Find MASN on your cable or satellite provider.

"Why would the Orioles place more value on guys like Brian Bass, Alberto Castillo, Chris Waters and Radhames Liz? Are they insane?"

Andrew, these players NEED to be removed from the 40 man. They are losers. They have contributed more to the failings of this team than the positives. If wins and losses actually matter next year, then cut some of the dead wood now and make a statement!

Accountability has to start somewhere and since the GM and manager are going to dodge it (again), then the players need to be sent a strong statement.

All the hype about "growing the arms!" and a power hitting corner infielder has resulted in a bunch of retreads and flameouts taking up space on the 40 man while "the plan" is supposedly execuited.
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And you've officially used up your "Andrew" reference for the day. - Roch

Great post to start the day, Roch ~ much appreciated.

I see that Davey Johnson is now a "senior adviser" for the Nats. Not that they would do it, but if the O's decided to go a similar route, who would be your choice?
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I'm not even sure what a senior adviser does, besides offer suggestions. It would have to be someone who's been around the game for a while and comes from a winning background. Could Earl Weaver do it from his tomato patch? - Roch

Including Bass and Waters on the 40 man list, will come back to haunt the Orioles. To include these proven ineffective relievers over Johnson, is just another sign of the inept decision making of Mac. (Sorry I have to agree with Brummie on this move) If Johnson is chosen in the rule 5 draft, it will be an appropriate start to an offseason which should be one of the most frustrating in O's fans memory.

I hate to sound so negative, but he article on MLBTrade yesterday which interviewed Mac, didnt sound too encouraging. An article outlining yet more excuses to not make moves.

You dont want a GM who is fire happy to make moves. But again, you dont want one who is so gun shire to make moves either. And that is what we have in Mac

-Chris, is Roch talking to himself at 6:30 in the morning again?
It sure looks that way, Chris.

-That's sad. I bet it's because he's sitting on a big juicy story and won't tell us.
I believe you're right. It's probably the PTBNL for Bradford. He's been not telling us that story for 14 months now!

I have to say, leaving Johnson off the roster in favor of Bass, et al is puzzling, but as opposed to some others, I have to believe I don't know the whole story of what's best. So, I just hope it works out. I have to believe it won't turn into the Orioles equivalent of releasing Stover. Yes, I know- veteran vs AA player, but you get what I mean. Fortunately, I see the point of what the O's are doing now (big picture) and believe they know what they are doing for the future.

"And you've officially used up your "Andrew" reference for the day. - Roch"

At least I know where I stand :)

Speaking of communication, I really think it would be wise for Mr. General Manager to come out and explain why Johnson was left off the 40 man. It certainly created more questions than answers both in regards to the decision and the overall "plan".

Communication has been a disaster under this General Manager. Now would be a good time to start fixing it and explain this decision top to bottom.

Remember, we were fed a bunch of hype in July about Johnson being a potential MLB starter within a few years. He didn't seem to struggle in the latter part of the season, so why the sudden decision to leave him exposed?

The fans and media deserve an explanation Mr. GM!

Roch,
I understand how the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft works but not the minor league portion. Every year I read some claims in that portion, can you explain me how does it work?
Thanks,
Aldo.
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Players taken in the minor league phase don't have to be placed on the major league roster. Those are guys at the lower levels of the systems. - Roch

Roch, Since you answered the questions you've answered a hundred times before, I certainly can't ask them now nor do I usually ask what you've already posted. So here's a question that I'm certain hasn't been asked.
When was your last date? Did you go to the movies, dinner, or sea cruise aboard White's Ferry in Poolesville?
You don't have to name names, but what line of work does she do? I'd like some details.
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Sorry, I don't kiss and tell. - Roch

I hate to admit it but I have to agree with brummie this time. What are the odds someone would claim Bass after last year? Even if they do I still take Johnson over him.

