The Baltimore Orioles have acquired Jim Thome for two minor league players from the Phillies. Personally, I don't like the trade. It's not about the two players the Orioles give away, as they are both still in Class-A and unlikely to make any impact in the big league in the future. It's about Jim Thome.
Jim Thome is a DH. He has no value at all in the field. The Orioles are already filled with players
who can bat but can't field, Mark Reynolds, Wilson Betemit and Chris Davis. If Jim Thome takes up the DH spot, what positions do they play? All three players are basically terrible third basemen / tolerable first basemen. Unless Buch Showalter continues his experiment of Chris Davis in the outfield (Let's hope that Nick Markakis returns soon to end this painful experiment), the three will be fighting for two positions. Chris Davis, the best hitter of the three this season, should get the nod at first. This leaves Reynolds and Betemit fighting for third base. Given Betemit's hot streak and better fielding (not by much), it is likely that Reynolds will not be in the starting lineup.Of course a platoon at third base is possible, given Reynolds' better number against lefties.
However, none of these solves the Orioles' defensive woes. The Orioles right now have two huge defensive holes in RF and 3B. I would have preferred the Orioles to trade for a "real" third baseman and to move one of the above-mentioned bats into DH, instead of finding a DH. A player like Chase Headley, though difficult and pricey to acquire, would be a perfect fit in Baltimore. The Orioles solve their defensive problem at third and their offensive issue at DH by sliding Betemit into the spot. As for the outfield, Markakis will fill the RF position once he returns and I can live with Xavier Avery or a similar Endy Chavez in LF providing defense.
Though the Orioles paid only a small price to get Thome, he does not solve the Orioles' most glaring need at third.
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