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Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez on the trade block?

By Domenic A. Vadala

May 22, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (31) walks to the dugout after being removed from the game against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (31) walks to the dugout after being removed from the game against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is there a chance that the Baltimore Orioles might be able to unload Ubaldo Jimenez in a trade? The Birds defeated Cleveland 5-1 last night at Camden Yards.

Mark Trumbo might turn out to be the best deal the Baltimore Orioles or any team made this past off season. The O’s are counting their blessings that they were able to aquire Trumbo, and relatively cheaply at that. Trumbo of course was traded from Seattle for a backup catcher.

Dylan Bundy made his first home start at Camden Yards last night, and looked decent in doing so. Bundy’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R (0 earned), 0 BB, 5 K. I suspect that the O’s would rather Bundy pitch more than five innings, but he qualified for his first win as a starting pitcher.

The Birds jumped on Cleveland early when Trumbo came up with two on in the last of the first. And with that he smacked his league-leading 29th home run of the season – this one obviously of the three-run variety. The O’s had an immediate 3-0 lead. And they never really looked back.

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    • Jones’ sac fly-RBI in the second ran the lead to 4-0, and one inning later Machado smacked a home run of his own. His homer was a solo shot, giving the Orioles a 5-0 lead. Cleveland would net one run in the fifth inning when Santana grounded into a double-play with a runner at third.

    However the Oriole bullpen shut down Cleveland for the remainder of the night. The Birds are slowly digging themselves out of the jam in which they found themselves coming out of the break. The bats are coming back to life, and the pitching is slowly improving. They just need to add to that pitching so as to get it totally up to par.

    It’s been generally accepted that the Orioles are in the market for starting pitching. However could there be a “reverse lock” in place on that front? According to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports, the Birds are trying to move pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Apparently they’ve been in trade talks with the San Diego Padres regarding outfielder Melvin Upton. 

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    The catch of course is that San Diego wants a prospect to go along with Upton, which is where the Orioles are hesitating a bit. Kubatko names Tanner Scott, who was just promoted to double-A Bowie, as someone in who San Diego could be interested. He also says that if that’s who they want, the Birds shouldn’t make that deal. I see his point – with Scott’s potential and with all of the pitching prospects the Orioles have given away in the past few years.

    But with that said, if there’s someone who’s willing to trade for Jimenez, the Orioles need to seriously consider working out a deal. WIth all due respect to Jimenez (who’s one of the nicest guys in the world and who truly does take pride in his craft), he’s a dead roster spot at this point. I recognize that sounds bad, however he isn’t seeing any action in a game unless it’s out of control (win or lose).

    Now with that said, could the O’s move Jimenez and include a prospect in the deal – and still have something left in the cubbard to give away for another starting pitcher? For the record, Upton would also fill a need for the Birds, who are currently without Kim and Rickard (who might not be ready until September). Just as a reminder, the trade deadline is one week from Monday – which is August 1st. Normally it’s July 31st, however with that being a Sunday this year they moved it back a day.

    So what’s my opinion on this? First off nobody cares what I think, I’m just reporting on the news! However I would say that if there’s a way the O’s could swap Jimenez, it’s something they need to consider. That would make a lot more business savoir faire than cutting him, which I’m on record as saying they shouldn’t and can’t do. With that said, if they could find a third team to include in a potential trade, why not get a decent starter and trade Jimenez all in one fatal swoop?

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    The Orioles will continue their series against Cleveland this evening. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

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