Baltimore Orioles: Michael Bourn would like to re-sign with Orioles

Veteran Michael Bourn was one of the Baltimore Orioles midseason acquisitions. And with Hot Stove season finally here, Bourn revealed he’s interested in a reunion with the Orioles.

With the 2016 World Series in the books, the Baltimore Orioles will spend time assessing whether they’ll be able to keep any of their impending free agents. Notably, they’ll decide whether to extend qualifying offers to Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters. But a name that hasn’t been with the Orioles for long is interested in a reunion; Michael Bourn.

Bourn was acquired before the August 1st trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor leaguer Jason Heinrich. During his 24 games with the Orioles, Bourn hit .283/.358/.435 with two home runs and eight RBIs. Bourn also provided defense in the corner outfield positions and speed on the base paths.

Bourn admitted he was captivated by being thrust into a postseason race, although the Orioles dreams at a World Series were cut short after they were eliminated following the Wild Card game. He also seamlessly fit in the Orioles clubhouse, which for Bourn was a rarity in itself. Bourn had been in four different organizations and was always on the move via a trade.

Bourn knows he’s going to hit the free agent market, but during the Orioles series with the New York Yankees, he expressed to the Baltimore Sun his desire to stay with the organization.

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Of course. This team has a lot of veteran leadership. They’re trying to win right now. They’re in that mode of playing to win. I’m thankful that they would have interest in me. That’s always a plus. It’s fun to be in this type of atmosphere. … It would be something that, of course, I would consider.

One of the Orioles priorities this winter will be acquiring a left-handed hitting outfielder who has the ability to get on base. For the Orioles, Bourn would fit the mold.

However, the Orioles might be wary of offering Bourn a deal after only seeing what he was capable of for a month. The last time they signed a player to a deal based on a month’s performance, it was Alejandro De Aza. The Orioles acquired De Aza during the 2014 season, and for a while he thrived under the Baltimore lights. However, he struggled during the first month of the 2015 season, and the team ended up trading him on June 3rd.

The Orioles will maintain exclusive rights with their free agents six days after the World Series. And if the team decides not to invest in Bourn going into 2017, he could find another team in free agency.

Still, his market won’t particularly be a large one. It could mimic Steve Pearce‘s offseason last year, where he went unsigned until the Tampa Bay Rays acquired him in late January. Despite not showing interest in Pearce during free agency, the Orioles re-acquired Pearce prior to the trade deadline.

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A similar situation could play out with Bourn, and if the Orioles are in the postseason race next year, it wouldn’t be out of the question to partake in a reunion with the veteran outfielder.