Duchscherer and Guerrero Both Sign

I went away on vacation in Miami for a week and this is what happens. I was not by a computer so I was unable to follow any Orioles moves that closely, but I figured with Andy MacPhail at the helm nothing would probably happen.

So MacPhail and the Orioles decided to sign both Justin Duchscherer and Vladimir Guerrero to one year deals. I had just posted last week a “would you rather” scenario between the Orioles signing “JD” as I call him or Vlad. It honestly never crossed my mind that the Orioles would pull the trigger on both guys.

I will go into the ramifications of signing Vlad later on, as I’m sure trade rumors will start to follow Felix Pie, Luke Scott, and Nolan Reimold. The Orioles should definitely just stay put in my mind and not trade any of these guys, especially Luke Scott. With most of the Orioles middle of the lineup power coming from the right side now, the left handed hitting Scott is even more important to put in between Lee, Guerrero, and Reynolds.

The Vlad signing gives the Orioles great depth in the outfield and allows Buck Showalter to mix and match. Pie most likely will become the fourth outfielder who will get time as a defensive replacement and pinch runner for Luke Scott and also give Adam Jones some rest in centerfield. Reimold will now get more time in the minors to gain his confidence back and possibly make himself more valuable by taking some ground balls at first base.

The most shocking aspect about the Vlad signing is that the Orioles gave him $8 million. I’m sure the details of how the Orioles finally budged and paid the $8 million Vlad was looking for and not the $5 million the Orioles were rumored to be offering will eventually come out. For now however, I am just happy the Orioles got the deal done.

JD gives the Orioles another talented arm to compete in spring training. When healthy, JD is a very effective pitcher. Now the trick is finding a way to keep him healthy. The Orioles made a great move here because it is a low risk move that gives the Orioles another starter and as baseball fans know, you can never have enough arms in your pitching staff.

Apparently, the Orioles have gotten serious about putting a winning team on the field. I know they didn’t sign Adam Dunn or trade for Adrian Gonzalez, but this is a step in the right direction. Andy MacPhail and the Orioles have been very aggressive this offseason and shown they are willing to make moves to try to better the team. After going on vacation and learning the Orioles signed both Duchscherer and Guerrero I’m thinking I should take another vacation and hope the Orioles pull off a couple more moves.