Orioles, Mark Trumbo agree to 3-year deal

The Orioles are have agreed to re-sign free-agent slugger Mark Trumbo to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million, as first reported to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal is pending a physical.

Trumbo receiving just a $37.5 million guarantee comes as a significant surprise, as reports from last month’s Winter Meetings stated that he was looking for an $80 million deal. Negotiations between the Orioles and Trumbo have been a bit of a roller-coaster ride all winter, with the O’s originally offering a four-year deal before tabling talks and then circling back to the three-year agreement.

Trumbo has drawn at least some interest from many teams, with the Athletics, Mariners, Indians, Rangers and Rockies all being linked in addition to the O’s. He was originally aiming for a four- or five-year contract, but was hurt by the glut of free agent mashers and deals signed by Edwin Encarnacion (three guaranteed years) and Jose Bautista (one guaranteed year).

Trumbo, who turned 31 this week, will rejoin Baltimore as the club’s designated hitter in a lineup that has added Welington Castillo and Seth Smith so far this winter. Trumbo had a career year for the O’s in 2016, hitting .256/.316/.533 with 47 homers and 108 RBI in 159 games while being named to his second career All-Star team.

Trumbo’s deal will be the seventh-largest in terms of guaranteed money to be given to a free agent this winter, behind deals given to Yoenis Cespedes, Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Justin Turner, Encarnacion and Josh Reddick.