A lot of emotions came into play for Orioles fans on Monday night when the team elected to trade closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics.
Some people expressed a bit of sadness to see one of the key pieces in the past two seasons of success depart. Others decided to take the opposite road and cheer the move, wishing it had come after one of Johnson’s blown saves last season.
No matter how you feel about the deal, it’s important to realize that it was about one thing and one thing only – money.
The O’s simply weren’t willing to pay Johnson the $10 million he’s expected to receive in arbitration. It’s a move that seems reasonable to that point. Paying one guy in the bullpen that much money doesn’t seem all that logical, even if he led MLB over the past two seasons with 101 saves.
When I look on the surface of this trade, I wonder why the A’s (a publicly-recognized small-budget team) WOULD be willing to pay that number. I also question why the Orioles weren’t able to get more in return for Johnson. Jemile Weeks is not the type of player you would expect in return for a closer with Johnson’s numbers and credentials. More so than anything, however, I think of where the money saved by this move is going to go.
The Orioles are saving money with this move in the short-term, but will it go building the team for the long-term?
Will some of the money go back into the free agent pool to pick out another closer?
That seems to be the thought of many experts. There sure are plenty of closers to choose from. Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Edward Mujica, Chris Perez and Jose Veras are all viable options at this point. They will all likely make less than Johnson in 2014.
The O’s also still have needs to fill in the field. The team needs a left fielder, another left-handed bat to possibly DH and even a real option at second base. I don’t know if Jemile Weeks really fills that need. Some of this money will surely go towards long-term contract extensions for current players down the line too, right? Players like Chris Davis, Manny Machado, perhaps even Matt Wieters will see some of this action, correct?
We’ve seen this narrative before with the Orioles. Trimming payroll and saving money here and there doesn’t always lead to spending on free agents to improve the team.
Alright, let’s be honest, it almost never leads to that in Baltimore. So will it happen this time around? It’s important to note that every MLB team is making an extra $25 million in television revenue heading into 2014 as well. So where is that money heading?
There are surely holes for the Orioles to fill on the field. One of the pieces that helped them (and at times hurt them) on the field is now gone, shipped off to the west coast to save money. It’s not because of his performance or because there is a new guy to take his place. It’s to save money. So it’s time for the Orioles to take that money and flip it around to fill the holes.
Whether or not you have confidence in this happening is a completely separate issue.
That’s the theory, however. That’s the line Orioles fans are going to be fed this offseason, which thus far has been filled with signings of players that no one knows. It’s time for the Orioles to figure out a way, with the saved money, to bring in a player that doesn’t require fans to reach immediately for the Google search bar to have a clue.
I’m not implying the team should go out and spend hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire Robinson Cano. I like the direction the organization has taken over the past few seasons under Dan Duquette, but it’s time to make that next step. The past two seasons of success aren’t going to be enough to hold interest for a fan base that has longed for consistent winning baseball for so long.
Many may not realize it until March when the weather starts to warm and the Sarasota sunshine lights
up the busy fields of spring training, but the 2014 season for the Orioles is very crucial. It’s not only crucial to the front office or the players on the field, but it’s crucial to the fans, who just want to see more winning baseball. They want to see winning baseball back in Baltimore in the month of October.
It’s time for the building to commence.
It’s time for that hot stove to be lit.
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