non-tendered. Cesar Izturis will be the man again at SS with Robert Andino being the backup. 2B and our leadoff responsibilities still fall in the hands of fan favorite Brian Roberts fresh off his contract extension.

My next entry will profile the pitching needs for the Orioles in their starting rotation.