The Orioles need a first baseman. No doubt about that. I don’t think any fan will be happy with another year of Ty Wigginton at the 3-spot. There are not a lot of top-flight first base candidates out there, especially if you are looking for that whole “future” type player but there are some viable options in free agency that need to be pursued.
Paul Konerko
The Orioles courted Konerko in 2006 but he elected to stay in Chicago after winning the World Series there in 2005 but his contract is up and he is once again a free agent. Konerko will turn 35 in 2011 and while he had a great year last year, posting a .977 OPS, it was a rebound year after a couple years of steady decline since the 06 contract. Granted, even his bad year in 2008 (injury year) his .783 OPS would have been a significant improvement from the 2010 Orioles.
The problem with Konerko is his age/ contract. You will most likely have to give Konerko a four year deal so that raises the question: What will he look like in the last two year of that deal? Granted, 38/39 is not 40/41 and Konerko has not shown any real signs of slowing down it is still going to be a concern.
Also there is the money it would take to lure him away from Chicago. Konerko has spent his entire career, as a starter, in Chicago; he all ready turned down more money from the Orioles in 2006 to stay in Chicago and Konerko doesn’t strike me as the type of player to chase the money. Getting him out of Chicago is going to take a pretty solid offer – but one the Orioles should make.
Adam LaRoche
Another player the Orioles could have had LaRoche is not Konerko in any way but he is a legitimate first baseman, something the Orioles lack. LaRoche has only broken .900 OPS once in his career and last year batted a pedestrian .788 in Arizona last year. Even then that .788 would be a huge upgrade over the Orioles’ woeful .625 (worst in the majors) OPS at the position last year. If you can’t land Konerko go after LaRoche. He is younger, most likely cheaper, but not really the difference maker that Konerko could be.
Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee was not offered arbitration by the Braves making him a free agent. the 35 year old Lee had a troubled season battling injuries, some freak, and saw him lose ground in virtually every statistical category. If the Orioles were to go after him he would be the type of aging reclamation project that many fans are getting tired of seeing. Yet, he is still an intriguing option. His injury plagued 2010 season knocks his price down significantly, even a down Lee will be leagues better than what we had out there last year and it was one bad year in a career of more than solid production.
Lee’s age is a concern, but I doubt the Orioles would have to give him much beyond a two year deal to land him. He is not the first baseman of the future that we all want, but he is far from another stop-gap with the potential production he could bring to the team.
First base needs to remain a priority for the Orioles. If they hope to be anything near competitive in 2011 the team can simply not afford a patchwork infield again. First, third and short all need to be addressed – more on that later.
