MLB Rumors: could Baltimore Orioles still sign a hitter?

The Baltimore Orioles were in dire need of pitching help before they signed Korean import Suk-Min Yoon and free agent starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. They still do not exactly tout the class of the league in terms of a pitching staff, but at least they went and got some help.

Would they also add a hitter? With the regression last season of catcher Matt Wieters, the necessary regression of Chris Davis to “normal people numbers” in 2014 (not saying he won’t be good), and the uncertain health of Manny Machado, they could use another bat to lengthen their lineup. This is especially true given the fact that they play in the American League East.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests that general manager Dan Duquette could put a nice bow on the off-season by signing a slugger such as Kendrys Morales:

Cafardo and Andrew Rickli of Sports Reel Boston then exchanged tweets in which they laid out the fact that the Orioles have the funding to pursue Morales (or even Nelson Cruz?). The problem is, owner Peter Angelos will not make the money available.

If that is the case for now, it will be interesting to see if things continue in that manner as the pressure of regular season expectations inches closer, especially for a team that has overachieved significantly the last two seasons and has playoff aspirations in 2o14.