Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has a nice end-of-season column about the Orioles today. Dan Connolly also wrote a fine summary on Saturday.
In my Offseason Outlook for the team, I suggested the Orioles explore the possibility of signing A.J. Burnett but pass on a huge commitment for Mark Teixeira. Zrebiec says the O’s will be in the initial bidding for both free agents. I respect that; it’s hard to see them winning any bidding wars though.
Instead, the Orioles will look to add starting pitching, a shortstop, and maybe a first baseman this winter. To do so, they can shop Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff, and Ramon Hernandez among others. Brian Roberts could bring the biggest bounty, but the Orioles will explore an extension first.
My gut feeling is we will see Daniel Cabrera join the free agent class via a non-tender. He did not show progress this year, and his average fastball velocity dropped almost two miles per hour. He’d be $3MM+ poorly spent.
