The Orioles’ 2017 season came to an end on Sunday, as they finished dead last in the AL East with a 75-87 record. But although they finished 12 games below .500 with a -98 run differential this season, the O’s have a lot of talent still in place, and will gain some financial flexibility as a few big contracts come off the books. Before game 162, Baltimore GM Dan Duquette revealed some of the organization’s offseason plans, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes.
Duquette said that the Orioles will shed a significant amount of payroll. He candidly told Kubatko: “We do have a number of players that have played their last game with the Orioles. I don’t know exactly who those players are, but there are a lot of contracts that are coming off.”
That’s no exaggeration; Jeremy Hellickson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Seth Smith, Chris Tillman, Ryan Flaherty and Craig Gentry were paid a combined $39.3MM this year, and are all set to become free agents. Welington Castillo made $6MM and is unlikely to exercise his player option. J.J. Hardy made $14MM in 2017, but his 268 plate appearances in 2017 fell well short of the 600 required for his $14MM 2018 option to vest. The Orioles are likely to pay him a $2MM buyout. Wade Miley, meanwhile, made about $9.4MM, and is likely to have his $12MM option declined in favor of a $500K buyout. If all of these players sign elsewhere, the Orioles would clear about $66.2MM in payroll space.
[Related: Baltimore Orioles payroll outlook]
The Orioles plan to reallocate some of that payroll towards their pitching staff, although Duquette admits that the market for pitching is a “thin market, and that’s an expensive market.” Duquette likes what he saw from Gabriel Ynoa, and believes Miguel Castro could be a starter as well (one would assume that Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman will also keep their jobs). Duquette’s focus this offseason will be on acquiring a left-handed starter. Based on a quick look at the free agent market, the top available options include Jason Vargas, Jaime Garcia, Miley, Francisco Liriano and CC Sabathia.
Duquette compares his “shopping list” for the offseason to a similar list he had in 2011, when the Orioles signed Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen. Chris Tillman also emerged as a viable option that year, so it seems as though the Orioles will hope that one of Ynoa or Castro can follow that pattern as the Orioles try to improve their rotation after allowing 841 runs in 2017, good for second-most in the AL.
If there had been any doubt, Duquette ends the interview by making it clear that the Orioles intend to try and win in 2018 even within a tough AL East. They will certainly face tough challenges against offenses like the Yankees and Red Sox, so it would take an enormous improvement to the rotation for the Orioles to make a run at the playoffs.
Has Machado been approached about a long term deal yet and if so did he say he was interested.
He was last offseason. The Orioles offer was not to his liking. I assume he will test Free Agency unless its like 10/ $330 mil.
And sadly get nothing in return for Machado and Britton because he thinks they are going to win the pennant by signing two #3 starters. Duquette is an eternal optimist who always seems to find a way around dealing with reality. The Orioles were the only team in on Chris Davis and signed him for 20 mil a year, had the chance to sign a better group of #3 starters over the past 3 offseasons and didn’t do it, and will have to spend a combined 50 mil a year to keep Britton and Machado past this season. They were at their highest value EVER last off-season and could have received top prospects and even young major league players with Machados power, fielding, and ability to also play shortstop while, at the same time, Britton had arguably the best season a reliever has ever had. Now, even if the orioles aren’t great this coming year, if they are within 8 games by the trade deadline, they will keep them both and say they have a chance. The most frustrating franchise in baseball because they aren’t even good at being bad! No direction!
” by signing two #3 starters”
They could win if they signed two #3 starters. The guys the Orioles will sign barely qualify as fourth starters.
Detroit was in on Davis. He is also making about $17 mil a season with the rest deferred.
Rumor only. No team, not even Detroit seriously considered him an OF. 1B and DH were already taken. I believe it was an agent calling in a favor from the press.
You nailed it! It’s extrememly frustrating as a fan. I hate to see Machado leave, but you and I both know Baltimore can’t afford to keep him. They HAVE to know that also. If Machado and Britton don’t get dealt for a nice list of talented prospects, it’s going to be another 10+ seasons of sub .500 baseball. They should also try to lock up Schoop before it’s too late on him.
Think the O’s would be players for Otani? Almost makes perfect sense since they have a ton of salary coming of the books to pay for the posting fee and contract, and they have the option of letting him DH a couple times a week.
No chance at all. The Orioles only sign International talent that no other team wants.
If you were Otani, would you want to play on a team mired in mediocrity (and that’s even being generous)?
First losing season since 2011. But yeah I do not see the Orioles chasing him. They take cheaper Asian players like Kim or Chen.
The only significant loss there is Castillo. They need to get lucky with a couple of under the radar type starters. Otherwise maybe they can add to the bullpen and try to get by with inning eater types.
That’s been the O’s plan for years and see how it ended up?
First losing season since DD took over in 2011. This really is a “what have you done for me lately” society. Until this season, since DD took over, The O’s had the most total wins of anyone in the AL East. Somewhere between 3rd and 5th most in all of MLB in that time. Why is everyone who calls them self a fan of this team so down on a guy who has them, at worst, the 5th best team in all of baseball since he took over?
Even non-Orioles fans are down on him. HIs story is quite parallel to that of Ruben Amaro Jr: inherited decent teams on the up only to defy logic and run them into a rut…
DD and Dipoto are next.
I beg to differ Showalter is a Jack Wagon!
the team stopped playing for him and in turn Showalter did not play the players that DD called up ie Austin Hays,! Took Showalter forever to get him playing time that was not garbage! Santander too!
Duquette did not acknowledge the Elephant in the room though!
He and Showalter have issues!
Machado is a pain in the can and possibly un-coachable, talented though
As for pitching, good luck!!!
Something has to come to head in the next few days because I simply cannot watch the O’s next season if both are back!!! The O’s can’t have this and I can no longer take it!!!!
DD annoys me sometimes, but Showalter…..SMH!
How do you see MM as in-coachable?
Before I answer have you watched him play all year?
Or you one of these people that just looks at stats all day long and then claim to be an expert?
I’m curious as to why you believe he’s un-coachable, and a pain? Perhaps DimitriInLA only looks at stats all day, but do you have access to the O’s locker room with your insight?
Too many rotation needs and not enough available, viable options that fit into their budget. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s improbable that Duquette fills out that rotation with anything better than the recently vacated arms. I hope it works out, but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t.
Can’t Fill it out any better? it literally could not get any worse. That’s not an exaggeration in the slightest. Giving Jimenez and this years version of Tillman the ball every 5th day is about as bad as major league pitching gets. Not to mention hellickson’s few disastrous starters for us. Miley was almost right there with those guys as well but even 2 more wade Miley types would upgrade that garbage. Literally nowhere to go but up.
As much as I don’t like the negative comments, this is pretty much as dead on as it gets. Lol.
I would deal Britton for whatever they can get with Davis and his salary in the deal
Even if Britton is part of the deal, the O’s would still have to send a good chunk of money to offset that ridiculous contract that’s owed to Davis.
No one would take the Davis deal with Britton and 70 million dollars. Maybe we could dump Machado and 70 mil with Davis. Obviously not going to happen nor should it. But that’s a complete pipe dream that brittons one year of value would be worth absorbing davis’ contract
“I plan to supplement the organization with 40-man roster fodder acquired by trading international signing money. We also plan to bolster a battered rotation with numerous number 6/7 rotation types and minor league signings.” Boom.
So your saying there’s a chance…
It’s funny to me Craig gentry’s minimum salary got lumped in with all the other guys. I understand it was just a list of upcoming FA’s but still funny.