Baltimore Orioles: Hanser Alberto will make some team happy

This cost cutting move by the Baltimore Orioles sends Hanser Alberto to free agency, where he is going to latch on somewhere and make some team happy.

Did the Baltimore Orioles really need to non-tender Hanser Alberto? Sure, I guess. Maybe he isn’t worth the $4M plus he was set to get in arbitration. He’s worth something though, and the team who signs him this offseason is going to be very glad they did.

Let’s start with the Orioles’ decision to cut ties with the utility infielder. Baltimore has $38M promised to Chris Davis and Alex Cobb in contracts for next season, and nothing further. Before news of the Alberto non-tender was made public, the O’s traded Jose Iglesias to the Los Angeles Angles, freeing up another $3.5M.

You would think with so little money on the books they’d be willing to pay a guy who hit .299 over the past two seasons and can play multiple positions. The Orioles thought otherwise.

The salary Alberto was projected to garner was too high for a guy with an OPS of .678. He isn’t a power hitter and he doesn’t walk a lot. Though, given the opportunity to play every day, like he did the past two seasons in Baltimore, Alberto has proven he can play solid defense while contributing his share of base knocks.

When Alberto signs this offseason he is going to make some team very happy. He has played everywhere on the infield and has played a few games in the outfield. Batting second in the order Alberto produced an average of .423, though the Orioles chose to hit him leadoff the majority of the time. He seems comfortable hitting at the top of the order or the bottom of the order.

For a team looking for a player to handle the bat and play defense, Hanser Alberto is the guy. I am guessing he won’t be on the free agent market long, and when he is snatched up, he’s going to make his next employer look really good.