March 24: The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve granted Wong his release. The infielder is now free to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.
March 22: Infielder Kolten Wong informed members of the Oriole beat that he is triggering his opt-out, giving the club 48 hours to decide whether to add him to the roster or release him. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to relay the news. Wong is one of 31 veterans on minor league deals with automatic opt-outs at various dates, one of which is today.
Wong, 33, has long been a solid second baseman in the majors but is coming off an awful season. He hit just .165/.241/.227 for the Mariners and got released in August. He latched on with the Dodgers and finished well, line of .300/.353/.500, but in a small sample of just 34 plate appearances. Since he had taken 216 trips to the plate with Seattle, he still finished the year with a poor combined line of .183/.256/.263.
But the O’s took a shot on a minor league deal, a low-risk flier to see if he could bounceback to his previous form. From 2014 to 2022, he hit .263/.336/.401 for a wRC+ of 102. He also racked up 52 Defensive Runs Saved in his career, though Outs Above Average has considered him to be closer to par.
Here in the spring, he’s hit just .185/.290/.296. That’s obviously not impressive production but he might be able to carve out a bench role regardless. Infielders Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo were reassigned today, meaning they will open the season getting regular reps in the minor leagues. That will push Ramón Urías into a regular infield role alongside Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg.
Jorge Mateo will be present on the bench but it’s possible the club may want a little extra covering on the infield since Mateo has also been playing some outfield lately. But infielders Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton are both on the 40-man roster and each is out of options. Maton is having a rough spring but Nevin is hitting .346/.382/.500.
If Wong doesn’t get a spot with the O’s or elsewhere, he doesn’t seem to have a lot of enthusiasm about signing another minor league deal. “I’ve got 10 years in this already,” Wong said, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. “I don’t plan on going down to the minor leagues after this. Whatever happens, happens.”
So much for that theory put worth in the Holliday thread.
Napoleon Wong.
Wong move.
Guy doesn’t belong in the MLB.
Almost every mlb team had several guys of Wong’s current caliber. He will find work…
“Doesn’t belong”…I said that back when he left the Cardinals and people said I was an idiot.
@mlb fan
Most users on here are casual fans that are more concerned about getting a selfie of themselves eating at the ballpark than actually watching the game. They’re the ones crying that they have to spend an extra 30 minutes at a sporting event that they chose to pay for.
Longer doesnt mean better, especially when the amount of action is unchanged
He belonged just fine. They had Edman who was better for less $. Who knew Wong would decline so quickly? Guess the Mo squad got one right for a change.
Name puns aside, seriously, what on Earth went wrong (… Wong…) for him last year?
Some puns are better than others…
Some girls’ mothers are punnier than other girls’ mothers.
Choosing to smoke bongs instead
I never understood a team this deep with talented infielders signing him in the first place.
Leadership for the younger players as an experienced veteran, injury insurance if someone got hurt, etc. Every team brings in one or two has-been players for spring training as depth for all sorts of reasons beyond the stat sheet.
Leadership like “I am too good to go to the minors even though I hit like a 62 year old most of last year.”
To be fair, I know some 62 years that can rake.
Tough call for Baltimore, given his dominant spring.
Ha!
lol
BFD he triggered his opt-out…BUH-BYE !!
Can’t anybody here read? It says the team can decide to add him or not, nothing has been decided yet. so idk why everyone here is like “yeah, good riddance!” Cuz he still very much could make the team lmao. Idk why I expect this site to have coherent comments, it’s a cesspool.
Cesspool would be an exaggeration. There are good and bad comments true, but it’s not terrible.
Where are the good comments? Ahahaha?
Woodhead-If this is a cesspool,why are you swimming in it?
Of course you are going to get posters who do not read.
Or maybe they are just seers who predicted in two days what would happen and did happen.
Wong did not exactly earn his place this spring.
Please note Kiki’s post from the best player on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1925 World Series championship team.
At the very least It’s a village full of idiots & they’re looking for a mayor should you be so inclined Mendoza. Ahahaha!
How much is the pay Frank?
Ya gotta love Gorshin! Ahahaha!
Release, not needed. Thanks for making that decision easy for them!
So Long Wong
Can’t see why the Os would keep him. The infield has plenty of versatility and good gloves without him bogging down a roster spot. He’s no Adam Frazier
Based on his actions, his words, and his spring training results, he sounds like a guy who does not want to be here. Let him go and find someone who’s hungry.
Was always fringe turd
Time for the Cards to swoop him back up…
Bye Wong. O’s don’t need another veteran 2B that is on the wrong side of 30 and losing ground fast. They did that the last 2 seasons
not to mention what seems to be a crummy attitude, it’d be one thing if he was a good role model the young guys but he just comes off as a turd
I can’t figure out why the Orioles even brought Wong and Maton to spring training. let the kids play instead of manipulating service time..
Of course it’s about service time manipulation.
Holliday is being sent down to make room for an inferior talent like Nevin or McKenna after performing like a star this spring. Mike Elias can spin it however he likes, but you wouldn’t do that if fielding the best team possible on day one of the season was the goal.
“Room for an inferior talent”..Holiday has played 18 games above AA. You cannot say he’s exactly conquered the minor leagues. I wouldn’t put much stock in Spring training numbers.
Manny Machado played exactly 0 games above AA before debuting for the Orioles in 2012. Some guys are just built different and Jackson Holliday certainly appears to be one of those guys.
And actually, you CAN say he conquered the minor leagues since he absolutely steamrolled his way to AAA (and even succeeded there) in just about a single year after being drafted at just 18 years old out of high school.
Kelenic claimed the same thing.
“You cannot say he’s exactly conquered the minor leagues”
Uh you absolutely can because he has done exactly that
Explain how Nevin or McKenna are blocking Holliday when neither one plays middle infield.
The position of the guy getting the final spot on a roster isn’t terribly important if you have enough guys that can move around the diamond as needed, which the Orioles do.
A selfish player who didn’t make adjustments as he aged.
Cardinals might as well sign him for the 2011 reunion tour
Sounds like s a perfect White Sox signing.
It’s a shame we don’t have a 20 year old prodigy who mashed all spring to fill Wong’s spot.
What a waste of time and chance for the kids in spring training bringing wong
This is so Wong it’s right.
His career is going the Wong way!
Take a pill and chill Os fans. Elias knows what to do.
Orioles fans are not a monolith.