Odds and ends
Is Maryland still playing football this season?
Maybe I should ask whether they've started.
Bodog posted its 2010 World Series odds. You have to scroll down pretty far to find the Orioles:
New York Yankees 11/4
Boston Red Sox 13/2
Philadelphia Phillies 9/1
Los Angeles Angels 10/1
St. Louis Cardinals 10/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 11/1
Chicago Cubs 15/1
New York Mets 15/1
Tampa Bay Rays 15/1
Atlanta Braves 18/1
Colorado Rockies 18/1
Chicago White Sox 22/1
Detroit Tigers 25/1
Florida Marlins 25/1
Minnesota Twins 25/1
San Francisco Giants 25/1
Texas Rangers 25/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 40/1
Cincinnati Reds 45/1
Milwaukee Brewers 45/1
Oakland Athletics 45/1
Cleveland Indians 50/1
Seattle Mariners 50/1
Toronto Blue Jays 60/1
Baltimore Orioles 75/1
Houston Astros 75/1
San Diego Padres 75/1
Kansas City Royals 100/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 100/1
Washington Nationals 100/1
ESPN's Tim Kurkjian floated Aroldis Chapman's name past a general manager, who said the following: "I love his arm. But he's got a ways to go before he's ready to pitch in the major leagues, physically and emotionally.''
Kurkjian also wonders whether Chone Figgins and the Orioles could be a match if the Angels fail to re-sign the third baseman (and Los Angeles is expected to be aggressive in its attempts). I've already stated how much I like Figgins, but manager Dave Trembley has stated how much he wants a home run hitter at that position.
The Phillies are exploring alternatives to third baseman Pedro Feliz, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Would Melvin Mora be a fit?
That wouldn't be such a bad commute to Harford County.
Brandon Snyder went 1-for-4 with a walk and strikeout in the AFL's Rising Stars game. Josh Bell had a walk and RBI.
The Double-A Bowie Baysox are offering a holiday ticket package featuring a Brian Matusz bobblehead doll, a six-pack of tickets and the choice between a Baysox home replica hat or $15 worth of Baysox Bucks. The tickets are for undated lower reserved seats valid for any 2010 home game. The packages are $79.95 each, plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. Packs will be shipped on Dec. 14 to ensure arrival before the holidays.
You can avoid the shipping fees by picking up the packages at the Baysox office from Dec. 15-23. They can be purchased on www.baysox.com or by calling 301-464-4880.
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
I can see Melvin Mora in a Phillies uniform while keeping his home where it is. It's less than a two hour drive to work.
Supposedly, Atkins and Utley are best of friends so Atkins could be heading to the Phillies to replace Feliz. Besides what does Mora have left?
Roch, lots of possiblities for the O's but the tough sell is to get them to come, regardless of the money offered. Guerrero a while ago, and Garland more recently, have shown that "anywhere but the O's" attitude, as did many less publicized players I assume. Thrift's theory about offering "Confererate money" still rings true it seems.
Winning always helps but that didn't happen. And neither did a move out of the AL East. Trades could add talent but then you tap into the farm system more than they might want to do. Has there been any discussion of how to attempt to overcome the negative perception when persuing FAs this off season, short of dramatically overpaying a FA?
Lucky Horseshoe said:
JPA-
1. we arent a good team
2. we would not be bringing them in as centerpieces either.They would be this years Eaton, place holders because we dont think our prospects at those positions are ready.
We have three choices IMO.
1. sign stop gap free agents to buy time (Glaus, Beltre, Thome, Blalock).
2. do nothing and let Wiggy and Aubrey be the placeholders (or prove they can excel)
3. trade some youth for a star. MacPhail, I believe did not say he wouldnt trade the kids, he said he would not trade the young core players.
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Lucky, your commentary is intelligent but it falls so much in line with the "wait and see" or "hope our prospects all pan out" mentality that I think we will just have to agree to disagree. I don't think there are only 3 options. I think you need to target the best available (to the Orioles) talent. This may not be a first or third baseman. Give a couple of guys you LOVE, the keys to the car. I don't care if Markakis' feeling are hurt because he isn't the highest paid. He'll enjoy winning even more. Stop-gaps, innings eaters, reclamation projects are all ways of saying we aren't ready for prime time. We come into the process defeated with every free agent. I'm sorry but this organization is full of p@**&%s. Give Baltimore an identity, market it, play, believe it and sell it to the free agents. And then dump a truck load of money on two players who encapsulate that identity. When the Red Sox and Yankees come into town, these guys have to feel they are better.
