Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where we wish Adam Jones good luck in Japan

Good morning, Birdland!

We knew it was possible, and it became official on Tuesday. Former Orioles outfielder and all-around good guy Adam Jones is moving to Japan to ply his trade in perhaps the world’s best non-MLB league. Jones will be playing for the Orix Buffaloes after signing a two-year, $8 million that has a club option for 2022 that could raise the value of the contract to $15.5 million.

It is a bummer to see Jones leave MLB altogether, but it makes sense. He made $3 million last year on a one-year pact with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The hope was that he could reestablish value as a corner outfielder. But it didn’t really happen.

Jones ended the season with a .260/.313/.414 batting line, 16 home runs and an 87 OPS+ in 137 games in 2019. Those aren’t very good numbers for a corner outfielder and look even worse when considering that Jones’s defensive metrics continued to slip as well.

The four-time Gold Glove winner will make more money in Japan than he could of in the States and it should provide him with the starting role he likely craves to put a cap on his pro career. Good luck, Adam! Orix just gained a bunch of fans in the Baltimore area.

Links & Notes

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde reflects on first season - Baltimore Sun
It will be interesting to see where Brandon Hyde goes as Orioles manager. Is he the person to steer the ship once the club is ready to compete? It’s unclear. But teams are not sticking with managers for as long as they once did, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the front office opt for another choice in a few seasons.

Keegan Akin To Battle For Rotation Spot - Birds Watcher
Keegan Akin kind of has to be in the mix, right? The team just does not have enough other internal options and won’t wade too far into the free agent waters. The lefty will be an interesting one to watch in the spring.

Mike Elias on Orioles fans disgruntled with rebuild: ‘I share their frustrations’ - NBC Sports
Eh, I can appreciate what Mike Elias is saying here, but it doesn’t mean I actually believe it. He knew that this was gonna be a long rebuild when he agreed to take over as GM last year.

After Giants take on hefty salary to acquire top prospect, could Orioles make a similar move? - Baltimore Sun
Doesn’t sound like it based off of Elias’s quote. It is an interesting concept though. The Orioles could afford to spend more on salary, but there does seem to be some sort of agreement between ownership and the front office that they can either have money to rebuild the organization with scouting, technological advancements, etc. or they can spend on big league salaries in an effort to win. They cannot have both.

Elias on Davis, contracts, Stewart, Mountcastle and more - School of Roch
Folks, Chris Davis is working hard this off-season, according to Elias. Our 2020 season is saved!

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

The only former Orioles player born on this day is the late Hal Brown (b. 1924, d. 2015). Brown was a right-handed pitcher for the Birds from 1955 through 1962. In those eight seasons he had a 3.61 ERA over 1030.2 innings pitched.

1959 - Lee MacPhail is named president of the Orioles.

1984 - The O’s sign outfielder Fred Lynn to a four-year deal.

1992- Free agent infielder Harold Reynolds agrees to a deal with the Orioles.

1997 - Pitcher Doug Drabek puts pen to paper on a contract with the O’s.