There’s a ton of buzz around the rumor that the Baltimore Orioles are making a run at signing free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, and looking more deeply at this team, I’m not sure it makes sense unless Chris Davis is re-signed too.
There’s no doubting Cespedes’ talent — he has buckets of power, one of the best throwing arms in baseball and an above-average glove. However, I think the overall talent level of the Orioles without Davis is questionable even with a guy like that. If Davis isn’t re-signed, Cespedes doesn’t put the Orioles any closer to being a postseason team once again, which is why I’d shy away from the financial commitment.
At this point, the Orioles should either go for it full bore, or take a step back and rebuild. Could you imagine Davis and Cespedes in a lineup with Manny Machado and Adam Jones? That offense would be insanely nasty. Cespedes, Jones and Machado would be relatively good, but it’d make for an incredibly right-handed lineup.
More importantly, it doesn’t get them over the hump in a very competitive AL East. I mean, just take a look at the other lineups in the division.
It’ll take a long time with some unexpected twists and turns about contract demands, but it’s pretty clear that the Cespedes sweepstakes will be coming to an end relatively soon with Spring Training approaching. Will Davis be an option on top for Baltimore? Just let me know if you have a direct line to Peter Angelos.
