Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays reached agreement on a contract extension, something the O’s still have failed to do with any of their homegrown players.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
How many of you stayed up late to watch the Orioles’ opener in Arizona last night? I, of course, as someone who is young and spry and hip, certainly did. It was quite the game, yessir. That part where…the team…scored runs(?)…off the other team. And then the guy, you know, did the thing. Ah, classic baseball.
OK, fine, I went to bed in the fifth inning because I’m old and lame. But Andrea SK stayed up to recap the action for all of us, so check out her write-up.
Earlier in the day, there was big news in the AL East as the Toronto Blue Jays signed one of their homegrown stars to an extension. After months of stalled negotiations, the Jays signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million extension that will keep him in Toronto until 2039.
Whether you think that’s an overpay or not — which I do, considering that Guerrero hasn’t been a consistently great hitter and can’t play defense — the Jays became just the latest team not named the Orioles to lock up one of their talented youngsters to an extension. Elsewhere in the division, the Red Sox did the same last week with both impending free agent Garrett Crochet and rookie Kristian Campbell. The Orioles’ current opponent, the Diamondbacks, extended star second baseman Ketel Marte. And Severna Park native Jackson Merrill got his bag from the Padres with a nine-year, $135 million deal in his second big league season.
Meanwhile, the Orioles, who have no shortage of talented, homegrown players worth extending, have failed to do so, even with the presumed influx of cash from new owner David Rubenstein. And with each passing year, these budding stars get that much closer to free agency and to leaving the Orioles in the lurch.
Obviously, it takes two to tango. (Or so I’m told. I’m not much of a dancer.) The O’s can’t force anyone to sign if the player isn’t interested, especially when three of their prominent youngsters — Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg — are represented by Scott Boras. Maybe there just isn’t a number that the two sides can agree on that wouldn’t be a wildly irresponsible amount for the Orioles to pay.
But hey, it’s not my money, and other teams are finding a way to do it. There’s certainly risk involved in signing any player to a big-money deal, but there’s also a risk in letting every key member of the Orioles’ young core slip away from the team in the next few years.
Links
Analysis: To prove they can hit lefties, Kjerstad and Holliday need more at-bats – The Baltimore Banner
Seems reasonable enough to me. And yet we continue to get things like Jorge Mateo in center field and Gary Sánchez DH’ing.
Albert Suárez (shoulder injury) to miss months – MLB.com
What an awful turn of events for Suárez, who finally made his first Opening Day roster at age 35 and now might have his season end after just one outing. Nothing has been easy for this guy.
Orioles Acquire Grant Wolfram – MLB Trade Rumors
If you’re tired of seeing the extremely control-challenged Cionel Pérez clog up a bullpen spot, good news! The O’s just acquired a possible replacement…who is also extremely control-challenged.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 31st birthday to the Orioles’ ace, Zach Eflin.
Former Orioles born on April 8 include righties Jeremy Hellickson (38) and Jeremy Guthrie (46); left-handers Brian Burres (44) and the late Dick Luebke (b. 1935, d. 1974); and the late outfielder Charlie Maxwell, who had four pinch-hit at-bats for the 1955 Orioles. Maxwell passed away last December at the age of 97.
On this date in 2019, Chris Davis made unfortunate history by going 0-for-5, setting a new MLB record with 49 consecutive hitless at-bats. The streak would eventually extend to 54 before Davis got his first hit of the season five days later.
Random Orioles game of the day
Back despite popular demand, it’s the season debut of my random Orioles game of the day feature. I’ll look back at an O’s game on this date in history — however interesting a game it may or may not be — using a random number generator to pick the year. And today the generator chooses: 2004.
Hey, that game actually was kind of interesting. What a pleasant surprise! On April 8, 2004, the Orioles won a 13-inning walkoff against the Red Sox. One-time hotshot prospect Matt Riley, making his season debut, worked 6.1 strong innings for the Birds, and five O’s relievers combined for 6.2 scoreless frames of relief. The four-hour, 37-minute marathon finally ended in the 13th when Sox reliever Bobby Jones walked the bases loaded and then walked Larry Bigbie to force home the game-winner.