Did the title have anything to do with the fact that Star Trek came out on DVD this week?
I am also surprised at Johnson's exclusion but I will trust Andy on this one. If a team claims him, they will most likely be unable to stash him for the whole season and end up offering him back. On the plus side, he will have picked Major League experience.

Roch-

Now, on the Rule 5, it is NOT like waivers right? If someone gets picked up, that person is gone for 50g's right? The O's can NOT pull them back and work out a trade?

I think they are taking a HUGE gamble on this. These 2 kids are legit prospects, and Perrault especially seems to have the serious stuff to set-up or even more.
Johnson has done nothing but put up spectacular numbers his whole career.
If they get picked up the fans are going to be pissed. Rightfully so, as other guys like Liz and Bass who just reek of busts and frustration are protected.
I guess the logic is those guys are closer to MLB ready and teams might take a flyer where as with the younger 2 they won't.

But hey, leave Liz unprotected, then when he has a 27.5 ERA by May 1st, the team will offer him back to us.
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It's not like waivers. You can't pull them back. - Roch

Entertaining and informative as always Roch. Its just too bad you will be asked every one of these questions again before the weekend. It was a nice try though.....

I have to admit I'm confused and a bit disappointed that a guy like Steve Johnson isn't on the 40-man while Chris Waters is. My fear is that someone grabs Johnson in the Rule V Draft and the team loses a legitimate prospect. I do believe he could stick on a Major League roster for the year, most likely deep in somebody's bullpen and/or the usual two-month stint on the DL/minor-league rehab assignment.

Look, it seems obvious to many of us but one thing we do know... the Orioles front office is not so oblivious that this decision can be explained as an oversight. Something's going on that we don't know about. Maybe a deal is in the works. Or maybe they are confident no other team will take him. Or maybe Johnson isn't quite as highly regarded as some of us are hoping.

Even if Johnson is snapped up in the Rule V, it's not necessarily a big deal. Only about one-third of the players selected actually begin the new season with their new Major League team. And some of them are returned to their original organizations within a few weeks anyway. So it's probably a good thing for us not to lose our minds over this. I'm scratching my head, but you'd have a hard time convincing me that Mr. MacPhail and his staff are exhibiting any form of incompetence.

As for the Orioles not having any room on the 40-man to select a player in the Rule V draft, that's a good thing, don't you think?

There’s no way I’d watch Tom Hanks talking to a volleyball face for 2 hours, much less 5 minutes. Nor would I watch him talking to Helen Hunt. But I repeat myself.

I’m a little nervous about losing Steve Johnson as well. Just doesn’t seem to jive with our philosophy of growing pitchers, which to me includes trying to protect the legitimate prospects you have. I understand he’s only pitched part of the year at AA, and that most teams would not even try to keep him on the 25-man roster for a full season. But if I’m the Diamondbacks, say, or another team in need of pitching, in a division with big ball parks and not much power, not to mention payroll concerns, I’d take a flyer on Johnson being able to work out of the bullpen for a year. For a risk averse FO, I’m just a bit confused by this. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep him.

Good sequals are rare. I'd add Hellboy II to the list. Maybe Oceans 12. The Bourne installments are all strong. Maybe Bedard 2: Another Stupid Question? opens in Baltimore this winter.

Roch,

Been awhile since I commented, but I've been reading every post. Thanks for the updates and humor early this morning.

B_O,

So, if Andy added Johnson, Perrault, etc to the 40, who gets cut when Hendrickson and Moeller make the team, or when a corner IF is signed? The same guys would then be exposed to waivers and anyone could take them without having to keep them in the majors for the year. Waters, Bass, Liz, etc are just placeholders for Hendrickson, Moeller, etc. Geez, it not that tough to figure out, is it?

Mr. MacPhail deserves some credit for for his honesty, integrity and staying true to the board. He could have avoided criticism by including Steve Johnson on the 40 man roster and leaving out somebody like Bass or Waters as I'd have done. But Mr. Macphail stuck to the actual pecking order.

