ORIOLES vs. TIGERS 3/30

Hicks was a big blessing to the team--we're very lucky we got him when we did. There's no way the Cowser we saw last year could have matched what Hicks provided, even on defense and on the basepaths. You cite BABIP, but drawing 35 walks in 236 plate appearances was a huge self-earned positive.

I had to think about it because Adley has always been a high priority for me. He's the franchise Catcher we never had. And in my opinion, the Catcher position is the Quarterback of a Baseball team. It's that impactful of a position and you need a good one to compete for championships. But with that said, Burnes is the Ace we've been waiting for since Mussina turned coat, and his contract is up at the end of the season. He's also one of the most reliable and durable pitchers in baseball. I think we should do what we can to keep him happy and make a business deal with him to keep him an Orioles pitcher.   If you're assuming that Rodriguez or Bradish will take over the Ace role, I think you've seen enough pitching injuries this year to tell you that you can't assume that will happen. You need to make sure any one of your top 3 starters can assume the #1 spot if pressed. Timing dictates Burnes as our biggest priority to work on. With Gunnar, he might be a future MVP and I've been one of his biggest fans since the moment he was called up. But his agent is Scott Boras, so good luck getting him to agree to an extension before free agency. And on that note, you'll have Scott Boras with a conflict of interest when you're trying to sign both Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holiday long term and they both want to play shortstop.

People keep talking about Norby's flawed defense, meanwhile Holliday is looking pretty bad out there. Small sample size, I guess! But how long is the leash?

the Royals gave us the business tonight...except for the slam by Adley...we stunk to high hell tonight...especially the pen...Akin and  Tate...they both came up small.

I know this isn’t the question that you asked, but my recollection is that you worked on the business side for the Orioles at some point, so I think you might be able to weigh in on this idea: do you think there are business reasons to extend a Gunnar or an Adley? I know you’re view is generally that extensions are overrated by the fanbase, but that largely seems related to the idea that you are paying for past-peak years (if I’m off base here, it wasn’t intentional—just my recollection). I tend to think that from a business standpoint, an extension for a young player would not make a material difference concerning the amount of tickets sold, revenue generated, etc. and would really just make some people on X happy, but I don’t really have anything to support that opinion.

The way he is pitching that's like throwing gas on a fire.

I don't think Elias will seriously entertain bringing back Santander.