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D-Backs Name Amiel Sawdaye Senior VP, Assistant GM

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OCT. 25: The Diamondbacks have announced the hiring of Sawdaye and confirmed that his title will be senior vice president/assistant general manager.

OCT. 24: The Diamondbacks will hire another Red Sox executive as they continue to fill out a new-look front office, according to several reports. Amiel Sawdaye will join the Arizona organization as senior VP and assistant general manager, joining new GM Mike Hazen in making the move from Boston.

Sawdaye had been under consideration for an assistant GM role in Boston, too, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He had served as the Red Sox’ VP of international and amateur scouting, which was essentially the same role Hazen held before he moved up to AGM and, eventually, GM. Before that, Sawdaye was Boston’s director of amateur scouting, overseeing the team’s drafts from 2010 through 2015.

There won’t be any compensation between the teams for either of the executive transfers. While Hazen technically stayed in the same title, his new role came with a significant increase in responsibility, and Sawdaye’s new job seems clearly to represent a promotion.

It’s not clear at this time what additional plans Hazen may have for building out his front office team, but no further Boston execs are expected to go west, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Hazen is rumored to be interested in speaking with Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, but Drellich tweets that the D-Backs still haven’t asked for permission to speak with him — preferring to await Sawdaye’s decision first. Presumably, that’ll change soon. In other D-Backs’ front office news, via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the club has parted ways with Ed Lewis, a former veterinarian and long-time acquaintance of executive Tony La Russa who somewhat improbably ran the team’s fledgling analytics department.

Given that the Red Sox were considering Sawdaye only for an assistant GM role, it seems all the more clear that the team likely won’t hire a GM to serve under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Instead, perhaps, multiple front office members will receive AGM tags — or, at least, will take on the various responsibilities that typically fall under that general role.

Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweeted that the move was expected to occur after Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported earlier tonight it was a strong possibility. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic confirmed that Sawdaye would indeed be hired on Twitter. 

C.J. Cron To Undergo Thumb Surgery

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Angels first baseman/designated hitter C.J. Cron will undergo an arthroscopic debridement to address an impingement in his left thumb, the team announced today. Cron has been experiencing pain in the base of his thumb recently according to the team, and as Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times points out (Twitter link), the 26-year-old slugger did suffer a broken left hand back in July. The recovery time on the operation was announced as six to eight weeks, so Cron should be fully ready to go once Spring Training arrives.

Cron landed on the disabled list on July 9 and was sidelined through Aug. 20 with the hand fracture referenced by Moura. His offense upon his return was largely similar to his pre-injury production — though he did experience a mild dip in power — and he finished out the year with a strong .278/.325/.467 slash in a career-high 445 plate appearances. Perhaps more importantly, he continued to make strides in his plate discipline; while his walk rate was still a below-average 5.4 percent, that mark was up from 4.1 percent over his first two big league seasons. And, by cutting back on the number of out-of-zone pitches he chased, Cron was able to drop his strikeout rate from 20.3 percent to 16.9 percent.

While Cron isn’t an elite bat, it seems clear that he posses 20- to 25-homer pop in his bat if he can stay healthy over the life of a full season. To date, the 116 games he tallied in 2016 are a career-high, though, so he’ll hope for a healthier campaign in 2017, which will be the platform year for his first season of arbitration eligibility. Cron can be controlled through the 2020 season via that arbitration process.

Indians Notes: Santana, Kluber, Miller, Lucroy

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The Indians are at least opening the door to the possibility of utilizing Carlos Santana in left field when the World Series moves to Wrigley Field and takes the DH off of the table, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports. It doesn’t seem as if there are any clear plans to play him there — he hasn’t roamed the outfield grass since the minors — but the team is getting him some reps just in case. Even if Cleveland won’t start Santana in left just in order to get his and Mike Napoli’s bats into the same lineup, it’s not impossible to imagine a late-game substitution scenario that calls for such a bold move.

