truespectra

Great post. There is room for all the prospects you mentioned. I think over the course of this season and next, they should come up- if nothing else to showcase for other teams at the major league level. The only one I would consider keeping long term is Santander, which I don’t think they will do. Would also be nice to see Rubinstein open the wallet and sign a starter (like Burnes). Fingers crossed that Bradish and Means can come back healthy.

Disagree- unless Snell or Montgomery signs a 1 yr pillow contract at a good deal for Elias. Trade deadline seems more likely IMO

Whoops- screw Ohtani

Got a little carried away- in general, but specifically with the ROY awards. Tell me your O’s dream scenarios in 2024. Drink the orange Kool Aid and post away. The glass is half full.

I have enjoyed this board for 24 years. I hope to meet some of you this year at some games. Would love to put some faces to these avatars!

- Bradish becomes legit Ace, who regularly pitches into 6th and 7th inning - Rodriguez becomes solid #2, giving Bradish a run at ace status, wins ROY - Kramer wins 14 games and has ERA below 4.5 - Means re-captures pre TJ form, with ERA below 4. Wins 12 games - Wells starts season in rotation, with ERA in 3.80 range in first half, then fizzles out. Instead of dead arm, ends up thriving in bullpen. - Hall starts in BP, is dominant - but gets another shot in the second half of yr in rotation, where he wins 5-6 games - new pitching coach picks up where Holt left off- our bullpen ERA s in top 7 in MLB. No major injuries to pitching staff because of the orioles pitching lab/development program - Kimbrel is good, not great- but hall, wells and Cano pick up the slack. Ends up closer by committee - Gunnar and Adley hit over .300, both are in contention for MVP - holliday is the real deal, hits around .290 and is ROY - westburg breaks out and hits for .280 with 20 HRs and 80 RBIs - Santander has a great first half and is traded at the deadline for prospects - cowser sticks this time and becomes a regular in the OF - Ortiz in finally called up and become a solid IF contributor, Mateo DFAd - Orioles defeat Rangers in divisional round, then the Rays in the ALCS, then the Dodgers in the WS. Screw Ichiro and all of his deferred money. We are young and - like the DBacks - are hungry and not afraid of the moment. The Dodgers lock up under the weight of expectations and lose in 7 to the young and upstart Os. - Gunner is the WS MVP- he looks like Brandon marsh at the end of the season when the team decides to not cut hair or shave until they win the WS. And they win.

Cease only has 2 years of control left, and Getz reportedly is asking for pitching prospects back in return- which we only have a few of. Garrett, for instance, has 5 years of control, had a better year last year than Cease, and the Marlins need a shortstop. We have a few (Ortiz) appealing infield prospects. It could be a good match. Imo we aren’t getting Cease. Getz seems to want the best prospect haul and Elias is not going to give it to him.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/latest-on-marlins-rotation-trade-possibilities.html they have a few pitchers (Garrett and Luzardo) that might cost less than Cease and some with more years of control. They seem like a better trade partner- they need a shortstop. If not now, maybe at the trade deadline. Thoughts?

Syd Thrift and the Orioles “confederate money”

This is fantastic. About the time I discovered Orioles Hangout. Really appreciate re-posting these rankings Tony.

Tony- thanks for these great write ups. Very detailed- showing all of the time and work that you have put in. As someone who is not able to see the minor leaguers very often, it is a great resource. Much better than anything else out there. Makes me very excited about the future of the O’s - as long as they can keep Elias and eventually pay some of these guys that frequently get discussed (Rutschman, Henderson, Rodriguez)

Love this post but it’s a very long season. It would not surprise me if they trade from their position player surplus for young controllable pitching. Like Rays did with Rasmussen

I have been primarily an avid reader of this board for over 23 years. I love the trade speculation threads. Keep ‘em coming. It’s nice to finally have a young competitive team to root for, a top tier farm system, a great GM and assistant GM, AND dream about trading for an ace like the Astros have done the past few years. Who of course will not sign with us.

Let’s also not forget about the lower prospects/rule Vs/waiver claims that developed last year— Bautista, Perez, Baker, Watkins, Voth, Wells (beforeinjured), Urias winning gold glove, and Mateo adding value when getting on base. Heck, Mullins became an all star when they had him swing full time from the left. This coaching staff at all levels finally knows how to develop players. They may not win the WS or have had high profile FA signings, but it’s refreshing. They are going to develop many of these prospects into major leaguers who contribute- some significantly.