As the Baltimore Orioles look to improve their outfield following the losses of Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz, the team added a familiar name on Wednesday and is interested in a few players on the San Diego Padres.
Baltimore re-signed outfielder Delmon Young to a one-year deal, pending a physical, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The 29-year-old was looking for a two-year contract, but the Orioles, who have been known to be tough negotiators this offseason, were only offering a one-year deal. Young should take a spot in one of the corner outfield positions for 2015.
He played in only 83 games in 2014 after signing a minor league contract prior to the season. With Adam Jones and Nick Markakis already occupying two spots, Nelson Cruz played a number of games out there along with Alejandro De Aza, who was used as a defensive option at the end of the year. Young slashed .302/.337/.442 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs and was 2-for-9 in two postseason games with four RBIs.
The Orioles don't look like they're going to stop with the signing of Young. Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports the team is also interested outfielders Seth Smith and Will Venable of the San Diego Padres. According to sources, dialogue between the two sides is ongoing. Smith or Venable would provide good depth for Baltimore's outfield, which took a big hit this offseason.
The Padres are certainly looking to unload some of their outfielders since they acquired Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton in the past two weeks. The addition of these three players created even more of a logjam as they joined Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Rymer Liriano, Abraham Almonte, Smith and Venable. San Diego will likely have a tough time getting rid of Quentin (owed $8 million in 2015) and Maybin (owed $15 million over the next two seasons) because of their salaries, while Smith and Venable remain the most attractive trade targets for other clubs.
Smith is signed for another two years and $12.75 million and Venable is under contract for $4.25 million in 2015. Liriano and Almonte are younger talent, but the Orioles need those who can provide an immediate contribution. Padres' general manager A.J. Preller is probably happy with this news.
