Breaking Down The Baltimore Orioles 2011 Offseason

Baltimore Orioles' owner Peter Angelos has been widely known as a stickler when it comes to spending money on players. Instead of going out there and paying big bucks for solid players, it seems as though he decides to just sit around and wait until the big-name players have already been signed to contracts with other teams.

Not this off-season, though.

Angelos and the Baltimore organization went all out and signed several different key players who will contribute to winning ball games for the O's. I wouldn't be surprised if the Orioles finally finished above .500 this season and at least gave Tampa, Boston and New York a "run for their money."

Here's a list the team's newest acquisitions and what they bring to the table for this young ball club, led by manager Buck Showalter.

Derrek Lee, First Base

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: Derek Lee #27 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the New York Mets during their game on September 18, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Signed December 31

The 35-year old first baseman may fit the power-hitting infielder role they've been searching for, but it's only a temporary fix. If he fulfills his expectations, Buck Showalter will be satisfied with the added 25-30 homers he gives the ball club. If he crumbles and is only able to play in 90-100 games, Baltimore will surely suffer.

Lee is a hit or miss, which is why the O's only signed him to a one-year contract.

J.J. Hardy, Shortstop

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OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 04: J.J. Hardy #27 of the Minnesota Twins leaps over Kurt Suzuki #8 of the Oakland Athletics on a double play hit by Jack Cust in the fourth inning during an MLB game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 4, 2010 in Oakland, C

Acquired December 9

Not quite 30 years old, the O's were much more comfortable in acquiring Hardy from the Twins. They also received utility man Brendan Harris and $500,000 cash in the deal, giving up minor league relievers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey in exchange.

It's not guaranteed that Hardy will be the team's every day starting shortstop considering they also brought back defensive gem Cesar Izturis, but we're looking at at least a platoon this season.

The career .263 hitter is more of a solid addition when it comes to defense, and Harris adds depth to the middle infield.

Mark Reynolds, Third Base

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PHOENIX - SEPTEMBER 06: Mark Reynolds #27 of the Arizona Diamondbacks breaks his bat as he swings during the Major League Baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on September 6, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Giants defeated the Diam

Acquired December 6

This move is rather puzzling. With a few other solid corner infielders still available, such as Adam Laroche, I'm not quite sure why they decided to make a move for Reynolds. Obviously he has a knack for power (121 round trippers in four big league seasons) but he has led the league in strikeouts the past three seasons.

Any player with 200+ strikeouts and a sub-.200 batting average (.198 in 145 games last season) is only hurting your team. After losing Ty Wigginton, Baltimore was looking for a quick replacement in the infield, but all they are doing is downgrading with the addition of Reynolds.

If he was a spectacular defensive player it would be a little different, but he's average at best. Either way, this may be one of the few Baltimore additions this off-season that I seriously have a problem with.

Randy Winn, Outfield

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ST. LOUIS - JUNE 28: Randy Winn #44 of the St. Louis Cardinals allows a home run as he attempts to haul in a fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium on June 28, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks 6-5 in the bo

Signed February 3

This signing may be new news to some, but that doesn't really matter because it isn't a big signing either way. Winn was signed a minor league deal with Baltimore a couple of days ago, and has received an invite to spring training this season.

The 36-year old was likely brought in for depth and experience, and nothing more. It's highly unlikely he will see much playing time considering the outfield is one of Baltimore's strongest areas. If the O's are hit with the injury bug, expect to see some of Winn. Other than that, he's just there for show.

Vladimir Guerrero, Designated Hitter

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SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 27: Vladimir Guerrero #27 of the Texas Rangers looks on against the San Francisco Giants in Game One of the 2010 MLB World Series at AT&T Park on October 27, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Signed February 4

This is probably one of my favorite Baltimore signings this off-season. Fans want to try and say that he's "washed up" or whatever they wanna call it. But I say, despite being 35-years old, Vlad can still keep up with the youngsters and he showed that last season.

Yes, ok, he may have had a below-par second half with Texas last season, yet he still finished with a .300 average with over 100 RBIs. If he can even match his first half of 2010, he will greatly help this team. Since he'll be playing DH, he will be able to stay fresh and possibly put up big numbers. I may not have given him the $8 million that Angelos awarded him, but if the money is just going to sit in his pocket the rest of the season then why not give it to Vlad so he can suit up?

Pitching: Duchscherer, Gregg

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ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 15: Kevin Gregg #63 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ninth inning at Angel Stadium on August 15, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Blue Jays defeated the Angels 4-1. (Photo by Jeff Gro

Justin Duchscherer, SP--signed January 30

The former Oakland Athletic has already stated to the team that he wants to start games, and it shouldn't take much for the veteran to win a spot in the rotation. The 33-year old has a 3.13 career ERA in eight big league seasons, and the addition of Duchscherer (one-year deal) is low-risk.

Kevin Gregg, CL--signed January 5

Ever since the departure of George Sherrill to LA, the Orioles have seemed to lack that one guy who could put the game away in the ninth inning. That's where Gregg comes in.

Stealing him from the hands of AL East counterpart Toronto, the O's now have a closer on the roster who has the ability to close out 30-40 games in a season. Huge addition to a shaky bullpen in recent seasons.

Other Key Off-Season Moves

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BALTIMORE - SEPTEMBER 19: Koji Uehara #19 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards on September 19, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

*Bringing back Cesar Izturis: The O's brought back the 30-year old defensive-oriented shortstop by signing him to a one-year deal in December. Solid move worth the one-year contract.

*Keeping Koji Uehara: On December 8 the O's made a key move in re-signing closer/reliever Koji Uehara to a one-year deal. Uehara missed a good portion of 2010, but looks to be making a strong recover and should be good to go for 2011. With the addition of Gregg, Uehara won't likely be the team's closer, but could make for a strong set-up man or middle reliever. With this move, and the Gregg move, Baltimore's bullpen will be significantly better this season.

Better 2011 Results...

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BALTIMORE - APRIL 4: Owner Peter Angelos of the Baltimore Orioles watches pregame festivities from the duggout prior to the Baltimore Orioles defeating the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on opening day, April 4, 2005 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, M

With teams such as the powerhouses of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays also in the AL East, the Orioles are not considered 2011 contenders, but improvements will be noticeable in Baltimore.

Some of the moves seem to be short-term solutions (i.e. Lee, Vlad, Winn deals), but if Angelos can save up money this season maybe they'll have a shot at landing a Prince Fielder-type hitter next off-season. Only time will tell.