Here’s more from Cleveland with the fall classic set to get underway:

  • How exactly did World Series Game 1 starter Corey Kluber end up with the Indians? Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch compiles something of an oral history of the 2010 trade that brought the relatively unknown righty to Cleveland. With the Padres and Cardinals each looking for veteran assets, the Indians were able to facilitate their needs by taking Kluber. Then-Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti said at the time that he preferred not to be on the prospect end of such trades, though certainly that move helped set up the team’s current run — which included a deal that sent young talent out for the player who’s the subject of the next bullet.
  • We’ve increasingly heard chatter — as is typical this time of year — about how postseason teams can serve as a model for other organizations in the ensuing winter. While I’d argue that the value of premium relief arms seems worth paying attention to, it does seem curious to hear discussion of whether teams could look to emulate the specific pen usage of roving Indians out-machine Andrew Miller. That approach isn’t likely to carry over into the regular season, Russell Carleton of Baseball Prospectus suggests (subscription required — and recommended) in a detailed and interesting analysis. Relievers are simply not as effective when they re-appear for a second inning of work, Carleton finds, and managers rightly need to be more judicious in deploying their most valuable relief-pitching-innings — those handled by their best relievers — over the course of a long season. Unless and until some team decides to really push the boundaries of how much of an innings workload a reliever can handle, he says, we’ll likely continue to see a lot of one-inning relievers in relatively well-defined roles (for the bulk of the year, at least).
  • When the Indians went and got Miller, it sent a meaningful message to the team’s players, second baseman Jason Kipnis tells MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). But it came at a real price that could end up hurting down the line — as is the nature of deadline deals (see Kluber, Corey). Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports that Cleveland offered much more than any other team to grab Miller. But that was what it took to pry him loose, since the Yankees were under no obligation to swing a deal for a player with two more seasons of control remaining. With the Giants unwilling to move Joe Panik and the Nationals not interested in boosting their offer of young pitching talent, New York would’ve held pat had the Indians not offered up a prospect package made up of outfielder Clint Frazier, southpaw Justus Sheffield, and right-handers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.
  • Before getting that deal done, of course, the Indians had a pact in place for catcher Jonathan Lucroy that only fell through when he exercised his no-trade protection to nix it. As ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports, Lucroy doesn’t regret utilizing the clause — even with the Indians now in the World Series. The veteran receiver landed in a good spot, helping the Rangers lock up an AL West title, and he’s not interested in revisiting things now. “I’m not worried about it at all,” he said. “It’s over with and in the past.”

Rockies To Interview Tim Wallach For Managerial Opening

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The Rockies will interview Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach for the team’s open managerial job, according to reports from Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter links) and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami has already granted permission for the sides to speak.

Wallach, 59, has long been the right-hand man of Marlins’ skipper Don Mattingly, dating back to when both led the Dodgers’ dugout. He served as the third base coach and then bench coach in Los Angeles before following Mattingly to Miami. Long before that, Wallach enjoyed a productive, 17-year MLB career as a corner infielder — most notably with the Expos.

Last we checked in on the Rockies’ managerial search, the team was continuing to expand its list of potential candidates. A wide variety of names have been mentioned, many with experience leading a dugout — or, if not, then plenty of time spent in senior coaching positions. GM Jeff Bridich is looking to hire a skipper for the first time after the team parted ways with Walt Weiss (who was hired by predecessor Dan O’Dowd) over the winter.

As things stand, the Rockies are competing only with the division-rival Diamondbacks on the managerial market. All other major league teams appear to be content with their current options.

Miami is already looking to add a third base coach after declining to renew the contract of Lenny Harris this offseason. Former Marlins and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has been in talks with the Fish about that post for several weeks, and Frisaro reports that he’s now “a clear front-runner” to take the job.

Red Sox Promote Eddie Romero To AGM, Won’t Hire General Manager

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The Red Sox have announced that Eddie Romero has been promoted to the position of senior vice president and assistant general manager, as Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal was among those to report (Twitter links).

Boston will not hire a single general manager to work under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, at least at this time, the club also added. Instead, Romero and fellow AGM Brian O’Halloran will combine to take the top two roles beneath Dombrowski in the organization’s baseball ops hierarchy.

Romero had run the team’s international amateur scouting department since 2012 and has been with the organization since 2006. Evan Drellich, then with MassLive.com, spoke with Romero a few years back about his experiences mining the Latin American market for young talent. Romero has overseen many notable international acquisitions, including top prospect Yoan Moncada.

The move comes in the wake of several significant front office moves out of Boston. One candidate for an AGM post, Amiel Sawdaye, chose instead yesterday to follow former Sox GM Mike Hazen to the Diamondbacks. Several other notable organizational figures — including, most recently, mental skills coach Bob Tewksbury — are also leaving, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe documents.