Roch

Is there any thought of bringing Aubrey Huff back to Baltimore? We've seen him play both first and third, and after last season he may a "buy low" guy.
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I don't think there's any thought to bringing him back. That ship also has sailed. - Roch

Roch
'
Brummie Tko's for the day @ 659am...gotta be a record...maybe he will channel Michael Corleone...

I'll change; I'll change. I've learned that I have the strength to change.

Great post....trim the fat...

Wonder if the O's will have any interest in Koji's buddy Hisanori Takahashi?

Roch,
I know someone is going to beat me to this, but what did we ever get for Chad Bradford?

Good article. Short of any further speculaton on future moves, it "covers the bases".

Not that it will happen based on your info/opinion, but they do have until tomorrow's deadline to correct their error of leaving Johnson unprotected. They thought enough of him to ask for him in the trade yet left him exposed. Puzzling.

As they have said, you have to grow your own pitchers. Too many names that are expendable to take the risk they decided to take. He's not a Matusz but could be better than Hernandez and/or Berken. But that is why AM and Jordan get paid the big bucks. Just hope they calculated correctly.

Roch, I can’t let a discussion of great sequels go without throwing in Terminator 2. Otherwise, your list is impeccable.

There have been calls for signing Miguel Tejada to play third, and I’m wondering if people have forgotten about the last year or so of his time here. Not to mention the fact that he’s not a third baseman, nor is he the same hitter for power he was just a few years back. He and Mora aren’t coming back.

I was glad to see Zack Greinke win the AL Cy Young the other day. Well deserved, and glad to see someone from a last place team get the honor.

As far as Steve Johnson not being on the 40-man, I don’t know what the deal is but I’m thinking that the club’s gambling that most teams won’t take a chance on having to keep him on their roster the entire year. So, you’d have to think that they don’t regard Johnson as being close to major league ready, or among their top pitching prospects. If a team selects him in the Rule V Draft, you can almost envision him returning to the club at some point. Of course, you’d have to hope that if he got lit up in the majors it won’t affect his development.

"I'm predicting that Hernandez is squatting behind International League plates in April. We can only hope he's wearing catcher's gear."

"Can you believe how bad the Cleveland Browns looked Monday night?

To save time, I hear they're going to line up in punt formation while boarding their flight to Detroit."

-- can't get that in a newspaper! Thanks for the morning laughs. Fantastic entry all around!

RK
Interesting article in WSJ...

The Yankees Didn't Buy the World Series

Since 2004, 20 of baseball's 30 teams have made

By ANDREW ZIMBALIST

Judging from the media coverage, it seems that the only thing the Yankees didn't do on their way to buying the 2009 World Series is ask the federal government for a bailout. But is it true that the Yankees bought their trophy? Are the championship rings the players will take home simply a byproduct of the largest payroll in Major League Baseball?

And if so, how come the Yankees haven't won the fall classic since 2000, even though the franchise led the way in payroll each year and actually spent more last year (when it missed the playoffs) than it did this year?

It's a little surprising, but the statistical relationship between a team's winning percentage and its payroll is not very high. When I plot payroll and win percentage on the same graph, the two variables don't always move together. In other words, knowing a team's payroll does not enable one to know a team's win percentage.

More precisely, depending on the year, I find somewhere between 15% and 30% of the variance in team win percentage can be explained by the variance in team payroll. That means between 70% and 85% of a team's on-field success is explained by factors other than payroll. Those factors can include front office smarts, good team chemistry, player health, effective drafting and player development, intelligent trades, a manager's in-game decision-making, luck, and more.

Wealthy teams do have an advantage, but it is not true that they can buy championships. Further, although the cries for parity among teams are loud, MLB has a good deal of competitive balance. Since 2004, 20 of baseball's 30 teams have made the playoffs.

