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The Orioles are drawing curiosity from different golf equipment in shortstop Jorge Mateo, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The precise groups involved with Baltimore aren’t clear, though he’s a pure fallback goal for golf equipment that haven’t addressed the place through free company.
A former prime prospect within the Yankees and Oakland farm programs, Mateo at instances might be undone by an overaggressive method on the plate. He’s walked in fewer than 5% of his MLB plate appearances whereas putting out almost 28% of the time, resulting in a dismal .271 profession on-base proportion. Issues had been much more excessive this previous season, as his .267 OBP topped solely that of Jonathan Schoop and Cody Bellinger amongst hitters with 500+ plate appearances.
Whereas Mateo doesn’t have an particularly well-rounded skillset, he tapped into the bodily items that made him a high-end prospect this yr. After bouncing from the A’s to the Padres, the 27-year-old landed in Baltimore late in 2021 through waiver declare. He received his first on a regular basis run on the main league degree this previous season. Mateo’s plate self-discipline profile was ghastly, however he demonstrated his top-tier athleticism. He stole an AL-best 35 bases in 44 makes an attempt, showcasing the pace that garnered top-of-the-scale grades when he was a prospect.
As Rosenthal factors out, that type of athleticism could possibly be significantly interesting in mild of the principles adjustments going into impact for the 2023 season. MLB is instituting a restrict on the variety of instances a pitcher can step off the mound in a plate look and enlarging the bases, each of which ought to no less than reasonably incentivize base-stealing.
The league can be instituting limitations on defensive shifting, requiring golf equipment to maintain two infielders on both aspect of the second base bag and 4 gamers on the infield dust. Groups might place extra of a premium on athletic defenders in consequence, because it’ll be harder to compensate for gamers who’ve below-average vary through strategic positioning.
Mateo thrived defensively this yr, posting top-tier marks in over 1250 innings at shortstop. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him as 14 runs above common on the place, the third-highest mark in MLB. Statcast estimated Mateo at eight runs above par, tying him for fourth amongst shortstops. He showcased each high-end vary and above-average arm energy and appears to have emerged as a plus defender.
Sustaining that type of defensive manufacturing can be vital for Mateo except he takes a big step ahead in his offensive improvement. This yr’s .211/.267/.379 line was 18 proportion factors worse than common, by measure of wRC+. His baserunning means he’s not utterly a glove-only participant, however he’ll have to maintain high-end defensive marks to stay beneficial with such tepid output on the plate. That Mateo is attracting curiosity from different groups despite his offense is a testomony each to his secondary expertise and the shortage of options.
The star-studded free agent shortstop class was one of many tales of the offseason. All 4 of the highest gamers — Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson — ended up altering groups. That considerably stunning quantity of shuffling results in the Twins, Dodgers, Crimson Sox and Braves having to determine new options to interchange their outgoing stars.
All 4 golf equipment have some inside potentialities, however none are perfect conditions. Minnesota acquired Kyle Farmer from the Reds as a stopgap possibility, whereas Royce Lewis is predicted again midseason after his tearing the ACL in his proper knee for a second straight yr. The Dodgers can transfer Gavin Lux from second base to shortstop whereas counting on some mixture of Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and prospects like Jacob Amaya or Miguel Vargas on the keystone. Lux is a former prime prospect coming off a productive .276/.346/.399 exhibiting, however his below-average arm energy could possibly be a priority on the left aspect of the infield.
Boston has a considerably comparable scenario, with Trevor Story at present prone to transfer again to shortstop from second base. The longtime Rockie was a plus defender at shortstop for some time, however he additionally has a below-average arm at this stage of his profession. The Sox don’t have as robust a group of inside second base choices as L.A. does, with Christian Arroyo seeking to be the favourite for enjoying time if Enrique Hernández stays in middle area. The Braves have utilityman Orlando Arcia and rookie Vaughn Grissom — who has performed 63 profession video games above Excessive-A and comes with defensive query marks from prospect evaluators — as their inside candidates.
It’s wise all 4 groups might discover the marketplace for shortstop assist, and golf equipment just like the Angels and Diamondbacks might test in as effectively. Free company is basically picked by at this level, with Elvis Andrus standing out as the highest possibility remaining. José Iglesias presents a high-contact depth possibility and Andrelton Simmons continues to be a wonderful defender, however neither profiles as a daily for a hopeful contender.
Commerce potentialities additionally appears sparse. The Guardians might maybe hearken to presents on Amed Rosario for his ultimate season of arbitration management. There’s been no indication this offseason they’re planning to take action, nevertheless. The Brewers are reportedly informing teams they’re not dealing Willy Adames; the same is true of the White Sox with Tim Anderson. Gamers like Nick Ahmed or Nicky Lopez could possibly be dealt, however they’re defense-only varieties who’d be below-average on a regular basis gamers for a win-now workforce.
Mateo is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $1.8MM wage throughout his first season of arbitration eligibility. He’ll undergo the method twice extra earlier than hitting the open market after the 2025 marketing campaign. That prolonged window of management means the Orioles don’t should deal him, and there’s no indication they’re actively procuring him. Baltimore’s rebuild is within the rearview mirror, and Mateo’s modest arbitration wage isn’t inserting any monetary stress on the group.
There’s logic for basic supervisor Mike Elias and his employees to entertain commerce presents, although, significantly in the event that they’re cautious of Mateo’s skill to keep up his 2022 tempo with the glove. The shortage of different choices for groups determined for shortstop assist might improve their sense of urgency to pursue him, whereas Baltimore has plenty of prospects they hope will ultimately unseat him because the franchise shortstop.
Gunnar Henderson debuted on the finish of the season, primarily working at third base in deference to Mateo. The O’s might roll with a left aspect infield of Mateo and Henderson whereas having Ramón Urías and the recently-signed Adam Frazier share reps at second base. Baltimore has highly-regarded prospects Jordan Westburg and Joey Ortiz simply behind that group, with each gamers coming off high quality seasons for Triple-A Norfolk. Westburg and Ortiz — the latter of whom is already on the 40-man roster — might every discover themselves within the majors pretty early within the 2023 marketing campaign, and each are regarded by varied prospect evaluators as potential on a regular basis shortstops.
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