The Orioles announced that they have exercised their club options on left-hander Wei-Yin Chen ($4.75MM) and right-hander Darren O’Day ($4.25MM). Additionally, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that the team has declined its half of Nick Markakis’ $17.5MM mutual option (in favor of a $2MM buyout) and declined Nick Hundley’s $5MM option.
The decision to pick up the options on Chen and O’Day was an easy one, as both appear to be bargain rates relative to the level of production of each pitcher. Chen, a 29-year-old left-hander signed out of Taiwan, has been solid in three seasons for the Orioles and enjoyed his best year in 2014. In 185 2/3 innings in the Baltimore rotation, he pitched to a 3.54 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a 41 percent ground-ball rate. In three years with the O’s, he’s totaled a 3.86 ERA in 515 1/3 innings while playing on a three-year, $11.388MM contract.
O’Day, who turned 32 last week, has been an integral part of the Orioles’ bullpen over the past three seasons but turned in his best work this year. Though he has a 2.05 ERA over 197 2/3 total innings in Baltimore, he pitched to a 1.70 mark this year to go along with 9.6 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate.
Markakis has been with the Orioles since being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft. In nine seasons with Baltimore, he’s posted a cumulative line of .290/.358/.435. This past season, he posted a .276/.342/.386 line with 14 homers and a total of 2.5 fWAR/2.1 rWAR — a solid rebound campaign as he hits the open market for the first time. First, however, the O’s will have to decide whether or not to make him a $15.3MM qualifying offer. (I recently profiled Markakis and pegged him for a four-year deal without a QO and three years if he gets one.)
Hundley, 31, was acquired in exchange for lefty Troy Patton after Matt Wieters went down for the season due to Tommy John surgery. In 50 games and 174 plate appearances with the O’s, the former Padre batted .233/.273/.352 with five homers. He caught 19 percent of opposing base-stealers and graded out as a slightly above-average pitch-framer, per Baseball Prospectus.
Come on mariners get Markakis
Bad fit. M’s need right handed hitting.
Mariners could use any outfielder who can at least stay healthy and sort of hit.
I kind of think he would do alright there. He doesn’t have huge fly ball rates or home runs, so him being in that park wouldn’t hurt him as much as someone like Cruz, who gets a large part his value from home runs.
His lack of range would probably kill him defensively in a stadium that big.
Down the line it’s an extra 6 feet, rcf is an extra 8 feet.
Balls don’t fly in Seattle though partly due to lack of heat there.
You think the mariners would be interested in conor Gillaspie, Dayan viciedo, and one of the 2nd baseman like marcus semien, for pitching, Dustin ackely, or Logan Morrison.
No to all of the above since the Mariners have zero use for 2nd Basemen right now, and the other two are not worth trading anything of value for, especially Logan Morrison, who had a pretty good season once he took over the duties at first full time.
What about Dustin ackley ? The white sox need defense badly. Idk if the mariners are still interested in Dayan viciedo still. Are they?
I think the Mariners would live with Ackley over Viciedo since they are similar in offensive capabilities and Ackley slightly edges Viciedo out in terms of defense. It would be a kind of a pointless, if not negative, trade
No surprises, I am sure Angelos will try to make sure Markakis remains an Oriole
I would also be very surprised if he left. The fact that they didn’t play tactics with his option to try and have him decline, followed by a potential Q.O suggests that they are keen to bring him back, as you would expect. Will be interesting watching them try and negotiate with both Markakis and Cruz at the same time.
I don’t think this makes him more likely to resign. They can still do the QO.
I don’t get what you mean? Tactics with his option and QO?
Steve made a very good point in the podcast that they could exercise his option, in markakis were to decline, he would therefore also likely decline a qo. If he accepts, it’s only a 5mil or so overpay for a liked player on a contending team.
Markakis couldn’t decline the option. He could maybe void out the entire thing, but once the O’s made a decision one way or another based on the option, Markakis couldn’t do anything. If they picked it up, he is an Oriole. If they didn’t, he wasn’t unless they offer him another deal. So I’m not sure what you mean about the Orioles exercising the option and Markakis declining it?
And how do you know the O’s don’t want Markakis to decline the QO and hope to get another pick? The Orioles probably want him back, but they can’t reach an agreement, declining to exercise the option and give him a QO with the idea that he won’t take it might be the course of action the Orioles want.