Since 1996, MLB has had a growing revenue-sharing plan and a luxury tax on teams with very high payrolls. In 2009, the Yankees will pay around $150 million into baseball's revenue-sharing and luxury-tax systems. The next biggest payor into these systems will contribute less than $90 million. These payments are shared with teams in smaller markets, such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies. One might as well argue that the Yankees bought these teams their playoff opportunities in 2008 and 2009.

A cursory look at postseason television ratings should make it clear that it is in baseball's interest to have its popular teams from populous cities appear in the playoffs. Since there are more people in big-city markets, there are more fans who tune in when the big-city teams play. The fact that certain teams, such as the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, have very strong brands, due to their history and promotion, reinforces this tendency.

Baseball still has some work to do, however, to ensure that there is more rotation of teams that find themselves at the bottom. One way would be to tweak revenue sharing to give small-market teams a stronger motivation to improve. A good opportunity will come in two years, when MLB negotiates its next collective bargaining agreement.

Imperfect though it may be, baseball has a system, and the Yankees play by its rules. Its success this year depended significantly on the acquisition of pitchers A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabbathia, along with first baseman Mark Teixeira. But the Yankees did not sign these players to one-year contracts (though the team did sign pitcher Andy Pettitte to a one-year deal).

Mr. Sabbathia was great in 2009, but he is signed through 2015 when he will be 36 years old; Mr. Burnett through 2013 when he'll be 36; and Mr. Teixeira through 2016 when he'll be 37. Many of the team's other stars are also signed to long-term contracts. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez is signed through 2017 when he will be 42 and catcher Jorge Posada through 2011 when he'll be 40.

It's possible that the positive correlation between payroll and success the Yankees experienced this year will turn into an inverse correlation. After all, player performance tends to wane with age. But these players have contracts that require the Yankees to increase their annual pay in the years ahead. Those salaries will weigh on the team's ability to acquire other players.

Fortunately for Yankee fans and Yankee haters alike, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner doesn't seem to have any plans to help the team out.

Mr. Zimbalist is an economics professor at Smith College

In response to Andrew Zimbalist’s Nov. 16 op-ed “The Yankees Didn’t Buy the World Series”: I am a long-suffering Orioles fan, so I am clearly biased. People in Baltimore love to blame our owner, Peter Angelos, for the decade-plus losing record, but I put more blame on the system for one very simple reason—60% of the highest payroll teams in the American League make the playoffs each year.

By this I mean the following. Let’s say each year, Mr. Zimbalist and I have a contest where I get to pick four teams and he gets the remaining 10. My four are the top payroll team in each of the three American League divisions and then the one next highest team (four total). Mr. Zimbalist gets the other 10 teams. Since 1996, in the American League, my four teams would have garnered 60% of the playoff spots and his 10 teams would have garnered 40%. If he does not think there is a correlation, I would like to play that contest for money for the next 10 years.

Obviously, in a smaller series (like a seven-game playoff as opposed to a 162-game season) anything can happen. If you flip a fair coin seven times, you can get seven heads, but the odds of 162 consecutive heads are considerably longer.

While the Yankees did not win the World Series from 2001 to 2008, even though they made the playoffs each year but one, this was due to the curse I put on Mike Mussina for leaving the Orioles to go to the Yankees. He got there the year after they won and left the year before they won the next one. But I digress.

Ira H. Malis

St. Louis

Dave 'Captain Kirk' Trembly says "I don't like to lose" ...pitchers that is...I hope the gamble so keep Johnson off the 40 man rosters works.

Roch, you indicated no more moves are expected to the 40-man roster before Friday , so that means we are not looking at drafting anyone in the Rule V draft since we do not have any open spaces...does that strike you as odd?
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Not really. They'd have to stash that player on the 25-man roster all season. - Roch

Roch,

My good man, how could you ever pass up a chance at asking for a 2nd Ransom? Do you think the plan could be if Steve Johnson is selected in the Rule V draft, that the Orioles will send Dave Johnson to that particular team and have him shout GIVE ME BACK MY SON!? Just a thought.... Also, I believe that the Last Crusade was the third in the Indiana Jones series. Never the less, thanks for clearing up some of those questions that kept me up all last night. As always a great entry...

