Orioles Sign Ubaldo Jimenez

The Baltimore Orioles finally made a significant offseason move today by inking free agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to a four-year, $48 million contract. Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA last season for the Cleveland Indians, including going 4-0 with a 1.09 during the month of September.

Jay’s Take:  I’m really not sure what to make of this deal.  If it was a one, maybe two, year deal it would be the ideal low-risk, high-reward signing.  Jimenez has high-level stuff except he lacks consistency; especially when it comes to his control.  He’s averaged roughly four walks per nine innings pitched throughout his career.  Also, while he went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA last season, in 2012 he went 9-17 with a 5.40.  It’s hard to know which pitcher you’re getting.  I know some fans that like this deal will look at his 2010 season where he went 19-7 with a 2.88, but I’m not putting stock in what a pitcher did four years ago.  What he did the past two seasons is what matters to me more.

I think if Jimenez can repeat what he did last season or maybe be a little better (he will have one of the league’s best defenses behind him), the Orioles can compete for the AL East.  He should be slotted behind Chris Tillman and in front of Wei-Yen Chen.  The rest of the rotation will be a competition between Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris, Zach Britton, Kevin Gausman, and the newly signed Suk-Min Yoon.  This pitching staff will have depth, something it lacked last year (which is what was the O’s demise).

I’m just really hung up on the length of the contract.  I can’t remember the last time Baltimore gave a pitcher a deal more than three years (I’m thinking it was Scott Erickson).  I don’t have an issue with a pitchers contract that exceeds three years, but it needs to be an elite pitcher.  Jimenez isn’t that guy.  This deal reminds me of deals past like Erickson and Albert Belle.  Both of them bit the Orioles in the ass.  Although the first two years of this contact can help the Birds, the last two could hang them.  Personally I would have rather seen AJ Burnett in Baltimore for a year or two while Gausman, Dylan Bundy, and Eduardo Rodriguez further develop until they’re ready to work their way into the rotation.

I can be reached via email at gimmeasign@gmail.com.  Follow me on Twitter @JayPlatt.