Feb. 26: Baltimore has announced the signing.
Feb. 25, 10:30am: Alvarez will earn a $1MM salary and have a chance at $2MM in performance bonuses if he makes the Orioles, according to Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com (Twitter link).
Opt-out opportunities are available on May 15th and July 15th, per Bob Nightengale USA Today (via Twitter).
8:26am: The Orioles have signed first baseman Pedro Alvarez to a minor league contract, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The deal includes an invitation to big league camp.
This is the third straight year in which the Orioles have signed Alvarez, who performed well in 2016 (.249/.322/.504 with 22 home runs in 376 plate appearances) but was a non-factor at the big league level last season. The left-handed Alvarez totaled just 34 PAs with the Orioles and spent nearly all of the year at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit an underwhelming .239/.294/.442 with 26 HRs in 595 PAs.
Alvarez tried to help his cause in 2017 by working in the outfield, but he’ll return to a first base/designated hitter role this year, per Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Orioles are already set at those spots with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo, respectively, leaving little hope that Alvarez will crack their roster, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun notes on Twitter. As such, if the 31-year-old Alvarez remains with the organization into the season, he’s likely to function as minor league depth for the second straight campaign.
Earlier in his career, it would’ve been unimaginable for Alvarez to end up in a minor league role. The 2008 second overall pick was one of the top prospects in baseball with the Pirates, though he never developed into the offensive force he was supposed to become and has struggled in the field at both third and first base. Overall, Alvarez has slashed .238/.311/.449 (107 wRC+) with 154 home runs and 7.4 fWAR across 3,194 major league PAs.
Ok not to bad
What part of Pedro Alvarez is anything BUT bad?
The part where he signed a minor league contract.
The part where he has a better job than all of us
The part where he might be just as big of a contributor as Crush Davis
The only way he sees the O’s roster is if Trumbo gets hurt or is traded. But Norfolk should be happy again.
Holding out hope we can convince KC to swap bad contracts and do Kennedy for Trumbo. Maybe this is a precursor.
^ this is the life of an O’s fan. When you know you aren’t getting any sexy names, you just hope for the small victories.
As a KC fan, I pray that doesn’t happen. I have more faith in Kennedy bouncing back then Trumbo.
It depends on the KC pitching staff. Does the power in the lineup outweigh the league average pitching of Ian Kennedy? From what I recall, the deals are similar in AAV and duration. Orioles obviously needs SP and have a ton of power so makes sense from Baltimore POV. I can see this deal happening.
I have more faith in Trumbo, especially at OPACY
That’s a good idea! Now if only KC would go for it. Kennedy hasn’t done well in a pitchers park in KC what do you think he’d do in Camden Yards? Different worth a shot.
Trumbos contract isn’t that debilitating to the O’s
Trumbo and Alvarez are the same player, what Trumbo was last year Alvarez was 2 years ago. They’re both negative war players. I’d take Trumbo too but they’re not that different.
Signings this week
2008 #2 overall – minor league contract
2008 #3 overall – 8 years / $144 million
If that doesn’t show what a game of luck the draft is, nothing will.
Great stat
Plus the O’s already have the #1 pick from 2008 in Tim Beckham who was also a bust.
Not if he has a few more seasons like 2017…
Not sure if you saw Beckham as an Oriole but he had a great 2nd half and played excellent defense.
Or maybe it shows what a lousy job the Pirates did w/that draft.
Draft is luck . Pirates front office not so good but Astros took Appel over kris Bryant and that’s a great organisation.
Most of the Astros’s studs were from the previous regime’s scouting director and International scouting director. The new regime took Appel and Brady Aiken, though they’ve done good w/Bregman.
That totally nails it, hiflew. Let’s make sure to remind Duquette about that the next time he starts talking up that comp draft pick BAL will get when Machado passes on the QO. The draft is a huge crap shoot.
