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Baltimore Orioles: Evaluating potential remaining free-agent options

By Joshua Sadlock

Sep 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Mark Trumbo (45) is greeted by pinch hitter Pedro Alvarez (24) after hitting a solo home run against Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Mark Trumbo (45) is greeted by pinch hitter Pedro Alvarez (24) after hitting a solo home run against Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Angel Pagan (16) hits a double against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning during game one of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Angel Pagan (16) hits a double against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning during game one of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Angel Pagan, OF

Angel Pagan is the exact type of player the Orioles need to fill out their lineup. He is a consistent, heady player who avoids strikeouts, puts the ball in play consistently, can still run, and will take his walks. Pagan also comes with plenty of postseason experience from his time with the San Francisco Giants. Injuries are the only concern.

In his 11 big-league seasons, Pagan is a .280/.330/.408 hitter with 176 steals to his name. He missed big chunks of the 2013 and 2014 seasons with nagging injuries, but the Orioles would not be asking him to play all 162 games or put his body through 40 stolen base attempts. Rajai Davis recently signed a $6 million deal to play for the Oakland A’s in 2017, and Pagan might not cost much more than that.

The Orioles need players to balance out their homer-centric offense. Pagan can do that. He is also a switch hitter, which makes it easier for Showalter to split up at-bats for Rickard and Kim. Defensively, Pagan is no longer a great defender (if he ever was to begin with), but he is still an upgrade over Trumbo. On a low-risk, one-year contract, signing Pagan makes too much sense for the Orioles. He could also bring an end to the years-long search for a true leadoff hitter who can effectively set the table for the big boppers further down the order.

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