Max...

I would bet that new ownership would appoint Brooks "Senior Advisor" ASAP.

Now all we need is new ownership.

"The fans and media deserve an explanation Mr. GM!"

Not really, Brummie. The thing is, other GMs have access to the same media that we fans do. I don't need to know what is on ANDY'S mind at all times regarding all players. Obviously they are trying to sneak Johnson and others through the rule V draft. Obviously they can't put everyone on the 40-man roster. Sure, I'd like to know what's on ANDY'S mind as much as anyone but the reality is that there is a high stakes poker game going on and nobody wants to tip their hand. When you're negotiating, you don't show everyone your hand and you don't call attention to what you have and what you plan to do.

I have to agree w/ Brummie in regards to the Steve Johnson situation. Why risk leaving him exposed? Who cares if someone picks up Bass or Waters?? I dont get it ??

Roch, you gotta do something about mr. towson up there. At least brummie wants to talk about the orioles, even if he's just stirring the pot. This guy doesn't have any place here, and he isn't contributing anything.

Roch, there's a reason I read your blog daily. You are extremely informative and remarkably entertaining. Today's entry was some of your best work. Keep up the good work and thanks for your dedication!
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Thanks Dave. Glad you enjoyed it. - Roch

I agree. I think Andrew should come out and explain every person that isn't on the 40 man roster, and why they're not there. Then he shoudl talk about how the are part of the plan, how they value that player, what they think their ceiling is, what size boxers they wear (or briefs) and the hair color of each of their first girlfriends. I mean the fans deserve to know.

Leave the Browns alone. Cheap shots from Bal'mer should not be allowed. They had a fairly decent team until another city swiped them. It takes time to rebuild a team from scratch starting with all the other teams worst players.

Question.... if you are the FO, are you more upset that their AAA 1B, Liz, Bass , Albers,or Sarfate get lost in the rule5.... or Johnson.

I don't get the Huff ship sailing thing either.... the guy was in a bad slump last yr, true enough, but the yr before he rocked. He isn't old. He could probably be had for a 2 yr deal. They could trade him again in the second yr if they wanted. The worst thing he did was diss the Bal'mer nightlife joking around on a satellite radio show! Frankly, if you had a choice between Tampa & Bal'mer nightlife, if you are honest, you would pick Tampa too! The clubs/bars stay open much longer, there are more of them, & the clincher.... they have Mons Venus.

yankeefanintowson said:

I thoroughly enjoyed scrolling by that entry & ignoring it.

Andy may be trying to sneak Johnson thru the draft? But common sense would dictate why are you keeping a commidity which you know is not in the long term plans for the team for a player you traded for only months ago and supposed to be?

Water or Bass over Johnson on the 40 man roster...simply amazing Andy

This move really says a lot!

If the move fails, Andy you will look awful silly on this one. The Boo Birds will be out in full force, and I DONT BLAME THEM!

Roch, a couple of questions...
First, can you explain why the O's would try to protect Florimon over Davis?

Seems unlikely to me that a single A player would be chosen in the draft (or would a claiming team not need to put him on their roster due to his low level minor league experience).

Also, how would you feel about the Orioles signing Hideki Matsui?

It would create a lot of interest in the team with both Koji and Matsui and Matsui could provide power while not costing nearly as much as Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. I would gladly take .274/.367/.509 with 28 HRs in only 456 ABs.
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They obviously value Florimon more as a prospect and feel they could lose him if he's unprotected. As for Matsui, I'd rather have a power RH bat. And there are questions about how productive he'd be without all those big Yankee bats around him. But he could provide some pop. - Roch

Waters and Bass are already on the 40 man roster. Unless I am mistaken if they were to drop them, they could refuse assignment and become free agents. Which means they'd be gone without compensation. You can argue that they should have let one of them go anyway, but there's more to this process than just picking the best 40 players in the organization and putting them on the 40 man roster.

