Should the Orioles engage in the usual hi-Jenks?

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

December 03, 2010, 7:32am

Comments

That was an extremely long reach. My apologies. The White Sox non-tendered closer Bobby Jenks and his facial hair, making him available on the free-agent market. The Orioles will kick the tires on him at next week's winter meetings, if their leg hasn't already swung. Jenks' save total has dropped from 41 to 40 to 30 to 29 to 27 over the past five years. The two-time All-Star was 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA, 18 walks and 61 strikeouts in 55 appearances covering 52 2/3 innings this season. He didn't pitch after Sept. 4 because of elbow and forearm pain. Jenks made $7.5 million and would have earned a raise in arbitration. The White Sox wanted no part of it. For his career, Jenks is 1-2 with a 7.47 ERA against the Orioles, with seven walks and 16 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. They're batting .368 against him, and he's 9-for-14 in save opportunities. Maybe they should just hope he stays in the American League. Anyway, you'll probably hear his name mentioned during the winter meetings. You can decide whether he's worth pursuing.