The Mariners weren’t interested in paying Mark Trumbo $9.1MM this year, so they dealt him and left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser to the Orioles last December for backup catcher Steve Clevenger. Almost a year later, it’s fair to say the Orioles made out well in the trade. Trumbo has slashed .250/.312/.526 with a major league-leading 45 home runs in 638 plate appearances, while Clevenger added little to the Mariners before earning a suspension for controversial tweets Friday.
Trumbo’s latest homer came Saturday for the contending Orioles, who picked up a 6-1 victory over the Diamondbacks to improve to 84-71. Baltimore currently holds a half-game lead on the second wild-card spot in the American League, and it’s arguable whether the team would be in a playoff position without Trumbo’s offensive output. For their part, the Orioles are thrilled with what Trumbo has contributed, as Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun writes.
“He’s an excellent veteran player,” general manager Dan Duquette said. “I really like what he’s done for our team. He’s got some really good personal qualities that add to the ballclub.”
Meanwhile, Trumbo – who has also played for the Angels and Diamondbacks – raved about his time with the Orioles.
“It’s been the most enjoyable season I’ve had … from the group of guys in the clubhouse to the winning they’ve done on the field,” Trumbo told Schmuck.
While there’s clearly respect between the two sides, it’s uncertain whether they’ll be able to work out a new deal to prevent Trumbo from leaving Baltimore as a free agent after the season. The Orioles hope Trumbo accepts a $16.7MM qualifying offer to remain with the team in 2017, per Schmuck, who notes that’s probably unrealistic. Odds are Trumbo will land a lucrative multiyear deal, but whether he’s worth one is up in the air. While the 30-year-old ranks 18th in the majors in homers (176) and 30th in ISO (.220) since debuting in 2010, he hasn’t brought much to the table aside from above-average power.
Trumbo’s subpar career walk rate (6.7 percent) has helped produce a .302 on-base percentage, and he hasn’t offered value on the base paths or defensively, having primarily lined up in the outfield and at first base. The lion’s share of Trumbo’s action this year has come in right field, and he currently rates as the majors’ 13th-worst outfielder in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-13) among those who have logged at least 500 innings. He’s also 17th from the bottom in Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-7.7).
Offensively, this season has been a tale of two halves for Trumbo. He batted an outstanding .288/.341/.582 with 28 HRs in 375 PAs before the All-Star break, but he has hit just .187/.263/.430 with a still-impressive 17 long balls in 259 trips to the plate since. In total, the package has been worth a mediocre 1.5 fWAR, though FanGraphs indicates that Trumbo has given the Orioles $12.2MM in value this season, thereby outproducing his salary.
Going forward, it’s questionable whether the career .250/.302/.470 hitter will be able to provide bang for a team’s buck on a more expensive contract. The Orioles already have one well-compensated slugger, first baseman Chris Davis, locked up through 2022 at $23MM per annum. Davis hasn’t performed to expectations in Year 1 of his deal, which could weigh on the Orioles’ minds when considering re-signing Trumbo. At the same time, they’re clearly cognizant of Trumbo’s power.
“His performance in terms of hitting the ball out of the ballpark and driving in runs is certainly worth a significant investment,” Duquette said.
The O’s need to offer him 3-4 years and use him primarily as a DH with occasional time in the field.
For some odd reason, DiPoto never liked Trumbo… He traded him while he was with the Angels and did the same in the Mariners …
Probably because Trumbo was an average bat, really he had like zero OBP potential and was a total liability in the field, at 1B/3B/LF/RF none of the defensive metrics really favor him. Yea he did hit 30 HR twice but he was a one trick pony. Also the Angels got Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs for him plus a minor leaguer or two. Also they got Alex Meyer for Santiago in the Niclaso salary dump. So overall he was a plus in the Angels future to me
Keep pushing the “Defense” metric all you want to try and justify those STUPID trades. You don’t just give up on power. What came with that Pwr this year? OBP? He was injured in between those 30hrs. Bet you think 185mil for the defensive specialist with Cubs is worth it.
He’s hit this many homers, and has barely provided value to Baltimore. It’s s combination of not being able to play defense, get on base, or run. His only skill is hitting home runs, and you can get a much cheaper version of that in carter or Alvarez this offseason
Trumbo is a 1 trick pony. And nobody can guarantee he’ll repeat the power next year. Classic case of a guy who will get paid and hit about .230 with a .275 on base percentage.
Trumbo screams “throw money away on me”.
You know nothing, Jon Snow.
I’m in agreement here. 2016 is Mark Trumbo’s career year similar to Brady Anfderson’s 1996 season. The O’s don’t need another DH.
Yea! Nothing like having a “SLUGGER” with high OBP to clog the bases
And take a Double
Jumbo Trumbo could be a goo fit with the BoSox after Big Papi, or the Jays in case they can’t sign Bautista or Encarnacion…
Boston will probably prioritize Encarnacion, mainly because he has had a more consistent career (as opposed to Trumbo) and has already received the Big Papi seal of approval. Ortiz’ endorsement probably means a lot to Edwin and could sway his decision.
Good fit … Sorry for the typo
Riskyyyy move… he might be having a career year. It’ll be hard to duplicate.
Don’t get me wrong, that trade looks like a steal for the Orioles now, but let’s also not overlook the change in sceneries for Trumbo. He got to leave the not-so-hitter-friendly confines of Safeco (as well as playing less games in Oakland and Anaheim) and gets to play his home games in Camden as well as a couple more games in Fenway, Yankee Stadium, and Toronto.
Spot on, JT19. Nailed it.
Well he’s hit 30 between talking the East teams (25 at home) while hitting 15 in all the other 25 stadiums combined. So I’d kinda agree.
That was the genius of the trade for Baltimore. They got a player perfectly suited to their ballpark for nothing. All teams should be doing this.
Who else was surprised that Trumbo is considered a better defensive outfielder this season than Adam Jones an Andrew McCutchen?
Some team will give Trumbo a big contract because of the home runs, but I hope the Orioles stay away from him unless he signs for like 4 years – $50 MM
This is going to be Davis round two, and Baltimore should be smart enough to stay away. He’s having a career season and still isn’t that valuable. O’s fans think this might be the least impressive 45 homer season in a long time
Nailed it.
All Trumbo is good for is home runs. No defense, on base percentage is atrocious.
Somebody will get fired for giving him a Brinks truck full of money.
Trumbo is like 30 walks away from being Edwin Encarnacion. If he can he find a coach to teach him how to take those 5-6 extra walks a month he’d be a great asset instead of just 1-dimensional.
Trumbo won’t have another year like this. It is an aberration. He will come crashing back down to normal next year, probably after someone pays him big bucks.