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After months spent mocking the Warehouse for inaction, thrift, greed and general ineptitude, the national and local sporting press is faced with a brave new world in which the Oriole have signed two free agents to multiyear deals in the span of a week. There is some fear and little loathing.
O's reportedly close to Jimenez on 4/48. I approve - ZiPS had Jimenez value for a team losing the 20th pick as 4/52.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) February 17, 2014
Losing a first-rounder hurts, but the O's are essentially being directly compensated by Jimenez's valuation.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) February 17, 2014
Matt Snyder, Eye on Baseball, "...Ubaldo Jimenez at this point is someone you gamble on with a one or two year deal -- not a four-year deal. The most likely outcome down the road is that the Orioles regret this signing."
Looking at Jimenez's 3 years in CLE, in 2013 he had by far his best H/9, HR/9, and K/9. With a bit of regression in Baltimore, he'll be bad.
— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) February 18, 2014
Gary Armida, Baltimore Sports and Life, "Orioles are better now than they were at the start of the winter. Ubaldo Jimenez, even though he isn’t a star, makes the rotation better. There are certainly questions, but whether or not he makes the Orioles a better team isn’t one of them."
Joe Giglio, Bleacher Report, "The risk associated with this deal is evident, but so is the upside. If Jimenez performs admirably, the Orioles can contend in the AL East and for a spot in October."
Paul Folkemer, Press Box, "All in all, though, Jimenez could be just what the doctor ordered to address the Orioles' rotation holes. The Orioles spent all winter emphasizing their desire to add a veteran starting pitcher. And after months of silence, they've landed one..."
Cliff Corcoran, The Strike Zone, "...it's hard to criticize the Orioles for this signing. Jimenez's new contract, which is dependent on him passing a physical on Tuesday, is roughly equivalent to those signed this winter by Garza and Ricky Nolasco. Neither of those pitchers had draft-pick compensation attached to his price, but Jimenez has a far higher upside than the pedestrian Nolasco, and Garza's contract includes a vesting option for a fifth year which could boost the value of his deal to $63 million over five years."
Eno Sarris, Fangraphs, "With a a little bit of help from his defenders, and perhaps even more split-fingers in the future, this new Ubaldo Jimenez could easily put up a 2014 season similar to the one he had in 2013. Even with aggressive aging projections, that probably makes this contract a value."
What say you, Birdland?