SATURDAY, 8:18am: The signing is now official.
FRIDAY, 10:44am: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that Valencia’s deal comes with a $1.2MM base salary and an additional $3MM worth of possible incentives.
10:20am: The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with corner infielder/outfielder Danny Valencia, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). Valencia is represented by the MVP Sports Group. He’ll take his physical tomorrow, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).
The 33-year-old Valencia spent the 2017 season with the Mariners, for whom he logged a .256/.314/.411 slash with 15 home runs in an even 500 plate appearances. Valencia spent the vast majority of his time in the field at first base but also logged 51 innings in right field and another seven at his original position, third base.
Baltimore’s bench is anything but set at present, so Valencia could impress in camp and seize a spot as a right-handed-hitting complement to first baseman Chris Davis. His experience at all four corner spots would bring some versatility to O’s, who currently don’t have an established utility option on the roster. While Valencia isn’t a shortstop — a position at which most utility infielders are adept — the O’s have both Manny Machado and Tim Beckham as options there, which could lessen the need for that skill in a utilityman. Baltimore also has waiver pickup Engelb Vielma on the 40-man roster, and he’ll be among the names with whom Valencia is competing for a job.
This marks the second go-around for Valencia with the O’s. He also spent the 2013 season in Baltimore, hitting .304/.335/.553 with 14 homers in 170 trips to the plate. A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Valencia is a lifetime .269/.317/.427 hitter in the big leagues. He’s particularly strong against left-handed opponents, against whom he’s slashed .313/.370/.493 in 994 career PAs.
Good pickup for the O’s. There were big league fits for Danny, but I don’t run those clubs.
This is one I actually wasn’t too shocked by. He’s been well established as a nuisance in the clubhouse, and that’s putting it charitably.
Where are you getting your info from nut bunny?
mlbtraderumors.com/2016/08/billy-butler-injured-in…
Got into a fight with Billy Butler, look it up
He had a clubhouse incident in Oakland. I believe it was a fistfight with a teammate. I believe he punched Billy Butler. Other than this incident i have never heard a bad thing about him.
IIRC, Butler was a known jerk.
Danny was not wearing the cleats provided him by one of his endorsement deals, and when the agent asked Danny about it, Billy chimed in and said that he wasn’t wearing them. Danny told him not to interfere with his business and Billy said” I’ll do whatever I want and you can’t do a thing about it, ” Danny clocked him. And Butler deserved it.
Danny is not a bad guy, but he doesn’t have a thing that the Orioles need. And signing him was yet another irrelevant move
He has plenty to offer. Can play multiple positions and will get a lot of AB against lefties in place of Davis and an option for the disastet that Trumbo is! Lifetime 316 avg. and 850 ops vs. lefties.
I read up on this when I saw it just now and apparently Hosmer sent him a supportive message, so Butler must have been a jerk. (They were teammates in KC)
Valencia was a jerk on the Blue Jays too, I mean he was slashing .296/.331/.506/.838 and they waived him – connect the dots, homers. He might be nice to some (Yonder Alonso for example) but he is most definitely a clubhouse cancer.
Also plenty of inside sources that all say Hosmer is a massive jerk too, so bringing him into this is very funny. Yes, a couple of dudes who are jerks to everyone are also friends with each other, this is all very obvious.
inside sources….lol. so many you cant name one, right
Never got ANY report that he’s a nuisance in the O’s clubhouse but if you have some credible report, please do share. Other than that, very nice pick up by the Orioles who are doing a nice job this off-season affordably adding depth to their organization — one of the hallmarks of their very strong run from 2012 to 2016.
See my comment above.
I think it’s widely known that Valencia isn’t the greatest character. I like the guy because he hasn’t given me a risen to dislike him, but it has been questioned before. He raked in his short time in Baltimore, yet they shipped him out. He raked in his time in Toronto, yet they shipped him out. He raked in his time in Oakland, yet they shipped him out. Again, not saying he is a bad teammate or anything, but he still could be. It’s not like nutbunnies just made that up out of nowhere.
Exactly, this is common knowledge — unless you are a homer who can’t fathom your fave team signed a guy who everyone hates, and you actually can’t believe that your team would has bad dudes on it – lol, so naive….
and the counter arguement, is thete.
the nut bunnies ate the onescsaying things like clubhouse cancer.
there isca huge difference between that and justvsaying he’s had some issues.
also, he’s been up and down. always been a filler. lot’s of those guys get moved
Everyone hates….lol
Except, those who don’t.
Common knowledge is the equivalent of mystery team!
Maybe Billy Butler deserved a punch in the mouth!
He did, but here’s the thing: they BOTH are jerks!
Why wasn’t DV wearing the spikes he was getting paid to wear anyway? See???
Yeah…….. I was joking. I don’t know either guy but the teammates that were interviewed sided with Valencia. Danny punched him outta the league though
You sound like Butler.
Why??
Seems like he would be a good platoon piece with Davis.
And remember Flaherty is still an option. If the Orioles do not like any of their current candidates, he has an opt out clause this spring with Philadelphia, and I’m sure that he would jump at the opportunity for a reunion with the Orioles.
Flaherty isn’t an option, he was signed by the Phillies.
…with an opt-out, as DimitriInLA wrote. Flaherty can become a free agent if not named to the Phillies’ 40-man roster by 3/22.
Valencia is 10x the player that Flaherty is
Flarity is a much better defender everywhere, and we already have a first base platoon partner in Trumbull. Trumbo and Davis will be a very expensive platoon, but it would be making the very best of a bad situation. But for back up infielder, Flaherty would probably be better than the guys we have auditioning right now
Yep, Valencia is a pretty good ballplayer, shame he’s a total nightmare to work with.
Flaherty opt-out only works if the Phils don’t add him to the 40 man roster not if the O’s decide to sign him.
hyperbole strikes again
Trumbo and Davis isn’t a platoon. Trumbo is our full time DH and Davis is our full time 1B. Trumbo will probably be playing some RF too if our roster stands as is. I wouldn’t expect a whole lot of time at first for Trumbo.
Because he couldn’t hit a beach ball!
Nice, lefty crusher who can play multiple positions. Orioles have Schoop who can be 3rd string shortstop as well, Orioles have great flexibility with Machado/Schoop/Beckham and even Davis can play decent RF. Got to give a lot of credit to the Cubs, I like how they move their bats around the diamond to maximize Plate appearances. Baez/Contreras/Rizzo/Bryant/Zobrist are the ideal model for starters flexibility.
Schoop won’t be playing any SS. He doesn’t have the range for that.
Not ideally, But he started a few games last year at short and has 200+ starts in his lower minor league career at short. He realistically wont play short, but when your “backup” shortstop is also in the starting lineup its nice to have a 3rd option. Basically eliminates the need for a bench player who can back up short is what i’m getting at, IE no more need for the struggling bats of Janish/Flaherty/Tejada
Agreed. Beckham should give us the flexibility to not have to carry an essentially worthless player. They all hit like a backup catcher and play sparingly. Hopefully we can keep Valencia around instead and at least squeeze some offense out on rest days.
Just fellow is a ball player. He will complement this club well.
Welcome back.
Isn’t he the one who beat up Billy Butler? Not sure what happened exactly.
Beckham is fully capable of playing 2nd and short. I like this a lot better than carrying a guy like Vielma on the roster. We don’t necessarily have to play TB everyday and this will give us another option at 3b while allowing Beckham to sub in for schoop and machado as needed. Schoop and machado don’t take many games off when they’re healthy though.
Maybe he plays 3rd and Beckham goes to short if Manny is traded.
Exactly what I was thinking. Valencia’s production is a great value for BAL even as an every day 3B. Looking at the O’s pitching staff as it’s currently constructed, I’d be shocked if they’re in contention on 7/1. Unless they plan on backing up the Brinks truck to extend Machado, they’ll have to trade him for best offer.
Yea Machado won’t be playing the whole season with Baltimore so i guess they brought in Valencia to play 3rd and Beckham at SS when Manny is gone. So Valencia i guess is a bench piece for now
This will make them contendors
Do all of you guys who make these childish, repetitive comments about every signing have a clubhouse, somewhere?
It’s a minors contract that carries very little salary if he does make the team. Good deal for the boobirds.
He’s not an outfielder by any means.
except, in the fact he plays there
Uh oh…. Manny machado about to lose his job
Just for clarity’s sake, Danny Valencia’s reputation issues started long, long before he ever got into it with Billy Butler… from about the moment he arrived in rookie ball with the Twins he had problems. The entire time he was coming through the minors the reports on him were that he was a decent hitter with some nice potential, but he desperately needs to get over himself.
Danny boy got his contract… He was great while in Oakland… That dugout business with Billy Butler was way blown out of proportions… Great signing…
I legit Lol’d considering the 0’s era last year and this spring against backups..
I Roflmbfbao!