The Baltimore Orioles could have had Adam LaRoche back in 2010. Instead they settled for Derrek Lee. The Nationals signed LaRoche and he hit .271/.343/.510 with 33 bombs and 100 in 154 games last season.
Now Washington is hoping to bring him back.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the O’s are in “hard” on LaRoche this winter according a baseball executive. However, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com disputes that report. Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com hears that like the Nats, the Orioles aren’t willing to give LaRoche a three year deal.
He’s 33 years old.
Davey Johnson made a strong push for him over the weekend, although he won’t be the guy signing the checks. Either way, it sounds like LaRoche stays in the DMV area. The O’s could certainly use his services at first base after it appears they will not be bringing back Mark Reynolds.
If the O’s can get La Roche, that would be a sign the organization is serious about building on last seasons success. They need to role the dice on a few FA and not stick with status quo.
I thought Adam didn’t want to be here back in 2010.