How long do we wait? Until Matusz, Tillman, Jones, Reimold, and Bergy have watched the AL East stomp on us for 5 years?
How long until we reach the magical threshold of competitiveness that allows us to spend money? How do any of you know that will occur?
You don't. Until you see a REAL cleanup hitter signed AS PROMISED this offseason, a reasonable observer has to be doubtful. And before you argue about the availability of such a free agent, I wasn't the one who made the promise. AM had the same list of free agents we all did when he made the statement. He also said we would prioritize the international market but have done nothing to follow up on a zero-impact move last season. We can't afford to make lateral moves and minimal upgrades. We need to hope our prospects pan out AND we need power bats and a veteran starter or two. Dave Trembley is getting judged this year. I think MacPhail needs to be judged as well.
75:1 is too low based on our actual chances of winning the division. Of that list Texas looks good at 25:1, I expect them to smoke that division next year. I stopped watching college football regularly years ago but just flipping around yesterday, I stopped on two games at about the same time and they were both reviewing plays at the same time, that made it just impossible to watch.
Snyder looked great defensively last night. Made a heck of a diving stab to rob a hit from one guy showing nice range as well. Are the O's more worried about his D than his bat when it comes to making the team out of spring training? I was expecting him to look below average in the field but he looked pretty good to me. He must be busting his rump to improve himself in that area of the game.
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He still has to work on his defense, but the Orioles know his bat will get him in the majors. The kid needs to hit. - Roch
I'd like to look at the Bodog odds from this time last year and see how accurate they were. Also, keep in mind a lot can change in terms of player personnel between now and the start of the year.
To be honest, I don't know what realistic options Mora has for 2010. I don't see Mora as much of an upgrade over Feliz. Even if Mora was to be a cheaper alternative, if I were the Phillies brass, I'd pay the extra dough in the name of continuity... unless Feliz is unliked in the clubhouse.
Easier said than done, though. Once you overpay somebody, you risk every other player on the team (and their agents) become unhappy because now they view themselves as underpaid. You risk creating a monster and destroying your credibility to the players. It kills me when fans say, "Just get it done." Few teams can spend money like the Yankees... that's a unique situation over there.
I've seen an idea floated around over the years, and I guess it's based on the European soccer model. It would entail establishing different divisions or leagues accommodating teams from different markets. For example, a Premier League would include the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets, etc. Division 1 teams would be represented by the "middle-market" clubs and Division 2 would include the small-market teams. There would be no inter-division games and championships would be exclusive to each division. The "World Series" would be exclusive to the Premier Division. The team that finishes last in the Premier Division would drop to Division 1 the next year, and the team that wins Division 1 would move up to the Premier Division.
I'm not saying it's a good idea but I wonder if it has any merit. What are the pros and cons?
O's should sign Figgins only if they think that he can play shortstop for them once Josh Bell is ready or they think that he'd a tradable commodity later on. Otherwise Beltre, if he agrees to one year deal, would be a better choice. Beltre is the best defensive third baseman in the league. It was hard to put a finger on why More had such a bad year at the plate, because he appeared to be taking healthy swings, and didn't show any slackening in his bat speed. And he played well definsively as well. So I won't mind if he is brought back for a year.
I like the idea of signing Tejada and Laroche for the corner spots.
Roch,
Who do you think realistically Trembley wants for 3rd base?
Figgins would be the best option out of this free agent market. It appears the O's aren't willing to do what it takes to trade for a real clean up hitter at first base. So Figgins seems like our best option for a quality player at a corner infield position this year.
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I don't know any names, just the qualifications. In a perfect world, it's Josh Bell by the middle of the summer. - Roch
I think the Phils are actually interested in an *upgrade*.
My crystal ball tells me that the Ravens' front line once again would find it hard to put pressure on the Bengals' QB, and Cedric Benson would have another good game running the ball. So the Ravens will have to be creative with their blitz packages. Ravens will employ ball control type of offence, and intercept Palmer at least twice to emerge victorious by five points.
