The team essentially stays pat and hopes for their current prospects and roster to improve.
Or the team decides to sell and trades away some of its veterans for prospects.
Up until this point, I had avoided saying his name, but it's time to give in. The biggest free agent target for the birds is Mark Teixeira. A Maryland native, and the top rated hitter on the free-agent market, we already know that Orioles are interested (they've already contacted Teixeira's agent Scott Boras).
Of course, the Orioles are far from the only suitor. The Angels want him back, and the Nationals, Red Sox, and Yankees are apparently interested as well. Of course, the Red Sox already have lots of infield talent, and the Yankees just acquired 1B/RF Nick Swisher from the White Sox (although the Yankees also have a hole in RF), so the door is open for the O's to try and make a move.
Even if the Birds are Teixeira's childhood favorite and they offer him an enticing offer, it would be hard to imagine a scenario he would pass up a chance to play on a more competitive team (especially given the amount of money the Angels, Sox, and Yanks can throw his way).
The best hope for the O's is if the Yankees end up grabbing Sabbathia early and the Sox don't unload some of their 1B talent to get one of the Ranger's catchers, then both teams would have less desire for Teixeira. If Angelos is willing to shell out, and perhaps a couple calls from Cal Ripken, seeing him in an Orioles uniform is in the realm of possibility.
The Orioles' other free agent interests seem primarily focused on the needs, starting pitching and shortstop. The big pitcher is A.J. Burnett, who also has Maryland ties. Problem once again is that he's a big target of other teams, essentially the rest of the A.L. East (aside of the Rays) is also in the running for his services.
Burnett is a strike-out machine and can chew up the innings (a massive 221-1/3 IP in 2008) and obviously has tremendous upside. He's easily the sexiest of the Orioles' free agent pitching targets (with or without his nipple rings).
He's also the least proven commodity among the free agent studs. He's injury prone, has already had Tommy John surgery once, and has never been happy playing on mediocre teams. He was asked to leave the 2005 Marlins after he made comments critical of the team.
After only two years and no playoff appearances in Toronto, he decided to once again test the free agent waters. Something about this seems to remind me of Carl Pavano, and I don't think any O's fans are regretting not signing him.
If not Burnett, what starting pitcher should the O's target? Lowe, for one would be a great fit. Lowe has stated he wants to return to the A.L. East (although he really meant Boston). He's proven, he's durable, and he's awesome in the clutch. He'd be an ideal for a 2-3 year deal to anchor the rotation and allow the other pitchers time to progress.
The biggest con will be his price tag, which is sure to be high as the Yankees have already stated he is one of their primary targets.
Other than the top notch pitchers, several mid-level starters could be in consideration. Expect Oliver Perez, Brad Penny, Livan Hernandez, Odalis Perez, and Kip Wells to all be possibilities.
At shortstop the Orioles will likely be active in both of the major free agents, Rafael Furcal and Orlando Cabrera. Furcal is younger and has higher upside, but the market for him is also more competitive and thus he'll be more expensive.
Cabrera is a legitimate possibility, although the Blue Jays are also targeting him, but he's already 34. Even though Cabrera isn't quite the same caliber offensively, given his price and two gold gloves, I think he'd be the better fit.
If the birds can't land either of the major shortstops, look for them to target Cesar Izturis or Adam Everett. Both are solid defensive players, and a solid infield will help any pitching staff. There's also a chance of them contacting Edgar Renteria, but I see that as less likely.
There are also a few rumors floating around about Manny possibly being pursued by the Orioles. He's almost landed in an O's uniform before (there were trade rumors a few years back for a Tejada-Ramirez deal), and while his bat would be a welcome addition to any team, his attitude and salary are steep costs to pay. I could see the Orioles going for him, but I'm hoping they don't end up with him.
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