Orioles rumors: Mark Trumbo deal is done, pending physical

The Orioles have gotten their man after all, reaching an agreement on a three-year contract with Mark Trumbo. The deal is still pending a physical, which as we know can be a snag where the Orioles are concerned, but other than that, it’s done. He’s coming back.

According to MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli, Trumbo is taking that physical tonight. That doesn’t mean the deal will be officially announced tonight - this is still the Orioles we’re talking about. It’s close enough for horseshoes, hand grenades, and blog posts, though.

The deal seems to have come together quickly, going from a note from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman that the two sides were “back in touch” to word of an agreement being reached within the span of about an hour.

One important question to wonder about the contract has been: How much will it cost? Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports brings the answer: three years and $37 million, with the addition that, due to some small deferred money, its present-day value is slightly lower.

Unless you’re in the Trey Mancini fan club, it’s hard to get worked up about the Orioles bringing back Trumbo at about $12 million per year. By comparison, Toronto paid 33-year-old Kendrys Morales three years and $33 million earlier in the offseason. I know who I’m taking between Trumbo’s deal and Morales.

A $12 million average annual value for only three years is not going to handcuff any other Orioles spending. That commitment doesn’t go far into the future and shouldn’t have any impact on their efforts to retain any of their key players, especially Manny Machado. And in the meantime, they get Trumbo’s power staying in the lineup for the remaining seasons Machado will be here. That’s a win.

By signing Trumbo, the Orioles give up on the chance to get a compensation draft pick at #28 overall if he had gone elsewhere. I wrote earlier today about the state of their farm system. It’s not good. They could have used the pick. But they could use the best offense they can muster for the next two years as well. Whoever they might have drafted this June at #28 would not have done anything soon.

The Orioles lineup with Trumbo is better than their lineup without Trumbo. That’s all there is to it. He’s not a perfect player. He probably won’t hit 47 home runs again. He won’t have a good OBP. He will strike out a lot. He definitely shouldn’t be stuck out in the outfield any more.

We can worry about all of that later. For now: Dingers! Woo!