Former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick says finding a third baseman should be one of the Orioles’ top priorities ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“I think the Orioles have to get aggressive and find a legitimate third baseman if they want to make any kind of push for the postseason,” Bordick said on Glenn Clark Radio July 20. “I think we’re seeing the importance of defense and the lack of it, how it hurts the Orioles, and third base will be exposed again if we don’t find somebody that can handle that position on a consistent basis.”
Jordan Westburg, expected to be the Orioles’ primary third baseman this season, was placed on the 10-day injured list with an elbow issue just before Opening Day. He was soon transferred to the 60-day IL and underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Blaze Alexander, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks just before spring training, got most of the reps at third base in the first half of the season. Alexander hit .312/.368/.439 with four home runs and 29 RBIs and showed off plus arm strength from the left side of the infield.
But Alexander was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch thrown by Kansas City Royals right-hander Lucas Erceg on July 12. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Coby Mayo have taken over at the hot corner since the start of the second half.
Mayo played third base up until two years ago when former manager Brandon Hyde and former infield instructor Tony Mansolino moved him to first base, believing he was “just not athletic enough to be a major league third baseman,” according to Bordick.
“He ended up settling in and had a really good month at the end of the year last year, but everybody’s questioning then, ‘OK, you go get [Pete] Alonso, so you’re obviously not that confident with Mayo at first base,'” Bordick said.
“All of a sudden Westburg gets hurt so they just say, ‘OK, well, third base is going to be Coby Mayo’s.’ I thought, ‘OK, well, that’s interesting. Maybe he’s made some strides over there.’ But it certainly didn’t take too long for [new manager Craig Albernaz] to make the decision that Coby Mayo is not going to be our major league third baseman and Blaze Alexander ended up getting the run.”
Bordick added that he is happy that Mayo has been getting some opportunities but believes that a regular third baseman is essential for Baltimore as the Orioles approach the trade deadline.
“If the Orioles were in a different position where we thought, ‘Let these young guys go do it and see where we end up,’ so be it,” Bordick said. “But I just really think they need a quality third baseman and kind of proven guy to help stabilize that infield.”
Teams likely to sell by Aug. 3 include the Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Athletics. It is unclear what infielders those teams may look to trade.
Bordick added that Baltimore should look to expand its bullpen and bring in a couple more lefties in exchange for a prospect or two.
“There’s going to be incredible competition right now, and it’ll be really interesting to see when the suitors come knocking, what kind of prospects the Orioles are going to be willing to give up,” Bordick said. “Either land a bullpen piece or two, which in my opinion, is the biggest necessity, and it better be a nasty lefty or two lefties … that’s a priority. If they can get other pieces, that would be great, but they’ve got to solidify that bullpen.”
For more from Bordick, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox