More on Aubrey Huff

Well, our big signing of the offseason so far has been Aubrey Huff.

According to the Examiner:

“Aubrey Huff has reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year, $20 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, who hope the versatile free agent can add punch to a lineup that ranked 11th in the AL in home runs last season.

The agreement was secured over the weekend, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Orioles have not yet announced the deal. The contract will be finalized if Huff passes a physical, which will likely be administered this week in Baltimore.

Huff, 30, can play first base, third base and both corner spots in the outfield. But his value to the Orioles is his bat: Huff hit 21 homers last season with Tampa Bay and Houston, and averaged 27 from 2002-05 with the Devil Rays.

Baltimore hit only 164 homers last season, led by Miguel Tejada (24) and Ramon Hernandez (23). No other player hit more than 16.

Huff is a .285 career hitter with 141 homers and 487 RBIs. In 48 career games at Camden Yards, he's hit eight homers and driven in 29 runs.

His best season was in 2003, when he hit 34 home runs and had 107 RBIs in 162 games with the Devil Rays. He is one of five active major leaguers who have at least 20 homers and 25 doubles in each of the past five seasons.

Huff is expected to join an outfield that this winter was supplemented by the addition of free agent Jay Payton, who batted .296 with 10 homers and 59 RBIs in 142 games with Oakland last season.”

What do I think of the Aubrey Huff deal? Upon speaking with a few friends at the Ravens tailgate yesterday, the deal is viewed as a positive. Personally, I think it’s a good deal, not necessarily a boon, but could work out in the O’s favor if he can produce the numbers he did in Tampa Bay.

He’s not the power bat we needed like Alfonso Soriano, but his numbers are solid and Camden Yards may benefit him as he is a left handed batter. The O’s could not get an impact bat due to expensive market out there, so the Huff signing is important especially as the Orioles lacked power in 2006, run scoring ability, and definitely needed a bat to protect Miguel Tejada. He’s not known for his glove, although he can play the corner outfield positions, first and third base.

In addition, he’s durable and until last season where he missed a month due to a knee injury, played in an average of 158 games throughout his career.

Considering the circumstances and what was left on the market before the holidays, this was a good move for the Orioles.