Tough games today, I took a couple of 1st half options: Bal -1, GB -7, New Orleans -7 and NE/Mia +23.5
As for other spreads I like:
Ravens -3
Indy/Houston over 50
GB -9.5
NE/Mia over 47
Nice to see AJ win more accolades, even if the GG is entirely subjective and often biased.
We're in the same boat as the Nats, Royals and Pirates.............what a surprise.
When the bottom line is more important than the win/loss column, this is the kind of company you find the O's associated with.
You need to sign decent veteran players who have a background in winning. Otherwise all of our top prospects will continue to learn the bad habits of losing.
GO MAN U! CRUSH THE CHELSEA BOYS!
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Notice the editing I did on this entry, Brummie? Did you forget our "arrangement?" I knew you couldn't make your points without falling back on your old "Andrew" rants. Next time, it's the delete button. You've fired that same jab too many times this weekend. - Roch
How far the Angels go for Figgins depends on how they really feel about Brandon Wood. The say publicly he is the next star/super star but in limited ML at bats he has looked over matched. They only went so far after Tex because they felt Kendry Morales could do the job (for a lot less $). They were right.
If they feel the same about Wood, Chone is ghone . . .
He could help the O's and would bring more offense than Mora did this year, but he's clearly not the power guy they want- especially from the right side. Money aside, he is also likely to demand and command a multi year deal, and the O's are likely to only want a one year deal for any 3B so that the path is clear for Bell.
Chone and the Orioles is just not a good match.
Here is my plan to make the O's instant contenders. Overpay for either Jason Bay or Matt Holiday. Sign John Lackey, and if that doesn't work out, go for Bedard or Ben Sheets. Trade Reimold, (I love him but he's a valuable trade chip and now we have a left fielder) Arrieta, Brandon Snyder and one lower prospect for Adrian Gonzalez and sign him long term. If Bay/Holliday sign for $17 mil, Bedard for $10 mil, and A. Gonzalez for $20 mil, that's $47 million. Even with that, our payroll should only be slightly higher than last year and here's our lineup.
Roberts
Jones
Markakis
Gonzalez
Bay
Wieters
Scott
Wiggington
Izturis
Rotation: Bedard,Guthrie, Bergy, Matusz, Tillman
Championship caliber team. What do you think?
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It's a nice dream, but the Orioles aren't going to make that trade for Gonzalez, and Bay isn't coming here. - Roch
I like Chone too, despite his complete tanking in the ALCS (not that postseason performance is something the O's need to worry about just yet). It would give the O's two lead-off hitters, which might not be terrible. I don't know . . . is Chris Sabo still available?
Roch,
Jerry's trade concept is great and actually a realistic package. That's what it would probably take for Gonzalez/Fielder. To give up Reimold means no Tillman/Matusz. Reimold is awesome. Could've been ROY if he stayed healthy. The "staying healthy" part is the big question mark with him though and makes him a legitimate trade chip in my eyes.
And even if we don't sign Bay. We'd put Pie in left field and still have a serious lineup. Weak spot would be 3rd base but we could sign Figgins for that spot.
And we'd be contenders then. I know lots of fans have delusions of packages like Hernandez, Berken, and a couple of non-big name prospects to acquire a serious hitter, but that's only in la-la land.
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It isn't realistic if MacPhail doesn't want to part with his top pitching prospects, which includes Arrieta. - Roch
Roch,
Sorry bout that Roch. I meant to write that more as - that is a realistic package of what it'd take to get him. I think it'd be a mutually beneficial package. I was speaking more of fans who think they can throw a bunch of second tier players in a package to get a top player.
I unfortunately realize that we won't take those kind of risks at this juncture.
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Gotcha. My fault for misunderstanding what you were saying. Sorry. Yes, that would be more of a realistic package. It would take at least one of those top-tier young arms. - Roch
REVISED:
I don't understand all the love for Figgins.
He's not particularly good at 3b, and has little to no power.
I only view him as a utility player who can fill in at OF, 3b, and 2b for a contending team.
He's NOT a SS!
I'd rather see Glaus, who can always move to 1b.
Joe in DC...I agree w/ you about the odds on Texas...that's the team that stuck out for me as well.
Great win by Navy at ND...maybe THEY should be the team w/ gold helmets in the Top 20.
