Hanser Alberto Orioles No-Bid Decision

The Orioles failed to field one of their most productive and popular players of the past two seasons on Wednesday’s deadline, parting with second baseman Hanser Alberto amid a flurry of moves that have reshaped their infield and continued to strengthen their farming system with an eye to the future. Alberto, 28 years old

The Orioles failed to field one of their most productive and popular players of the past two seasons on Wednesday’s deadline, parting with the second baseman Hanser Alberto amid a wave of movements that reshaped their infield and continued to strengthen their farming system with an eye to the future.

Alberto, 28, was the only non-tender for an Orioles club who also traded starting shortstop José Iglesias to the Angels, awarded contracts to his two biggest stars and struck deals on one year with four other regulars. Alberto, who was expected to command between $ 2 million and $ 4 million per arbitration as an eligible player for the first time, is now a free agent.

“We’ve absolutely loved having Hanser in every way, every shape and form since he came here,” said Orioles General Manager and Executive Vice President Mike Elias. “It was an incredibly difficult decision. On and off the pitch he’s been so good. “

Repeatedly in explaining the decision, Elias pointed to the economic constraints of “operating within the economic framework of the collective agreement and the quirks of the arbitration system”, while indicating that the Orioles would be willing to bring Alberto back on a lesser deal. . Elias also cited industry-wide financial factors exacerbated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as part of decisions not to go to arbitration with Alberto or reigning home run leader Renato Núñez, who the club has released. last month.

The Orioles played with the lowest payroll in MLB in 2020, the second season of their long-term rebuilding plan. Based on the refereeing projections provided by the Cots Contracts website, the Orioles have saved around $ 8.5 million by parting with Alberto, Núñez and Iglesias, including the 3.5 million team option. of dollars had recently been exercised.

“I think it’s fair to say that we are still in the talent accumulation phase,” Elias said. “There will come a time when we flip the switch to maximize wins in the season ahead, but we’re not there yet.”

Part of the short-term prize was Alberto, a two-time former waiver request that emerged as one of the wellness stories from the early years of their rebuilding. He hit .305 in 2019 and .283 in 2020, compiling 222 hits, a .735 OPS and one of the lowest strikeout rates in the MLB out of 193 total games in Baltimore. Alberto hit .394 against left-handed throws on that streak, baseball’s best among players with at least 100 home plate appearances against lefties.

The Orioles also worked on Wednesday to retain Alberto’s two obvious substitutes, reaching one-year deals with recently acquired second baseman Yolmer Sánchez ($ 1 million) and public service man Pat Valaika (terms unknown), as well as wide receiver Pedro Severino ($ 1.825 million) and reliever Shawn Armstrong (terms unknown). Additionally, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander received contracts as expected.

Sánchez, who the O’s claimed waivers from the White Sox on October 30, won a gold glove with Chicago in 2019 and is a defensive upgrade over second-place Alberto. He can also play third, but he’s only hit .245 / .300 / .360 with 32 homers and a 2014-20 81 OPS + with Chicago. Valaika played six positions for the O’s in 2020 while reaching .277 with eight home runs and a career-high 114 OPS.

“We’ve had a lot of championships in this umpiring class, and we probably expected that we couldn’t be able to bid them all at the same time,” Elias said.