The winter meetings are about to begin for MLB and the O's. This is the start of the organization trying to court their free agents. The Orioles only have a couple of wholes to fill this offseason unlike last season. According to the Orioles Official Site, the O's main priority is pitching and a right hand batter that can hit south paws. This is a look at players that are on the radar on Friday Dec. 10th. Pitching: Carl Pavano- 2004 Stats were 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA, he pitched over 200 innings, allowed 16 HRs and had 139 strike outs. He has progressively gotten better threw the years and seems to be hitting his prime. The only downside with him is many teams want him which will hike up his price. Best Pitch is the slider. Brad Radke- he was on the radar until he signed with the Twins for two more years. Eric Milton- 2004 Stats were 14-6 with a 4.75 ERA, he pitched over 200 innings, allowed 43 HRs and had 161 strike outs. He is a lefty which is always a coveted quality in a pitcher, led the Phillies in wins. He doesn't get rattled in tough situations, but he is sometimes inconsistent. Best pitch is the slider. Derek Lowe- 2004 Stats were 14-12 with a 5.42 ERA, he pitched in 182.2 innings, allowed 15 HRs and had 105 strike outs. He has been inconsistent the last couple of years but performs well under pressure. He is a ground ball pitcher and would benefit greatly with the O's infield. Best pitch is the sinker when working. Kevin Millwood- 2004 Stats were 9-6 with a 4.85 ERA, he pitched in 141 innings, allowed 14 HRs and had 125 strike outs. His ERA has been increasing in the last couple of years and is constantly injured. Given the luck of the Orioles, the injuries should throw up a red flag. The Orioles are just now getting rid of Omar Daal. Best pitch is a running fastball. Odalis Perez- 2004 Stats were 7-6 with a 3.25 ERA, he pitched in a 196.1 innings, allowed 26 HRs and had 128 strike outs. He had a 15 win season in 2002 and hasn't matched it since. His record does not represent how he pitched, but he still needs to prove he is a top pitcher in the league. The O's should not go after him, for the O's need veteran pitchers and not ones that need to be developed. Best pitch is the fastball 1st Base: Carlos Delgado- 2004 Stats were .269 batting average, 99 RBIs, 32 HRs, and 123 hits. He can hit with power to all fields and only 32 years old. He has already came out and said if signed by the O's he will stand during the National Anthem. He is a left handed batter that can finish off the lineup for the O's and would also make Palmerio a definite DH. Richie Sexson- 2004 Stats were .233 batting average, 23 RBIs, 9 HRs, and 21 hits. He was injured for the most part in 2004 season. He has great range as a batter but isn't patient at the plate. He is always a threat to go deep even when behind in the count. He is also under 30 years old. Outfield:Carlos Beltran,CF- 2004 Stats were .267 batting average, 104 RBIs, 38 HRs, and 160 hits. He is the highest profiled player on the market and is looking for a 10 deal. The O's are reportly not very interested in Beltran, this could be a ploy. He is a versatile play with power and great defense. He is 27 years old. Magglio Ordonez,RF- 2004 Stats were .292 batting average, 37 RBIs, 9 HRs, and 59 hits. He can be an offensive monster when he is healthy. He has a questionable knee that was just worked on. He is asking for a big contract, Can anyone say Belle or Sequi. O's should stay away from this man. He is 30 years old. Moises Alou,LF- 2004 Stats were .293 batting average, 106 RBIs, 39 HRs, and 176 hits. He had a career year in 2004 and is getting up there in age. It is highly unlikely he could repeat these numbers in 2005. He is also at times a bad influence in the clubhouse, this would be a bad pick up for the O's. He is currently 38 years old
Posted by helimech24 at December 9, 2004 01:08 AM