emmett16

Creed is STRUGGLING. in 86 PAs throughout August so far he is .129 / .244 / .200. Hope he can pick it up and end on a high note going into 2024. He was a bright spot for the development team earlier in the year.

I'm gonna give him a pass and chalk it up to a learning experience. He doesn't seem like the stubborn know-it-all type. He screwed up for sure and I bet he'd be the first person to tell you.

That's fair. I'm still a Hall fan, but I'd like to see him in the pen as a Hader type performer next year as he works out his control/command and then vying for a rotation spot in 2025.

I like that SP depth. But I'd like to see one of the guys I mentioned coupled with Wells or Kremer for an impact starter. The SP would look great With 1. Means, 2. Bradish, 3. GRod, 4. Kremer, 5. Impact trade acquisiton and then the AAA depth you mentioned.

Definitely not often. How often does this team do things traditionally? The only reason I think it's possible is because of the quality and experience of the guys in AAA. Cowser will be 24 and has had 424 AAA PAs to date, Ortiz will be 25 and has had 476 PAs, and Kjerstad will be 25 and has had 272 PAs to date. Mayo & Holiday are the wildcards to me, but also have the biggest upside. Maybe he holds both back another year, as they are the youngsters @ 21 & 19 respectively, and goes for ROY awards with those two guys in 2025.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. It really does seem like positional flexibility is a point of emphasis throughout the organization. It creates insurance plans for injury, maneuverability for roster additions, helps with rest/optimal performance, and optimizing lineups/match ups. To your point on the match-ups, I'm not sure anyone supplants Gunnar and Jackson. But the positional flexibility allows them to play/rotate 5 IFers for 3 spots.

Not alone but as part of a package. Santander should be attractive to a team trying to compete and who has a pitching surplus. He could be coupled with a Wells/Kremer or a prospect or two.

Again, not what I would do but more of what I see the org doing. I, unfortunately, think that having a low payroll is just about top priority for the org right now. It stinks, but to pretend that isn't the case is kind of silly, no?

I agree, that's why I said "as a whole". I think Kjerstad & Cowser will struggle to outperform Santander and Hays, but Ortiz, Holiday & Mayo will be able to outperform their counterparts. I also think improvement from the guys on the roster now (Adley, Gunnar, Westburg) will help to buffer the loss of the guys listed on the left.

I'd like to keep Santander as well. The OP was more about what I expect to happen. Not what I'd like to see. I think a rotation, dependent on match-ups, of Gunnar, Ortiz, Westburg, Mayo, Holiday around the IF & DH could be more productive than Urias in traditional bench role.

I don't know how they replace Gibson's innings this year. He's got a shot to throw the most innings in MLB this year. Maybe Kremer is his heir apparent, but short of that they'll need to cover those innings somehow. I'm hoping a potential trade package could net us his replacement. Wells will go to Arb1 next year and will get a raise, but won't be incredibly expensive. I can't see them moving him. Pitching is something you can't have too much of, IMO. Outside of McDermott and Povich we don't have many SPs with a shot at being productive at the MLB level next year.

Anthony Santander >>> Heston Kjerstad = $7,400,000+ Ramon Urias >>> Coby Mayo = $734,700+ Adam Frazier >>> Jackson Holiday = $8,000,000 *not a trade chip, just 2024 salary relief Austin Hays >>> Colton Cowser = $3,200,000+ Jorge Mateo >>> Joey Ortiz = $2,000,000+ Kyle Gibson >>> John Means = $10,000,000 *not a trade chip, just 2024 salary relief Salaries above are for 2023 and don't include arbitration raises, which will likely be steep for Santander and Hays. Urias enters arbitration for the first time and will be due a significant raise. Frazier will be gone clearing out his $8MM salary. Mateo might be tradable. Folks keep saying we need to trade from the IF depth and that there isn't enough room for all our IF prospects. I don't see that happening - I believe they will trade Santander, Urias, and Hays. The guys in AAA are direct replacements for the "expensive" guys on the MLB roster this year. By trading Santander, Hays, & Urias and jettisoning Mateo(maybe trade), Gibson & Frazier the Orioles are going to save ~$30-35MM. The new group, as a whole, is likely to outperform the incumbents.

Was listening to MLB Network radio this morning on drive home from NC and they interviewed Coby Mayo. Seemed like a really nice young man. He was a great interview. He mentioned a few things I thought were interesting tidbits: 1. He started wearing contacts this year. He said he noticed a huge improvement and attributed some of his success to the use of contacts. 2. He said he embraces having all the elite prospects around him and that plus the hitting & fielding trainers have made him better than he thinks he'd be in another organization. He embraces the challenge to crack the MLB roster with all the other talented IFers on the team already and in AAA. 3. He's playing a lot more 1st base to be ready for anywhere they put him in the future. He said the Org wants his bat in the lineup anyway they can and that the organization emphasizes defensive flexibility to be able to get bats into the lineup anyway they can. 4. He's learned to take the walk. Realizes that it helps set him up to have success in future at bats.

FWIW was driving home from Cary, NC this morning and on a couple of the MLB Network Radio shows they said that Flaherty's start today was being pushed back to next Saturday. Maybe they goofed.

He's been good in august IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP ERA BA OBP SLG OPS BAbip 7.2 3 2 2 4 18 1 0 2.35 .115 .233 .231 .464 .286

And Dodger, Guardian, Cardinal, Brewer, Padre, Brewer, and Twin!

Lotta bouncing was my main take-away.

Jansen has thrown out 15% of runners on the year, Vladdy is crashing to protect for a bunt and barely holding MacKenna, a lefty who isn't quick to the plate, and a guy on first who can run. Why are we not stealing second base there? Precisely why Mateo should never be starting. His only role should be to pinch run. That would have been the perfect spot to put him into the game to run for MacKenna.

In Castellano, but you'll get the idea. Kind of ironic his name is Peter, too. We could get a 'Peter vete, ya' cheer going on at inner harbor, who's with me?

MD is broke, looking at a 1BB deficit by 2028, but he wants to pass out $600MM to a petulant child. Not sure how that is going to work. Gov. Wes Moore: Maryland must reckon with structural challenges facing state economy, budget - WTOP News

To a certain extent, yes. But when you are overwhelmed, I don't think it does much good. If he was posting a .950+ OPS instead of a .803 it might be beneficial. I thikn he still has some work to do at AAA.

There is away for minor leaguers to be moved and not be stuck in an org., it's the rule 5 draft. Do you think it would be beneficial for him to come up and flounder in MLB? Or beneficial to continuing improving his craft. He hasn't exactly knocked it out of the park this year. If the O's thought he was MLB ready, he'd be up. Cowser and Westburg both has struggled a bit in MLB and had far superior AAA numbers and are also far superior defenders. The O's wouldn't be doing him any favors by exposing him to MLB just yet. I'd like to see what one more yera of development looks like. He's only 23, if he makes it up next year, starts his clock, and becoming a contributing MLBer he could be FA by 30. Not the end of the world.

I saw he got off to a hot start at A+. Guess he just needed to be challenged There is a reason they gave him a big bonus.

And just like that Holiday eclipsed Ortiz in Avg. & Slg, also. The kid is special.

You are correct. He doesn't have to go onto the 40 man until after the 2024 season.