Orioles Rumors: Baltimore Showing Interest In Matt Davidson

In the latest round of Orioles rumors, Baltimore appears to be interested in former Chicago White Sox infielder and relief pitcher Matt Davidson.

Are the Baltimore Orioles looking to kill two birds with one stone? I feel like that’s a weird statement to say, considering the bird logo, however, we have new Orioles rumors! Per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Baltimore Orioles have expressed interest in former Chicago White Sox two-way player Matt Davidson.

Baltimore hasn’t been and won’t be connected to many big name free agents this offseason, as Mike Elias and the new front office settle in, but fans might have a small reason to be a little excited as FanFest approaches this weekend.

A former first-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Davidson has played the last two full seasons with the Chicago White Sox, hitting 46 total home runs, 39 doubles, and driving in 130 runs during that time frame. The most intriguing aspect of Matt Davidson is his transition to pitcher, which he experimented with last season.

Davidson only pitched 3.0 innings in Chicago, but flashed just enough to lead many, including himself, that he might have the tools to stick as a major league relief pitcher. Here he is striking out New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.

With a fastball that reaches in the low-90s and a wicked curveball, as evidenced in the video above, the Orioles have plenty to work with when it comes to Davidson, should they bring him in. With year one of the rebuild quickly approaching, let’s get weird!

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At the plate, Davidson showed improvements across most metrics, including his ability to get on base and power at the plate. He slashed .228/.319/.419 with a .738 OPS and a 104 wRC+. Despite his notoriously high strikeout rate, which dropped from 37% to 33%, Davidson did show an improved ability in pitch selection, increasing his walk rate to 10.5% in 2018, helping to raise his on-base percentage by 59 points, compared to his rookie campaign.

A corner infielder, Davidson could slot in at third base, a position currently manned by Renato Nunez. Will Davidson add a bunch of wins to the bottom line, no. However, he could potentially fill two roles on the team at a very manageable price tag.

Per this report from the Chicago Tribune back in October, Davidson planned to focus a considerable amount of time this offseason to continue to improve his pitching, helping to improve his limited role as a position player. The low batting average and high strikeouts are a little worrisome, but I’m on board for this experiment.

What do you think, O’s fans? Would you be on board with the Baltimore Orioles bringing in Matt Davidson?