Another point is that the minute Johnson goes on the 40 man roster, his options count starts. So if they think he's 2 years away (a real possibility) they're not leaving themselves any kind of window to break him in. Am I correct in this, Roch?

And also, the more explanation the Orioles give the fans on this process, the more predictable they are to other organizations, which isn't good.
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Sounds right to me. - Roch

Jeff is right, if you put Johnson on the 40 man then who do you drop when you add a free agent? This is probably a good sign that they will add several free agents or players via trade. For a team to pick Johnson up during the rule 5, they have to keep him on the 25 man roster all year. If we put him on the 40 man and then drop him, they can just claim him and stash him on their 40 man roster. See the difference. Johnson isn't one of our top prospects and it is a gamble to lose him, but I think this is a sign that we will be adding some players and then we will waive Bass, Castillo, Waters, etc. It is a gamble, but a good sign that we have more players to save than we want and that we may be adding some major league talent to our roster (hopefully more than Hendrickson and Moeller). I also trust our front office that they are doing the right thing for us and don't have to explain everything to us.

I am a fan of both the Redskins and the Orioles. The Redskins telegraph what they want so every agent and team can know what is in their plans and jack up the price of a player. I appreciate a team that doesn't reveal their plans either to me or the opposition. That is why it isn't necessary for Andy McPhail to tell me what is going on prior to their moves.

This strikes me as a classic example of over-valuing our own prospects. When did Johnson become a top (or even second tier) pitching prospect?

Here is an expert's view (K. Law - ESPN) on Johnson when he was traded to the O's.

"The second player Baltimore acquired, right-hander Steve Johnson, has a solid to average fastball that will touch 92 with a fringe to average changeup and a below average to average breaking ball. But Johnson has a long arm action; he shows the ball to the center fielder, pronates his forearm and comes around with a "pie-thrower" action that really looks like it's costing him command. He's a local kid and the son of former Orioles pitcher and current Orioles broadcaster Dave Johnson, so there's some karmic value there, but he looks more like a good organizational pitcher than a prospect right now."

Doesn't sound like the kind of guy a team would want to stash on their major league roster for a full year. I find it funny that we get so riled up about these moves. I hope the scouting report is wrong, but I'd guess the O's know a bit about the longterm value of these players. How many of us have even seen Johnson pitch, let alone have the training of a professional scout?

Chad

Did Dave Johnson cry again, Rocho?

Did you drink his tears?

Brummie: Here is your offseason motto to memorize as Andy was quoted saying to the NY Times with regard to impatient fans like yourself at this time last year: "The mistake you make, in my estimation, is to try and placate them (the fans) at the expense of your long-term goals." After ten years of incompetence he owes us nothing other than to make moves in the best interest of the Baltimore Orioles. If you dont like the job hes doing (or even the pace of the job hes doing) after the previous string of idiots, greenhorns and puppets before him, get lost we dont need fans like you.

Yankeefrontrunnerintowson: What kind of loser goes to another fans site to try and rub it in? We have no jealousy of you, one championship honestly earned in a generation is more than enough for me. Statistically speaking all I can expect is one championship every thirty years, but most Yankee fans are pigs I get that. Furthermore, I would feel completely hollow to have paid half a billion for talent on top of a 89 win team. I would also be ashamed of a history that is based on buying Babe Ruth from a broke rival but thats me I have principles, you're different you go to other fans sites to make yourself feel better..

When will we know if we've kept Steve Johnson, Thall, and Perrault?
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If they go unclaimed on Dec. 10. - Roch

Roch,

How could you forget to mention "The Road Warrior" - the sequel in the Mad Max series?

