It’s the end of an era in Baltimore. The O’s bade farewell
to their longest tenured player, as Nick Markakis signed a four-year, $44M contract with the Atlanta
Braves.
Truthfully, I’m not surprised. After the Braves traded Jason
Heyward, they needed a leadoff hitter and a RF. Markakis, a Georgia boy,
made perfect sense for them.
While I’m not surprised, I am disappointed. If there was one
guy on the Orioles – and maybe in all of baseball – that I thought could be a
career-guy with one team, it was Nick.
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| The Orioles said farewell to their longest tenured player, as Nick Markakis signed a 4 year/$44M deal with the Braves. |
To me, Nick Markakis was (and still is) the perfect role
model. A gritty player who works hard, keeps his mouth shut and performs consistently on the field. You always knew what you were going to get and he
set a great example for his teammates and young fans alike. I think his
presence in Baltimore will be greatly missed – not just on the field, but in
the clubhouse and the community.
With that being said, I wholly trust Dan Duquette. He’s
earned that much over the last 3 seasons from Orioles fans. I’m sure there will
be overreactions, people wanting to burn DD and Angelos in effigy, but let’s
allow things to play out. I’m far more concerned with how the team looks in
March than in December. Dan signed Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez last season
after many had already declared the off-season (and regular season for that
matter) over in Baltimore.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of what this means
for the Orioles going forward:
Pros
1. While I don’t necessarily agree with it, the
sense is the O’s were nervous about giving Nick a 4th year (his age
35 season) due to concerns over an issue with his neck. While Nick doesn’t have a skill set that should decline by then, he
also isn’t a guy who tears the cover off the ball and it was suspected that his neck troubles cost him his power the last few seasons, despite his durability. This stings more so because
of who Nick is and what he means to Baltimore – as a player, he’s replaceable.
Sorry folks, but it’s the truth.
2.
A spot is now open. I’m guessing Dan has a deal
on the burner that we don’t know about, that will allow all of this to come
into focus. Whether it’s a trade for a Dodgers OF, signing Melky Cabrera, or
something else, I trust DD to fill the gap.
3.
It frees up a spot for a young player to get
some work with the team. I don’t know how high the organization is on the likes
of Daniel Alvarez and Mike Yastrzemski, but this should provide some
opportunities for them in the next season or two, if they show they can get it
done.
Cons
1.
A huge hole in the locker room, in RF and in the
community. Markakis was a soft-spoken, but great leader, and did a lot of
charitable work in Baltimore. That is why this hurts for O’s fans right now –
and it should. It will take some time to heal from this, regardless of who Dan
slots into RF next season.
2.
Who’s up? It’s great if DD does have something
on the go, but after letting Cruz walk (and justifiably so), he better come
through or we’re looking at the likes of Alejandro De Aza and David Lough in
the corner OF spots come next season. That is not the least bit inspiring.
3.
The O’s front office already has a dicey
reputation with the fans and this won’t help. A front office should never make
decisions just to win favour with the fans, but they also need to be in tune
with how upset this is going to make fans (and I’m sure other Orioles players).
While I don’t blame them for this situation, I think many will – so they are
going to have to do a little damage control.
The biggest thing I want to preach right now, if I may, is
patience. I know people will be sad, disappointed and frustrated, and I understand
that. But let’s add rational to the list. From a baseball sense, this move has
some logic to it and is not going to kill the Orioles chances of competing. I’ve
already heard people turn on Markakis and talk about burning his merchandise,
and I’ve heard people blast the front office. Most likely it’s somewhere in the
middle. I’m sure the front office could have pushed harder, but Nick could have
as well. Many get the sense Nick wanted to play closer to home, and I’m fine
with that. I feel like in the end, this was a mutual split and there’s no
reason to hate either side for it.
I will miss Nick in Baltimore, but the Orioles will be just
fine. After all, the Cardinals have managed okay without that Pujols guy.
--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82
--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82
