Nolan Reimold Redux

I read Roch Kubatko’s blog post on Nolan Reimold this morning, and was struck by the very Groundhog Day feel of the whole thing. Here we are again, hoping that the guy can get healthy and stay on the field, all while wondering when the other foot (or more accurately, the heel, the neck, the…) will fall.

The most interesting thing to me was Reimold’s take on the possibility of being placed on waivers. Here’s what he had to say:

If they don’t want me enough to keep me here and somebody else wants me more, I’d go there. I’d prefer to stay in Baltimore. That’s where I started. That’s where I want to be. But if they put me on waivers, I’ll do what I have to do.

Before I go too far here, let’s try to be rational: yes, this is a business, and Reimold and the Orioles don’t owe each other anything. If Reimold goes on waivers and is claimed, he’ll pack his bags and play for another team. That’s just baseball. Additionally, this is a guy who needs to maximize his earning potential. At age 30, with a family, he hasn’t been able to stay on the field long enough to get that big MLB pay-day. Cynical fans would argue that they would be fully willing to take his $1 million salary for the “work” he’s put in so far, but I think that view fails to take into account how hard Reimold has pushed his body to stay in baseball. How many of us would have thrown in the towel at this point?

I guess my issue here is that I’d like to see a little more appreciation from a guy who could easily have been dropped by the Orioles long ago. Instead, the organization has shown incredible patience, allowing Reimold to work back from injury after injury, when simply cutting him loose probably makes more sense from a baseball operations standpoint.

Make no mistake, I want to see Reimold out there as a productive player for the Orioles. I think his bat can be a difference maker at the Major League level, which he compliments by not being a liability in the field. Making room for him gets complicated, since Steve Pearce has made himself useful. David Lough seems like the logical choice to leave the 25-man roster (largely because he’s likely to clear waivers). Keep in mind, though, the 2014 Nolan Reimold Redux could be a quick event.

Maybe I’m spoiled by recent events surrounding Steve Pearce, who showed loyalty and faith in the club, which is unusual for this era in baseball. But I would have liked to hear something more upbeat than “I’ll do what I have to do,” even if it was just pandering.

Photo Credit: Kieth Allison