The Orioles have added some more punch to an already powerful lineup, as they formally announced a one-year contract with first baseman Pedro Alvarez on Thursday. Alvarez, a client of Scott Boras, will reportedly be guaranteed $5.75MM and can earn another $1.25MM in incentives tied to plate appearances. Specifically, he’ll receive a $200K bonus upon reaching 350, 400, 450, 500, and 550 turns at bat, plus an additional $250K if he gets to 600 plate appearances.
Alvarez, 29, just wrapped up a six-year run with the Pirates — the organization that chose him second overall in the 2008 draft — when he was non-tendered earlier in the offseason. He had moved across the diamond from third after his defensive struggles increased, but continued to receive poor reviews with the glove.
On the other hand, Alvarez’s power at the plate has never been in question. He swatted 27 home runs last year in 491 plate appearances, and has twice topped thirty bombs in a single season. Though he’s not much of an on-base threat, Alvarez’s overall batting line of .243/.318/.469 landed well above league-average in overall output.
That production is fairly typical for Alvarez, who strikes out quite a bit and doesn’t walk quite enough to make up for a low batting average. His left-handed bat should play quite well at Camden Yards, though, and he’ll join an impressive group of sluggers in the middle of the Baltimore order.
Presumably, Baltimore won’t utilize Alvarez much in the field, as Chris Davis and Manny Machado are entrenched at the corners. He’ll join fellow power hitter Mark Trumbo (a right-handed bat) as a DH option — both carry traditional platoon splits — though Trumbo will likely also see quite a bit of action in the corner outfield. Alternatively, Davis did see some time in the outfield last year, and it’s at least possible that the O’s will deploy him there and Trumbo at first base.
Orioles fans can expect to be treated to quite a show when the offense is clicking. Alvarez is one of six players on the roster who have cracked 30 homers in a single season, along with Davis, Machado, Trumbo, Adam Jones, and J.J. Hardy. Likewise, catcher Matt Wieters and second baseman Jonathan Schoop have shown plenty of pop for their respective positions. Rounding things out, new left fielder Hyun Soo Kim may not quite see his KBO production translate fully to the majors, but he delivered 28 long balls last season in Korea.
The O’s have long been said to be pursuing another bat, with Reds outfielder Jay Bruce a possible trade piece. While Alvarez won’t factor as an option in the grass, his addition likely brings that dalliance to an end by pushing Trumbo back into the field (at least against right-handed pitching).
It’s been an eventful winter in Baltimore, to say the least. Wieters’ decision to accept his $15.8MM qualifying offer may have set the course, as that one-year deal (and the loss of a chance at draft compensation) helped nudge the club towards its later investments. The Orioles also brought back reliever Darren O’Day (four years, $31MM) and re-signed Davis to a huge contract (seven years, $161MM), punted a pick to ink Yovani Gallardo (two years, $22MM), also added Kim (two years, $7MM) and Alvarez via free agency, and acquired Trumbo via trade. The aggregate outlay tops $250MM in new salary commitments (including Trumbo’s arb payday) and ultimately required the team to pass up or part with three selections in this summer’s amateur draft (including the one that Wieters might have delivered had he rejected the QO).
Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the signing on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had the term (on Twitter), Joel Sherman of the New York Post the guarantee (in a tweet), Jon Heyman of MLB Network the total incentives (via Twitter), and Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com the incentives breakdown (in his own tweet).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It’s about time…
Ok…this still doesn’t address RF or the leadoff position.
surely it means trumbo is the RF of choice.
Or Crush in RF and Trumbo at 1B.
Left field isn’t exactly a lock
that lineup has a ridiculous amount of power
And a ridiculous amount of strikeouts and low averages
Yea, way to many K’s. We’ve seen what happens with teams that K a lot..
Both ways. 2013 Braves and 2014 Braves
Finally someone signed him. Must be pretty nice to have four guys who could hit 30+ dingers on your team.
Yeah, the Jays have 3 guys who can hit 40 and post OBPs past .350+.
Yeah, I didn’t say the O’s had the best offense. Still a lot of power though.
The jays have 2 guys capable of that. Ill assume somehow you included tulo who has a nonzero chance of doing that but is also 50/50 to play 100 games. But the o’s offense is certainly being overrated. They have question marks offensively at 4 positions. Ss,lf, 2b, and catcher. Weiters hasnt been very good lately. Hardy isnt the same guy. Schoop has a terrible contact rate and is likely a 240 hitter, and you just dont know what you get in left. Thats assuming trumbo is in right where his bat is just above league average but nothing special because he doesnt walk enough. Davis is scary, only 2 years ago he wasnt very good. Machado is a beast and jones is solid above average but not elite.
Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion could all realistically pull off 40 bombs with .350 OBP. They would have done it last year if Encarnacion had hit 1 more home run.
You certainly have a way of looking negatively about everything. I love how Trumbo is above average now when a couple days ago you said he “wasn’t good at all” your view of schoop is absurd. He hit .280 and ops .790 with 15 homers in 305 at bats. He is going to be entering his prime years. There is nothing to back up your ridiculous claim. In case you didn’t notice (and judging by your comments I’m guessing no) wieters and Hardy have not been healthy. They both are now. Nobody expects them to be world beaters but as long as they remain healthy they will both have much better seasons with the. Bats. Davis “wasn’t very good” 2 years ago sandwiched in between leading baseball in home runs. There was the adderall situation that season which we saw last season what happened once that was taken care of and he regained his focus. With most people you can tell if they are more traditional or sabermetrics type view of offense. I have no idea about you. You sight batting average like that is the key figure, but also destroy guys for not walking enough. Not everybody is prime Pujols or Bonds. Get over it. Please take your negativity elsewhere.
Exactly. People say Schoop is a terrible hitter but he only played half a season last year and still put up better numbers than 80% of other second baseman. People just can’t accept that the O’s have the best lineup in baseball for the first time in years and they’ll actually compete this year.
Orioles have the best offence in baseball? They don’t even have the best lineup in the AL East
Schoop is probably tge best second baseman in the AL East and a great fielder. He became a better hitter for average in hiscsecond season hitting sround .300 all season. 17bdoubles and 15 hrs in hslf a season. Wieters is a 3 time all star. JJ Hardy hsd 3 errors st short stop all season and will be rebound. He actually had more hrs than Tulo his firstv4 seasons in Baltimore. Toronto hss holesin their line up….second base and Martin is 34 this year pretty old for a catcher. Guess we will see how it plays out
Who’s better in the AL East?
Toronto. power numbers should be similar but I think the OBP numbers is what sets the 2 teams apart. If schoop can improve his plate discipline the Orioles lineup becomes so much scarier but we’ll have to see about that
I like Schoop, but he hasn’t exactly smacked the crown off Dustin Pedroia’s head.
I’m hoping Devon Travis comes back sooner rather than later. the guy can hit and would only strengthen the Jays lineup even more
He isnt good a slightly above average bat but terrible in the field. Justin hour is better ffs. And look up schoops contact % some of the worst in baseball. Half a season of luck doesnt show who he is moving forward.
Even though I like the O’s I have to agree with you here. I was thinking more towards the power numbers being the best in baseball. I agree that their team OBP is low and that definitely needs to improve. Schoop is still only 24 I think so he is just getting into his prime years. He could easily be a silver slugger at 2nd this year
I can see schoop winning a silver slugger. He would have to just work on his plate discipline
You must not watch much baseball if you say Schoop is terrible in the field. Name me any other 2nd baseman that hit better than him in half a season? I’ll wait
Agreed. I just hope that comes with age. Last year was much better than his first full season in 2014 so that’s a good sign
Schoop’s strong point is fielding. Especially his cannon of an arm.
I’d take pedroia, Travis, forsythe, or Castro over schoop. I don’t even think he’s bad but impatient hitters tend to decline very quickly.
Truth
Pedrosa isn’t a impatient hitter and he declined quickly. Toronto isn’t the best offense in the division. Everyone always gets hooked on what happened the year before. Toronto is a 4th place team this year.
Ian Kinsler, second half of last season.
Who does?
I must’ve missed this earlier but you need to check what you type before you try to sound smart on here. You say Wieters hasn’t been very good but he missed last year after having Tommy John surgery, so you can’t expect him to be 100%. Hardy played ALL of last season with a torn labrum, so you can’t expect him to produce at the plate when he can barely swing the bat. Schoop is VERY underrated, he’s only 24 and is a .275-.280 hitter, not .240. He’ll also hit 20 home runs. There is a reason that when the O’s talked to other teams about a trade they demanded Schoop, and it’s not because he is overrated and a .240 hitter. And with Trumbo, it doesn’t matter what the league average is as long as he produces for the team he’s on. People know that even though this team will probably strike out a lot, they will be very competitive.
I think you lost a lot of cred in that point. On a Showalter team, the glove gets you on the field. And with Schoop, fielding and arm is his top attributes. They’re standout skills.
If you mean Travis isn’t good you obviously never seen him play can rake nd field!!
I am surprised by how much Baltimore paid. Was any other team even looking in his direction?
