Will the Baltimore Orioles showcase Ubaldo Jimenez?

The Baltimore Orioles tried on several occasions to include Ubaldo Jimenez in potential trades this past off season. Many discussions were held with other teams, but obviously nothing ever came of it. The Orioles of course signed Jimenez to a four-year deal in 2014, making this year the second of the four. However Jimenez consistently seemed to fall short of expectations last year, although to his credit he changed a few things up on his delivery and had a very strong September.

However might the O’s consider using Jimenez fairly consistently throughout Florida Grapefruit League play? The idea

Photo: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

behind that of course would be to showcase Jimenez a bit, so as to maybe make him more attractive to other teams. Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that this is not meant to sound like a ploy for the Birds to “get rid” of Jimenez – as much as it may sound as such. But the O’s do find themselves in a situation in which they have a plethora of pitching. And often that can make a difference.

Some guys are worth more to any given team on the field, whereas others are worth more to that team on the trade market. I highly doubt that Jimenez would be an attractive trade piece straight up, however if he’s packaged with some others (perhaps with a minor leaguer or two), he might be a catch for a team looking to eat up some innings.

The benefit for the Birds here is that Jimenez can be brought along on road trips and slated as a starter or even a reliever. Often times (especially in the early part of spring training) teams bring only a few token regulars or veterans for road games – so why not send Jimenez on a few trips to let other teams see him in action?

As I said above, Jimenez’s most recent stint as an Orioles’ starter was fairly successful. He will obviously go down in franchise history as the winning pitcher on the night that the Birds clinched their first division crown in 17 years. However he pitched very well out of the bullpen, and overall in the month of September. It’s tough to say whether or not a good spring training would make him attractive trade bait from the Orioles’ perspective. However needless to say, it couldn’t hurt.