This is a weekly column that dives into eight random thoughts about the Orioles/MLB. Why eight? It’s a nod to Cal Ripken Jr. of course. That, and doing 2,632 of these would be a little overboard. – A.S.
1. Allow me to just start on a personal note by saying this two-week stretch of the season (the Birds’ West Coast swing) is one of my favorites every year. As a Baltimore-area transplant now living in Arizona, I watch every Orioles game, even though the majority of them come on at around 4 p.m. my time. I work crazy hours and will typically wake up about that time and begin my day by watching the game. When there is a day game, it normally starts during my so-called “sleep time,” but I am still fighting that to catch the game. That’s why it’s always a joy for me when the O’s are on the West Coast. The games start late into the night for the majority of fans, but it’s the one time that they feel like normal times to me. I also embrace knowing the majority of the results that have already poured in during a night of games across the east and central time zones. That’s nice when you are in a playoff chase.
2. Even though he’s just a rental, I really like the deal the Orioles made to acquire Gerardo Parra from the Brewers at the deadline last week. We all know Parra won’t put up the .328/.369/.517 slash line that he did with Milwaukee in the first half during the second half, but he doesn’t even need to be close to that good in order to give the O’s a massive improvement in production from the corner outfield spots.
There’s always a risk when a team trades a prospect for a two-month rental. We saw it first hand with the Andrew Miller–Eduardo Rodriguez deal last season. Who knows if that one will really come back to bite the Orioles, but if Parra helps the O’s make the postseason the way Miller did last year, then consider it a win. I don’t think losing Zach Davies is much of a risk. He may have been the #3 or #4 prospect in the Orioles system, but that’s not saying much because of how weak the O’s look in the minors. MLB Pipeline slots Davies as the #11 prospect in Milwaukee’s system, which tells you everything you need to know. I also think the Orioles will have a chance to sign Parra in the offseason. That could go a long way to making the deal look even better.
3. The other trade the Orioles pulled off last week involved what most see as a salary dump, but there’s another massive factor involved. The O’s aren’t waving any white flags by trading Tommy Hunter to the Cubs, they are more setting themselves up going forward by opening up a gap in the bullpen to be able to have flexibility.
The so-called Norfolk shuttle can now run directly through the spot vacated by Hunter. The Birds have other players that can fill Hunter’s role at a cheaper price, plus they were able to get a decent prospect back in return by way of Junior Lake. I’ll root for Hunter in Chicago. I feel like he always got a raw deal from some fans in Baltimore for going “boom” too often. But Hunter put up some decent numbers during his time in Baltimore and played a pretty crucial role in one of the better bullpens in baseball during his five-year stint.
4. Tommy Hunter’s departure allows for the addition of Mychal Givens to the roster, something the Orioles have been looking to do for some time. The Orioles really believe Givens can fill the role of a set-up man going forward, even into next year. He’s been knocking down the door and is going to be valuable to the team. A converted shortstop, Givens throws gas and can prove that he belongs in the back end of the pen going forward. He’d be a great insurance policy if Darren O’Day leaves in free agency at the end of the season. There’s always a chance O’Day returns, which would provide the O’s a nice 1-2 punch at the back end next season setting up for Zach Britton. I’m excited to see what Givens can provide.
5. I can’t overstate how nice it is to finally see Kevin Gausman as a regular part of the rotation. Each one of the 24-year-old’s outings won’t look as sparkling as Saturday’s seven-inning, two-run gem, but it’s so important to have him in a regular routine and pitching every fifth day. As I wrote over at MASN Sports earlier this week, Gausman is going to be crucial to the Orioles for the rest of the season. Much of their success will depend on him taking the ball every fifth day and pitching well.
His inclusion in the rotation is also important to next season. After the O’s mostly did a botch job of his development during his young career, he may now have a chance to actually establish himself and show that he can be a member of the rotation. Perhaps he’ll even have a chance to live up to the hype as being a top-shelf rotation guy, something that seemed doubtful at one point to some. Seeing who joins him, Chris Tillman, and Ubaldo Jimenez as part of next year’s Opening Day rotation will be the next step.
6. Chris Davis is getting ready to make a ton of money this offseason, and it’s not going to come from Baltimore. I never really thought Davis would be back in an Orioles uniform after this season, and seeing how he’s produced at the plate over the last month only adds to that suspicion. Much of Davis’ power in terms of home runs this season has come against right-handed pitching, but the 29-year-old has shown that he can get it done against lefties this year too. He’s putting up numbers that start to resemble his historic 2013 season, and even though he won’t reach the 53 home run mark, he’s still going to turn this season into a large contract. I say embrace his presence while he’s here. Davis got a ton of heat last season after hitting .196 and barely producing a .300 on-base percentage, but he’s turned it on and been a big part of the team’s offense this season.
7. Unless you want to feel really depressed, try avoiding looking up Jake Arrieta’s numbers with the Cubs this season. I’m really happy for Jake, but I’m also really (really) sad that he isn’t doing what he’s doing for the Orioles. Imagining a 1-2 punch of Arrieta and Gausman with some Tillman and Jimenez sprinkled in gives me warm and fuzzy feelings. But alas, it’s not to be. After his seven-inning, two-hitter on Tuesday, Arrieta now carries a 12-6 record with a 2.50 ERA in 22 starts this season. He’s in the NL Cy Young race and only seems to be improving. The Cubs now have Arrieta, Jason Hammel, Tommy Hunter, Tsuyoshi Wada and Pedro Strop on their pitching staff. I’m no doubt pulling for them to make the playoffs.
8. I found it very strange that the Detroit Tigers parted ways with general manager Dave Dombrowski this week. The Tigers have gone about their recent roster overhaul in the right way, in my opinion, and then they seemed to make Dombrowski fall on the sword for it. Detroit has won four straight division titles and won the third-most games in baseball during that stretch, so it puzzles me as to why they would have one down year and start looking ahead by parting ways with the guy that got them there.
It got me thinking about Dan Duquette and how appreciative I am that he stuck around this offseason when there were many rumors about his departure to Toronto. Duquette has been a big part of why the Orioles have been good over the last few seasons. Much of the credit goes to Andy MacPhail as well, and there’s no doubt about the impact that Buck Showalter has, but Duquette is a big part of it. Could you imagine the Orioles deciding to part ways with him if the team doesn’t win the AL East this season? That’s a high bar to set. I realize there were other factors in Detroit, and the two sides aren’t really apples to apples, but Dombrowski helped lead the Tigers to four division crowns and a pair of AL Pennants. He won’t have trouble finding work.
photos: GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld
