Ruzious

No. Rettenmund was a good player on some of the great O's teams, but he's not an O's HOFer. He's a level below Don Buford - who did make it. Merv was a good hitter but a relatively poor OFer, and he was a platoon player for a lot of his tenure with the O's.

Oh great, the kid's already given out our secret strategic moneyball advantage.

I don't particularly want Schwarber, but I think people are underrating him. He was a good offensive player in 2018 and especially in 2019. We just don't need another corner OFer unless he's a star, and he's not a star.

I'm a fan of Santander's - despite his low OBP. Granted the season was a SSS, but his at bats looked so much better, the ball exploded off his bat, and he had a very low BABIP. I think the key was he got himself in shape - which made him much more confident. Imo, the best is yet to come.

Hopefully the O's win some kind of award for developing the most back of the rotation starting pitchers, because it seems like their prime goal is to accumulate as many as possible.

The early rumors focused on the Nats being very interested but being unwilling to consider trading either of their top pitching prospects - Rutledge and Cavalli.

I think there's something to be said for making the team watchable, and while one move might not do that - this move in concert with another - could. And that could help prevent the team's long-term value from sliding. So, thinking long-term, the benefits might out-weigh the cost. This kind of move can give the organization some credibility - as an organization that actually cares about the product they put on the field. I think they're losing that currently.

Winning? After they decided that 3.5 million was too much to keep Iglesias? Either that, or they were afraid Iglesias was going to help them win too many games. Or both. Cue to Dr. McCoy: "Dammit Jim, I'm a manager; not the world's greatest magician!".

And that kind of mentality that the organization can't afford to lose a Dwight Smith Jr really needs to go. You can always get a DSJ, but why would you want to? If someone else had taken him, do they think he'll turn out like Yaz? The Yaz thing is a once in a generation (maybe several generations) thing that could never have been predicted. They can't let that affect anything they do in the future.

Speak of the devil. Obviously, the Yankees interest in Gausman is based on keeping the O's from getting him.

And Bradford hurt his knuckles a few times hitting the dirt in his throwing motion. Therefore... eh, I got nothing.

Good to see O'Day's having a nice start in the Braves pen this season. Kevin Gausman remains kind of meh - though he's got great SO and walk rates this season.

Cobb for Touki makes sense to me. The Braves are really tired of Touki's inconsistent command and need an innings eater. Then again, why would Touki's command improve with the O's? I guess that's the question. The O's would have to think they can get him straightened out. If they can, he's a legit talent. I don't think Incarte has to be included. Just have the O's pay a big chunk of Cobb's contract.

Of course he won't make a trade unless he gets what he wants. You've said that a few times - as if it's something people don't already know.

Yup, It would make more sense for the O's to try to acquire a player like Santander than to trade him.

Never say never, but I think it would very surprising if they traded Santander.

Making outs on the bases has more to do with poor base-running than speed. Speed has a big impact in both offense and defense. It played a major role in KC getting to the 2014 and 2015 WS's.

If I'm a buying GM, all things being equal, I'm going to pay the most for Givens. I think he's a stud. Regardless of who closes, he's the O's dominant reliever, and he's got 1 more of team control. A team trying to trade for him knows we don't have to trade him, so they have to make a strong offer to get him.

Based on their listed sizes, but Ryan's a big guy and might have caught up to Trey.

Amazing - I wonder what the fields were like then. Too bad we can't look at the videos. Maybe some day we'll find them from a lost satellite some fan made use of in a distant galaxy. Or not.

You're right - actually I'm shocked to see MLB.com had him at 21. From what I've seen, Garcia looks like a much better prospect for the Nats - and only 20 years old in the majors - sheesh.

I don't follow this stuff like you do, but is Mountcastle really not in Kieboom's class?

They certainly were. Dehlman led the league in walks in 1875 with 11, and he was in the top 10 4 years - even though his career-high was 11. And he had 1 fewer career homers than Glenn Gulliver. Died at age 32 or 33 - not sure if it was over guilt about not playing up to his contract.

You can see by the reactions of better hitters - like Juan Soto - that he's earning respect - they're wowed by his stuff. And he's certainly showing better command than he has in the past. I wouldn't trust him to be a closer, but he's coming in with people on base and leaving them stranded. I think he's improved quite a bit and has become an asset to the O's.

It's understandable to do that with a player as gifted as Springer. It's not for players who aren't top 100 prospects.