LookinUp

Guys I really like... McDermott L. DeLeon Liranzo Baumeister Marao Sharkey A. Mejia That doesn't mean I wouldn't trade any of them, it's just guys that I have more interest in.

I don't think the goal for Elias is to sign an elite closer in free agency. His goal is to sign a really good bullpen arm "with closing experience." I think our bullpen just got better over 162 games. You figure out the playoffs when that time comes, or maybe make a deal at the deadline if necessary.

I'm pretty sure you didn't *really* mean what you wrote here. I'm also pretty sure that Mike's life would be more miserable if he didn't have those two guys tee'd up and ready for the majors.

I just have very little interest in Burnes because we only get him for 1 year. I'd trade guys who are on their way out or lesser prospects, but not an electric arm we have for the next 5 years. Mountcastle + Norby + Perez, sure.

I'm watching the Commanders completely implode. Part of that is they're terrible at everything they do, but another big part of that is they couldn't do anything to improve (scouting, coaches, free agents) last offseason. They were left hung out to dry so they could have clean books for the new ownership group. You might not think it matters, but what's another $50 or $100 million in a sale price? That's a lot of money. Not to mention he gets to clean up on the way out with these low payrolls. All I'm saying is things might be a little different if JA envisioned owning this team in 18 months.

I don't even buy the Angelos is cheap angle. That's the effect, but I think it misses the point. I still think they're just waiting for Peter to pass away, at which point they'll sell. They want very clean books for the sale, and Elias simply has to operate within that reality.

Last I heard they were still mad Angelos never really even tried to get him. He probably buys lunch though. He has family in the area. Seem like good people.

I just had lunch with @belkast, @bigbird and Mark Teixiera. They all laughed at this pitiful 48 page thread. If it doesn't get to 100, it's a failure. Get posting, people!

If Basallo and Adley both continue on their current trajectory, there is a single circumstance that I can imagine, and that circumstance is that both have real value tied to their position. Even so, the catcher position isn't the same as SS or CF, where it's incredibly valuable AND you play 150+ games a year. Let's say hypothetically that both Adley and Basallo are 10 WAR players, and that each are 5 oWAR and 5 dWAR. Now you're in a circumstance where their splitting of time essentially means we're leaving roughly 5 dWAR in the dugout or at an invaluable defensive position. So you're getting 15-16 WAR instead of the full 20. That's the circumstance where you might trade your 10 WAR catcher for an 8 WAR CF. Increase net value on the team. And that concludes this silly post.

Perfect example of other source's homerism. I assumed you'd write something like this, but had hoped that there was more to his profile that said he'd have a chance.

A few thoughts for @Tony-OH and others in this thread... 1. I'm not sure how often I rep posts. No clue, but Tony knows my interest is very much in the minors forum. 2. Tony's minor league lists are far and away better than any others. I do check into others. None come close to Tony's. They have real information and not just stat-line scouting and best possible outcome predictions. 3. A lot of people here, particularly new people, gravitate to Orioles Talk. I get it, but there's just less exposure in the minors forum. That's why Tony moved the 31-50 list to O's Talk for a while there. 4. I agree that a lot of people care much more about our feckless pursuit of free agency. I don't, but understand that others do. 5. Most importantly, I show my support by continuing my plus membership for the last 15+ years. I highly encourage others to do so. The unfortunate part of the internet is good work like Tony's is readily available for free. I think people should put their money (it's not much) where there mouths and rep points are and actually give a financial appreciation for what you're gaining here.

Your top 75 is must-read. Thanks for putting it together, as always. There was some talk around some of us unwashed fans of Trey McGough being protected in the Rule V draft, yet he's not even in your top 75. I'm not bothered that he wasn't protected, but is there upside? Did his age play a big role? He was on a decent track until 2021/2022 when I guess he got injured. Didn't get a ton of innings last year, but was reportedly somewhat impressive when he did start throwing again. I'd love to hear more about him.

I don't know anything about Matz's stuff, but if it's decent, I could see the O's doing a move like this provided it's structured like the McCann deal (e.g., the Cards pay most of his salary). It's not what we need, but it is a potential down the roster improvement, in theory.

The trick is to start by 10 AM and go until midnight. You'd be surprised how many drinks you can consume in 14 hours. It's a metaphor for the Orioles' player acquisition strategy. Buy a lot, cheap, and feel sick after the season.

I voted no, but it's kind of splitting hairs. I wouldn't do it because I think we could package those two plus two lesser guys (Stowers + Wagner or Willems, for example) for someone who might be better and has more control. I just think we can get more for a deal.

Good. I'm glad we agree that Angelos is the villain. That said, re: the bolded, making up for losses is not the same as stacking talent. One method helps you tread water at a high level, think Tampa. The other method sets you up for success over a decade, like the Astros. It's a big difference. If Angelos wasn't a villain, we'd be much more confidently setting ourselves up for the latter. Right now we're looking like Tampa.

I think Elias would give a deal that Holliday would take. Something like 80% of the total he could get in FA for the same years if he really hits his upside. And I think Holliday takes it, because it's a very rich guarantee in the face of some downside risk. A win-win for everyone except the owner who would rather risk that his GM will be able to backfill all of these players than commit guaranteed money. I think Elias would view a deal that achieves extra years at reasonable rates as an asset that will help him further the talent pipeline. Sure, he has confidence that the pipeline will produce, but even the arrogant GM knows that keeping top talent for longer allows for more success, all other things being equal. And even if he replaces Holliday, isn't it better to have 2 such players than 1? It just doesn't make a lot of sense to think that Elias wouldn't prefer to extend these guys.

Totally disagree. This is all on Angelos. Could always trade these guys if the next big thing is in the pipeline. We're not talking about cost-prohibitive deals on the market. We're talking about deals that are only achievable because the CBA keeps the price of these guys down for ~7 years.

Wow. I love that guy. It’s a shame his control came so late. I want him to get rich off this sport.

I actually liked the Yelich stuff floated elsewhere more, but sure if they would bite on a reasonable trade, so would I. The proposed trade would require more from us though.

Source: the OH said it was on reddit. He reads here a lot. Not sure if he posts or not.

There have been fewer Fraziers than cheap guys, so it stands to reason that more of the cheap guys would succeed. Either way, it's an extremely small sample size and certainly not reflective of what Elias thought when he signed guys. And it's guaranteeing a 40 man spot, but not necessarily a 26 man spot. Maybe on opening day, but the guy would have options and I assume we'd use them if necessary.

Yup. A lot of young guys on that list. Clay for the player development and strength/conditioning guys. The really young catcher, Mejia, looks particularly interesting to me from a distance. Others do too though.

I hate being in Oriole Park for hot summer day games. It's only bearable if you're in the shade. I suppose you'll get more shade at 4 than 1, but this is still stupid, IMO. Night games are fun, particularly when you don't have to get up for work/school in the AM.