I think we could trade one top pitching prospect if we sign one top notch starter. And the guys I would trade for Gonzalez are all "extras" if we get Gonzalez and Bay/Holliday. This might not be the first choice in destinations for Bay or Holliday but a team with a history of losing has to overpay for their first major free agent. Give them 2 mil per year more than everyone else. Everything I said is realistic and our payroll would be about the same. It's a dream but if McPhail (and I trust his judgement) is aggressive, I think he could make this happen.
Roch,
I think a lot of folks on this blog miss the point when it comes to trading for an impact bat. We are finally seeing a FO that has done a credible job rebuilding the foundation (our farm system) and now want to deplete some of the depth by dealing potential impact arms. And let's not kid ourselves, that's what it would take to get either Gonzalez or Fielder. Put yourself in SD or Milwaukee's position, are you gonna take some of the offers presented here? Get real, I don't think Fielder is going anywhere right now. As for Gonzalez? Well it's going to start with Arrieta, probably Erbe as well, and a combination of Snyder, or perhaps Joseph. And even that might not do it. SD is going to have options and will go after the best deal out there. Is it worth seriously depleting the depth we've worked hard to achieve?
Again, not to sound like a broken record, but if the Angels waffle on re-signing Vlad, go get him. There's your impact bat, costs a 2nd round pick, but does not take away any depth from the farm. It also gives us another season to see whether our farm system is able to develop more impact bats. Pitching? Get a middle of the road starter through perhaps a minimally invasive package of prospects, and forget about chasing Chapman. A waste of time in my opinion, let someone else over pay for the LH version of D-Cab.
Don't get me wrong, I love Chone Figgins, but he is not a good fit for the Orioles. First of all he is not going to sign a 1 or 2 year deal. He, at 35, is going to want a 4 year deal. Your going to have the same problem we had with Mora, a player your paying a lot of money in his declining years.
2nd we already have a lead off hitter, and Figgins has no power. I guess you could move Roberts down in the line up, but I think Figgins is just not a fit
I would rather see the O's take a chance on a guy like Glaus for a year or two, if he works out great if not, bring up Josh Bell.
Has anyone in the warehouse mentioned Xavier Nady as an option for the right handed bat that is needed? He could be a cheaper option for the DH slot, or at 1B, since his arm is still mending from surgery. A better option than Glaus, Blalock, etal?
O's fan 4 life:
I have been thinking about Nady as well. He had a really good year in 2008---25 HRs and an avg over .300, playing in Pittsburgh and NY. You have to imagine it wouldn't take much to get him here, since he's coming off injury. At the beginning of the year, You have him and Scott at 1B and DH. When Snyder is ready, They could do a rotation until they trade either Nady or Scott, but only until Snyder proves his worth. Plus, Snyder can play a little 3B if he has to in order to get all three guys in the lineup. I can't imagine Snyder's D at third is much worse than Wiggington's, and hopefully Snyder's bat will develop quickly and be better than Wiggington's.
In a perfect scenario, Nady would come back great from injury, Snyder or Bell would be ready for the bigs before the other one, and the team would then be able to trim off the excess to regain the depth lost in the minors from the past two years.
Solution. Thome as our DH. He would love the flag courts at Camden Yards. What do you think are the chances of getting him?
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I don't think a left-handed hitting DH, especially with Luke Scott on the roster, is preferred. - Roch
I like Chone Figgins, but I don't think he's the impact bat that we really need.
The free agent class of 2011 has much better potential... as much as it stinks to wait, I think we should let the young talent develop for one more year and then make a splash in 2011.
A stopgap player won't get us where we need to be anyway, right?
What are the chances the Ravens can get Matt Stover and Chris McCallister back?
What are the chances we can teach Ozzie that sometimes you HAVE to trade draft picks for elite WR's?
Man this is tough to watch. Could have had Boldin and we're closing in on one already, possibly two games lost because our kicker can't make 40 yarders with no wind.
The Ravens' secondary is woeful. When in doubt, throw deeeeep. The team is playing undisciplined football. Unfortunately any team with a QB will be able to throw all over us. Anyone notice how much better they looked after Fabian Washington was taken out? This non-playoff season can be put on the otherwise reliable Wizard of Oz- not enough in the secondary, receiving corps, and a kicker who can't handle pressure. This team just isn't good enough. Anyone seen Willis? Remember when Heap was good? Remember when we could stop the run or pass or anything? I hate when the Ravens are not having a good year because it doesn't give baltimore fans a break in the losing.
SteveinPHX: Stover is a possibility but McCalister is DONE. There is a reason no team in the league has touched him.
