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The Baltimore Orioles were a playoff team last year, and a lot of people claim it was more luck than skill. I tend to agree to a certain degree with the luck factor and want to see the Orioles do it again this year to put them in as a consistent winner. Granted, I was dead wrong on my preseason analysis of the Orioles so I could be again. I believe the Orioles are going to lack some thunder in their lineup. They lost Mark Reynolds and their DH is currently Wilson Betemit. Another hitter in the lineup would go a long way for the Orioles this year.
The guy that keeps coming back to me is Justin Morneau. Morneau is going to be a free agent after 2013, and his concussion problems are certainly a well known concern. However, I don’t think the Minnesota Twins would ask for the moon for Morneau and that’s why I think it could be a perfect fit.
Morneau could fit in as a DH/1B for the Orioles and move Betemit into a utility role. A move like that would immediately make the Orioles deeper, and give them a potential huge power bat in the middle to bottom part of their order.
If the Twins came in at a low price, why wouldn’t the Orioles want to take advantage? Morneau is EXACTLY like the player they should be targeting. A low-risk, HIGH-reward type trade here could push the Orioles over the top.
We’ll see what happens, but I again, I would certainly look into this if I’m the Orioles.
