Baltimore Orioles: A-Train rolling back into town?

Apparently the Baltimore Orioles might have a mild interest in signing free agent veteran reliever Arthur Rhodes to a minor league contract. You might remember Rhodes, who was a stalwart on the previous Orioles’ playoff teams prior to 2013. He was drafted in the second round of the 1988 amateur players draft by none other than the Orioles, and made his big league debut with the team in 1991. Since leaving the O’s following the 1999 season Rhodes has been a journeyman of sorts, pitching in Seattle (twice), Oakland, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Florida, Cinncinnatti, Texas, and St. Louis. For his career, he’s 43-36 with 4.08 ERA, 1152 K’s, and 33 saves. Rhodes (43 years old) didn’t play in 2012.

Courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Whether or not Rhodes would ever see the big league roster in 2013 would remain to be seen if he’s signed, however let’s keep in mind that as I said above the O’s are looking at a minor league deal with Rhodes. I presume that it would include an invite to spring training as well…but again this is contingent upon the sides agreeing to terms. My issue with this would be first off Rhodes’ age and the fact that he hasn’t played in a year. I was in high school when Rhodes was here the first time around, and I liked him coming out of the ‘pen. However the “A-Train” of today is probably not what he was back in 1997. Furthermore, the Orioles already have Troy Patton and potentially Brian Matusz in the bullpen; do they really need another lefty? My personal prediction is that they pass on Rhodes, but we should also keep in mind that he would be signing a minor league deal if anything at all.