Regardless of what many thought, it was fairly obvious Nelson Cruz was not going to re-sign with the Baltimore Orioles after multiple contract negotiations and no agreement. Before Cruz landed with the Mariners on Monday, the Orioles had been exploring other options.
One of these options was Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted on Sunday that sources informed him the Orioles have talked to the Dodgers about Kemp as they realized re-signing Cruz and Nick Markakis could fall through. Cruz left for Seattle and Markakis' agent has begun exploring other options, so is Kemp a realistic option?
It's not clear what the Dodgers would want in return for Kemp, but it's well-known president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is looking to trade him, Carl Crawford and/or Andre Ethier to relieve the team of hefty annual salaries. The asking price for Kemp may have gone up since he rebounded after two injury-shortened seasons in 2012 and 2013. He slashed .287/.346/.506 with 25 home runs and 89 RBIs in 150 games in 2014.
With Cruz's departure, the O's need another power bat to replace him, especially in the outfield because their infield is set for 2015. Kemp would be an interesting option, but if the Orioles weren't willing to pay Cruz the money he wanted in a four year contract, why would they take on Kemp's remaining five years and $107 million? Perhaps they can get Los Angeles to pay for some of it, but it won't be enough to give Baltimore a big break.
Free-agent outfielder Torii Hunter told reporters on Saturday that the Orioles are among the teams interested in him. Hunter would be a good defensive replacement in right field, but his power numbers and offensive production don't compare with Cruz's 2014 season, especially since Hunter played with one of the best offenses over the past few seasons. At 39 years old, Hunter can still play and would be a much cheaper option for Baltimore, and they could use the leftover money to bring in possibly Melky Cabrera, Michael Morse, Nori Aoki, Alex Rios or Colby Rasmus.
Although the Orioles will face scrutiny for letting Cruz and (possibly) Markakis go, the team was placed in a tough situation this offseason as they were forced to deal with two players in their thirties looking for sizable four-year contracts. Cruz's production has been formidable over the years, but he'll turn 35 next season and has been associated with performance-enhancing drugs. Markakis just turned 31 and his production has clearly declined over the past few seasons, which likely has the Orioles skeptical in terms of offering a four-year contract.
Don't be surprised if the Orioles strike a deal with another team at the MLB Winter Meetings, which will take place from December 7-11.
