Jones’ situation baffles ex-teammates
GM Elias says camp roster might not change; several position players arrive early
SARASOTA, FLA. — Only pitchers and catchers were required to report to Orioles spring training at Ed Smith Stadium on Tuesday, yet the idea that this camp may be the first in a decade where Adam Jones won’t be taking a prominent role in the happenings in Sarasota is hard for many of his former teammates to fathom.
The veteran outfielder, who reached free agency this offseason after what was widely acknowledged as his farewell game in Baltimore in last year’s season finale, remains on the market amid another year of deflated interest in the free agent class. Top stars such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, plus former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel, closer Craig Kimbrel and super-utility man Marwin González, all remain on the market, too
But Jones, who manned center field for the Orioles from 2008 until he ceded the position to Cedric Mullins in August, remains someone both Orioles players and fans are focused on in another slow offseason.
“Unfortunately, it’s where we’re at,” outfielder/designated hitter Mark Trumbo said. “You’d think somebody with that kind of bulk and track record, especially with how much he brings in addition to the baseball side of it — it is kind of hard to wrap your head around this few opportunities. You hope for the best with everybody, and hope that if teams are not showing their hand yet, that you can give these guys a fighting chance to get a good spring camp in and hit the ground running, as opposed to waiting until you have a very small window to prepare.”
Nothing about the Orioles’ offseason to this point under new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has lent itself to the idea of a reunion with Jones. Right-hander Nate Karns was the only major league free agent they signed, and while the club has added several infielders on waivers, the major league outfield group has remained largely stagnant.
With Trey Mancini presumably in left field again, the group of Mullins, Austin Hays, DJ Stewart, Anthony Santander and Joey Rickard may be trusted to fill out center field and right field. With top prospects Yusniel Díaz and Ryan McKenna also in major league camp looking to make an impression, the Orioles have plenty of options in the outfield to start making good on their vow to build from within and develop a strong young core similar to what Jones was a part of a decade ago.
Even so, Jones spent most of his time in Baltimore being one of the most consistent players in baseball. He won three Gold Gloves from 2012-2014, hit at least 25 home runs every year from 2011 to 2017, and has never had his OPS drop below .700 in a full season.
“Adam is an extremely consistent player, in my opinion,” left-hander Richard Bleier said. “He’s a good defender, and just a really consistent hitter. Then to top all that off, he brings so much value in the clubhouse to everyone, really. He can relate to everyone. He was really great to me when I first got called up, and helped me out a lot. A lot of guys are nice and all that, but he really took the time to get to know me, which I really appreciated. There’s definitely value in that in my opinion, and it’s definitely crazy to see that someone like him is still looking for a job.”
Roster outlook: The Orioles have continued their pattern of waiver claims and minor league free agents representing almost all of their offseason additions right up until pitchers and catchers reported to Sarasota on Tuesday, but Elias said the camp roster could be set after Tuesday’s addition of outfielder Eric Young Jr.
“I think there’s a good chance that this is the camp roster, but there’s a lot of players out there, as we all know,” Elias said. “We’re continuing to eye that, and I do feel like we have the numbers and the talent that we would want in terms of competitions for every position on the diamond. We feel good about the amount of guys that we have and the mix of guys that we have for every open spot, but certainly we’re going to keep our eye on any availability to improve our organization.”
Young made 60 players on the Orioles’ camp roster, with his signing making him the 20th non-roster invitee. Eight of those non-roster players came from outside the organization this offseason. Karns was the only major league free agent, and the team made four other additions to the 40-man roster this offseason — Rule 5 infielders Richie Martin and Drew Jackson, and waiver claims Hanser Alberto and Rio Ruiz.
Especially with a late-developing free agent market, the Orioles could use their top spot in the waiver claim priority to snag a player who is sent off the roster of a team that adds free agents during camp, too.
Elias said the relative roster stability wasn’t necessarily by design, “but if we’re making a move on the roster, we want to feel like we’re making some incremental improvement. Report day extras: While only pitchers and catchers were required to report to camp on Tuesday, several position players were already settled into their spring training routines.
Rehabbing Trumbo (knee) has been in Sarasota working with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel for several weeks, he said, and was joined Tuesday by outfielder McKenna and infielders Martin, Zach Vincej, and Chris Bostick. Position players are required to report by Sunday, with the first full-squad workout Monday.
Around the horn: Trumbo said he hit on the field Tuesday, and the next step of his rehab from knee surgery would be sprinting. He said at FanFest that his goal was to play Opening Day, though the early parts of spring would be more rehab-focused than baseballfocused. ... Elias said the team has discussed the idea of using an “opener,” the new strategy of starting a relief pitcher and cobbling together a bullpen game, though not every roster is built for it and they haven’t gone deep on the idea.