International Notes: Draft, Hwang, Johnson

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Let’s check in on a few notes from the international market:

  • Major League Baseball’s intentions for an international draft have provoked strong reactions not only from the trainers who work with young players in Latin America, but also from team-affiliated scouts. As Ben Badler of Baseball America reported recently, those trainers have planned to boycott an upcoming Dominican showcase being staged by the league. And scouts — including one international director — are in support, Badler adds. Players who skip the workout likely won’t find their market hindered, Badler suggests, as scouts can still see them through other avenues. The league did send down a group of league representatives to discuss the matter with several trainers, but didn’t seem to make significant headway. Badler does note that the delegation confirmed MLB’s intentions to pursue a draft, though additional details on the proposal were not forthcoming.
  • Korean star Jae-gyun Hwang is heading stateside as he attempts to launch a major league career, as Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News reports. Hwang, who has played with the KBO’s Lotte Giants since 2010 but is now a free agent, says he expects to return to Korea in early December and declined to commit to pursuing a big league opportunity. Expectations remain that he intends to push for a chance at the game’s highest level. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted last week, Hwang’s improved plate discipline seems to make him a more appealing target for major league organizations, though it’s still not clear whether there’s a view among scouts that he is ready to follow some of his countrymen in successfully transitioning from the KBO to MLB.
  • In a rarity for Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, a foreigner has been tabbed with the Sawamura Award as the league’s top hurler. Southpaw Kris Johnson, who pitches for the Hiroshima Carp, received the nod for his overall excellence. While he didn’t meet some of the typically-required benchmarks for the award — as this Kyodo News article explains in detail — it seems that he stood out as the NPB’s best overall pitcher. Johnson, 32, has indeed been immensely productive since heading to Japan before the 2015 campaign. Though he had never been valued highly enough to receive much of a major league opportunity, Johnson has posted 430 1/3 innings of 1.99 ERA ball — albeit with just 6.9 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 — since crossing the Pacific.

Indians Add Danny Salazar To World Series Roster

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As had seemed increasingly likely in recent days, the Indians have officially added righty Danny Salazar to their World Series roster. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian was among those to report yesterday that Salazar would finally be able to return from a forearm strain.

Though his return to action isn’t quite as dramatic as the activation of Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber, Salazar is arguably an even more important addition. Cleveland has somehow managed to burn through the postseason despite immense rotation uncertainty, but that figures to be put to its greatest test by the powerful Cubs on the game’s biggest stage. As with Schwarber, there’s added risk since neither player can be replaced on their teams’ respective rosters if they suffer a recurrence or aggravation of their preexisting injuries.

Salazar will take over Cody Anderson’s place for the final series of the season. His role isn’t clear, and may well end up being dependent upon the team’s needs. Manager Terry Francona has largely eschewed typical starter/pen usage over the playoffs, with the exception of staff ace Corey Kluber, as the team has found creative ways to deal with the absences of Salazar and Carlos Carrasco as well as the bloody pinky finger of Trevor Bauer.

Unless a need for multiple innings arises earlier in the series, it seems that Salazar may line up to throw in Game 4. Whether or not he’d start probably isn’t terribly important, as he’d likely piggyback with lefty Ryan Merritt (or simply hand off to the bullpen) regardless, but handing him the ball to open a game may leave the team with the type of flexibility needed to get the most out of him while limiting his exposure (both to arm stress and the Cubs’ lineup). As Bastian explains, Salazar looked good recently in a three-inning sim game, probably leaving him able to work up to 65 or 70 pitches. That’s not going to be enough to get very deep, especially for a strikeout pitcher who averaged only about five-and-a-half innings per start in 2016.

While it remains to be seen just what the Indians can get from their talented 26-year-old, his presence conveys some real upside to the Cleveland staff. Salazar didn’t quite follow up on his stellar 2015 season, with newfound walk issues driving his earned run average up to a still-useful 3.87 in 2016. But Salazar can dominate when he’s on, and still managed to deliver 10.6 K/9 with a mid-nineties heater and devastating change-up that could play up in a more limited capacity.

Kyle Schwarber Activated For World Series

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TODAY: Schwarber has officially been added to the Cubs’ World Series roster. He’ll take the roster spot that had been occupied by reliever Rob Zastryzny in the NLCS.

YESTERDAY: The Cubs appear to have a fascinating new addition to their postseason run, as several reports suggest that slugger Kyle Schwarber is likely to be activated for the World Series after missing the vast majority of the season due to torn knee ligaments. “All signs” are that he’ll be activated, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag later adding that Schwarber is expected to make his triumphant return “barring something unforeseen.”

