ChosenOne21

Tork isn't remotely a bust. The guy has like 1 and 1/3 seasons worth of at bats and he's hitting .259/.343/.541 over the last month. Calling out Lyles W/L record was douchey, but that photo is extremely suspicious.

It's easily Coulombe. Though I think Fujinami has a chance to beat him by the end of the year.

I'm pretty sure he's a rental. I'm all for trying stuff, but do we even have time to really fix him?

The fact Santander was intentionally walked to get to Mountcastle should tell you a lot about what teams think of Mountcastle.

We're certainly capable of it. Odds are against any team making it though.

Wait until Cowser goes 3 for 4 tonight and suddenly his overall line looks respectable.

I'm kind of surprised it wasn't Gibson who was put in the bullpen.

Not that it's ever going to happen, but if the Orioles really want Ohtani, they should just try to make him the richest player in baseball during the offseason.

Yeah, I think you give Perez one more shot. Honestly, a lot of his most recent struggles were weak-hit grounders finding holes. Agree that it shouldn't be a particularly long leash, especially if we trade for bullpen help.

Sure, and of course I could be wrong about him. But I think he has a couple of things going for him that some of those other guys don't, namely that he was one of those hitters disproportionately affected by the shift, and that the Orioles seem to have made an adjustment that has helped him as well. That, and if he is used strictly in a platoon capacity (especially avoiding LH relievers) there's reason to think he can be a productive major leaguer for a few years. I'm not saying he's a true talent .860 OPS first baseman, but it wouldn't surprise me if his true talent was .790-ish.

And a .749 over his last 15. And an .840 over his last 30. And .866 for the season. Honestly, before the last two games, his last 7 games were pretty great. I just don't see strong evidence that regression is starting. He's played for such a short time that all the good weeks and bad weeks that all MLB players have just get magnified. Guy only has like two full season's worth of at-bats for his entire career, yet with a lot of posters (not necessarily you) a .600-.700 OPS is his destiny.

The Grayson I saw was gassed in the 6th inning--throwing 95-96 instead of 98-100. He also left a lot of pitches in the middle of the zone throughout his start. That said, I don't blame him for Hyde leaving him in too long, and overall it was a great start with lots of encouraging signs.

He's done well so far. I wouldn't want him in high-leverage yet (ever?), but he's done well with his opportunity. As a guy who can save the pen in blowouts he has some value while he's cheap.

Just realize in terms of average innings one disaster two inning start and three six inning starts would give him an average of five innings per start. I'd probably rather look at median innings to see what "kind" of pitcher someone is.

Technically, yes, though I'm not sure how much value/interest there is in one year of Santander at QO prices.

GrayRod looking pretty great!

In the year that they're traded, you can't QO a player to get a pick.

Who do they need to make excuses to? I doubt they care if the tiniest fraction of their die-hard fans are a little miffed that someone isn't getting enough lineup time. Certainly not enough to craft an official story. It can't be for the player's benefit. They could just ask the guy in the locker room.

Guys, sometimes people just get off days.

I already said I wouldn't take it, but I wouldn't hang up the phone laughing either. As the Angels I'm pretty much out of contention with holes everywhere and that gets me two top-100, basically MLB ready, prospects and a until recently very highly thought of (former top-100) pitcher. Yes, it's Ohtani, but it's also 2.5-3.5 months of Ohtani before he walks without compensation. If the Angels think they're doing significantly better than that, they'd better hope they get really hot and make the playoffs.

I don't think they do that trade, but I don't think it's a laughable offer either.

I'd just demand his services come with Ohtani. If they want to use his interpreter as leverage to sweeten the pot, I'm hanging up the phone because it doesn't sound like they were ever serious about dealing him. Does that guy have ANY value to the franchise if Ohtani isn't there?

Vavra has been worth -0.5 WAR over 138 MLB at-bats. Obviously the minor league track record is better, that's a small sample size, and he's 26 about to enter his prime, but I'd be shocked at this point if Vavra's career is better than a couple of solid seasons. Who do you want to give him at-bats over, Frazier? I seriously doubt he's an improvement there, nor does he have a future that justifies letting him struggle while we're in the playoff hunt. Stowers, yeah, who knows? Wouldn't mind seeing him get another opportunity, but the outfield is so crowded I think it's more likely he gets dealt.

I seem to remember Fabian being a 60 run.

Yes, how is it Colton Cowser got to this level unable to catch fly balls? I blame his Little League coach, too. Guy was clearly all about "having fun," whatever that means, instead of teaching fundamentals. Even the Orioles couldn't teach him properly in two years. Guy is really a lost cause. We should just hurry up and DFA him before other teams realize a ball hit in the air to center field is an automatic hit.