You are right Roch. My most recent was a little to similar to other posts this weekend. Sorry. I'll get back on course.
PAINFUL!
The word best used to describe Joe Flacco today. And was Trembley running the Ravens today? They looked woefully unprepared.
Vegas.com has us at 100-1 and 50-1 for the pennant. Either way, it's going to be a long year for MacPhail's 2010 collection.
MLB
2010 World Series
Updated Nov. 2, 2009
Team Open Current
N.Y. Yankees 3/1
Boston 13/2
Philadelphia 13/2
St. Louis 8/1
L.A. Angels 17/2
L.A. Dodgers 9/1
Tampa Bay 11/1
Chi. White Sox 12/1
Atlanta 12/1
Chi. Cubs 14/1
Colorado 20/1
Detroit 20/1
N.Y. Mets 20/1
Texas 30/1
San Francisco 30/1
Florida 30/1
Minnesota 30/1
Milwaukee 50/1
Arizona 75/1
Houston 75/1
Toronto 75/1
Baltimore 100/1
Cincinnati 100/1
Oakland 125/1
Seattle 125/1
Pittsburgh 150/1
Kansas City 150/1
Cleveland 200/1
San Diego 200/1
Washington 200/1
Frustrating Ravens game. I feared that Cincy would jump out to a two-score lead early in the game, and unfortunately, that's what happened. The offense just looked...well, you all saw the game. Cincinatti is just an all-around better team. Cincy features two great corners and a disciplined front seven that keeps their lanes well. Cincy also has disciplined kick and punt coverage units. A revitalized Benson plus a healthy Palmer equals a playoff-caliber offense for them.
Anyway, Figgins is not coming here. He'll want a three-year deal, which the Orioles would be unwilling to do because they want Bell to take over the third base position as early as mid-2010. And if the Orioles were looking to fix the third base via free agency, they would not have traded their closer for Bell. I see Wigginton at third base until Bell is ready. It's just silly to commit big years and dollars to a free agent third baseman when you've traded your best reliever for a third base prospect. Although I like Figgins a lot as a player, he wouldn't address the power that the Orioles need at the corners. Bell is expected to eventually fill that power void. Figgins will probably stay in LA, anyway.
Any further word on Jones getting a gold glove?
It would be odd for him to get a gold glove playing half a season and being the second best outfielder on the team.
Just saying... not taking anything away from him, but...
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I'd pass along any updates, but there really aren't going to be any until the annoucement is made. I'm already told that he's been notified that he won. - Roch
Why is some people saying Thome, Scott is as good as him now. Scott had 25 homeruns and if he had played the full season, would have had 30. Also people want Bay, Reimold will be as good as Bay with a full season. Let it all develop people. I like Figgins too, he turns singles into doubles with his steals. with him and Roberts at the top of the line up, the pitchers would be concentrating on them and Markakis, Reimold, Jones, and Wieters will have alot more hits and runs batted in. I would try to get a power hitting first baseman, with Aubrey filling in the latter innings for defense. One Vet. starter and a closer, including Figgins and the power hitting first baseman and we have a team to compete with NY and Boston. Its better said than done.
Roch,
I wanted to follow up on your "In Decline" post regarding possible free agent options .I'm curious why we haven't seen the name Adam LaRoche presented as an option. He's a type B free agent who has been remarkably consistent in his 6 years and compares very favorably to Adrian Gonzalez (though Gonzalez is certainly a better player). The following are the career 162 game averages per baseball reference:
LaRoche
G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
162 624 556 78 152 40 1 26 91 59 133 .274 .343 .491.834 116
Gonzalez
G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
162 682 598 93 168 36 2 32 98 75 127 .281 .362 .506 .869 133
I think it's reasonable to conclude that for both players a change to a much smaller park(the right field dimensions at OPACY are smaller than those at SD and ATL and similar to PIT, respectively) and into a growing and better lineup could boost those numbers. Now, Adrian Gonzalez is an elite player, but is he 4-5 prospects (including at least one top arm), plus (if you can sign him) a Teixera type contract better than Adam LaRoche? Even if Gonzalez was a free agent, I would think the difference in salary and therefore the ability to redirect that difference into other assets would/could offset any differences in production. Again I'm not saying LaRoche is of the same caliber, but certainly seems to present a much better value. His salary last year was just over $7m, so a 3yr deal around that annual salary does not seem unreasonable. Signing LaRoche would provide steady production at first base, as well as allow the Orioles to leave their farm system intact or be able to find other deals including those prospects to address other needs.
