Following their first AL East title since 1997, the Baltimore Orioles have not done a great job this offseason in terms of retaining players that aided their success. Outfielder Nelson Cruz signed with the Mariners on Monday, reliever Andrew Miller is expected to leave and now another outfielder could go.
Nick Markakis had his $17.5 million option for 2015 declined by Baltimore because the team planned on signing him to an extension. However, Markakis wants a four-year deal and negotiations are said to be inching along, which has led the outfielder's agent to explore other options. And other options there are indeed, with the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays showing interest, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Sources informed the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly that "there now looks to be less than a 50-50 chance" that Markakis re-signs with the Orioles. That's no surprise since the Giants are looking for outfield help and have money to spend; the Braves are looking to rid their roster of their current outfielders and bring in new names and; the Blue Jays have a need with the likely departures of Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus. With an ALCS appearance in 2014 and only $53 million committed to their 2015 payroll, what exactly are the Baltimore Orioles waiting for?
Markakis was on a bargain six-year, $66 million contract he signed before the 2009 season. Over that span, the right fielder played in 900 of 972 games, batted .287 with 82 home runs, 397 RBIs and maintained an OPS of .768. He's been with the Orioles for his entire career, but now it seems as if the team is hesitant in giving him the years and money he wants because he's 31 years old and his numbers have been on the decline over the past few seasons. Connolly mentions the two sides were engaged in serious negotiations for a four-year deal worth between $10 million to $12 million annually right when free agency began, but discussions then stalled and have continued to do so.
Although Markakis' numbers have fallen off a bit, he's still a durable veteran who has two Gold Gloves and provides a lot of leadership in the clubhouse. Manager Buck Showalter is a big fan of Markakis, telling CSN Baltimore "There's such a respect for watch Nick does among his teammates. Every time he does something, he acts like 'this is what I'm supposed to do, right?'" Markakis still batted a solid .276 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs this season in one of the league's best offenses, so throw that in with his fielding and intangibles and he's probably worth that four-year deal.
Baltimore already let the 2014 MLB home run leader leave via free agency. Are they going to let one of their top overall players follow suit? What once seemed like a lock for the Orioles is now an uncertainty.
