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I'm a little surprised they didn't protect Mike Costanzo.

Why are they hanging on to Freddy Deza? Or Cormier, Bass, Simon, Waters, or Burres, for that matter.

That's right MacPhail. Keep bringing in the ex-Cubs minor leaguers. After the smashing success of Rocky Cherry, Scott Moore, Alex Cintron, and "Boom Boom" Bynum, we can't afford to not sign these guys!

Roch-

Who again qualifies for the rule 5 draft? I know everyone on the 40 man roster is ineligible but how many years of minor league service time do you need to be eligible? For example we're obviously not just banking on the fact that no one is going to "take a chance" on Tillman or Wieters and therefore not putting him on the 40 man roster so it seems as they must not have had enough professional experience yet to qualify.
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Here you go:
Players signed at age 19 or older are exempt from the Rule 5 draft for three years after being drafted (in the amateur draft) or signed by their current organization; players drafted or signed at age 18 or younger are exempt for four years. For example, players drafted or signed in 2007 at age 19 (or older) will be exempt through the 2009 Rule 5 draft, as will players drafted or signed in 2006 at age 18 (or younger).

The exemption periods were extended by one year in October 2006 as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The change took effect immediately, exempting many players from the 2006 Rule 5 draft even though they had been signed in some cases more than four years before the new agreement came into effect. Prior to the rule change, players were exempt from the first two or three Rule 5 drafts held after their signing (regardless of the year they were drafted), rather than from the first three or four Rule 5 drafts after their signing.

From DC at the Sun:
"Orioles fans don't expect Teixeira to end up here. They don't want to be embarrassed, either. They want to know that a true effort was made.

The most important part of the equation is financial. But it's not the only part.

Cue the marching band; it's time for the Orioles' old college recruiting try."

NOTE TO EVERY REPORTER IN THE CITY: I can only speak to the fans I know, but we do not care about the O's feigning to put forth effort to sign a free agent. Get the job done or shut up and go home. Do not sign two has-been, never-will-be pitchers. Do not cry about how we have to spread money around now that we are the Minnesota Twins. The greatest trick is that the Orioles now have fans writing into blogs suggesting that certain deals are not fiscally repsonsible! What??? This sport is not fiscally responsible. If you can't jump in with the big boys, you can't sustain excellence. The other teams drafted good pitchers and hitters as well AND they are picking up big-time talent AND they were not facing the same talent deficit as the Orioles.

Other rediculous non-move: JJ out of the bullpen and into rotation. So short-sighted not to do that.

Oh well, it that the voice of Rob Schneider I here in the background...

JJ as a starter. I asked that the reason not to do this NOT be "we're so comfortable with the job he's doing." - But sure enough that's all we keep hearing. I'm guessing if we had a pinch hitter last year who batted .780 with 17 pinch hit homers we would want to keep him in that role because we are comfortable with his success as a pinch hitter. JJ could well be that starter we're all looking for to go with Guthrie and Burnett.

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, here, let me say this...

I didn't realize how incredibly valuable Albers was to this club until he got hurt. The bullpen was in absolute disarray after his departure, and it became increasingly clear that, for all the young pitching we've been acquiring, depth killed us.

Johnson is playing a truly valuable role in the bullpen. He's a lights-out guy who can bridge between a quality start and your closer. Somewhere down the road, he might close - he's got that kind of stuff and that kind of mental fortitude.

Why would you mess with that? It's possible he could make the transition to a starter, and it's possible that he could be as bad in that role as the revolving door we've already experienced. The Orioles have SO MANY pieces that need to be filled. Why risk one of the few that's working?

Teixeira is a pipe dream. It's extremely unlikely that he will be in orange and black next year or any thereafter, no matter how hard the Orioles try. Having said that, if it becomes clear that we aren't in serious contention, we should get out of the Teixeira sweepstakes, so that the organization doesn't look hopeless impotent for future negotiations.

So if they go only so far, and find that it's not happening, I won't consider it a feigned attempt. I would be more upset if they put a lot of time and energy to continue to hear "no," when they could be working on other free agents.

I think the 40 man roster additions portend to tell us who may be in the starting rotation next year - Bergeson and Hernandez. I don't think either is a teenager and may as well go 11-11 at the big league level and learn a thing or two than go 17-4 at AAA.

JPA: I think “fiscally responsible” might be the phrase we’ll hear a lot about. It’ll bleed from the current general economic state of the country to the ball club and it’ll just make sense to everybody, so it’ll become an easy sale for them to not do anything. But, as you’ve stated, baseball isn’t fiscally responsible, and there's spending money wisely, which I'm all for, and just being playing cheap.

I think the idea from Connolly that fans just want an effort doesn’t make sense. We’ve been down that road before with other free agents. The “effort,” frankly, has been embarrassing at times. We’ve all read enough about what it will take to get Teixeira—at least 8 years, at least $20 million a year. That’s the starting point and if the team isn’t willing to start there, they might as well forget it. If you’re not going to go in hard like you actually want the guy, don’t bother, because it's going to take a hard sell to convince a top player to sign onto a long-time loser. The team would just embarrass themselves if they came in with a below market offer.

