Both the Orioles and the Nationals have a gaping hole at first base. It just so happens there are two decent options on the open market — Adam LaRoche and Derrek Lee. LaRoche was reportedly close to a deal with Baltimore last week. Lee seems a natural short-term fit for the Nats at a reasonable price. So why hasn’t either player signed yet?
That old bugaboo might be raising its head for both teams: Losing. It forces them to overpay for top talent — as we saw in the Jayson Werth negotiations — and that trickles down to lesser free agents. It doesn’t appear that either player has many options.
San Diego had a hole at first base after trading star Adrian Gonzalez but reportedly has signed Brad Hawpe as a placeholder. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the ones letting LaRoche go, and as noncontenders they don’t offer much for Lee other than nice weather. Oakland could use another veteran bat. But Daric Barton is one of the league’s best defensive first basemen. Tampa Bay has an opening after Carlos Pena left, though the Rays may not want to devote multiple years to LaRoche or the money to Lee. Seattle had by far MLB’s worst offense but is in full rebuild mode.
The one team with an opening that could actually throw a wrench into the locals’ plans is Toronto. But general manager Alex Anthopoulos says his club is content to move designated hitter Adam Lind to first base. That’s the list. If the Nats and Orioles can’t get the first baseman they want in this market, they’ll have to go another route.
