Mark Trumbo Returns to Birdland
Just a little bit ago, the Orioles announced that they have re-signed Designated Hitter/Outfielder, Mark Trumbo. The deal is still pending a physical, but is expected to be a three-year contract worth $37.5 million dollars.
The amount of money that Trumbo received is fair given how long his free agency has carried out, but is still a far cry from what he was looking for earlier this winter. According to various reports, Trumbo was looking to sign a three-year deal worth around $80 million dollars at the time of the Winter Meetings which was more than reasonable especially with the numbers he put up last year.
As far as the signing goes, it makes complete sense as Baltimore still needed another power bat or two prior to the start of the season and would have struggled severely if they did not address their need at the DH or outfield positions.
Last season, Trumbo had a career year hitting 47 home runs and 108 RBI in 613 at bats along with a career high slugging percentage of .533 and an OPS of .850. In the last three seasons alone, Trumbo has 83 home runs and 233 RBI, but does come with a high amount of strikeouts in that span, 391 to be exact.
In regards to the Orioles, Trumbo provides them with some pop and depth in their everyday lineup. The player with the most home runs and RBI last season was Manny Machado, who hit 37 home runs and 97 RBI in 640 at bats, followed by Adam Jones who hit 29 home runs and recorded 83 RBI. In total, the Orioles hit 253 home runs and 710 RBI last season which put them 1st in the league for home runs and 11th for RBI.
If the Orioles were to miss out on Trumbo and the big numbers that he is expected to put up once again, it would cause them to lose out on a lot of offense and potentially lose the entire division to the Boston Red Sox or Toronto Blue Jays. For instance, if Trumbo hits at least 40 home runs and 100 RBI in 2017 and you take that away, using last year's numbers, Baltimore would have finished the year with 213 home runs and 610 RBI. That amount of home runs would have caused them to drop to 9th in the league behind the Detroit Tigers, while they would have finished 29th in the league behind the Atlanta Braves just ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Therefore, you can see why it was so vital for Baltimore to use all of it's force to reach a deal with Mark Trumbo and ensure that O's fans can enjoy Trumbombs at Orioles Park for at least the next three years.
Now, Trumbomb away, Mark!