And from that Connolly article comes a telling line when discussing the conversation MacPhail and Boras had last week about Teixeira: “There were no offers; Boras indicated he would get back to the Orioles when he wanted to talk specifics.” So, Boras is going to call MacPhail back? Does he even know the phone number? I recall a few years back when Flanagan or Beattie said something similar about waiting to hear back about potential deals. I don’t think any of those happened. Don’t they recall how the Yankees signed Mike Mussina? They rolled out the red carpet for him—and they were the reigning world champions at the time.

Overall, I can’t get a sense of what this team is doing. I think if you’re thinking the club is going to make dramatic improvements this offseason and be much better next season, you’re in for a rude surprise. A lot of things have to happen, and MacPhail is one of the most deliberate people in the business, and he’s highly unlikely to be one who crafts record breaking contracts.

Amen JPA.

This isn't the NFL or the NBA, where problems with the salary cap can destroy a franchise for years. The problem with the O's free-agent splurges in the past wasn't that they were expensive, the problem was that the O's were pursuing over-the-hill, sub-par, or oft-injured talent. Memo to the Orioles and some of the bloggers - Owners can spend whatever they want!! Just because they sign one guy to a ridiculous contract does not mean that they can't spend more money on other players or in other areas.

The kind of free-agent expenditure the O's need to make is exactly the one that presents itself this year - Mark Texiera, a switch hitting, slick fielding, home run mashing stud that would be the cornerstone of the franchise for ten years . . . AND, he's a local guy . . . AND he is allegedly a good guy who has his head on straigh. So what if he costs $20-$25 million per year? And, who cares if it means that Angelos loses a couple of million from his profits every year? What the heck did he launch a new television network for? If he's not making baseball money to spend it on the baseball team, then we can pack our bags, including our new "Baltimore" jerseys, and move to Charlotte, 'cause there is no hope.

Spend the money on Texiera, a legitimate shortstop and some veteran starters now. Spend money on scouting and development. Extend Markakis and Jones NOW (a la TB and Lonoria). Show MLB and Orioles fans that the Orioles are serious about winning now. I am sick of five-year plans.

The Orioles should have made a blow-you away offer to Texiera at 12:01 am on November 14. I bet D. Lowe, R. Furcall, and other legit free agents (and their agents) would looked at us a little differently. Instead, the pick-up the phone, yawn, and tell us that they'll call us back tomorrow. Yeah right.

The Orioles are not a small market team people!!!!!We have 6 major league holes to fill and we need organizational depth!!! we have money!!! Angelos , I think he prints money himself!!! We have YANKEE, REDSOX, BRAVES MONEY!!! we are not the twins or the Pirates....we were spending the money before remeber Alomar Ripken Zeile anderson Hoiles Murray Baines Bonilla..Mussina..wells Brown...Should I go on!!We are the Baltimore Orioles!!!!!!one of the greatest franchises in history!!!! we need 4 starters 1b and ss at the top!!It is hard to blame angelos he has been burned so much..I know the decisions where bad.....But it wasnt for lack of effort...any free agent starter we have signed has been a let down........Brown, wells.....so on and so forth...He is gunshy I believe ...not cheap......I believe Teixeira will be here opening day......I believe Roberts and Markakis will get their contracts!!!I believe we will make a statement........... I believe all this will happens if it makes sense..........He doesnt want to be a villain in his home city!!! he saved this franchise....remember ;they wanted to send it DC under williams!!! Mcphail.....its different for him here...This again is not the twins or The cubs......This is the team that his daddy created into a legendary franchise....Doubt he wants to do anything else other than make dad proud that he returned his fathers legacy!! the oriole way!!! From the mouth of Mr. Mcphail himself...this is his dream job the team he grew up loving!!!! Mcphail, angelos, Flanagan.......these are the orioles!!!We need to support them.....>>>>I believe. call it what you like!!! ..Nationals fans....rEDSOX FANS...yANKEE FANS ...WHOEVER LOOKS AT THIS SITE.........AND HAS NEGATIVE POSTS..WATCH OUT WE ARE COMING BACK!!!! ORIOLES WAY IS ON ITS WAY.....LAUGH NOW...YOU WILL BE SICK OF US LATER

CRB

I can feel your pain (frustration); however, I’m not 100% convinced that we have no chance of signing Teixeria.

First, let’s establish who the real bidders might be. It is not the long list that Boras makes it out be, and the figure of 200M is coming from Boras, not a team looking to spend it.

The Angels want to keep him but they won’t destroy their salary structure and they want an answer before the Winter Meetings so they can explore other opportunities if they need to. Boras thinks he can run this at his schedule and may find that the Angels have their own agenda.

The Yankees want pitching, pitching, and more pitching and may not spend big bucks after that shopping spree ends.

The Red Sox would like Tex but not at what he might cost. They already have a 1B and 3B and would have a hard time clearing a roster spot without eating a big chunk of payroll, which is something they have been unwilling to do in the past.

Unless some other team has 150M that’s burning a hole in their pocket the only team left is us. I still keep thinking that Soriano money (with a couple of vested option years at about 22 to 25 M) will get this deal done unless there is a major seismic shift in some team’s winter shopping list. At that money our biggest competition may come from the Braves who know a bargain when they see it.

Since Tex turned down eight years at 144 M from Texas last year (which would have included this year so it can’t be an apples to apples comparison) it is possible that we will have to play with the vesting year numbers to make the POTENTIAL dollars look bigger.

I wonder at what point this winter when the bidders start to fall by the wayside that Tex will start getting ARod flashbacks from last year when Boras bargained himself out of all realistic bidders?

What Mike said!