Week in review: Talking free agent pitchers, team payrolls and more

In looking back at the last week of blog entries in this space, today we would love to get a few more comments/opinions on any or all of them.

On Monday, we discussed flamethrowing lefty Tanner Scott in this entry. The southpaw is one of the top Orioles pitching prospects. He was a sixth-round pick out of Howard (Texas) Junior College in 2014.

For Double-A Bowie this season, Scott was 0-2 with a 2.22 ERA. Over 69 innings, he allowed 45 hits with 46 walks and 87 strikeouts. He had ended 2016 at Bowie and his walks per nine innings with the Baysox dropped from 8.44 that season to 6.00 this past year, while his strikeout rate increased from 10.13 to 11.35.

A reliever all of his pro career, Scott made three-inning starts this season in an effort to help him improve his command and control. But that led to the question: Could he potentially be a starter down the road?

On Wednesday we took a look at three pending free agent pitchers that could find their way onto the Orioles' radar in Alex Cobb, Lance Lynn and Jason Vargas.

Cobb went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA for Tampa Bay, setting career highs in wins, innings (179 1/3) and starts (29). Cobb pitched to an ERA of 3.07 over his last 17 starts. He had Tommy John surgery in May 2015.

Lynn went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA for St. Louis, ranked seventh in the National League in ERA and sixth in opponent batting average. Lynn had his own Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2016 season.

Vargas went 18-11 with a 4.16 ERA for Kansas City, but will be 35 on opening day. The Royals went an impressive 20-12 in his starts, but Vargas pitched to an ERA of 6.38 after the All-Star Game after posting an ERA of 2.62 before the break.

On Thursday, we looked at team payrolls in 2017 and how the playoff teams ranked in this entry. According to Spotrac, five of the 10 playoff teams rank in the top 15 of major league spenders this year and five rank in the bottom 15. Just four playoff teams ranked among the top 10 highest-spending teams. Six of the top nine highest-spending teams did not make the playoffs.

The World Series will be won be either the team ranking No. 1 in the Los Angeles Dodgers or the club ranking No. 17 in the Houston Astros. The Orioles were No. 11 on this payroll list.

What is your take on any of these topics? Or bring a new one to the table today.