Baltimore Orioles: What to do with Ubaldo Jimenez?

I imagine Baltimore Orioles GM Dan Duquette hoped he was signing an ace, or at least something close to it, when his club took on a $50 million payroll hit to pay pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez over four years of service. The thinking must have been his mechanics could be tweaked and he could at least be a solid middle of the rotation option for the Birds.

The reality is, the O’s did not get anything close to an ace. A reliable rotation arm is a stretch even. But the oddity of Jimenez is, he had his best season to date pitching home games in 2010 from an altitude of about 5183 feet at Coors Field. It’s a hitter’s paradise, yet somehow Jimenez mostly flourished with Colorado as a starter. The second highest ball park in terms of elevation above sea level by the way is Chase Field at approximately 1082 feet, so the comparison is not even close.

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Jimenez posted a 50-36 (.581 WPCT) record, a 3.57 FIP and a 3.52 ERA in 115 starts with the Rockies from 2007-10. From 2012-14 with strictly the Indians and Orioles, his WPCT is .444, his FIP 4.35 and his ERA 4.46. Jimenez only turned 31 in January, so his regression cannot lay blame on Father Time. The warning signs were evident though, even in his time with the Rockies.

Twice in that four-year window from 2007-10, Jimenez committed 16 wild pitches in a season, eventually leading the National League in that category during his standout 2010 campaign. His BB/9 that year was also an unimpressive 3.7. Look no further — the command issues were always there.

Despite playing for a division champion in 2014 with the Orioles, Jimenez had arguably his worst season as an MLB pitcher. He started only 22 games but had an ERA that surpassed 4.80 for the second time in his career. He was used sporadically out of the bullpen and was kept on the bench throughout the postseason.

Now, after throwing 16.1 spring innings, his ERA is 6.06 and opponents are hitting .292 against him. The Orioles are stuck with his $12.25 million 2015 salary. He holds almost zero trade value. He is not a better option than any of the five pitcher’s projected to make the rotation. His ERA out of the ‘pen for Baltimore last year over 5.1 IP was 6.75, so he can’t be considered an asset as a reliever. Brian Matusz is probably the better option as a long-reliever, anyway.

All of the above taken into account, Jimenez’s most apparent role with the club is to make millions playing in Triple-A Norfolk and to answer his phone when Buck Showalter calls him for a spot start after an injury. While I wrote earlier in the year about how Edwin Jackson is the worst starting pitcher contract in all of MLB, Jimenez — and I think John Danks (6.97 spring ERA, $15.75 M salary in ’15) — are getting scarcely close to to competing with him. Possibly Trevor Cahill as well.

Like being a meteorologist who gets paid nor matter if they’re right or wrong, it pays to be an overrated and under-performing starting pitcher in MLB. Because for the Baltimore Orioles and Ubaldo Jiminez, there is nothing right about a 4.81 ERA, a H/9 ratio of 8.1 and a BB/9 mark of 5.5 in his first and only season with the club.

Next: Everth Cabrera latest O's reclamation project

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