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Maybe they'll use some of the savings as a bonus to induce Mountcastle to sign a guaranteed deal that would extend beyond his arb years and allow them to bring him up on opening day (since there would no longer be any "clock" issues).

Will the new rule about pitching to at least three batters apply to starters?

Villar's rWAR since becoming a starter: 2016 - 3.9 2017 - 0.1 2018 - 2.7 2019 - 4.0 Letting him get a $7 million - $10 million contract in arbitration and hoping he has another big year so he can be traded at the deadline seems like too great a risk for me.

If the money we save from moving Villar - and any returns we get in terms of players - moves us one day closer to being a contender, I'm all for it.

You have the right to your opinion, even when it's wrong.

Unless his season is curtailed by injury or is just plain bad, in which case we remain stuck with his salary.

We won't know the outcome of the Villar move until either: He's traded, or The waiver period expires on Monday and he's either claimed by a team or non-tendered So, complaining about the move now may be a little premature.

It also serves as notice to teams that the O's intend to non-tender him and if they don't trade for him now they will have to try to acquire him as a free agent, which could turn into an auction and might require a multi-year deal. It's also a good indication that several teams are interested in him.

Months ago I expressed my opinion that Villar should be non-tendered if he could not be traded before the deadline, so I'm fine with the way this is playing out. Hopefully, they'll get a couple of 16-year-old Dominicans in trade before the Monday deadline. Otherwise, I think letting him go now is the right move, as it cuts payroll, opens up a roster spot and creates an opportunity for a younger player. The fact that the younger player is not on the team right now does not matter. If this costs us five games during the season, that is not a big deal this year.

The article says Diaz is eligible for the 2020 Rule 5 draft. That is correct. The 2019 Rule 5 draft happens next month, not next year.

Same four guys Roch listed as likely in this morning's blog post.

O's could add a few million to sweeten the pot and improve the prospect return.

It was on my calendar, but I deleted it.

It's going to be downright anticlimactic when Elias announces the moves.

There's got to be a way to sneak in the Chris Davis contract. You know, as a present.

The future is bright.

Trey'd him for Miguel Andujar and a prospect.

And you know I am STILL hoping for Salma Hayek to come knocking on my door.

The Orioles actively prepped themselves for tanking by trading their top pitching prospects, not participating internationally in a meaningful way and by forfeiting their top draft picks to sign less than stellar free agents. Boras was probably just as happy with their dependence on the free agent market then as he is upset with their tanking. Can't have it both ways. If you're going to help the Chris Davis and Ubaldo Jimienez types get out of this world contracts, don't complain when the teams that signed them fall to earth and have to start over. No, Boras doesn't make the owners sign the deals, but he plays the system hard one way. He shouldn't be surprised when the inevitable reckoning comes. Note:I don't know who Ubaldo's agent was. if it wasn't Boras, it doesn't matter; he's just an example.

Unless he has a bad year, and then everyone will complain about not dumping him.

There are two rules I would like to see MLB institute. Extend the first base bag into foul territory to end all of the arguments about running out of the lane in foul territory. Right now all of the bag is in fair territory and a runner cannot safely fun through the bag without veering back into fair territory. Eliminate the two extra umpires in the post-season. They bring nothing to the game and frequently screw it up - like with the bogus infield fly rule a few years ago, because the umpire forgot that he was in the outfield. I'd rather let replay decide disputed calls in the outfield. Let's get those implemented before we do any more tinkering with the game.

Not if they foul off nine pitches before they hit the home runs.

You can't presume that the one reliever facing at least three batters will be as effective as having three relievers face those three batters. It seems likely that in some cases, having to wait two batters to replace a reliever who is not on his game would lead to making the game longer.

MATH

I remember a game in Seattle when Earl pinch-hit Jose Morales for Benny Ayala, even though they were both right-handed hitting designated hitters. But one was a fastball hitter and the other was a slider hitter. Earl made the move late in the game and Morales hit a home run, which became the game-winning run. As for being unbalanced now, there have always been more relief pitchers than pinch hitters. I just think that if the offense knows who is going to be pitching for the next three batters, the defense should know who the second and third batters are going to be.