Pedro Alvarez, Baltimore Orioles Reportedly Agree to New Contract

Left on the scrapheap before the season, Pedro Alvarez waited seemingly forever before signing with the Baltimore Orioles for a solid 2016 campaign. He won't have to wait so long this time around.

The Orioles and Alvarez agreed to a minor league contract Saturday, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli, where he'll likely serve as a designated hitter and outfielder.

FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reported the deal is worth $2 million but could include a further $3.5 million of incentives.

Heyman provided some additional background regarding Alvarez's return:  

The 30-year-old posted a .249/.322/.504 with 22 home runs and 49 runs batted in. His slugging splits were better in the second half, including a strong stretch in August. 

"You can tell he's in a good place," manager Buck Showalter said, per Meoli. "He's seeing the ball well, he's spitting on some pitches that he wasn't, and when he's getting his pitch he's not missing it. You see him driving the ball the other way—he's as strong as anybody we've got. ... He's been everything we hoped he'd be."

Alvarez spent his first six MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, posting 30-plus homers in two years before falling out of favor. He made his first and only All-Star team in 2013 as part of a 36-home run breakout. 

The Pirates chose to non-tender Alvarez after two down seasons, a surprising move given they had no real answer on how to fill his spot in the lineup. Baltimore signed him last March, mostly limiting his appearances against left-handed hitters and in the field. The result was a solid all-around season that saw Alvarez produce a win above replacement for the first time since 2013, per Fangraphs.

Assuming the Orioles plan on utilizing him the same way, Alvarez should be a fine signing. He's a poor fielder and strikes out too much, but Alvarez has made strides in making contact and can work as an above replacement-level DH.