Orioles Tried to Keep Player Before Signing with Los Angeles Angels

The Baltimore Orioles attempted to re-sign an outfielder before he landed with the Los Angeles Angels.

The past few weeks for the Baltimore Orioles have been nothing short of exciting. With the decision to trade for ace Corbin Burnes, the future looks even brighter than it already did.

Adding another veteran arm to a young team is exactly what they needed. Despite the addition of Burnes, the Orioles did lose a veteran last week. Aaron Hicks signed with the Los Angeles Angels and according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Baltimore had interest in re-signing him. 

The Angels will pay him the league minimum, while the New York Yankees are still responsible for $8.76 million this season, according to Nightengale.

Losing Hicks in free agency is not the end of the world. He did play well for the Orioles in 65 games during the 2023 season after spending eight years with the Yankees. The switch-hitting outfielder slashed .275/.381/.425 with seven home runs. 

At one point in his career, he was one of the better outfielders in baseball, Hicks was far from a star, but he gave New York production at the plate and played an above-average center field. His best year was in the 2018 season when he hit 27 home runs and slashed .248/.366/.467.

Yankees fans turned on him and in return, he was one of the worst players in baseball for a few seasons. Baltimore fans did not treat him in similar ways and he produced at a higher level.

The hope for Los Angeles is that he can find a way to return to half of what he was in 2018. If that does end up happening, this was a smart signing.