That possibility has been known for several days, with its plausibility increasing as Schwarber gets his cuts in during Arizona Fall League action. Chicago has said it would utilize its narrow window to evaluate him and assess whether to place him on the World Series roster. It’s a high-stakes decision: the 23-year-old slugger may not be ready to play much (if at all) in the field, he can’t be replaced on the roster if he suffers an aggravation of his knee problem, and he hasn’t played much since the early-April outfield collision that ended his regular season.

Still, it’s hard to deny the upside that comes in Schwarber’s bat. Selected fourth overall in the 2014 draft, he sped through the minors and debuted in the middle of 2015. The lefty swinging spark plug slashed .246/.355/.487 and swatted 16 home runs over 273 plate appearances on the year. And though he committed some notable defensive gaffes in the 2015 postseason, Schwarber rose to the occasion at the plate. In his 31 plate appearances, he recorded a 1.308 OPS with five dingers.

The Cubs have left no stone unturned in their quest to finally bring a championship back to Chicago, and calling upon Schwarber now would represent perhaps the most dramatic move yet. He’d presumably suit up as the team’s designated hitter and otherwise function as a bench bat, representing a somewhat limited role — but one that has added value since four of the possible seven games will be played under the American League rules. That the move is even being considered is testament both to Schwarber’s hard work and the front office’s faith in him. If it indeed occurs, it’ll add yet more drama to an already-highly-anticipated series.

Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Orioles

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MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams.  Click here for the other entries in this series.

With some key position players hitting free agency and a still-unsettled rotation, the Orioles are looking at another busy offseason.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via MLB Trade Rumors)

Contract Options

  • None

Free Agents

Baltimore Orioles Depth Chart; Orioles Payroll Overview

It’s probably safe to assume that the Orioles aren’t going to drop another $243MM on free agents this offseason.  Last winter’s club-record splurge may have been more or less a one-time-only expenditure, as most of that spending went towards keeping a cornerstone piece (Chris Davis) in the fold.

That being said, it would be unusual for owner Peter Angelos to close the wallet altogether just a year later, especially since the O’s made it back to the postseason (albeit just as far as the wild card game).  With a number of roster holes that need to be addressed, executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette will likely need some cash to again dip into the free agent market, or be creative on the trade front given the Orioles’ lack of attractive minor league trade depth.

The O’s have just under $96MM committed to only eight players for 2017, plus a projected $50.1MM to their ten-player arbitration class.  Even if you shave off the salaries of the possible non-tenders, so Baltimore is looking at over $141MM (almost the size of its 2016 Opening Day payroll) for 15 players.  In short, the Orioles will surely set a new franchise high for payroll, unless they free up some money in trades.

Given the near-historic weakness of this year’s free agent pitching market, it’s not out of the question that the O’s could shop Ubaldo Jimenez, Yovani Gallardo or Wade Miley.  All three starters are under contract only through 2017, so it’s possible another club could take a one-year (or longer, since Gallardo and Miley are under club options for 2018) flier on any of the pitchers.

Of course, Baltimore wouldn’t be selling high on any of the three since Jimenez, Miley and Gallardo are all coming off rough seasons.  Jimenez was briefly removed from the rotation in August but pitched quite well down the stretch once he got his starting job back.  Miley’s advanced metrics hint that he pitched better in his 11 starts as an Oriole than his 6.17 ERA would indicate, though he is still waiting on that breakout season.  Gallardo’s first year in Baltimore was essentially a disaster, punctuated by two trips to the DL, a 5.42 ERA and just 0.6 fWAR over 118 innings.

Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman are locked in the top two rotation spots, so it seems like the O’s would have to move one of their other three veterans to create room for Dylan Bundy.  Returning after missing three full MLB seasons to injury, Bundy worked mostly out of the bullpen in 2016 but showed glimpses of his potential when shifted to the rotation later in the year.  Bundy’s health history could keep him on an innings limit, but the Orioles are going to give their former first-rounder every chance to stick in the rotation.  Jimenez, Miley and Gallardo could be fighting amongst themselves for the last two starting jobs, with the loser going to the bullpen (though none are seen as ideal candidates to do so) or perhaps to another team in a trade.

Then again, dealing a starter may not be a great idea for a team that is itself looking for pitching upgrades.  Could the Orioles look into adding a free agent pitcher?  It isn’t a great winter to be looking for starters, so barring a trade, it’s more probable that Baltimore hangs onto its own mid-tier rotation options rather than sign another one.  That said, the O’s waited until pretty late into the offseason to sign both Jimenez and Gallardo, as both pitchers saw their markets hampered by the qualifying offer.  That tactic probably won’t work this winter (Jeremy Hellickson is likely to be the only free agent starter who receives a qualifying offer), though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Duquette check in on any notable starters still lingering on the market in February.

The other end of the pitching equation has far fewer issues, as the Orioles fielded one of the league’s best bullpens.  Even with longtime setup man Darren O’Day battling injuries for much of the year, the relief corps still posted excellent numbers thanks to workhorses Brad Brach and Mychal Givens, and the all-timer of a season delivered by closer Zach Britton.

With Britton’s value at an all-time high and the closer projected for a hefty $11.4MM arbitration salary, Britton himself recently discussed the possibility that the O’s could trade him as they did ex-closer Jim Johnson when Johnson’s price tag got too high.  With so many other star relievers (Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon) available in free agency and the Royals potentially considering a Wade Davis trade, the closing market is already pretty crowded this winter.  On the other hand, big spenders like the Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals, Giants, Rangers and Yankees will all be looking for bullpen upgrades and at least some of those teams will be left empty-handed in the free agent frenzy and the Davis sweepstakes.

The issue with trading Britton, of course, is that the O’s would be weakening their clearest strength.  The bullpen’s dominance helped account for a lot of flaws around the roster — the middling rotation, a below-average defense and even a lineup that relied too much on the long ball.  Baltimore hit a league-best 253 homers last season but managed just a .317 OBP.  While an above-average club on the basepaths as per Fangraphs’ BsR metric, the Orioles combined for just 19 steals in 2016, easily the fewest of any team and fewer than 28 individual players.

The infield core of Davis, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy and superstar Manny Machado will remain intact, and long-time franchise stalwart Adam Jones will return in center field, even if his glovework in center took a big step backwards.  Hyun Soo Kim went from looking overmatched in Spring Training to delivering a very solid first season in the majors, but he didn’t record a hit in just 22 plate appearances against southpaws. He will return as the lefty-swinging side of a platoon in either left field or potentially designated hitter.  (Rookies Trey Mancini and Christian Walker are both right-handed bats that could platoon with Kim at DH, and Walker is a possible option in left as well.)

That leaves lots of room around the diamond for the Orioles to add speed, athleticism and better all-around batting.  If the O’s would still prefer pure power over these attributes, however, they could look to re-sign Mark Trumbo.  The slugger hit .256/.316/.533 with a league-high 47 homers over 667 plate appearances, though aside from all this thump, Trumbo brought little else in average, OBP or defensive value.  He also slumped badly in the second half and had unusual splits (.932 OPS against right-handers, .608 OPS against lefties) for a right-handed batter whose numbers against all pitchers had been pretty even entering 2016.

Trumbo’s big power year will ensure that the O’s issue him a qualifying offer, so the team will be in line for a first-round draft pick as compensation if he signs elsewhere.  It’s hard to let 47 homers walk out the door, though on a team with so much pop already on the roster, Trumbo seems somewhat expendable.  The O’s could collect a much-needed draft pick and replace Trumbo with a more well-rounded player in right field.

Of the other Oriole free agents, Steve Pearce or Nolan Reimold could be fits as platoon partners for Kim, with Pearce potentially serving as an everyday option given how well he has hit both lefties and righties in two of the last three seasons.  Pearce isn’t a defensive whiz at any position but he is versatile, seeing time at first, second, third, left and right with the Rays and Orioles in 2016.  Pearce is liable to receive a lot of free agent attention despite the fact that his recovery from forearm surgery could stretch into Spring Training, though one could assume that his familiarity with Baltimore could give the O’s something of an edge over most other teams. Late-season addition Michael Bourn impressed the team and is open to a return, though that would likely mean setting up another platoon situation in right field.

Extension talks with Pedro Alvarez went nowhere in September, so while a reunion could still occur, Alvarez is another power-only player that the O’s may feel comfortable letting go — particularly since he, too, is mostly limited to facing right-handed pitching. If both Alvarez and Trumbo depart, the Orioles simply look to obtain the next Alvarez and Trumbo — players with big power and whose defensive shortcomings could be masked in the DH role.  Between Alvarez, Trumbo and Nelson Cruz, the O’s have had great success in recent years in acquiring productive sluggers at relatively low prices.

