Duquette suggests draft pick may be priority over Trumbo
The back-and-forth negotiations between Mark Trumbo and the Baltimore Orioles may not be siding in favor of the free-agent slugger after Dan Duquette discussed Sunday what the team's future priorities may be.
Duquette appeared on MLB Network Radio and made it clear to ESPN's Jim Bowden that they value the draft-pick compensation they'd receive if Trumbo was signed by another club in free agency because of the changes in the latest collective bargaining agreement.
"As far as the club goes, as far as the Orioles go, we kind of like the draft pick since the value of that draft pick has been enhanced with the negotiations from the new basic agreement," Duquette explained when asked about re-signing Trumbo. " ... The level is diluted next year so we like the draft pick and we like some of the other options, some shorter term options, on the market that would be more cost-effective to the club so that's how we're proceeding in terms of assembling our team."
The collective bargaining agreement states that free-agent compensation will remain, but upon the conclusion of the 2017 season, teams will no longer surrender a first-round draft pick for signing a player who has been given a qualifying offer. Instead, teams exceeding the luxury tax threshold must give up a second-round and fifth-round pick, while teams under the threshold must forfeit a third-rounder.
The Orioles reportedly tabled an offer to Trumbo in mid-December, and while the exact financial terms were never disclosed, MASN's Roch Kubatko reported that Baltimore made an offer in the range of $70 million-to-$75 million at the beginning of December, which it believed was the best one available for the 30-year-old.
Duquette mentioned the Orioles may instead be turning their attention towards finding another outfielder and pitching depth before spring camps open.
"We're still looking for some more outfield help and also some pitching depth and we're going to continue to look for that in the market, either the trade or free-agent market," Duquette explained. "The trade market is starting to open up too and there are still some good players out there who can be signed."
Trumbo hit .256/.316/.533 with 108 RBIs for the Orioles last season, while leading the majors in home runs with 47.