Monday was a huge day for the Orioles as they not only beat the Seattle Mariner, 5-4, off an Adam Jones’ RBI-bunt that plated Nick Markakis for the winning run, but also signed a potential part of their future.
After losing two straight against the Rays this weekend, the Orioles picked up the win last night and are now 10-4 under Buck Showalter, plus are 11-3 in extra inning affairs.
O’s starting pitcher Brad Bergesen was solid on Monday, but nowhere as immaculate during his last start. He went 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs. The bullpen kept the game in check until Seattle scored in the top of the tenth – that is until Baltimore scored in the bottom of the inning.
The Orioles are 42-77 on the season.
The big news of the day in baseball aside from the games decided was that Monday was the final day for players selected in the 2010 Draft to sign with their teams.
The Baltimore Orioles came to terms with Manny Machado, a high-school shortstop from Miami, chosen as the third park in this year’s draft. He signed a deal worth a little north of $5 million and with Scott Boras as his ‘advisor’, everything was done with only minutes to spare before the midnight deadline on Monday.
The Orioles according to MASN’s Steve Melewski have signed 39 out of their 49 picks in 2010.
Here’s on the signing…
From the Orioles.com: In a deal that came just three minutes shy of Monday’s midnight deadline, the Orioles agreed to terms with third-overall pick Manny Machado, awarding the 17-year-old the second-largest signing bonus in team history. Machado will receive $5.25 million, which is behind only current O’s catcher Matt Wieters’ $6 million in 2007.
The importance of getting Machado — considered one of three stand-alone talents in this year’s Draft — couldn’t be understated for Baltimore scouting director Joe Jordan, who said the bulk of negotiations came in the final hour.
“For us to have a really good Draft, we had to sign this player,” said Jordan of Machado, whose signability was expected to be tough given agent Scott Boras’ reputation for going down to the wire. “It went like we thought. We had a really good read on the financial side of it — what it was going to take. Again, it played out ’till the end. We’re very happy.”
Machado is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop out of Brito Private High School in Miami, Fla., who has drawn raves for his smooth footwork, quick hands and solid arm strength. The right-handed-hitting Machado batted .639 (55-for-86) with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs in his senior season for Brito. A four-year varsity player, he added 43 runs scored, 27 doubles and 17 stolen bases.
I would doubt that Machado will be in the majors anytime soon, but he provides the Orioles depth at a position they’ve not had in a long time.
He reminds many people of Alex Rodriguez – or maybe a light version – but if he can play to his potential, the Orioles will have the young core to build upon.
However, why does it talk so long to come to terms on a deal with these players?
It’s obvious that baseball is a business, and the players want as much money as possible, while the owners want to pay the minimum it will take to make someone happy.
Seriously, though would it not be more prudent for both sides to come to an agreement sooner, so that all sides can move on, and more importantly, the player can develop and get on with his career?
There’s got to be a more efficient way to handle these signings.
