Looking into the current status of the Orioles’ 10 free agents from season’s end

If you’ve been paying attention this offseason, you know the drill about free agency.

Few significant deals have been consummated. A ton of quality players are looking for jobs. The players are waiting. The players’ union is ticked. The agents are whispering – or shouting – collusion.

And Major League Baseball contends this is the current market: Figure it out, embrace it or at least live with it.

There are more than 100 free agents still on the market. And the Orioles haven’t signed a major leaguer to a big league deal (unless you count right-hander Michael Kelly, who was signed and placed on the 40-man roster in December, but has never pitched in the majors).

On Wednesday – which marked one week before pitchers and catchers must report to Sarasota, Fla. – the Orioles announced the signing of three players: outfielder Craig Gentry and relievers Elvis Araujo and David Holmberg. All were signed to minor league deals, and only Gentry, who had 117 plate appearances with the Orioles last year, received an invitation to spring training.

If you want a microcosm of what this free agent market has become, look no further than the Orioles’ 10 free agents at the end of last season.

Only one has inked a big league deal and only three have signed a pro contract. Certainly, part of the reason is that, as a group, the 10 had down years in 2017. But you’d think most would land big league deals. This offseason, though, is like nothing we’ve witnessed before – or at least not in decades.

Here’s a look at what’s going on with the 10 Orioles that declared free agency at season’s end:

Welington Castillo

Of the Orioles’ free agents, Castillo had the best 2017 – hitting .282 with 20 homers and an .813 on-base-plus-slugging percentage while catching 88 games. He held a $7 million option to stay with the Orioles, but declined it and agreed to a two-year deal with the Chicago White Sox worth $15 million. It also includes a 2020 club option worth $8 million. So, Castillo did extremely well here – especially signing in early December before the market bottomed out.

Ryan Flaherty

Heading into the winter, the sense was that Flaherty, 31, had priced himself out of the Orioles’ plans because he’d likely command seven figures on the open market (he made $1.8 million last year) and the Orioles could get a utility infielder for the league minimum. But this stagnant market really crashed on role players like Flaherty, who took a minor league deal with a spring invite from the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday (first reported by ESPN). Flaherty always seemed to be a National League type player due to his positional flexibility. Still, it’s a bit of a surprise the Orioles didn’t retain him if a minor league deal would get it done since their current candidates for utility infielder are uninspiring.

Craig Gentry

No matter what the market did this offseason, Gentry was likely looking at another minor league deal. He’s 34 and the definition of a role player, a defensive standout and speedy pinch-runner but limited hitter. It’s somewhat surprising he re-signed with the Orioles since he is a right-handed-hitting outfielder and the club already has several of those on the roster bubble: Anthony Santander, Joey Rickard and Austin Hays. But manager Buck Showalter loves what Gentry brings to a team, and the Norfolk shuttle is always revving. According to USA Today, Gentry will make $900,000 if he is on the Opening Day roster. I don’t necessarily see that happening, but I wouldn’t bet against Gentry being a member of the Orioles at some point in 2018.

Chris Tillman

You can make the argument that few players are more affected by the glut of top free-agent pitchers still available than Tillman, who isn’t yet 30 and was one of the American League’s more reliable hurlers before a disastrous 2017 (7.84 ERA in 24 games). He was sitting in the third tier of veteran starters when the offseason began. And while some in that group signed early (Doug Fister, Mike Fiers, Tyler Chatwood), just about every starter above that tier is still lingering. Since Tillman appears to be a one-year, make-good pitcher in 2018, the waiting game continues. He’ll get a big league deal, but when becomes nearly as big of a question as who signs him. The Orioles remain interested, but don’t seem to be particularly aggressive on Tillman (or anyone, for that matter). One team that previously showed interest in Tillman, the Minnesota Twins, have lost ace Ervin Santana to a finger injury that will probably sideline him through April. Perhaps their need for rotation help has increased in urgency.

Wade Miley

Miley can be thrown into the Tillman mix as well. The veteran lefty had a rough 2017 (5.61 ERA in 32 starts) and led the league in walks. But the most important part of the above sentence is the word, “lefty.” Despite not posting an ERA below 4.30 since 2013, the 31-year-old Miley shouldn’t have trouble finding a job. But, like most back-end rotation options, he’s caught in a holding pattern presumably until the big boys land. The Orioles have discussed bringing him back in the right deal, but given his lack of success in Baltimore, the odds are he’ll be in a rotation elsewhere.

Jeremy Hellickson

It seems mind-boggling that this time last year Hellickson was heading into the season with a $17.2 million qualifying offer that he accepted from the Philadelphia Phillies. After an ERA of 5.43 in Philadelphia and Baltimore last year, Hellickson likely will be looking at another one-year deal, and this time at a fraction of his 2017 salary. He’s a Boras Corp., client and so it will be interesting to see how this one shakes out. He’s had very little buzz around him, but Hellickson is 30 and has a career 4.12 ERA. He’ll land somewhere, too, with the best guess being somewhere away from the AL East. The Orioles have shown no interest in retaining him.

Ubaldo Jimenez

I would have lost a lot of money here. I would have told you in September, no matter how much Jimenez struggled with the Orioles, he would land a big league deal in the National League because of his durability and past success there. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been wrong about Jimenez, however. I’ve not heard his name associated with any teams this offseason. And I’ve asked plenty of people. I still think he’ll get a job, but a one-year, big-league deal is probably the best he can hope for this late in the game. And a minor-league pact wouldn’t be surprising at this point.

J.J. Hardy

He said in September that he is willing to be patient and see how the market develops for his services before he decides whether to play another year. That mentality has not changed at all. The 35-year-old shortstop is working out in Arizona as if he has a job for 2018, and so he has not hung up his spikes yet. Spring training has never been his favorite time of the year anyway, so, unlike most of the guys on this list, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency here. If he gets an offer he likes, he’ll take it. If he doesn’t, he’s had a heck of a career.

Pedro Alvarez

While others might be panicking due to unemployment in February, Alvarez has to be like, “I got this.” Each of the past two years, Alvarez didn’t sign with the Orioles until March. Last year, he spent most of the season in the minors and he turned 31 on Tuesday, so his market again appears to be a minor league deal somewhere. The guy is a legitimate power hitter, but his lack of position – despite his agent, Scott Boras, declaring at the winter meetings that Alvarez has re-established himself as a quality first baseman – hurts him. Someone will get an underappreciated slugger to stash in Triple-A. He’s a great insurance policy to have.

Seth Smith

This is an interesting case to me. Smith came advertised last year as a no-frills pro who could hit right-handers, get on base, had a little pop and would be adequate in the outfield. He checked every box, and though he’s now 35, there’s no reason, based on last year, that he shouldn’t be playing in the majors in 2018, specifically as a part-time outfielder/DH and pinch-hitter. In this depressed market, however, what is that worth? At this stage of his career, I can’t imagine Smith is the kind of guy that would want to do what Alvarez did and bide his time in the minors. So, it may be big leagues or bust for the veteran. The Orioles still need a lefty in the outfield, but my sense is they’ve moved on from him and prefer a better defender who can also handle center field on occasion.