Tag Archives: Dan Duquette

Jimenez Agrees to Lucrative Four-Year Deal with the Baltimore Orioles

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It appears Ubaldo Jimenez will be flying high in Baltimore for the next few years…

The 30-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles worth approximately $48 million, according to ESPN.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Fox Sports has also reported that the two sides had reached an agreement.

Jimenez’s deal is still pending a physical.

Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 32 starts for the Cleveland Indians last season. He turned down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Indians, so Baltimore would have to forfeit its first-round draft pick (17th overall) to sign him.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette has been searching for a veteran starter for much of the offseason to help anchor the rotation. Jimenez is 82-75 with a 3.92 ERA over eight major league seasons.

The ight-hander broke into the majors with the Colorado Rockies in 2006. His best season was 2010, when he went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 33 starts for the Rockies.

 

Rodriguez Headed to the Baltimore Orioles

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Francisco Rodriguez will be flying high for the remainder of the Major League Baseball season…

In an effort to bolster their bullpen, the Baltimore Orioles acquired the 31-year-old Venezuelan pitcher from the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday for minor league infielder Nick Delmonico.

Francisco Rodriguez

“We’re not playing for (anything) here. But going there now, every game is going to count. I’ve got to be on top of my game now and help them out,” said Rodriguez.

Baltimore started the day 2½ games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Looking for their second straight playoff appearance, the third-place Orioles had a 1½-game lead over Texas Rangers for the final AL wild-card spot.

“We were trying to upgrade the pitching to give us a chance to make the run for the AL (East) title and the pennant. So we did what we had to do to help the team now, and we have enough players having good years at the plate,” Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said.

“Nick Delmonico shows a lot of promise as a hitter, but the major league club needed a little more depth for our pitching staff to accomplish what we want to accomplish this year.”

K-Rod was one of the game’s best relievers during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, saving a major league-record 62 games in 2008. He later spent three seasons as a closer with the New York Mets that are remembered mostly for an alleged assault of his girlfriend’s father at the ballpark.

Rodriguez has revitalized his career the past three years in Milwaukee, going 1-1 with 10 saves and a 1.09 ERA in 25 appearances this season.

“I think he’s the kind of guy that can be a difference-maker,” said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. “When you get into postseason or you get into pennant races in August and September, you always need more than one guy that can pitch in the ninth inning. He’s capable of doing that.”