Sort of confused by this deal. Was thinking they wanted another OFer but I guess Trumbo has proved himself enough to Buck that he feels comfortable with him in RF. Otherwise, as an O’s fan, I’m very excited to watch this lineup hit in Camden Yards.
Crush is a great athlete who can play RF or even 3B if needed too, I think Trumbo will see a lot of time at 1B with Davis in RF.
Thursday’s headline- Pirates resign Alvarez! Lol. (Too sign?)
Stupid move. The guy is a one dimensional DH platoon player.
And luckily Baltimore have a DH position open!
Stupid post btw.
You’d know, you make a lot of them.
I’m frankly shocked by the money. How does Alvarez get more than Jackson?
The chicks dig the longball.
My guess is that Jackson’s value dropped due to him demanding to play center field when most teams wanted him in a corner outfield spot
Jackson actually took less to sign with Chicago so he was probably offered more then Alvarez
This is a baffling move. But those balls will be flying out of the park.
I don’t know the depth of the O’s 25 man roster, but if you can afford (roster spot wide) a LH DH platoon who will hit 25 HRs isn’t all bad… If you don’t have the spots to solve CF and properly man RF, this move could inadvertently shift the roster into a clumsy on the bases, weak defensively, ‘rely on the solo home run’ roster..
Having faced Alvarez for 4 years in the NL central, Alvarez bat was scary… But his (lack of) defensive skills showed up every series. DH is a good role for him. Wishing O’s fan luck.
How exactly is CF a problem for the Orioles with Adam Jones?
I’m guessing he’s talking about LF
Not just Camden, but Fenway, Yankee Stadium & Rogers are all hitter-friendly and with the unbalanced schedule, Alvarez should get to 30 bombs with ease.
He’s a platoon player. 30 bombs with ease? Look at the dimensions of PNC park. It was built for him. He can’t hit a lefty and strikes out way to often.
Yes 30 Bombs with ease. OPACY, Yankee Stadium and fewnway park are also built perfectly for Pedro. He plays 99 games in them parks this year.
30 home runs is nothing for Alvarez this year. All he’ll have to do is hit. He doesn’t have to worry about fielding. And yes he’s not very good against lefties but he probably won’t play when there is a lefty pitching. They’ll DH Trumbo and put someone else in RF. He averaged 27 home runs at PNC while also fighting with his fielding so I don’t see how you say he won’t hit 30 home runs.
30 HR in 100 games? That’s how I say it won’t happen.
How do you get 100 games?
Approx number of games O’s facing RH starters maybe??
He’s a split hitter. He’s not going to face LHP. Let me rephrase that…. If he is in the lineup vs a LHP he will face them and after 3 pitches walk back to the dugout. If this guy was what everyone thinks he will be there would have been a market for him. I have watched this guy since he was drafted…. Then boras agrees to a deal only to say he didn’t and ends up getting a larger payday for K-Dro right off the bat. He can be the most frustrating guy that comes to the plate. I hope he does go on to hit 30 HR. But they will be 30 HR in games and situations that are meaningless. Reminds me of Adam LaRoche… Could hit the long ball but very few when the games mattered.
Lefty favorite RF porches are abundant in the AL East, even Rogers Stadium it flies out like crazy.
Lots and lots of power with this lineup. They really needed a table setter badly though. Gonna be a ton of solo homers with this team. Really surprised they didn’t go after Jackson. He ended up with less money because he wanted to stay in Chicago but 3/4 of a million more than the Sox offered might have been enough to sign him. They will be a fun team to watch though and those AL East pitchers should tally quite a few k’s when the O’s come to town.
Waiting for a issue with the physical
He has a known history of leftyitis. Side effects include poor judgement, poor vision, and violent swings and misses
Am I the only one that finds it odd that Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune who covers the Padres, broke this story?
Yep
Desperate move from the O’s. This won’t help them finish any better than 3rd in the ALE
Yep, the O’s will be looking up at the Sox just like last year. Your team won the division like the predictions said, right?
The Orioles are going to win and lose a lot of games 10-9.
Alvarez only hits home runs when you are either up 9-0 or down 9-0. Worst clutch hitter in the majors. Heaven forbid he has to put on a glove.
Don’t need him to be a clutch hitter we just want homers cause the long ball is what sell tickets if he hits 30 plus in this line up we should have at lease 5 guy over 25 hr 3 more that can hit 20 give or take and then there’s Kim that we hope will start to get some hits
How did the Os pass up or part with 4 draft picks this offseason? I count two. Parted with their first round pick for Gallardo and and passed on a comp pick t resign Davis. O’day had no QO, Wieters accepted the QO and noone else they signed was tied to draft pick compensation.
