One reporter questions baseball's economic system

One reporter questions baseball's economic system
The column published Tuesday by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was interesting and thought-provoking. It was about the economic system in place in baseball due to the brutally slow-to-move free agent market right now in the game. Click here to read the column. It is worth your time. I applaud the effort, research and time that went into this, but I will say that I don't see the system as broken or in need of a major overhaul. To me, baseball seems rather financially healthy with revenues in the...
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Are Pirates going where Orioles may eventually be headed?

Are Pirates going where Orioles may eventually be headed?
While the management of the Pittsburgh Pirates is not saying the club has gone into full rebuild mode, the Bucs have traded pitcher Gerrit Cole and the face of their franchise, outfielder Andrew McCutchen, in recent days. The Pirates dealt Cole, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, to the Houston Astros for four players on Saturday. They dealt McCutchen, a Pirate for nine years, to San Francisco for two players on Monday. You have to wonder if the Pirates have not gone in the last few days...
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As O's look for more rotation innings, the AL trend is for less

As O's look for more rotation innings, the AL trend is for less
It is not a secret that the Orioles need to get more innings out of their starting rotation than they have in recent years. Not only has their starting rotation ranked near the bottom of the league in ERA, but also in combined innings pitched. But this has happened to the Orioles at a time when the entire American League has seen starters pitching fewer innings. The trend of teams pulling starters earlier and getting to their bullpens sooner was big in the 2017 postseason, when starting...
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After 10 years, Adam Jones faces uncertain O's future

After 10 years, Adam Jones faces uncertain O's future
Over 10 seasons as an Oriole, center fielder Adam Jones has played in the All-Star Game five times, won four Gold Glove Awards, finished in the top 14 in the MVP vote three times and added a Silver Slugger Award, too. It has been an impressive 10-year stretch, one that began with the Orioles mired in a long run of losing. But starting in 2012, the Orioles began a five-year stretch where they posted the best record in the American League. Said simply, Jones has been a key player and a team...
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Week in review: Talking free agent pitchers and more

Week in review: Talking free agent pitchers and more
In looking back at the last week of stories in this space, we had quite the variety. There was, of course, Manny Machado trade talk, also some free agent pitching discussion and a look at Chance Sisco's opportunity to make the 2018 Orioles. There was a post on Arizona's top two pitching prospects with the D-backs a potential Machado trading partner. There was also a look at Miguel Castro as a starter candidate and the latest payroll math after Friday's arbitration agreements. It was an...
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The latest O's payroll math

The latest O's payroll math
After the Orioles agreed with five players on 2018 contracts Friday, avoiding possible arbitration hearings, we can take another look at their current payroll. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the salary for the Orioles' opening day roster was $147.7 million in 2016 and $164.3 million last season. Before Friday, the Orioles had four guaranteed salaries on the books for 2018, with Chris Davis listed at $21.1 million, Adam Jones at $17.3 million, Mark Trumbo at $12.5 million and Darren...
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Arizona is potential O's trading partner with top pitching prospects

Arizona is potential O's trading partner with top pitching prospects
The Diamondbacks have been mentioned as one of the teams that checked in on the availability of Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. While the D-backs have Jake Lamb, who hit 30 homers and drove in 105 at third base, perhaps they have shortstop in mind when thinking of Machado. Either way, they have been one of the teams reportedly showing significant interest. According to this report last night in The Athletic (subscription required), the Diamondbacks are the "most persistent of the teams...
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Will O's take a chance: Is Sisco ready for the majors?

Will O's take a chance: Is Sisco ready for the majors?
There was a time when you could find scouts who felt that Chance Sisco would never improve enough on defense to ever catch an inning in the major leagues. You don't hear that talk anymore - and he did, in fact, catch in the majors after a call-up last September. Now the talk more centers on just how much has Sisco improved as a pro on defense, how well will he do throwing out runners and how ready he is for a big league opportunity. In 2018, his chance could truly arrive, no pun intended. The...
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Miguel Castro would face some challenges as a starting pitcher

Miguel Castro would face some challenges as a starting pitcher
Orioles manager Buck Showalter added further confirmation Tuesday to what looked to be a pretty safe bet when last season ended. That is that right-hander Miguel Castro will get a look for a rotation spot in spring training. And why not? He's a young guy with a good arm and the Orioles surely need starting pitchers right now. The Orioles' trade last April 7 for Castro from Colorado was an under-the-radar move that could pay off for years to come. That is if Castro continues to show the...
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Revisiting some free agent pitching talk

Revisiting some free agent pitching talk
Over the weekend, the Orioles were once again linked to free agent right-hander Andrew Cashner. When the free agent period began, MLBTradeRumors.com ranked him as the No. 27 free agent on a list of all available players. They projected he would get a two-year deal for $20 million from the Oakland Athletics. Here is what I have written previously about Cashner, when we looked at him here: He signed a one-year $10 million deal for Texas last winter and it paid off for the Rangers. After pitching...
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Manny Machado trade talk isn't going away yet