And the Inidans got Justus Sheffield with the pick they got for the Orioles signing Ubaldo Jimenez. Sheffield the #3 prospect in all of baseball who is now with the Yankees. So it cuts both ways. The more picks you have the more chances you have to hit on one.
What baseball prospect site has him the number 3 prospect in baseball?
m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=lhp
My bad #3 for LHP.. Missed the filter after doing a quick search.
Even more fun stats Hosmer has a career 111WRC+, Alvarez has a career 107WRC+.
Hosmer has 9.9 career fWAR, Alvarez has 7.2 career fWAR.
Alvarez is actually a good hitter against RHP for his career at 117WRC+, if he could field any bit he’d make himself a good living.
The local media in Pittsburgh to this day rabble rouses the “fans” by saying the Pirates “dismantled” their 98 win 2015 team.
Pedro Alvarez is still included prominently in the list of players they “dismantled” from that team. A guy who has just barely sniffed the bigs in two years.
AJ Burnett and Aramis Ramirez retired. Still counted among players the team “dismantled”.
Neil Walker is the one they fume about the most, he’s free to all 30 teams and still has no job. He should, good player, but you’d think he was Trout here when they talk about his trade.
Never let facts get in the way of good, quality rabble rousing.
Amen FWJBT. Pedro is a half of a half of a player.
Oh, and you probably didn’t know but Walker is from the North Hills.
Above average MLB player + Pine-Richland = Pittsburgh Trout
I hated the trade because of how bad it turned out for The Pirates. I was skeptical about Niese, and I think a lot of others were too. Plus, they traded a fan favorite for a player that didn’t perform well. But that’s just what I think.
If Niese came here and did what he did for the Mets in 2015, it would have been an OK trade. Nothing great, but it would have been fine.
Niese was awful. So, it ended up as a bad trade, for sure.
But they also traded Walker because they still had Kang and they were clearing a spot for Harrison to have an everyday starting role.
Would keeping him on the bench have proved to Josh that they want to win and made him happier, I wonder…?
On top of all that, Walker ended up on the DL for extended time both seasons on top of that. Me thinks the rest of the league was wary of Walker’s health as well and Niese was about as good of a return that the Pirates were going to get for Walker. If they did not trade him, he would have been not much help in 16 anyway as he finished the season on the DL
What the front office and ownership conveniently leaves out of their pep rallys is the fact that they never went out at the deadline and got them the pieces to put them over the top during the prime “window” years. Huntington is a true disciple of Mark Shapiro in that regard.
In July and August of 2015, they added Aramis Ramirez, Joe Blanton, Joakim Soria, JA Happ, Mike Morse (a playoff hero a year earlier) and Travis Snider.
What did our Bucs in primarily was running into pitchers in both 15 & 16 in one-and-dones who were each on HISTORIC runs. Just my opinion.
While I do think ownership, and the gm are stubborn, they did, like fwjbt said, acquire a handful of players. Granted, Morse and Snider were not huge additions, Happ, Soira, and Blanton did really improve the team. Their only real weaknesses was maybe they should have added more quality to the bench, and their weakest position was first.
^Thanks all that is holy that he wasn’t born an Orioles fan.
I don’t get why players take offers in places that they have next to no chance at the roster. On a minor league deal, surely SOMEBODY with a possible need would have been willing. Seattle comes to mind (needing a cheap replacement). As does KC (for competition with Dozier).
Gotta eat and pay the bills,man. Unless you’re sitting on a slush fund of cash. He’s going to be riding the bus in Norfolk and maybe an occasional trip to Baltimore will be in the mix.
Considering the timing of this my guess is nobody else offered him a contract.
If you are playing somewhere, anywhere, you might perform well enough for a team to make room for you. Mostly, if you are playing, all the teams will have their scouts watching you, so if you do get cut, you have options. Staying home because you didn’t get the Offer from the team you wanted, doesn’t get you showcased.
