The Orioles are waiting for Chris Davis to make up his mind about whether he wants to make $150 million to stay in Baltimore, but they lit another burner on the hot stove in the meantime.
According to MASN, the O’s made an offer to outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who you may remember from last season as a key power threat for the pennant-winning Mets. Roch Kubatko reports that a deal isn’t necessarily imminent, but the offer could be a sign that the O’s are moving on from Davis, who hasn’t made up his mind about the seven-year, $150 million deal he was reportedly offered to stay in Baltimore. In a more perfect world, both power hitters could be launching home runs out of Camden Yards next year. But Cespedes will cost more millions. ESPN reports that the offer was in the $75-90 million range.
The news comes on the same week that two Orioles free agents left the team. Outfielder Gerardo Parra signed in Colorado, and pitcher Wei Yin Chen joined the Florida Marlins’ staff. The Orioles’ front office was said to be specifically seeking corner outfielders and pitchers this offseason, so these two departures only underscores that need. While Cespedes would fill the outfield hole, pitching remains an issue. Over at Pressbox, Stan “The Fan” Charles wonders if the O’s have gotten away from their initial goals. But they’ve still got time. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 18.
