masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe weekend is over and the Orioles lost another outfield candidate with Melky Cabrera agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with the White Sox.
Where do they turn?
Executive vice president Dan Duquette has made it clear that the Orioles are more likely to sign free agents than make trades. They still need outfielders who bat from the left and right side, but the list of appealing options is paper thin.
Peter Gammons tweeted yesterday that the Orioles “are being pushed to take Colby…

The weekend is over and the Orioles lost another outfield candidate with Melky Cabrera agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with the White Sox.

Where do they turn?

Executive vice president Dan Duquette has made it clear that the Orioles are more likely to sign free agents than make trades. They still need outfielders who bat from the left and right side, but the list of appealing options is paper thin.

baseballs-in-bin-sidebar.jpgPeter Gammons tweeted yesterday that the Orioles “are being pushed to take Colby Rasmus on a one year deal.” But he never told us who’s doing the pushing.

Is it Rasmus’ agent? Orioles ownership? A frustrated fan base? I’m not sure how to interpret it.

Rasmus, 28, was the 28th overall pick by the Cardinals in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, which is easy to forget when considering that he’s a career .246/.313/.438 hitter in six major league seasons and batted .225/.287/.448 in 104 games with the Blue Jays in 2014. He strikes out too much. He’s primarily a center fielder, having played only nine games in left field and six in right, which doesn’t suit the Orioles’ needs.

Also, check the splits. Rasmus is a career .213/.287/.361 hitter against left-handed pitching. You want him playing every day?

Some reporters view Rasmus as a good fit for the Orioles, an opinion based mostly on their need to replace Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis, but it’s still a reach.

Rasmus is the highest-rated outfielder remaining on the free agent market, which says more about the market. However, the Orioles may have to settle for him because there’s no Cruz to fall into their laps in spring training and they can’t pencil Dariel Alvarez into right field on opening day, no matter how much they like him. That would be premature.

Let Alvarez force the issue. He can’t be handed the job in December.

Take a look at the list of remaining corner outfielders on the free agent market compiled by MLBTradeRumors.com. If your heart starts racing, you must have borrowed some of my pre-workout powder.

Left fielders
Mike Carp (29)
Endy Chavez (37)
Tyler Colvin (29)
Chris Denorfia (34)
Andy Dirks (29)
Cole Gillespie (30)
Jonny Gomes (34)
Tony Gwynn Jr. (32)
Scott Hairston (35)
Reed Johnson (38)
Jason Kubel (33)
Ryan Ludwick (36)
Nyjer Morgan (34)
Mike Morse (33)
Delmon Young (29)
Eric Young Jr. (30)

Right fielders
Nori Aoki (33)
Endy Chavez (37)
Tyler Colvin (29)
Chris Denorfia (34)
Scott Hairston (35)
Alex Rios (34)
Nate Schierholtz (31)
Ichiro Suzuki (41)

It’s clear that the Orioles will be depending heavily on Alejandro De Aza, Steve Pearce and David Lough, plus whatever pieces they can add on short-term deals. They’d like to re-sign Delmon Young and they’re interested in Mike Morse, who could help replace some of the power lost with Cruz’s departure. They’re also hoping that Alvarez will be ready at some point over the summer.