A cautionary tale for Nick Castellanos of the Tigers, who may end up in the same boat if the OF experience goes as badly as the third base one. Learn to field, Nick! Time is fleeting…..
Why would Alvarez choose Baltimore for a minor league contract when there is no room at 1B or DH??
No one else offered,anything?
Familiar setting, probably has an opt out.
A $1,000,000?
He likes it in Baltimore. Shocking I know, but people actually like playing there
Other than playing for Buck, I can’t see why. The city has gone to trash in the past ten years, there’s no hope to play for a title, the fans are lethargic at best. I could rattle off 15-16 teams I would much rather play for.
Are you from Baltimore? Ever been there? You rattled off a bunch of bullsh*t. They just went to the playoffs 3 times in 5 years but they have no chance? The team draws over 25,000 on average per night. The stadium is regularly rated number 1 in the country in ANY SPORT. You’re a moron.
I just went to Baltimore for the first time last year, and I enjoyed it a lot and it definitely ranks as my favourite ballpark I’ve been to yet. But the rest of your argument isn’t right. Something that happened five years ago has no impact on this years team. They look mediocre at best, and then look like they have some dark times ahead in future seasons.
And the fans don’t really show up. They weren’t even close to selling out in 2016 even though they were in the playoffs and last year was no different
You’re clueless as to what the O’s future is going to be and attendance. They average over 25k per game even in bad years. And yes, recent history is very indicative of current success. Just because Machado is gonna be gone doesn’t mean the team will bad. I feel bad for the team that gives him $300+ million. Name ONE contract in that neighborhood that hasn’t been a regret. Attendance history attached while I wait….
baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/attend.shtml
Yea that guy is obviously a jackass. He seriously needs to know what he is talking about before he speaks. He must be a Marlins, Browns fan and forgot what winning was.
I never got why other teams didn’t pursue Alvarez. He comes cheap, he’s still young and he can hit. He isn’t Mike Trout, but he’s a bargain for the money.
He’s a platoon DH who has plateaued in all aspects of the game. In old speak 5 tool terms, he’s about 1.5.
Orioles still busy signing poor fan favorites. I like they sign guys no other team are going near, and orioles fans are like “This is awesome, he could be like Chris Davis”. Oh Baltimore, where being 1 dimensional is praised.
Ignore the .199 ba.. They want the homers so they can come up with a bad nickname
While there pitching has been getting lit up by back ups so far this n spring training…
No wonder Manny is going to the Yankees
Schoop, Jones, and Gausman aren’t even negotiating.
Well that is just what the O’s need, another DH/1B.
So let’s review……we cut payroll by $41mm and are basically bringing the same team back (Tillman, you’ve got to be kidding me, nobody else would have signed him) with the additions of Cashner and Rasmus? So we’ve spent maybe $10mm of the $41mm they cut. And they are going to contend with this? Next year they have $70mm coming off the payroll and now clear direction this club is going in. Not negotiating a long term deal with Schoop, Gausman or Bundy. They are happy with Gausman and Bundy in the rotation with a mash up of bargain bin dumpster fire garbage. Who is this club building around? It appears to be Pedro Alvarez and Chris Tillman I guess. Seems like the prefer to try and find bargains instead of trying to compete.
Is it possible they might be targeting the savings to be able to extend some of the guys you listed? Serious question – not being sarcastic.
The Orioles are the worst run organization in baseball. They may make the Marlins look good
Worst owner for sure. We agreed to terms with 2 different players this offseason (Flaherty and Goins). Both times the GM submitted the deal to ownership for approval. No reply. Literally no reply. Both players signed elsewhere.
Pedro can play third.
Big difference between playing 3rd and playing it well.
No, not really.
I Lol’d
If you’re a bat first player solely relying on your bat and only your bat to take you to the big leagues it seems as though those guys always fail. Best be grabbing your glove and spending all your practice time on d. For every David Ortiz that makes it there’s 100s of Pedro Alvarez’s and the game is trending even more away from full time DHs