In one of the most surprising developments of the 2020-21 MLB offseason up until this point, the Baltimore Orioles let go of infielder Renato Nunez after he established himself as a quality starter over the past two seasons with the team.
Nunez, who batted .256 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, was put on waivers last week after the Orioles decided that they didn’t want to pay him next season after he was due an arbitration salary raise.
The versatile infielder, who has spent significant time at both first base and third base over the past two seasons, combined to slug 43 homers in only 203 games between 2019 and 2020, proving that he is a great source of power.
However, low on-base percentages combined with unspectacular defense and a team that’s looking to rebuild and cut costs meant that it made sense for Baltimore to let Nunez go.
There should be no shortage of teams who will want to add Nunez as either a designated hitter, an infield option, or perhaps even a contender as a bench bat.
Nunez isn now free to negotiate to sign with any MLB team, and should have a new home come Spring Training 2021.
