The Orioles haven’t won more than 64 games since Cesar Izturis signed with Baltimore two winters ago, but he’d still like to return in 2011 if the Orioles are interested in re-signing him.
“Definitely, definitely,” Izturis told MLBTR this weekend. “It’s been good here the last two years and they’ve treated me well so far and I’m going to be here if they want me. If they want me, I’ll be here. If not, I want to play every day.”
Earlier in the season, Izturis told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles are his first choice and that hasn’t changed, especially since the team is winning under new manager Buck Showalter.
“We have turned around completely,” Izturis said. “The numbers are up there, more wins and we’re playing much better for him.”
The team is better, but Izturis has had a disappointing year at the plate and he knows it. The switch hitter is batting .236/.280/.273 this season with 11 stolen bases (16 attempts). Izturis has played basically every day for the O’s and his defense has been good, according to UZR. The defensive metric ranks Izturis as an above-average fielder and has for eight of the last nine seasons.
Izturis now earns $2.6MM in the second season of his two-year $5MM deal. He doesn’t figure to sign for as much guaranteed money this offseason, but light-hitting, sure-handed shortstops can find major league deals. Adam Everett signed for $1.55MM last winter, though the Tigers ultimately released him.
why?
its the only place he can play everday
Pretty sure he could play everyday in the same league kenny powers is down there in Guatemala
Bonderman To Sign With Cardinals
Yesterday we learned that Bonderman didn’t sound to enthusiastic about his return to Detroit for the 2011 season. Today however we hear from an inside source that Bonderman, like many, has always want to take the mound in St. Louis and has already made his decision to take a generous pay cut to be part of the team.
“There an amazing organization.. I mean come on, its St. Louis. Baseball heaven! Ill play for free if I have to.. Ill do anything to be on the club because they have been the best team in the past decade and will continue to be for decades to come”
Oddly enough Bonderman has made up his mind even before the 2010 season has ended and from what we understand, the list of MLB baseball players waiting in line to play for such a great organization is growing longer and longer by the day.
Link please. I’m a Cardinals fan and I find this to be highly sarcastic…
Sherlock Holmes, that you?
I guess I just don’t see why you’d have Cardinals sarcasm in a post about the Orioles.
of course it is, no one is dumb enough to say st louis was better than boston and nyy during the last 10 years
BS rumor, but makes sense on a minor league deal.
This is probably the stupidist thing I’ve read all day. It reads like a high school newspaper article.
More like middle school. I think high schoolers know the difference between “They’re” and “there.” Or how to conjugate a verb to it agrees with a sentence.
People who are going to try to start fake rumors should make sure they can write above a fourth-grade level before doing so.
Just a joke guys.. relax
The Orioles should sign Izturis for 1 year 2.5 million. He has been good for the team. He will hold down SS well for us untill Manny is ready.
The Os have an interesting story that may be developing between Michal Givens and Manny Machado. Maybe it’s premature, but both are highly regarded. Both were seen as 1st round talents (Givens dropped to the 2nd). Both are pretty much the same age and level. And they are said to be good friends now. They will be mirroring each other thru the organization playing the same position.
Realistically I think we’re looking at a future of Machado at the 6 and Givens at the 4. Roberts’ contract is up in a few years giving Givens time to develop some more and I think you’ll see them get some sort of stop-gap SS (maybe Jason Bartlett) to hold them over until Machado is ready (around the same time, maybe a year later).
No one should sign Izturis for more than the league minimum. This is a guy who hasn’t even been worth an entire win over the course of his whole tenure in Baltimore. He doesn’t warrant more than a minor league deal and an invite to Spring Training, at BEST.
Izturis is great at SS too.
His defense is pretty good. SS is one of those positions where competent performance is at a scarcity right now. There was a moment where the Orioles had problems finding available SSs willing to come to Baltimore. I doubt that has changed. During those times, due to lack of a true SS, the ripple effect forced the Os to play a lot of players out of their natural positions. It made for suppressing a lot of pitching numbers.
Most of their highly promising young staff have only now finished a full season this year. They will need continued defensive support.
Exactly. I like Izzy. He’s exactly what the young pitchers on our staff need: a great defensive shortstop.
I think the Orioles really should try to get Prince Fielder this offseason. Lets offer the Brewers Chris Tillman, Felix Pie, Givens and Egan. Then we should right away start talks of a extension with him. Offer him 8 years 160 million dollars.
Yes,get him right before he hits the 400lb mark
I’ve seen like three Oriole fans say trade for Fielder. Unreal. Why would the Orioles trade young talent for one year of Prince Fielder before he hits free agency when they could just offer him 8/160 a year from now if they really want him? Hell, Adrian Gonzalez will be on the market then and is a better player than Fielder.
There’s no logic behind trading young pieces for him, and your package wouldn’t get him anyway. Tillman’s stock has plummeted, Pie hasn’t been a top prospect since before the Brewers’ last playoff run, (and the Brewers are stocked in the OF anyway), and Egan is an unranked 25-year-old who put up garbage numbers in Triple-A.
Maybe the Twins should get in the Fielder market by upping that offer with Glen Perkins, Alexi Casilla, Brendan Harris, and Jose Morales…
no way the brewers accept that i dont know anything about perkins but casilla, harris, and morales are each hitting like .200 a piece this year and the brewers want way more talent. how bout the tigers get fielder, jacob turner, charles furbash and villarael (or how ever you spell his last name) and a top hitting prospect or 2
Clearly you haven’t heard the tale of Glen “Hellbent” Perkins and his legendary Perkball. Any team would be foolish not to sell the farm for him. We could probably get Evan Longoria straight up for him.
That offer from the Twins in my post was 100% legit. One hundred percent I say.
If the O’s trade for any first-baseman it’d be Adrian Gonzalez. He makes MUCH more sense than Fielder does. Note – I’m not saying we’d get Adrian Gonzalez, but they would target him first. It would probably take a package of Tillman, Bell, Caleb Joseph, and a few others to get him. Maybe more, maybe less.
thats overpaying for him, prospects wise and maybe money wise. I like Prince, and would love to see him come to town. I would offer Tillman, and two b prospects. more than that and it wont be worth it, but negotitate an extension first like 5 yrs, 125
Then we put Reimold in LF. Izzy at SS. We bring back Wiggy for 3B. And sign Padilla to a 1 year contract. Then if we are contending at the break we trade for a big pitcher.
I hope that is a joke.If you think Wiggington,Izturis,Reimold and Padilla make you even close to a contender in the AL East you have to be hoping the the other teams are all going to the NL.
By this point, I’m convinced Stovin is a joke account. I already wasted five minutes of my life replying to him, and he’s probably sitting there laughing anyway. Probably best to leave it alone at this point, haha.
And Prince!
Prince Fielder= next Mo Vaughn. His body ain’t going to hold up for too much longer.