And it might be an overpay in terms of actual WAR value, but I disagree it is just a 5 million overpay. Markakis wasn’t even a 2 WAR player last year. There comes a point where it’s not worth it to even pay market value for WAR, when the WAR is so low. I think Nick is at that point for a team like the Orioles, who have a limited payroll. Paying market value for Markakis, let alone above market value, would be a serious mistake for the production that you could probably get from a guy like David Lough for league minimum.
It was a mutual option so the orioles could have accepted and markakis decline, hence meaning no buyout?
But I’m not sure what that means in terms of your point about tactics and options and QO. If the Orioles were willing to pick up the option and pay Markakis 17.5 million dollars for one year, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance he wasn’t going to take it.
Nothing that has happened so far, is indicative of anything really, because everything that has happened so far was exactly what was going to happen, one way or another.
From what I have heard, he’s already agreed to the Yankees, just can’t be announce yet.
White Sox might be looking to make a play for Markakis.
I think he’s one of the most underrated players in baseball. He’s played 10 yrs and has 1500 hits. 3000 isn’t too far out their for him.
Markakis has been very good for most of his career, but do you really think he’ll be able to continue posting 170-hit seasons when he’s 38?
Don’t see why not. He isn’t overweight, doesn’t seem to be injury prone. Could have a chance
He’s got a chance, I suppose, but there were exactly 10 players aged 35 or older this year who qualified for offensive stats. Of them, only 2 had even 160 hits (VMart and Beltre).
Markakis’ difficulty in breaching the 3000-hit barrier is that he’s never gotten 200 hits in a single season, and he averages closer to 175. One 60-day DL stint or two mediocre seasons would completely tank his chances. Essentially, he can’t afford to decline noticeably until he turns 38 if he wants a chance to get the necessary 250 hits over his final 2-3 years.
I just don’t think he’s likely to spend that long off the DL and not experience any sort of serious decline in the interim. Didn’t he miss something like 50+ games in 2012 already?
People have to start seeing that without steroids, most guys breakdown before their mid 30’s. Like you said, very few guys aged 35 or older qualified for offensive stats. The aging curve is a lot quicker nowadays.
The few that don’t usually have PED suspicion about them.
No way he plays that long as an everyday starter. He brings no power to the table now, along with horrible base running and pretty bad defense. I don’t his good OBP is going to keep him as an everyday starter while the rest of those things continue to decline.
Actually, he’s a really smart base runner despite not having all the speed in the world. I think he does a solid job. Definitely not horrible.
He’s absolutely horrible. He’s “smart” in the sense that he knows with his cement shoes, he can’t advance extra bases on balls put in play, so he doesn’t try it. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t a horrible base runner. Just look at the rate in which he takes an extra base compared to league average. That’s a player that kills you on the bases.
Camden Yard is a hitter’s park and the O’s are on the verge of getting to the Big Show. He should stay in Baltimore, otherwise, Detroit has a RF opening.
let’s put Markakis in LF in Cincinnati
No!
Cruz won’t be in Baltimore unless he is cool with a 2/3 year deal. Kakes on the otherhand is a priority for Angelos to resign, despite what Duquette might want to do.
Orioles will keep Markakis. If they don’t, whoever gets him will get a winner.
Why is he a winner anymore than the next FA is?
He’s a very good all-around player, and he will not be wasted money.
Many FAs are.
He’s a 2 WAR player. There are plenty of 2 WAR players on the FA market. I just don’t understand how that makes him a winner.
He’s got The Will To Win.
The arm. The cannon.
My Haiku:
Markakis not great,
But isn’t that bad either…
Not worth much, just “is”.
I am going to have to assume that when Melky leaves town, Markakis will be the guy AA goes after.
The Royals lineup would be amazing if you plug RF- Markakis into the cleanup spot, bring Butler back for like 6-7 mil. because someone has to back up
Hosmer. at 1B.
Markakis batting cleanup in 2015? Hilarious.
The Royals paying 6-7 million for a backup in 2015? Hilarious.
I have a feeling Markakis will be back in Bal. However I would like him in LF for SF next year and I could see the Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Indians & a few other teams in on him… always been a solid player!
To the Yankees Markakis goes!