With both corner spots and the DH spot essentially open aside from Kim, the Orioles have lots of options in a free agent market deep in all three areas.  They could sign a pure platooner like Rajai Davis (who also brings sorely-needed base-stealing ability) to pair with Kim in left, then go after an everyday right fielder like longtime division rival Jose Bautista.  Signing a versatile player such as Ian Desmond could check off a number of boxes — he could be shifted to right field for his regular position, while occasionally spelling Jones in center or Hardy at shortstop.

As I mentioned earlier, the Orioles aren’t likely to break the bank in free agency again, but perhaps they could afford to sign one big-ticket player and one mid-range free agent to fill some of these holes.  Adding Desmond, Bautista or other free agents who reject qualifying offers would require the Orioles to surrender their first-round pick.  Giving up what is currently the 23rd overall pick might not be a big concern since Baltimore could be getting two compensatory picks back for their own QO free agents in Trumbo and Matt Wieters.

Of course, the Orioles probably thought they had an extra pick coming their way last year before Wieters surprised many by actually accepting his one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer.  Wieters’ attempt at boosting his stock with a big platform year in 2016 didn’t entirely work out, as he managed to stay healthy but hit only .243/.302/.409 with 17 homers over 464 PA.  Wieters may still be in line for a solid multi-year deal as the top free agent catcher available in the wake of Wilson Ramos’ knee surgery, or he could again choose to stay in a familiar spot and accept a large (if one-year) payday in the hopes that 2017 will be that long-desired platform year.

MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently outlined the pros and cons of issuing another QO to Wieters, as the Orioles have to weigh the risk of paying $17.2MM for a catcher who looked pretty average (or even on the decline) last season against the benefit of adding a draft pick if Wieters rejects the qualifying offer and departs.  This one decision will have a big impact on the rest of Baltimore’s offseason moves; the club will have much less to spend on other needs if $17.2MM in payroll space is being used on Wieters.

If Wieters does leave, the Orioles will have a big vacancy to fill behind the plate.  Caleb Joseph was tentatively set to be the 2016 starter before Wieters accepted the QO, though Joseph is no longer a regular option following a desultory season.  Joseph hit a measly .174/.216/.197, recording such astonishing offensive lows as a 6 wRC+ and zero RBI over his 141 PA.  At the very least, Joseph did provide good framing and defensive numbers, so he’s still in the mix as the backup.

Top catching prospect Chance Sisco may be ready to make his big league debut in 2017, though he’s still quite young (Sisco turns 22 in February) and still something of a defensive question mark.  There’s no guarantee the O’s can count on Sisco even for Opening Day 2018, so they could need more than a one-year stopgap to start ahead of Joseph.  The O’s could focus solely on defense by signing someone like Jason Castro, essentially punting on offense from the catcher’s spot since the rest of the lineup is so strong.  Former Oriole Nick Hundley is another possibility, though Hundley is a defensive liability.

Longtime utilityman Ryan Flaherty could be non-tendered despite a pretty modest $1.7MM projected arbitration salary, as the O’s could probably re-sign Flaherty at a lower price.  If Flaherty isn’t brought back, the Orioles will need a new backup infielder, though Machado’s ability to play both third and short gives them some flexibility.

Speaking of Machado, it seems likely that Duquette will again broach the idea of an extension with the 24-year-old this offseason.  Duquette was rather circumspect when discussing extension negotiation plans with Machado, Tillman, Britton or Schoop, though of that group, there’s little question that locking up Machado is Baltimore’s biggest long-term priority.  It would likely take well over $250MM to make a Machado extension happen given his age and spectacular track record, and that kind of expenditure could obviously impact how much the Orioles plan to spend on new talent this offseason.  The O’s have quite a bit of future payroll flexibility, however, as Davis and O’Day are the only players committed money beyond the 2018 season.  Like most extensions, a Machado deal may not occur or begin to be negotiated until after the rest of the offseason business is done, so we may have to wait until Spring Training for more news on the that front.

Beyond just helping to score a wild card berth, the Orioles’ spending spree of a year ago showed that Angelos is again ready to pay top dollar to retain and obtain talent.  Baltimore doesn’t have as many key pieces hitting free agency this winter as it did in 2015, so this offseason’s most notable moves could consist of bringing some new faces to Camden Yards.  The Orioles’ mixture of innings-eating starting pitching, sluggers and great bullpen work only got them so far in 2016, so some further roster maneuvering is still needed to keep the O’s in the playoff hunt.

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