Dan Duquette on Mark Trumbo's return to the Orioles

After a winter of rumors and speculation, and reports that offers were on and off the table, Mark Trumbo is back where he said he wanted to be all along.

The Orioles officially welcomed Trumbo back at a Camden Yards press conference this afternoon. He agreed to a three-year deal for $37.5 million on Jan. 19.

Trumbo had a 2016 season where he hit .256/.316/.533 with 47 homers, 108 RBIs and an .850 OPS. He led the majors in homers, ranked tied for sixth in the American League in RBIs and tied for ninth in slugging. He hit 28 homers in the first half and was selected to his second All-Star team.

It was pretty clear the Orioles always wanted him back, as well. It took a while, but in the end, the new deal got done. At this afternoon's announcement, Orioles vice president Dan Duquette talked about Trumbo's impact on the lineup.

"The addition of Mark really gives up a proven professional hitter and RBI man," Duquette said. "He drove in over 100 runs last year in the middle of the lineup and that makes it more difficult for opposing pitchers - particularly when they have to go through the lineup a couple of times.

"The text I got from Manny (Machado) - who was excited that we signed Mark - I think underscored the fact that when you have a power hitter in the middle of the lineup that other pitchers have to be careful with, that means they have to put energy into it and have to make good pitches. There are other hitters in the lineup that are also going to get better pitchers to hit when have depth to the lineup. There is a cumulative effect of having good, solid, proven hitters and power hitters - dangerous hitters in the lineup and sluggers that can hit the ball out of the ballpark. That is what Mark brings to the team. From that perspective, I think it gives us a little bit more depth, a bit more presence."

Trumbo's 47 homers led the major leagues by four over the next closest on the list, Seattle's Nelson Cruz with 43. Trumbo was rewarded with a Silver Slugger, the first by an Oriole since 2013.

"If you remember that last year, (Boston pitcher Rick) Porcello had a confrontation with Manny where he threw a ball inside," Duquette said. "He said, 'Manny, why would I try and hit you with that guy on deck behind you?' Or words to that effect - he didn't exactly say that. So he was concerned about who came behind Manny and that affected how he approached Manny in the lineup. When you have a couple of power hitters in the lineup, it makes the whole lineup better. Of course, we love pitching, defense and three-run homers.

"And the club has had the home run champ for the last four years, which our fans like. So it helps us score runs and makes for an entertaining product. Beyond that, Mark's personal qualities are a real fit with the ballclub. He's a gritty player, fits in with the team and is a good teammate. He just has a lot of good qualities that we always did recognize. It is just that we wanted to get a deal that was right for the club and our market. Eventually we got that."

Trumbo was asked if his new contract has a no-trade clause. He deferred to Duquette for that answer.

"He has trade protection in the contract," Duquette said. "There are some provisions where you can't trade him for a period of time. So it seems to work for the players that we signed to a limited no-trade. That seems to work out well for them and a number of them have stayed with the club for a long time."

Duquette was asked how the club is now set with spring training approaching and if more signings are expected.

"You know, the important thing that I want to talk about with Mark is Mark was always clear about his desire to re-sign with the Orioles and that really helped us get a deal done," Duquette said. "He made it clear at the start of the process that this was where he wanted to play. During the process, he also reiterated he wanted to come back to Baltimore and this was a place that he wanted to call home. That is why we got the deal done.

"Mark is an elite player. He has elite power and elite skills. You've heard him talk about his profession. You can't lead the league in any category without being an expert that works at it 24/7. You don't get to be the home run champ without a lot of diligence, perseverance and self-assessment.

"We're still looking to fill out our club. There are some other opportunities we're going to explore. We hope to sign some players between now and the start of the spring. We're looking for some depth to our lineup as well as depth to our pitching staff."