The Orioles officially announced the re-signing of slugger Mark Trumbo to a three-year deal Friday morning, in a deal worth over $37 million.
The 2016 All-Star will re-join a somewhat similar Orioles lineup that led the majors in home runs last season, with all of their top five home run leaders returning to the lineup in 2016.
He will likely see most of his time as designated hitter, but will also get starts in the outfield as the Orioles will look to get the 24-year-old Trey Mancini some time at the DH spot.
Trumbo had a breakout 2016 season after being acquired from Seattle in the offseason, finishing the year with 47 home runs, the most in Major League Baseball. He also led his new club with 108 RBI’s and a slugging percentage of .533.
After turning down the Orioles qualifying offer in November, Trumbo struggled to find a home in free agency, as teams were reluctant to give up a first-round pick in a market loaded with cheaper sources of power.
Trumbo’s average annual salary of $12.5 million is much less than the $17.2 million he would have been given in the qualifying offer, however turning down the one year deal may have been the right thing to do in the long run. Other sluggers on the market such as Jose Bautista weren’t able to garner the guaranteed money that Trumbo received, as Bautista’s deal has only one year of guaranteed money followed by a mutual option for 2018.
Given where his career stood at the end of the 2015 season, the 31-year-old Trumbo should be thrilled with his new multiyear deal.
Once a promising young first-baseman for the Angels, Trumbo’s production plummeted after being traded in a three-team deal after the 2013 season, as he spent most of the next two seasons as a part time player in Arizona and Seattle.
The Orioles sent catcher Steve Clevenger to Seattle to acquire Trumbo last offseason, who appeared in just 22 games for Seattle before being suspended by the team in late September. Clevenger is now a free agent.
The Orioles had been relatively quiet this offseason prior to the Trumbo signing, with their other notable moves being the signing of catcher Wellington Castillo and the acquisition of outfielder Seth Smith from Seattle in exchange for Yovani Gallardo.
The Trumbo signing puts them under a much tighter budget, however they will still look to add much-needed depth to their rotation and possibly and extra arm for their bullpen.
To make room for Trumbo on the 40-man roster, the club designated the 25-year-old outfielder Adam Walker for assignment. *
*-Statistics from MLB.com
-Contract information from Spotrac.com
-Featured image from the Baltimore Sun