Orioles officially sign Alvarez to 1-year deal
The Baltimore Orioles capped off a high-priced offseason spending spree with the addition of another power bat.
On Thursday, the club announced the signing of infielder Pedro Alvarez to a one-year contract after the slugger passed his physical. The deal is valued at $5.75 million and includes $1.25 million in performance bounces.
Alvarez is expected to serve as the team's primary designated hitter, pushing Mark Trumbo into the corner outfield. Alvarez has appeared at both third and first base over the past two seasons but is a defensively liability, committing 48 errors over that time.
Pedro Alvarez and his new #orioles jersey pic.twitter.com/Q8LU7Lxoq3
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 10, 2016
Baltimore hit the majors' third-most home runs last season and that total will likely only increase with the addition of Alvarez. He's averaged 28 homers over the past four seasons, including 27 in 2015.
PROJECTED LINEUP
| Order | Player | Pos | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manny Machado | 3B | 35 |
| 2 | Adam Jones | CF | 27 |
| 3 | Chris Davis | 1B | 47 |
| 4 | Mark Trumbo | RF | 22 |
| 5 | Matt Wieters | C | 8 |
| 6 | Pedro Alvarez | DH | 27 |
| 7 | J.J. Hardy | SS | 8 |
| 8 | Jonathan Schoop | 2B | 15 |
| 9 | Hyun-soo Kim | LF | 28* |
*Korean league
"Any time you can have a lineup like that, it's a big headache for the other team," Alvarez said. "Everyone's a threat."
The Orioles entered the offseason at risk of losing both Chris Davis and Matt Wieters, but were able to retain the pair while also adding Alvarez, Trumbo, and Korean outfielder Hyun-soo Kim. General manager Dan Duquette inked six free agents to major-league deals, totaling $242.5 million.
An All-Star for the first time in 2013, Alvarez has watched his production dip over the past two seasons and slashed .243/.318/.469 with 131 strikeouts across 150 games last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In order to make room for Alvarez, the Orioles released right-hander Andrew Triggs.