Potential counter arguments to this(I'm sure there are more than this list):
1) Management is seeking a right handed bat-- Ideally a right handed bat would fit nicely in behind Markakis, so this goal makes sense. But the market realities don't match that goal. Also, were a bigger name more readily available (i,e. Adrian Gonzalez) I don't think his handedness would be an issue
2)Management does not appear to intend to pursue Gonzalez-- this actually makes my point, that the cost of obtaining Gonzalez is prohibitive and LaRoche is a more efficient substitute.
3)We shouldn't block Brandon Snyder's path-- A worthy goal to be sure, however,A) we don't know if Snyder can hit consistently at the major league level, we think and hope he can, but we don't know it. B)This buys Snyder a little more time to mature and provides a proven veteran to follow, C) why can't we have both? what ever happened to having depth? why couldn't the combination of the 2 provide Gonzalez like production at a fraction of the cost?, D)this would increase roster flexibility and create greater opportunity to pursue other deals.
4)LaRoche is not a 4 hitter--This I can't argue with, I just can't.
To sum it up(apologies for the long post everyone, I normally skim/skip the long ones myself) my question isn't "is LaRoche as good as Gonzalez?" He's not, I know that, you know that, we all know that. Gonzalez is younger and better. However my question is "Why do we value Adrian Gonzalez at 3 times the value of Adam LaRoche(based on Teixera type contract) and think we should give up 4-5 young, cheap prospects to pay him that?" Personally I would keep the prospects(assets) and the money and pay LaRoche a fraction of the cost, for a good chunk of the same production.
Roch - your constant back & forth with Brummie_Oriole is getting old.
I used to just ignore the repetitive spew from Jack & Brummie but you seem to relish in the the constant back and forth with Brummie and it makes it hard to skip apst, as I usually key in on your comments in the blog.
You've threatened on numerous occasions to just delete their posts but instead you are adding fuel to their desire for constant attention.
Please get back to the insightful blog we all know & love and stop catering to these worthless attention seekers.
Thanks,
Bob F.
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First of all, I don't relish the back and forth. Trust me. And he had toned it down for a while, which is why he's still here. You might notice that someone else has been banished. I don't know why this is so difficult for some people, but just skip the comments from people who bother you. Takes like five seconds, if that, to scroll past them. It's really not a chore. - Roch
Roch when I talked to his mother she hinted as to he had won it.
This is just what Baltimore needed, some publicity, no one knows who our young guys are, we need more publicity in Baltimore.
Roch -
I will try to avoid beating the same dead horse(s) that are beaten here and elsewhere seemingly every 5 minutes, but it's clear we have a bit of a surplus in the minors. Caleb Joseph for instance, assuming he doesn't switch from catcher, is permanently blocked barring some serious (and most likely really bad) change. Blake Davis and Justin Christian could be seen as surplus. Justin Turner, Florimon, Angle are other names who could be seen as either blocked or surplus. The list goes on and that's without getting into Snyder, Waring (is there room for him with Bell and Snyder in the mix?), Townsend, Hoes, Avery, Welty and Bell. My question for you is, what would you do? I know I have a mix of names in here in terms of experience and readiness, but it seems we can't sit on every one of these guys.
Do you ask Florida about Uggla? Atlanta about Vazquez? Not suggesting we HAVE to do something, just figured I'd ask for your initial thoughts.
Keep up the good work, I rarely comment but always read.
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Thanks Nick. I wouldn't worry about Joseph. He has a ways to go yet. And nothing wrong with him eventually being a backup, if it comes to that, or changing positions. And they're really not that deep in position prospects. I would definitely inquire about Vazquez, since the Braves don't seem as desperate to add pitching. - Roch
Brummie_Oriole said:
We're in the same boat as the Nats, Royals and Pirates.............what a surprise.
When the bottom line is more important than the win/loss column, this is the kind of company you find the O's associated with.
You need to sign decent veteran players who have a background in winning. Otherwise all of our top prospects will continue to learn the bad habits of losing.
________________________________
*YAWN*
Roch - you are missing my point. I am smart enough to skip past the posts from the annoying few, but I do key on your replies to all posts when I'm scrolling through. Which in turn makes me read the post you are replying to.
