Orioles to add impact bat for 2010

Orioles president Andy MacPhail wants to add an impact bat this offseason, but will not move any of their key prospects to do so. The Orioles have an influx of young prospects who should have an impact on the Orioles in the next few seasons, and trading several for an impact bat would have adverse effects on the rebuilding of the organization. 

"Personally, I don't see us giving up any key building blocks going forward at this stage of the game," MacPhail said. "I'm pretty optimistic that we're going to be able to acquire guys that are going to be meaningful improvements for us without having to sacrifice key guys."

If the Orioles were to pursue a power hitter on the free-agent market, they could go after Russell Branyan of the Mariners. Branyan may be out for the rest of the season, but if the Orioles move Ty Wigginton to third base, Branyan could be the teams DH. However, MacPhail has not ruled out exploring the trade market.

 "It could come either way. You just don't know how the offseason is going to evolve. One trade might start a set of dominoes going in a direction that you really can't anticipate in September. We're going to take a look at what options are available to us in terms of a bat."

Felix Pie's strong second half could make him a trade candidate this offseason. If Pie can find an everyday job, the NL would be better suited for Pie. Playing regularly in August, Pie hit .333 with 5 home runs. The reality is that the competition in the NL is not that of the AL, and Pie could live up to some of the hype that has followed him for years in a full-time role.

Some guys the Orioles could look into acquiring, without giving up to much in return, include Corey Hart of the Brewers, Josh Willingham of the Nationals, or even Jake Fox of the Cubs.