Report: Orioles interested in Desmond for OF role
Ian Desmond had to wait until the end of February to secure himself a contract before the beginning of the 2016 season - and even had to learn to play a new position to get a contract - but he may not have to wait as long to find a deal this offseason.
The Baltimore Orioles are interested in the 31-year-old for a corner outfield role, reports FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.
Desmond, who spent the majority of his career as a shortstop before transitioning into the outfield for the Texas Rangers last season, is also open to playing multiple defensive positions.
The Orioles outfield consists of superstar Adam Jones in center field, and they employed MLB home run leader Mark Trumbo for 95 games in right field, but with Trumbo being eligible for free agency and left-field still being a concern, the addition of Desmond would be a nice pickup for the Orioles.
| PLAYER | G | HR | RBI | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Desmond | 156 | 22 | 86 | .782 |
| Hyun Soo Kim | 95 | 6 | 22 | .801 |
| Nolan Reimold | 104 | 6 | 15 | .664 |
| Steve Pearce | 25 | 3 | 6 | .729 |
After struggling to a .233/.290/.384 slash line during his final year with the Washington Nationals in 2015, Desmond turned things around with the Rangers, hammering 22 home runs, driving in 86 RBIs, and posting an .782 OPS for the American League West champions.
Desmond earned $8 million last season.