Maybe you should take your own advice and scroll through those posts or not comment when they are the same old s___.
Just sayin'
Figgins best days are behind him. Besides, we already have a pretty good leadoff guy. I agree w/ DT, we need more pop
Baltimore Orioles 75/1..... so you're saying there's a chance?
jerios said:
I posted it on OH yesterday 5 minutes after his big brother posted it ;)
November 8, 2009 1:21 AM
Wow. FamilyMemberStalker. I guess you still want a prize for "breaking it" anyway. A nice TRO would look nice on that shelf next to you, wouldn't it? :)
BMS, I know you will not be missing work tomorrow. You can't afford to.
"I took a couple of 1st half options: Bal -1, GB -7, New Orleans -7 and NE/Mia +23.5
As for other spreads I like:
Ravens -3
Indy/Houston over 50
GB -9.5
NE/Mia over 47"
Better luck next week!
Roch,
Radical Realignment Revisited:
I did not realize that Radical Realignment was pushed by Bud Selig and a topic at an Owner's meeting in September of 1997 - source:
1997 Radical Realignment Plan
www.andromedan.com/linda/realign.htm
The economy is suppose to be the big topic at this coming Owner's meeting in Chicago - source:
Information on November 18th Owners Meeting
www.maurybrown.com/?p=598
I know I keep bringing this topic up and you mentioned that you are not aware of this topic resurfacing. Here are my questions for you.
1. If it was brought up before, what is the major obstacle to it being brought up again?
2. While this obviously died in 1997, it died before the YES Network and other team owned as well as regional networks poured loads of money into certain big market teams. It was before the disparities between big, mid and small markets became so extreme. Do you think the Owners would look at this enhancing competitive balance?
3. As a fan, is there anything that I can do to find out if Major League Baseball will look at regional realignment that puts both New York teams in the same division with Boston, both Chicago teams together and both L.A. teams together?
4. Would divisional based revenue sharing help the regional realignment concept? For example, the Orioles could receive 5% of revenues from YES, NESN, SNY and the Phillies revenues from Comcast. This is complicated, I am sure; however, if MLB determined an ideal revenue amount for each division, it could pour revenue into those teams to make them more competitive. In a division like my Mountain Division listed below, the MLB Network could kick in some funds to increase their revenue.
As I wait for your response to the questions, here is my take on a possible realignment as you have seen before.
American League (with Designated Hitter)
East Division
Baltimore, Boston, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia
Central Division
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Washington, Toronto, Pittsburgh
South Division
Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida, Houston, Texas
National League (Without Designated Hitter)
Central Division
Detroit, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee, Minnesota
Mountain Division
St. Louis, Kansas City, Colorado, Arizona, Seattle
West Division
San Diego, Los Angeles Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco, Oakland
God bless,
M.T.P.
Northern VA Orioles Fan
As long as no one minds, here is a Matt Wieters fact to liven up the young offseason:
-- According To BaseballReference.com, on May 21, 1986 Orioles Catcher John Stefaro Went 0 For 3 With Three Strikeouts In A 2 To 1 Win Over The Angels. When Interviewed After The Game About His Poor Performance, He Said "Matt Wieters Was Born Today… What's The Point." --
From www.mattwietersfacts.com
Roch,
When are the Orioles releasing their Spring Training schedule?
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Don't have exact date. December/January. Don't remember when it usually comes out, but it's at least a month away. - Roch
Roch-
Tip to self. Never have the inlaws stay over, watch Frost Nixon on Cinemax, fall asleep, then be awoken by your mother-in-law getting a glass of water, walk into the room and have "Busty Cops" on the big screen.
Very very awkward, and for once in my life, really wasn't my fault.
Chone Figgins might be good, BUT, the O's have guys that can get on base, we need someone to get them home.
When you look at the yankees, phillies, Sox, and so many other teams, they have what seems like half their lineup hitting under 250.
They score a ton of runs though because they have 3 or 4 guys that can hit the long ball. And, someone, every night seems to get that hit.
Earl Weaver had it right in that one Oriole talk interview.
"Forget the little F$#%$@'s that steal and run, get the big son of a b$%#ch that hits the ball outta the park and you can't go wrong"
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Classic story. Don't tell me how Busty Cops ends. I haven't seen it yet. - Roch
Whoever,
Joe Girardi pointed out that the ONE GUY HE TELLS HIS PLAYERS NEVER TO TEST IS........
