The 4 Best Available Free Agents for the Baltimore Orioles

It is now December, and names are beginning to fly off the board on MLB's free-agent market.

The Baltimore Orioles just lost outfielder/DH Nelson Cruz, as Cruz signed a four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. And now with right fielder Nick Markakis heading to the Atlanta Braves, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the O's must move on and target multiple guys to fill the holes on the roster.

Regardless of the outcome of the Markakis negotiations, the team will still need to make some moves in order to replace Cruz and setup man Andrew Miller, who likely won't be returning to Baltimore.

In regards to the free-agent market, there are definitely some interesting names out there for the Orioles to consider. The team has some flexibility in terms of who on their current roster can play which positions, making it a little easier for the team to assess their potential free-agent targets.

Let's take a look at some of the available free agents who would possibly be the best fits for the Orioles.

Nori Aoki, Outfielder

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The more one analyzes the type of player Nori Aoki is, the more one realizes he'd be an absolutely perfect fit on the O's.

Aoki is a corner outfielder who provides plus defense, but where he'd really help the O's is offensively, right at the top of their lineup.

During his three-year career, Aoki has posted a .287 batting average and .353 OBP and swiped 67 bases in 95 attempts. He's a left-handed batter who actually hits left-handed pitching (.319) better than he does right-handed pitching (.273) in his career, and he'd provide a stable on-base threat at the top of the lineup for the O's, who can swipe a base and score some runs.

What's more, Aoki could likely be had on a reasonable deal, as MLB Trade Rumors' Charlie Wilmoth projected the left-handed hitter to sign a two-year, $16 million deal this winter, leaving the O's with money to target other roster additions.

Melky Cabrera, Outfielder

STEVE NESIUS/Associated Press

A switch-hitter, Melky Cabrera would provide for another good option now that Markakis has signed elsewhere.

A career .286 hitter with a .339 OBP, Melky finds his way on base and can even hit for a little power (16 homers last season).

He's generally not considered a good defender, but the O's could definitely do worse than him.

The downside to Cabrera, though, is that he'll probably cost a good bit to sign. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors expects Cabrera to net a contract such as the six-year, $66.25 million deal he suggested earlier this offseason.

Cabrera also has a past history with PEDs, having been suspended for the season's final 50 games in 2012 when he was with the San Francisco Giants. However, the O's proved last winter that such a history won't be a deterrent when they brought Cruz into the fold.

According to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, the O's viewed Cabrera as a fallback option in the event they failed to bring back Markakis, which is now the reality. The team has the money, especially after losing Cruz to Seattle, but would they really want to spend that much on Cabrera? Personally, I don't see it.

Still, there's no denying his offensive ability would be welcomed at the top of the O's lineup.

Michael Morse, Outfielder/DH/First Baseman

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

If the O's are looking for someone to fill the team's DH slot the majority of the time in 2015, Michael Morse may be one of their better free-agent options going forward.

He proved to be healthy after struggling with a wrist injury at the end of the 2013 season that ultimately needed surgery, as he hit .279 with a .336 OBP in 2014 for the San Francisco Giants. He knocked out 16 homers and totaled 61 RBI while playing in the giant ballpark that is AT&T Park.

Morse could do essentially what Cruz did during his time in Baltimore and spend the majority of his time at DH while also playing some corner outfield on occasion. Morse is also capable of playing first base, giving a little bit more lineup flexibility, though he isn't known as a good defender by any means.

Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors projects Morse to land a two-year, $22 million deal, which is very reasonable from the O's point of view. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Birds are currently showing "strong interest" in Morse.

The question, of course, is how well Morse will perform. It's unlikely that he'll recapture his 2011 form, when he hit .303 with 31 homers and 95 RBI, but it isn't out of the question to think he could hit over 20 homers with a solid average should he stay healthy.

Is he worth the gamble?

Delmon Young, Outfielder/DH

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Delmon Young will forever be known in Birdland for the pinch-hit, three-run double he provided in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers that gave the Orioles the lead and ultimately won them the game.

After a successful season for the O's as a part-time DH, part-time outfielder, and pinch hitter extraordinaire, Young will be seeking to land a multi-year contract.

Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports wrote on November 20 that the O's did have interest in bringing Young back but were not willing to meet his demands of two years as of then.

Things could have changed since, seeing as how Cruz has moved on. The O's may like the idea of Young returning and playing the role Cruz did this past season: regular at-bats as the DH and the occasional spell of a corner outfielder.

Young can mash left-handed pitching (.302 career batting average) and has some power (seven homers in 242 at-bats in 2014), so he'd definitely be valuable in such a role. It all depends on what the O's are willing to pay him, and for how long.