If a Yankee fan has to post on an Orioles blog to try explaining why his or her team "didn't" actually buy the World Series, do you think that fan might be a little insecure about the Yankees' situation?

That's actually a really silly article about the Yankees.

It's main point seems to be that the Yankees didn't break any rules in spending so much money, which is true. In that sense, the Yankees didn't "buy" the World Series in a manner that is illegal or ill-advised by MLB standards.

Well, yeah, I get that.

However, the article focuses on the fact that Teixeira, Sabathia, and Burnett signings weren't mere one-year contracts--thus implying that the Yankees can't be portrayed as trying to "buy" this year's World Series because they were thinking about more than this year.

Right....

So then the article points out that players like Burnett, Sabathia, Teixeira will be in their mid- to late-thirties (and A-Rod and Posada will be in their early forties) by the time their contracts expire.

CLEARLY this means that the Yankees aren't trying to buy the World Series, because who can win with all these old guys down the road? (That's sarcasm for you.)

All that proves to me is that the Yankees, in spending extraordinary amounts of money to win now, have secured long-standing financial obligations to players who may or may not be worth it in several years--but that won't matter by then, because they'll be able to dole out more huge contracts to big names.

Must be nice... except that it only seems to work once every ten years.

The question was asked... "Why would the Orioles place more value on guys like Brian Bass, Alberto Castillo, Chris Waters and Radhames Liz? Are they insane?"

That SHOULD have been answered... yes. Yes, that is criminally insane. Someone call BPD.

Hey Roch, you are one funny dude. I needed a good laugh. It is another dreary, misty day out there and you outdid yourself. I was waiting for you to drop one more line. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted........" Keep on keeping on.
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Thanks Alan. - Roch

Roch, If some team picks up Steve Johnson, there's going to be one very ticked-off pre/postgame MASN announcer, you can count on that. Why would the Orioles mess with Dave that way (trade for his son, then essentially dump him)? It doesn't make sense.

Did I miss something, is there a GM out there somewhere that holds a press conference every other day and explains every move he is making to the whole world? This process is like a poker game, you don't say or do anything until you absolutely have too. Can someone please explain to B_O how that works! B_O, if your on a blog for more than a week, and you can't figure out who the idiot is, your the idiot.
I remember earlier this year when we sent Salizar down. Everyone was freakin out about it."He won't clear waivers, someones going grab him up!" Well he was still here 3 days later Chicken Little, and Steve Johnson will still be here after the rule 5 draft. No one is going to put him on there 25 man for the whole year, and if they do, so what? He's not the next Jim Palmer, and the sky is not falling.
This is actually a smart move on AM's part. If we protect him now, then have to take him off the roster later, we are guaranteed of losing him. At least if we lose him this way we get the $50,000, and have a chance at getting him back later. I'd take that gamble, we can't protect everyone.

It has to be said...."Kkhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn!!!"

The Orioles have to keep a few players like Bass, etc on the 40, because, if we sign a free agent, we have to remove a player, exposing them to waivers. If someone signs a Rule 5 er, they MUST keep them on the 25 man ALL YEAR, or we get them back. While the exposed players are decent prospects for us, I can't see a team willing to commit to them for a solid year (they aren't the level of Arrieta, Bell, etc...but a little lower level prospect). If every player on the 40 were our "keepers", we would have to lose one of them on waivers if we signed a free agent, or made a trade. I don't like the thought of the possibility of losing Johnson, but it seems to be a sign that the FO is going to actively pursue some players from outside the organization.

Roch,

If Paramount wants to remake "The Wrath of Khan" they have the parts already in place here. Directors like using Md for movie sets for whatever reason, but now they have the guys to play both leads too! DT is Kirk obviously. YOU can play Khan! All you need is a wig for the hair. They won't need the prosthetic chest & arm parts though! Anita can play your main henchwoman too. I'd use AM as Spock, the ears might be an improvement...