Manny Machado trade talk isn't going away yet
If it seems like trade talk about Manny Machado has been going on for a long time now, that is because it has. The speculation and rumor mill kicked into overdrive at the Winter Meetings, and while it has cooled considerably since then, it still seems to be hanging over the team as the new year begins. It would seem that it is getting in the way a bit at this point, but maybe that is just due to the media focus. Perhaps team officials are much less focused on their All-Star third baseman who...
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Week in review: Notes on Machado, Schoop, Bundy and Gausman

Week in review: Notes on Machado, Schoop, Bundy and Gausman
Let's take a look back at a few stories that appeared in this space in the last week. Feel free to revisit them and post some comments here today on any or all of them. The new year began with this story from Monday expressing a wish for a quick resolution to the Manny Machado situation - essentially the hope for a trade to be completed soon. We are still waiting on that. It could be that the Orioles themselves are now less inclined to deal Machado. It could also be that they are just waiting...
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Mussina's possible call to the Hall and more Machado trade talk

Mussina's possible call to the Hall and more Machado trade talk
In his fifth year of eligibility, is this the year for former Orioles and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina to make the Hall of Fame? According to this Hall of Fame tracker, he is at 73.7 percent of the votes that are known and 75 percent is needed for election. In his first year of eligibility in 2014, he got just 20.3 percent of the vote. But that has gone up to 24.6 in 2015, 43.0 in 2016 and to 51.8 percent last year. He keeps looking better to the voters, I guess, without throwing a single...
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Revisiting Machado at shortstop and a look at Hosmer's free agency

Revisiting Machado at shortstop and a look at Hosmer's free agency
If Manny Machado is an Oriole in 2018, we still don't know if he will be playing at third base or moved to shortstop, a position he has played before in the majors but not last season. An argument against moving Machado is that he has been an elite defender at third base, winning the Platinum Glove after the 2013 season. That goes to the best defender in the league, no matter the position. One argument for moving Machado is that shortstop is a premium defensive positon and he would be involved...
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For starters, Bundy and Gausman were good in the AL East

For starters, Bundy and Gausman were good in the AL East
As the Orioles look to build a rotation for the 2018 season, right now we only know for certain that right-handers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman will be two of the five starters. The good news is both are young and under team control for a combined seven more seasons. Gausman cannot be a free agent until after the 2020 season and Bundy after 2021. And while both posted very good numbers at times last season, their final season stats included an ERA of 4.24 for Bundy and 4.68 for Gausman. But in...
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The skipper's confidence in his middle-of-the-order hitter

The skipper's confidence in his middle-of-the-order hitter
He is the only player on the Orioles roster signed beyond the 2019 season. His contract runs through 2022. When first baseman Chris Davis signed a seven-year deal worth $161 million in January 2016, a lot changed for him. He had incredible financial security for his family's future, but also the expectations for him would now be higher than ever. Davis produced 47 homers and a .923 OPS in 2015 that helped get him that contract. But in 2016, he hit 38 homers with an OPS of .792, and last year...
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What a Jonathan Schoop contract extension might look like

What a Jonathan Schoop contract extension might look like
With one homegrown star possibly leaving the team in the next year via a trade or free agency, can the Orioles keep another? If third baseman Manny Machado leaves the Orioles via free agency after the 2018 season, second baseman Jonathan Schoop could do the same at the end of 2019. With Machado likely to command a contract the team is not prepared and/or willing to match, Schoop should be a different story. He has two years of team control left and his next deal will come well under the...
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For O's, the new year begins amid similar concerns, questions

For O's, the new year begins amid similar concerns, questions
As the new year arrives, the Orioles have some of the old problems. The calendar may have changed, but it is the same offseason from one day to the next. So today I wish everyone a happy new year along with a wish that in 2018 the discourse could always be nice and pleasant here. That is the wish anyway. I also wish for a resolution soon of the situation with Manny Machado. Until the Orioles make a public statement saying otherwise, they certainly appear still open to dealing the third baseman....
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Week in review: More Machado talk, a slow market and power on the farm

Week in review: More Machado talk, a slow market and power on the farm
Time to take a look back at the last week of stories here. Yes, of course, there was much more talk and discussion about Manny Machado. This amid some reports that indicate the Orioles, while still open to dealing their star third baseman, won't wait on offers forever. Probably time to make a deal if they are going to. On Tuesday, we looked at how Machado might bring a return to include at least one major league ready starting pitcher. He may be about the only player they could trade that...
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Is the new year bringing new thinking about rebuilding?

Is the new year bringing new thinking about rebuilding?
Right now, the Orioles have that feel of a team between a rock and hard place. Trying to catch the Yankees and Red Sox looks like a daunting task. They have four key players entering the last years of their contracts. They are coming off their first last-place finish since 2011. There are other facts that are daunting. The 2017 Orioles finished the year going 7-22. The Orioles have had losing records in six of their last nine full months of baseball. But the Orioles also have some huge...
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