24fps

He might be an interesting project. He was absolutely dreadful for the first third of last season - so bad that he was sent to the pen where he put it all together almost right away. Then he was put back in the rotation and was really good for the last third of the season. 2022 was bad and he only managed 48 innings in 15 games (10 starts), but 2021 was good. Another gamble as to what pitcher you're going to get, but the big question remains: do the O's want to take on a project or take a decisive step that would make the rotation genuinely capable 1-5?

If Elias is as smart as I think he is, he has several options already active and is determined to maintain the initiative in acquiring a SP. Cease is a great fit IMO, but not worth waiting so long that the White Sox have all the leverage.

Also an increasing awareness of how expensive good, durable starting pitching is going to be coupled with an increasing awareness of the number of O's prospects genuinely ready for ML playing time. At least for me. Cease checks a lot of boxes and a good starting pitcher would clearly be beneficial to the O's.

The following quote is from one of yesterday's MLBtraderumors posts matching potential suitors to Corbin Burnes. That last sentence deserves to be emphasized - whether or not Dylan Cease is on your personal short list of SP upgrades.

Interesting gamble for a team that was a huge disappointment to its fans in 2023 but still has bigtime exposure to luxury tax penalties.

Congrats Felix!

Then switch out Beavers/Fabian with Mountcastle and maybe season the lottery ticket to taste. Mountcastle is superfluous with Alonso on board and when he leaves after next season Kjerstad/Mayo/Basallo/ etc. slots in. Mountcastle has upside, is controllable, is an established major leaguer, and offers salary relief to a team that needs some.

I agree. It will take that plus a third lesser prospect because I expect there to be competition. Relatively low-salaried, durable starters with two years of control and demonstrated upside are going to be expensive and in this regard the O's have the resources to make it happen. And unless the White Sox demand Holliday, Mayo or Basallo as the headliner and won't budge, then it is a price that is eminently affordable.

When a topic devolves to circular semantic quarreling, that's usually a sign that there's at least five more pages to go.

If you are correct - and I don't think that you are - then the rumor that Elias is a "prospect hugger" must be true after all. No team that I can see has more prospect capital available or fewer truly compelling needs for 2024.

For Orioles fans, life in the Angelos Era has turned all humor into gallows humor. All suggestions unironically become serious and even the slightest impulse toward optimism is quickly crushed as flat as three day old roadkill in the sun. Except for one whimsical, child-friendly joke - Lucy pulling away the football is still a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

That's something that can only be determined in hindsight. Lots of options and lots of flexibility this offseason to really set the team up for the next 2-3 years. I'm very curious to see how it plays out. Checking my crystal ball, I don't see Aroldis Chapman anywhere on the program

I get it, but that's in the rear view mirror now and the next few months are going to be really critical IMO. Too critical to screw around with the likes of Aroldis Chapman and all his baggage.

For me? Pretty bad because it would indicate that Mike Elias was really drunk right when we need him the most.

Trying makes my head hurt.

Three pages now and I'm not going to read them so see if there's already an answer, but why the hell does anyone care about how Aroldis Chapman feels?

Affordability is a notion that seems to get lost a lot in this discussion but it also cuts both ways. Can the O's afford to not move some of their prospects this offseason? My answer is no, and while nobody wants Elias to get fleeced, I wouldn't let the fear of a (slight) overpay get in the way. The good news is that because the O's are so deep at the moment affordability shouldn't be an issue - as long as the White Sox want to be rational.

The great thing about phrases like "lift off" is that it can mean anything your natural bias wants it to mean. If I got back all the time I've spent listening to politicians, sports figures, company spokespeople, and all the rest not answering the questions they were asked, I'd be fifteen years old again.

My thought as well.

I'd rather give Stephenson less. Much less chance of buyer's remorse that way.

Sigbot prospect hoarding and all the variants on that theme are fast approaching urban myth status IMO. If we reach the end of spring training and there's still a logjam and Irvin is our fifth starter, that will be different.

In other news: Water is WET! Every team with a decent farm system and a need for starting pitching is going to be competing for "Ace" Dylan Cease's services, so if the O's want to land him, they won't do it on the cheap.

Full retail price with a surcharge (draft pick). I'm not going to get all wound up about the O's missing out on this particular deal, but it sure must be nice to be a team where ownership responds immediately to fix an unexpectedly dreadful season.

Agree that the O's need to aim higher. You have to believe that the O's could have matched this offer too, even if you're in the "JA isn't going to spend anything" camp. I'll take that as a good sign until proven otherwise.

It's the new normal in a world saturated with social media. I suspect these guys are paid peanuts in the beginning, overloaded with expectations and survival is based on "followers" or some equivalent metric. There are still plenty of credible news sources but you need to either look for them, pay for them or spend a staggering amount of time sifting through all the noise to figure it out on your own. Sports is fertile ground for the growing of instant experts.