Orioles Might Think About Considering the Possibility of Moving Wieters

This is the silly season for baseball coverage. If a writer speculates, or throws an idea out there, the media will converge on it like piranhas  if there’s nothing better to write about. Take this snippet of a story from FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal: 

The Orioles are at least exploring the market for backup catchers — Matt Wieters, a switch-hitter, batted only .214 with a .628 OPS from the left side last season. The question is whether they also might aim higher, pursue someone like Jarrod Saltalamacchia and seek to move Wieters, who is two years away from free agency.

 

Wieters, represented by Scott Boras, is unlikely to sign an extension; Boras generally prefers his clients to determine their values in free agency. It also might not be the right time to trade Wieters, whose value likely is down considering that his OPS has dropped from .778 to .764 to .704 over the past three seasons. Manager Buck Showalter, who greatly values Wieters’ defense, might even oppose such a move.

Oh, this is a juicy one. It’s got all the key ingredients:

• hometown favorite
• Boras client
• possible FA from a division rival
• possible front office intrigue
• use of the word “exploring”

Getcha popcorn ready, this story is sure to start some conversation in town.

It’s just conjecture, there is nothing concrete here (I’m sure the team is “exploring” many things). But it does make for useful discussion. In Episode 57, we discussed that the Orioles are between a rock and a hard place. They don’t have the minor league system to build as quickly as the Tampa/Oakland model, and they don’t have the cash on hand to compete with the large market teams in our division. Scott pointed out, quite correctly, that tough decisions faced the Birds. They have premium talent that they will either have to back up the Brinks truck for, or part with for prospects. As much as it would pain us to see Davis or Wieters go, it might be best for the team.

Turns out, Scott hangs out with Ken Rosenthal?

So what do the Orioles do with Wieters? Matty Backstop is everything we could have hoped for (and more) behind the plate. His defense and ability to lead a patchwork staff is unmatched. He holds runners, and punishes those foolish enough to try (Don’t.Run.Ever). But he has fallen short of the “Switch-Hitting-Jesus” hype that accompanied his arrival on the scene. Maybe the hype is the problem – Wieters is not a scrub at the plate. He led AL catchers in home runs, and RBI. But you can’t deny the other side of the equation… Wieters has only posted an OBP of .340+ (the Fan Graphs rating of “Above Average”) just once. Since then, it has fallen steadily. This year, his .287 mark puts him in Fan Graph’s “Awful” category. I won’t bore you with the WAR, CLUTCH or MAGIC stats, as that’s Scott’s forte. But the bottom line is that he is not an impact, middle of the order bat. Wieters belongs as a #7 hitter on a good team.

So what is the value of a middling hitter and excellent defender wearing the tools of ignorance? I can’t imagine that he would bring a haul in prospects equal to his value to the team. As much as we worry about how much Wieters might cost on the open market, it is important to remember how much a replacement would cost. Rosenthal suggests that the O’s could pursue Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who will probably demand a deal in the $9-10 million dollar per year range.

If the Orioles are going to make a significant commitment to a catcher, are they better off with Wieters, or someone else? Can they get more offensively? Would a couple of prospects lessen the hit of defensive drop-off?

I don’t think Wieters is going anywhere. Buck Showalter loves his play and his leadership. I don’t think Dan Duquette will be blown away with an offer to move him. But someone said that the Orioles might think about considering the possibility of moving Matt Wieters. So we’re going to talk about it… because that’s what November in baseball is.