NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After exploring at least two potential trade avenues, the Orioles addressed their shortstop need last night when they signed free agent Deivi Cruz to a one-year, $1.2 million contract with an option for 2004.
By going the discount route at shortstop, the Orioles also remained in position to sign free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez and perhaps one more impact player.
The competition for Rodriguez appeared to dwindle yesterday when Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said the 10-time All-Star catcher was probably not feasible for his club.
Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said the club will likely make its first official offer to Rodriguez today. But with the Orioles hinting at a reduced offer, negotiations with Rodriguez are expected to stretch into the week.
"It doesn't seem like clubs are putting pre-emptive bids out there, where [Rodriguez] can say, 'I'm happy with that one,' " Beattie said. "I get a sense that the market is being defined slowly, and players' expectations are falling back. I think we feel comfortable with where we're going to be."
The Orioles came to the winter meetings hoping to explore the trade market at shortstop before turning their attention to Cruz, who hit .263 for the San Diego Padres last season and made 15 errors in 151 games.
Cruz will have big shoes to fill defensively, replacing Mike Bordick, who played the final 110 games last season without an error. The Orioles cut ties with Bordick, 37, this month, declining to offer him arbitration after he turned down their one-year, $1.5 million offer.
Before signing Cruz, the Orioles considered making trades for New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez and Montreal Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
In the Ordonez discussions, the Mets looked at Orioles pitcher Jason Johnson (owed $2.9 million next season) and catcher Brook Fordyce ($3.25 million). But the Orioles declined to part with Johnson, and the Mets sent Ordonez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for two players to be named and cash considerations.
Before the winter meetings, the discussions also included Scott Erickson ($6.6 million), but those talks ceased as the Orioles announced that Erickson had a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. Erickson still hopes to be ready for the start of spring training.
The Orioles talked to the Expos about Cabrera, but he is scheduled to earn about $4 million through arbitration next season, and the Orioles considered that too expensive. Their goal was to fill the position with a sound defensive player and pick up offense elsewhere.
"He's very steady, and he has a strong arm," Beattie said of Cruz. "We felt good about his range. We have great reports on him. He's a good athlete, and he never spends any time in the training room."
Offensively, Cruz should be an upgrade over Bordick, who hit .232 last season. A right-handed batter, Cruz hit .302 and finished third in the American League with 46 doubles in 2000. His average dipped to .256 in 2001, when he missed six weeks with a broken bone in his foot and lost his starting shortstop job with the Tigers to Shane Halter.
The Padres signed Cruz to a $600,000 contract last season, and his value dropped a little more in February when it was learned that he was three years older than he had originally listed - 29 instead of 26. That discovery was made when Cruz applied for a visa from the Dominican Republic.
But Cruz gave the Padres more than they bargained for, and that was reflected in the deal he signed yesterday. The Orioles will pay him a $1 million base salary this season, and he will earn an additional $300,000 if he reaches 500 plate appearances.
The Orioles hold an option for 2004, at a $1.5 million base salary with the same incentives and a $200,000 buyout. That buyout plus the $1 million base salary represents his $1.2 million guarantee.
If the Orioles sign Rodriguez to a contract, it likely will include its own share of incentive bonuses. Last night, they set up a meeting for today with Rodriguez's agent, Jeff Moorad.
While the Cubs' interest is waning and other teams seem to have their catcher position filled, Moorad still sounded confident he'll have multiple suitors. Moorad said "more than one" team has approached him with interest in Rodriguez, saying they would sign him and trade their current starting catcher.
NOTES: The Orioles' talks with the Expos haven't just centered on Cabrera. Besides looking for a shortstop and a big bat, the Orioles also have been looking for "front-line pitching," Beattie said. The Expos have been exploring offers for starting pitchers Javier Vazquez and Bartolo Colon. ... The Orioles discussed parameters of a deal for free agent Edgardo Alfonzo, but they did not make an official offer before he signed a four-year, $26 million deal with the San Francisco Giants yesterday.