Rumors hit today that the Orioles have made an offer to free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig.
I mean sure, Puig can be…….eccentric is a good word isn’t it?
But he did have a slash line last year of .267/.327/.458 which is as good or better than anybody else the Orioles are going to run out in right field this year with Trey Mancini on the injured list recovering from cancer. And he’s a .277 career hitter, has home run power, speed, and a cannon for an arm.
The big key about this story (assuming that it’s true, of course) is that there are no downsides to the Orioles signing Puig. None. Zero. Zip. Here’s why:
If Puig is a head case or doesn’t perform well this season, well, it’s only a 60 game season and the Orioles can cut ties with him in three months.
If Puig goes off and hits .450 in the first half of the season and the Orioles are out of contention, they can flip him at this year’s August 31st trade deadline to get another prospect.
And if Puig plays well and takes the Orioles to the playoffs? Then so much the better.
The fact that this close to Opening Day (with all of the caveats) and the Orioles are looking to improve the team is a good thing. I’m not entirely sure what the outfield situation looks like on July 24th beyond Austin Hays in center field. Besides, Puig is only 29 years old, should be in his prime, and at this point should come (reasonably) cheap.
This deal is a no-brainer and the Orioles should pull out all the stops within reason to get it done.