The Orioles and Reimold

I’m going to keep this brief today, as I know that a lot of people are traveling due to Thanksgiving. Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of masnsports.com the other day that the team plans on offering a contract to Nolan Reimold for 2014. Reimold of course has had numerous injury problems over time, most recently having two vertebrae fused in his neck this past year. The Orioles tendered him a $1 million contract last season, and of course he sat out most of the year. Reimold will be allowed to compete for a starting spot in left field for the Orioles in 2014.

So what does most of Birdland think of this potential move? Disregarding the status of Nate

Courtesy of Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

McLouth for the time being (because that might play into this), I think it’s a smart move by the O’s. I’m not sure they should offer him anything more than the bare minimum per se, however I’ve long thought that this was a better team with a healthy Nolan Reimold participating on a daily basis. Reimold does swing a good bat and that’s something that the Orioles could have needed down the stretch at the end in 2013.

There are arguments against this as well, and injuries are certainly a concern. Nolan Reimold is one of the most snake bitten guys I’ve ever seen in that sense. If it’s not an achilles, it’s a hamstring, a back problem, or a neck fusion. To top it off, he got hit by a comeback this past season in spring training. He’s just “one of those guys” I suppose. Duquette in effect said that the team plans on tendering everyone by the December 2nd deadline, which includes Reimold. I suppose my point here is that while I see the case for not bringing him back in, he won’t be costing the team any money and if he gets hurt or can’t produce he could be released. Obviously it’s much more complex than that in terms of him getting into the games and fighting for a job, however that’s the long and short of it. What does most of Birdland think?