Whoops, should be 3 – counting Wieters, not that it was their choice.
Perhaps you attributed one to O’Day without thinking about it. He seemed a fairly obvious person to extend a QO to had he not been on a cheap team.
How was O’Day an obvious QO player? He signed for $31 million over 4 years. So slightly less than half the QO per year. without having the QO dangling over him to drag down his market How many relievers will make the QO number or even within 4 million of it? Exactly 0. In fact the highest paid reliever Chapman will make only 11.325 million.
Is Camden as HR friendly at Toronto? I know there are a lot of HRs hit in Rodgers stadium but curious how those stats shangri when those players play somewhere else? Anyone know how to figure that out?
This reeks of desperation, and I’m both sad and disappointed. As an O’s fan I just cannot see what value Alvarez brings to the team that isn’t immediately wiped out by putting Trumbo in the field regularly.
If you’re such a fan, you would’ve seen where Buck said Trumbo wasn’t as bad an outfielder as people say. This is not a desperate move, it was a move to improve the team by adding a guy capable of hitting 30 home runs and having 90-100 rib
Of course Buck is going to say that. Would you expect him to say anything less?
There were also other MLB scouts that said he wasn’t as bad as people are making it sound. And the O’s are a team that believes in having a great defense so they wouldn’t just throw someone in an important position like RF just to fill the spot.
It’s pretty hard to get 100 RBIs when there is no one on base in front of you.
One thing I know for sure is that every time the Orioles and Jays meet we are going to see some very interesting box scores.
…yeah, because the O’s also signed Gallardo, who is Blue Jay kryptonite.
Is it possible the O’s could lead the league in team HR’s and team SO’s this season?
I don’t think possibility is the right word. I would say certainty haha
Man, this line up is going to be blasting the ball all over. I don’t know a more power packed line up in baseball, maybe the Blue Jays but man. Should be fun to watch.
From the little Spring Training exposure some of the guys have seen, Trumbo looks like he’ll be platooning the RF spot. Rickard, the Rule 5 pick, is really impressing and might end up alternating between RF and LF since Kim doesn’t seem to be catching on as quick as they hoped. In the games I’ve seen, Rickard has been very impressive.
Couple platooning options for RF, LF, and DH (I’m thinking catcher too because I like Joseph a lot) but man, this line up is stout. A roster that easily could produce over 200 homers changes the complexion of the AL East race. And they will need to because that starting rotation…
Glad to see him signed. Good luck El Toro!
Pedro did better against lefties last year in a very small sample. I’d throw him out there against some lefties before the season to be sure it is just because of the small sample which it probably is but worth checking into.
20+ HR should be an easy mark for him to get too over 400 PAs (1/20)
Can’t remember the last time a team spent more money than ever, trying to sign more home runs and big names and it didn’t work out. Except the yanks, blue jays, marlins…..
O’s sign 1 power bat, traded for 1 power bat and resign they’re own hitters took a chance on a LF who seems to be having a hard time hitting anything. Lost a good pitcher pick up a good pitcher still need more pitching can’t win a spring game hope things turn around or it going to be a long year
I think Wieters made the right call in accepting the QO. 15+ million for 1 year isn’t bad and will be a free agent in an offseason that will have fewer big bats in it.
How is this guy worth as much as Ian Desmond?
He doesn’t cost a draft pick to sign. That is how.
He’s basically the Dominican bearded version of Davis. All or nothing power bat 1b-ish player. Bats Left, Throws Right.
Except Davis plays a good defensive 1B. Very good.
And gets on base a lot. They’re really nothing alike, besides they both have power.
He better be hitting 30 bombs with the starting pitching staff the birds have! O’s fan better be ready for some long nights at the Yard!!!!
Good thing none of the teams in their division have good rotations!
Boras magic?
What’s a “nearly complete” physical. Presumably, after multiple MRI’s, full body scans, blood histories, genetic mapping, hair analysis, stool-sampling, a battery of psychological tests, followed by three different types of exploratory surgery, they had to have found an imperfection somewhere?
Lol
This is going to turn out to be a darn good signing for Baltimore. Pedro improved his approach against lefties last year to the point that you might be able to trot him out there on occasion against a few lefties. With him not having the stress of his fielding woes weighing him down mentally, he will be 110% focused on swinging the bat.
Don’t get me wrong, El Toro is still going to strike out his fair share of times, but without the fielding distraction, I betcha he hits .250-.260 with 30-35 home runs this year. For the money, this is going to turn out to be 1 heck of a value move.
Seems like the White sox need him now since Laroche is retired.