1:01pm: Betemit obtains a $3MM guarantee and the deal could be worth up to $6MM, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.
9:44am: The Orioles announced that they have signed Wilson Betemit to a two-year, Major League contract that includes a vesting option for 2014. Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com adds that Betemit will be Baltimore's primary DH and that the option is based on plate appearances (Twitter links). Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first reported the move (via Twitter). Betemit is represented by the Wasserman Media Group.
The 30-year-old utilityman hit .285/.343/.452 for the Royals and Tigers last season, starting at third in K.C. until Mike Moustakas was called up and then was dealt to Detroit as a hot corner alternative to Brandon Inge. Betemit has experience playing all over the diamond but has mostly played third base for the last two seasons. He could well play third again in Baltimore if the O's again become frustrated with Mark Reynolds' defense, but the switch-hitting Betemit provides depth in several spots for the club, including designated hitter.
What why
Just hope the cholesterol levels arent part of the physical.
Every time I read those two words together, I think of (and read it in the voice of) the guy in Super Troopers… as he’s getting a snow cone in the head at the concession stand of a kids baseball game.
What a beautiful game!
Interesting…
Duke keeps doing exactly what he says he’ll do. He said he wanted a guy who could get on base and start at 2nd.
Defensively, you realllllllly don’t want him starting at 2nd.
Very nice pickup by The Duke here and as the story implied.. emergency player for Reynolds, who *could* be used as a DH this year perhaps to keep his evil glove away from 3B perhaps??
This is a good signing.
Betemit is a decent hitter
Up to $6M though? It appears that they were the only bidders in on him.
Decent? Just found Betemit….listed under replacement level player
Wrong.
He’s worth 2.1-2.6 WAR over the last two years depending who’s counting. And that’s only with 675 PAs.
He could make this a plus value deal by the end of next year if he nabs a starting job (especially if he sniffs that .360 wOBA he has over the last couple years).
I cant take the O’s seriously anymore. But i guess no 1 year deal is a bad deal….except for Ben Sheets. Good depth guy
Don’t forget about Justin Duchscherer. Sheets will at least give you a start,
Duchscherer gets injured warming up for his starts.
A good signing. He provides insurance in case Roberts isn’t able to play 2B. He can play third and short, switch hitter. Not much speed to speak of, but gets on base enough to keep from having to bat Hardy or Andino leadoff.
Sure, he can “play” 2nd, 3rd and short. He’s not any good, though.
.285/.343/.452 is not any good?
i think he means defensively
There is no possible way he could play short. He’s an absolute butcher at 3rd.
The Tigers should have offered arbitration to Betemit, and if they don’t get another thrid baseman, bring him back. His defense is atrocious, but he’s overall way better than Don Kelly or Inge against righty pitching. He’s also a better DH than the likes of Damon, Ibanez, or the scrubs we’re reading about.
I agree that he’s a better against RHP than B. Inge or the mighty Don Kelly (and his career .648 OPS). However, he’s not better than every DH out there. Vlad Guerrero is still out there. And I could see Matsui having a bounceback year if he were in the AL Central.
Oh. My spleen! Vladdy! Good one!
Betemit has a .290/.359/.479 line with 21HR and 42 2B over his last 674 PA that is a pretty good DH
That’s like 1 1/2 to 2 seasons worth of numbers since on a good team, he’s a part-timer. 10-14 HR and 20-30 2b. Knock yourselves out, O’s nation.
nice pickup. would have been nice to see him dh for the yanks
Why he wasn’t signed yet is beyond me, if the O’s are wise they’ll let him slot in at the hot corner or first base and let Mark Reynolds move to DH if you ask me.
Or start him at 2B
Even with Roberts out the Orioles have Adams and Hoes(heh.) waiting in the wings at 2B, why wouldn’t you put Betemit in a more open position? Clearly the O’s don’t trust Davis with a starting job and Betemit has potential to be a .850 OPS guy if he was actually given a concrete position in a lineup, his HR numbers should shoot up in that tiny Orioles ballpark as well.
Schoop is more likely the 2B of the future in Baltimore. But other than that I agree.
Prelude to a Mark Reynolds deal? Reynolds to SEA for Vargas +?
Why would Seattle even want Reynolds? And wouldn’t they want some actual young prospects for Vargas?
Doubtful. I imagine Betemit is here to play 2B
I’m not sure about Reynolds but I think something might be in the works. The roster is getting mighty crowded.
I doubt it.
I’m down with watching Reynolds play third for the Mariners. I wonder what it’d realistically take to get him
I feel like DD just saw ‘Moneyball’ and said to himself “…I can do that.”
And improve upon it!
