Let's Take On a Project or Two

The Orioles' Manager, Buck Showalter, is known for getting the best out of his players. The Orioles need to bring some washed-up has-been players for Showalter to get the best out of. Some players that come to mind are Ben Sheets, Lastings Milledge, and Chris Ray.

Let's break these players down by what is wrong with them, and what they bring to the table:

Ben Sheets

Ben Sheets' days of hitting 98 MPH are likely over. However, Sheets was a great player when he was healthy, and started the 2008 All-Star Game for the National League. If he could stay healthy, he could be a solid addition to a struggling Orioles Starting Rotation.  Sheets spent last year with Oakland, but missed most of the year with a torn flexor in his right elbow.

When healthy, Sheets flashes a solid fastball (92-95 MPH), a knee-buckling curveball (78-82 MPH), and also contains a slider and a changeup in his arsenal of pitches. The Orioles could definitely use another veteran starter to pair up with Jeremy Guthrie at the front of the Orioles rotation, and Sheets is definitely worth the risk. He will not demand a large contract, and has huge upside.

Lastings Milledge

Lastings Milledge was once a "Can't Miss" prospect in the Mets' farm system. He made his major league debut in 2006. He missed the first half of 2007 with a foot injury. Milledge was traded to the Nationals in November of '07 for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. Milledge started as the starting center fielder in D.C., but once again, injuries hampered Milledge. On June 28, Milledge suffered a groin injury, and missed a month. In June of 2009, Milledge was traded again. This time, it was to the Pirates. The Nationals sent Milledge and Joel Hanrahan to the Pirates for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett. Milledge disappointed this past season with the Pirates, and they did not tender him a contract for 2011.

The thing that people often forget about Milledge is that he is still only 26 years old. There are many players who don't begin to produce until their late 20's, such as Nelson Cruz and Jayson Werth. Milledge provides speed, and has some pop in his bat on an inconsistent basis, so he does have potential. He showed he has some speed with Washington in 2008, when he stole 24 bases, and showed a bit of pop with his 14 bombs. He has the tools, he just hasn't been able to put it all together.

Chris Ray

Ray is a former Oriole who was traded with cash to the Texas Rangers last offseason for veteran starting pitcher Kevin Millwood. Ray was then traded midseason to the Giants with pitching prospect Michael Main for Bengie Molina.

Ray is a side-arm pitcher, and adding a side-armer would give the O's some flexibility. They have righties and lefties, but now, if Ray could produce in the bigs, they'd have a side-arm guy as well that they could bring out.