Andrew Stetka: Orioles may have to ride out Hardy's struggles

We're nearly two months into the baseball season, at about the quarter-pole, and there is plenty to be thankful for as an Orioles fan. The Birds are right in the thick of things in the American League East, and despite some injury concerns, have performed above expectations thus far. But there's always something to complain about. There's always something that can be better. There's always someone who draws the ire of fans more than anyone else.

This season, that person seems to be J.J. Hardy. The O's shortstop has been the most maligned player on the roster to this point, and much of it is for good reason. Hardy has become the player no one really wants to talk about, but everyone is talking about him anyhow. There's an honest conversation that needs to happen when it comes to Hardy, who is in the November (or perhaps even December) of his career. At 34, he's simply not the player he used to be. This isn't unique to Hardy. Time is undefeated in catching up to baseball players, or all athletes for that matter.

Hardy is playing below replacement level so far this season, hitting .194 with a .237 on-base percentage. He's on pace to put up single-digit home runs for a fourth straight season. That comes after hitting 30 homers in his first season with the O's in 2011, and posting 22 and 25 round-trippers in the next two campaigns. The power isn't there, the career average of around .257 with an on-base percentage up over .300 isn't there, and frankly, Hardy's defense hasn't really been there either. Advanced metrics show that Hardy's play at shortstop is some of the worst of his career.

Again, none of this is really Hardy's fault. He's one of the more beloved players on the team and throughout the city, but these declines happen to all players. Personally, I've loved watching Hardy over the past six-plus seasons in Baltimore. He's been an anchor on some of the better Orioles squads in recent memory. He goes right up in the conversation with Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Chris Tillman as the most consistent contributors during this span.

The real issue the Orioles face in looking at Hardy's play, is that if they did want to attempt to replace him, there are no real good options. They can play him less, but there's no real guarantee results would be better. Take a peek at the roster and find an answer as to who would play shortstop right now if it wasn't Hardy. Many people would say Manny Machado, but that would then leave a vacancy at third base. At that point you're just robbing Peter to pay Paul. I've heard every crazy scenario. One involves moving Jonathan Schoop to third base. Another has Davis sliding over to play the hot corner. I've even heard the idea of making top catching prospect Chance Sisco a second baseman to fill an infield void potentially left by Hardy. Ryan Flaherty (who is currently on the disabled list) and Paul Janish (who just replaced Flaherty on the roster) are about the only reasonable in-house options to replace Hardy.

There's a chance this could be Hardy's final season in Baltimore, and that the Orioles will be faced with replacing him anyhow. He has a $14 million vesting option for next season, which I'd imagine the O's would decline if given the choice. Hardy simply isn't a $14 million player. The option vests at 600 plate appearances, a mark Hardy hasn't hit since 2013 when he played in 159 games. He'd have to stay healthy and in the lineup to reach that mark. My guess is that the O's would much rather pay the $2 million buyout.

The Orioles certainly have some issues, despite the fact that they've been able to put themselves right in the thick of things at the quarter-pole of the season. The one I've heard about more than most is Hardy. In the end, I think the Orioles have to ride things out and hope he can play a little better. There's just not a ton of confidence about that among the masses. Whether replacing Hardy is somehow addressed this season, or next, it's going to be a topic of conversation as long as he continues to struggle.

Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.