I think DD’s plan is to sign the best player out of every country in the world. Personally I am kind of enjoying that aspect of the offseason. (of course it has nothing to do with anything we are talking about)
He did just sing the O’s first New Zealander today. He needs to find out if those Indian kids who won that reality show a couple of years ago have been practicing.
actually, one of those guys (rinku singh) has pitched pretty well in the pitt system the past couple years. it’s not crazy to think he might make a LOOGY cameo in a few years, particularly given the marketing potential/novelty factor
Yea and he bought into the movie so much that he didn’t notice Mulder, Zito, Hudson, and Tejeda.
Oh this is brilliant! 323 ab’s and 105 so’s. Outstanding.
I watched a fair amount of Tiger games in 2011 and I would swear the announcers were always complaining about this guy. I guess Duquette is out to prove those guys wrong with this signing. I love this line: He could well play third again in Baltimore if the O’s again become frustrated with Mark Reynolds’ defense. Reynolds and Betemit can also compare notes on how to look good even when you strike out.
Earlier today, I estimated that the crowds at OPACY could be Old Marlin stadium like between 900 and 1500. I am cutting down that estimate to 450 to 750.
This team is going to be bad, historically bad!
Booo to you Duquette! The Cactus League is looking better and better, I really need to see how the other side lives!
I think its at least possible, that we could have a game this year where every at bat in the entire lineup is a strikeout.
I still like this signing.
Oh, Lefty, stop being so overly dramatic! You remind me of my ex-wife.
This is awesome.
She didn’t know anything about baseball?
Ah, too harsh.
Well, like a certain southpaw who posts here, she thinks she does!
Don’t worry, Lefty, you know we love you!
This team has to be better than last years….
2003 Detroit Tigers OF – Bobby Higginson, Craig Monroe, Alex Sanchez
2012 Baltimore Orioles OF – Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold
It’s really not that bad. Quit your hissy fitting, Wada and Chen can’t be predicted and many teams would sell the farm for Wieters. You aren’t the 2003 Tigers and you aren’t the 2012 Houston Astros.
Now the O´s can trade Mark Reynolds to the M´s, maybe Figgins would be enough…
That is just ridiculous! Even if DD did consider it, he is surrounded by Luminaries in the FO such as the Stockstll boys and they clearly would talk him out of it.
O’s fans can complain if they want but it’s kind of nonsensical. Essentially Duquette is creating position battles at every spot except C, SS and RF. Throw ’em in the fire and see what comes out.
I don’t have a problem with this at all. (Though I’d prefer not signing Cordero. I’d rather trade for Koji).
Not sure the Rangers would trade Koji now . They may keep him so Darvish won’t feel out of place . Koji has made the transistion to MLB. He may be able to help Darvish do the same ?
didnt think about it like that..
Betemit should have been in Seattle — he’d have been a good complement to Saeger/Liddi/Cap’n Ivor… He should have been signed by Det, who really are biding time until Costello or Abbott are ready for prime time. Sorry but baltimore is just a huge mess. Too many hamfisted hot corner guys already. They’ve got some sock, tho.
Wow, that deal got really silly in a hurry. Please, tell me it’s a mistake and this was our bid for Fielder :-/
I worry that the O’s won’t be able to platoon him sufficiently. He really needs a caddy to face lefties for him. He’ll knock the daylights out of righties, but I don’t see a lefty-masher on Baltimore’s roster last year that could be a legitimate DH or 3B platoon type.
Betemit isn’t exactly a wizard at third base, either…
Two years, wow.
Good bench, role player. The Orioles are doing exactly what they stated they wanted to do. They wanted to go international, they wanted a better bench, they wanted more depth. I think they’ve achieved that. I’m still hopeful about Fielder, but I am not holding my breath.
Yeah the Orioles look pretty solid in the AAAA role player position. Maybe they’ll go after long relief next.
Love it. Better glove than Reynold’s (although not great) and his OPS over the last two years is .838. That’s better than all the Orioles hitters. Plenty of work left to do filling out this roster, but these are the types of signings the O’s need to be making.
Still, I can’t get over that Adam Jones no-trade. If those rumors of how much the Braves offered are true, then Duque has alot of making up to do…
Two years and an option for a third? Really?
Full time DH huh? Not sure how I feel about that. I guess they’re okay with Chris Davis at 1B and Reynolds at 3b… but couldn’t Betemit play 3B better than Reynolds?
Decent hitter, but a potential 3 year deal for him is weird.
$6M (possibly) for Wilson Betemit…???
didnt know he could get a possible 6m….but i actually like the signing..he is going to be DH so the glove isnt something to worry about, and his offensive numbers really arent bad. He could really do well..
They should’ve went for Fielder and build their team around him..
Wilson’s a decent player, memories from his day’s on the Braves. Good hitter, good defense