Orioles
Trumbo, O's reach a deal
2016 homer champ agrees to $37.5 million over three years after testing free agency
Another offseason-long saga of following whether the reigning major league home run champion would return to Baltimore after testing free agency came to a conclusion Thursday when the Orioles agreed to re-sign outfielder-designated hitter Mark Trumbo.
After more than two months of wrangling, the two sides have a three-year agreement in place pending a “rigorous” medical review, according to an industry source. While the Orioles have a reputation for a meticulous physical exam process, Trumbo is a known commodity.
Trumbo's deal is worth $37.5 million, according to an industry source. That figure is significantly less than the $75?million to $80 million Trumbo was initially seeking in free agency.
Closer Zach Britton, speaking Thursday night on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on 105.7 The Fan, was pleased with the news.
“He's a great teammate,” Britton said. “He's kind of like the quiet leader, but the thing about Mark that kind of really drew me to him, and the thing I feel like kind of got overlooked, was his preparation and the work that he put in. He was constantly watching video, constantly in the cage doing stuff. Even before a lot of guys got to the field, Mark was already in there doing stuff.
“That's the thing that, as a teammate, where whether or not this guy is doing well, you really appreciate the effort they're putting in.”
Trumbo, who led the majors with 47 home runs in 2016 in his first year with the Orioles, rejected the club's qualifying offer and thus had a first-round draft pick attached to him during his first foray into free agency. If he had signed elsewhere, the Orioles would have received a valuable draft pick at the end of the first round because Trumbo declined their one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer in November.
Waiting out the market seems to have benefited the Orioles, who under executive vice president Dan Duquette have been remarkably savvy in signing high-value free-agent deals late in the offseason.
For Trumbo and some of the market's top sluggers, it seemed the free-agent landscape never quite developed. Edwin Encarnacion landed a three-year, $60 million deal from the Cleveland Indians, Jose Bautista returned to the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year deal, and now Trumbo is back with the Orioles.
Initially, the price for Trumbo seemed to be out of the Orioles' range. But when the market came down, a reunion between a player who enjoyed his time in Baltimore and a team that grew to admire his steady presence, not to mention his power, was forged.
The addition further establishes the Orioles as one of the game's premier power lineups. Trumbo will return to a batting order that includes sluggers Chris Davis (38 homers in 2016), Manny Machado (37), Adam Jones (29) and Jonathan Schoop (25).
His return means the Orioles are running back largely the same group that fell in extra innings to the Blue Jays in last year's wild-card game. Free agent Welington Castillo replaced longtime catcher Matt Wieters, platoon outfielder Seth Smith has been added to the mix, and young right-hander Dylan Bundy is in position to spend a full year in the rotation, with Yovani Gallardo dealt to the Seattle Mariners.
The team acquired him as something of an insurance policy before Davis signed a club-record seven-year, $161 million contract last January, and the addition of designated hitter Pedro Alvarez in early March meant Trumbo needed to get acclimated to right field quickly.
This offseason, the club has cited a desire to improve defensively in the outfield, with Smith presenting a marginal upgrade and Rule 5 draft pick Aneury Tavarez also a good defensive option.
Because of that, Trumbo will likely be the team's primary designated hitter in 2017, but could still play some in the outfield.
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