NICK MARKAKIS.
Tony Francona has said the most underated outfielder in Baseball is Nick Markakis, that he just seems to make the plays that others can not make.
(if anyone remembers the play at Fenway where he crashed over the short wall in right to steal a HR, and then later made a double play by diving to his backhand side, then threw the runner out at 3rd on the tag in the same game to get 2 plays as the #1 webgem that night).
Those are the 2 dominant coaches that see Markakis the most every year.
I love reading some people's "scouting" reports on here about him.
I've seen some of the spectacular catches, and the fact that he is atop the assist leader board every year, says something to his accuracy and arm.
So, to those of you that bash him, I ask, what other RF in Baseball is better?
Ichiro? he had a 988% last year, in 16 less games and almost 150 fewer innings. Oh, he had 5 assists to Nick's 13. in 10% fewer games.
If you want pop at third base, trade for Cantu.
Roch-
MLBTR has a prediction that Harden signs somewhere for 7M plus incentives.
If that is the case, the O's should jump all over that.
If they could get him for 2years 15M, that would be perfect.
He is one of the best k's per 9inning guys out there, and with the young guys that the O's are going to be bringing up, and the youth that is already there, they could benefit from less balls being put into play.
They also predict that Delgado will sign here. That would probably make a lot of since. They could get 30HR power maybe, with little risk and financial commitment.
I've been awake since, oh, April, and figured now is as good a time as any to post random things on random blogs. (Sorry, Rusty!)
Dan Uggla? Really? Are we still talking about him? Last I checked, we already had a second baseman. Last I checked, Dan Uggla played...second base. Feel free to point out that I'm wrong. I can always count on y'all to not hold back in that respect.
Jim Thome? Really? He's a hundred and fifty years old and can pretty much only DH. I don't think it's smart of ANY team to pay an aging DH that kind of money. Good thing he was able to get some from Frank McCourt before Jamie got it, I guess. Wait, I may be older than Thome. Scratch the geriatric comment.
Did anyone else watch the AFL Rising Stars game (I know a few are stopping here screaming "NO! And WHO CARES?") and notice what a great crop of catchers will be coming up shortly? My PretendMajorLeagueTeam now has about 5 catchers, 9 outfielders, and twelvity-seven pitchers. I'll make it work.
And whoever sent me Twitter messages during the game re: my Opening Day request, c'mon, fess up. There's beer in it for ya. I know you're on here.
I am trying to find a home for both Buster Posey and Hank Cogner on my PretendTeam, alongside Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph. (Apologies to Steve Torrealba, who will remain organizational filler for the rest of his career, most likely in double-a.) Posey has lived up to his hype, and this in spite of the fact that he's a 'Nole. (This Florida girl ain't no Seminole fan! Nor an English major!) I forget if it was Cogner or Castro... one of the catchers made a ridiculous attempt at throwing out a runner at 3rd and I wanted to run thru my tv and hug him. Didn't GET the runner, but it was a great throw and I'm pretty sure he's going to only get better. Watch out, baserunners.
I also want Danny Gutierrez, only if he comes without his loud fanclub. Dude hit the strike zone like there was money in it for him. He's going to make Nolan Ryan proud by the end of spring training.
This is already too long and at the end of a thread. Roch, sorry you have to be the only one to read it to make sure I'm not punctuating with the f-word. I'll make ya work harder when I actually have something to say. :)
Gnite, y'all.
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Don't worry about me. I just skimmed it. (kidding). - Roch
Figgins isn't the power bat they need, but I'd be thrilled if they got him. Brian Roberts is a great player, but like most players he has ups and downs over the course of the season. He's so important to the lineup that when he slumps, the team has trouble scoring runs. Put both him AND Figgins in the top 2 spots in the lineup and we'd have a much more dynamic offense.
Plus, Figgins is a great defensive 3B.
O's need Lackey or Bedard. Get Uggla to play third. He is cheaper than Mora (5.5MM to 8.0 MM). Or Figgins if possible. Then let the young players develop. I know it is the same story but, this team and farm system has sucked for so long, it will take much more than a free agent or two to solve this mess. Let Andy work it. Be patient for another year or two with MacPhail, then if it doesn't change things, "off with his head".....:-)