crawjo

But he's not a .367 OPS hitter. He has a .623 OPS for the season, and last year had a .646 OPS. I can't think of a single reason to DFA him. Trade him, sure. But just DFA? Just give him to whichever team happens to have the waiver priority? I can't see it at all. Much easier to just send Ortiz down, put Mateo on the bench as a utility infielder, and try to find a trade partner.

What a bad premise for a poll. There is a 0.0 percent chance the Orioles DFA a guy who is a plus defending shortstop with 21 steals. Absolutely no chance. None. Zero. What an absurd thing to even contemplate.

It's kind of funny watching people bitch about the roster moves being made. Elias is easily the best GM in my lifetime of rooting for the Orioles, which goes back to the mid-1980s. Almost every player this guy drafts turns into a real prospect. In my lifetime this organization has never been so loaded with positional talent. It's insane.

Hicks was a very smart signing. I do think he can be a very useful bench bat and occasional starter moving forward for the rest of the year. In fact, I think they should try to give him fairly regular at bats moving forward, until he shows he doesn't deserve them. It's going to be a challenge managing playing time, unless and until another starter goes on the IL. I think this is a good problem because it means that several players (Hicks, O'Hearn, Mountcastle, Urias, Mateo, Frazier) are going to have to earn their playing time. I would be sorely tempted to dangle someone like Cowser in front of the Angels and see if you can get Ohtani. No, the Orioles will never "win" that trade from a WAR perspective, but we have lots of talented young players and Ohtani might win you a pennant.

Pretty much every baseball team has been doing exactly that for many years. In general, I think if a team isn't ready to put a prospect in the lineup on Opening Day, they are going to try to manipulate service time for financial advantage. That means delaying eligibility for free agency and/or arbitration.

One thing I can say from many years following baseball and the Orioles: winning the off-season means very little when it comes to the following season. I know that's a boring thing to say, but it's true. And I don't say it to excuse the organization, which I think should be spending more than it is. I do suspect that the organization was caught off-guard by the contracts that Steve Cohen in particular gave out, but regardless,. the future of this team rests in the hands of the young players that are already on the MLB roster and the ones that are coming through the system now. I don't pay any attention at all to projected records or things like that. Rarely have they been accurate in the past. It's all just a way to keep people talking about baseball during the offseason. Which is fine, but don't put so much stock in it. The games that matter start in the spring.

I think he would be a distraction for a young team. Not worth it.

I think the Orioles will always want/need someone better than league average in center field. I really believe they changed the dimensions of the park to gain a competitive advantage by prioritizing defense. I could be wrong, but I don't think "league-average" is going to cut it in left or center field in Baltimore for some time.

So, just so we are clear, when I said that speed and defense are important, it goes without saying that this is in combination with also being able to hit, at least to some degree.

I just think there's other options for bolstering starting pitching besides Mullins. Again, we have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. The "return value" I want for Mullins is watching him help us win right now. The exception would be if we got back an outfielder in exchange. For instance, I would absolutely include Mullins in a package for Byron Buxton, as one example. If the plan is to trade Mullins and replace him with Hays or McKenna, I don't think that's a good plan.

Well, I think the Orioles intend to compete this year. To compete without Mullins would be very challenging, and I'm talking about the 2022 version. The ballpark configuration and the pitching need really good outfield defense. Moving Hays to center just robs Peter to pay Paul, since left field defense is also important. You could make McKenna an everyday player but he hasn't shown that he is deserving of that. I don't think Cowser is ready yet to be called up. If we are trading for pitching, I think it makes more sense to trade from our deep farm system than it does to trade away valuable members of the current team.

The three players added don't make us significantly better, though I do think all three are upgrades over what we had last year. Frazier is better than Odor, McCann is better than Chirinos, and Gibson is better than Lyles, IMO. What will primarily make us a better team is the continued growth and development of our young players. This happens every offseason. People get so distracted by the huge contracts being signed that they lose the plot. If the Orioles are to take the next step forward over the next 1-2 years, it will be because of Rutschman, Henderson, Rodriguez, Cowser, Bradish, Hall, etc. That was always the case. Big free agent acquisitions are almost always overrated. While I wish the Orioles had a bigger payroll, I'm somewhat relieved that our front office is not dumb enough to spend $315 million turning a great defensive shortstop with an .850 OPS into a third baseman. But maybe that's just me.

Winning absolutely is a priority. The farm system is loaded. This team went 83-79 last year. Just because they aren't throwing around 10-year mega-contracts doesn't mean the team isn't focused on winning.

Mullins is very valuable to the Orioles right now. Losing him would be a significant blow to the team on a day-to-day basis. You need good outfielders more than ever now with our outfield dimensions. This team is built on speed and defense and Mullins is the central key to that.

I think this is a very good acquisition. McCann is almost certainly better than he showed last season, and better than Chirinos. I know a lot of people are complaining because they wish we were like the Mets and paying a shortstop $315 million to play third base. But I like this move. Anyway, as Ken Rosenthal pointed out, McCann's expected batting average last year was .240, and slugging percentage was .414. He also has historically done well against lefties, which means that it will make a lot of sense (probably, we'll see) to mainly rest Rutschman against tough left-handers. This is a good acquisition.

I would be the happiest man in the world if the Orioles could get Buxton, but that's hard to envision. Maybe in a deal where you trade Mateo with one of our outfielders plus a lesser prospect. Buxton is signed through 2028 and is extremely valuable when healthy. I know he's usually only good for about half a season but when he's on the field he makes a big difference.

He's one of the best defensive shortstops in all of baseball. He has value. A shortstop coming off a 3.4 WAR season and with plenty of years of team control is an asset. You are not going to get a star player for him, but you can get something valuable, especially if you are willing to take on some payroll.

My feeling on this offseason is that we actually have a lot of internal options to improve our club with prospects coming up...this is true for both the infield and the rotation. So if I'm Elias I'm not going to be pressured into doing anything. I am only trading Mateo for a strong return, however you define that. Same with Urias. If we can't get the starting pitching we need, then I go into next season with Henderson at third, Mateo at short, and either Urias or Frazier at second base. I would definitely be interested in several of the Twins starters.

I'm happy to have Givens back. Always liked him and think he's a solid complementary piece for the bullpen.

Why? This offseason has seen far bigger contracts than any in the past. You think it will require deals that go into the late-30s of players from this point forward, all the time? Or is everything thrown off by the Mets spending like mad because they have a new owner?

Elias is trying to create a long competitive window for this team, not break the bank to go all in right now. I think there is a wide variance as to what the Orioles can be in 2023, even if they sign no one. It all depends on what they get out of Rutschman and Henderson, and what Rodriguez can do in the rotation, as well as the progress of the other young players. The fates of those particular players will matter far more than adding Carlos Rodon or any other name that is on the market. The deals that players are getting this winter are stupid. Steve Cohen has spent hundred of millions of dollars and I don't think he's really made his team any better. An eight-year contract for a 29-year-old Brandon Nimmo is just idiotic. If that's the market then Elias would be wise to sit this one out.

The market this offseason seems pretty crazy. Knowing that the Orioles aren't going to be the Padres and just raise payroll to $250 million or whatever, I would look for short-term deals that have some value. Giving Carlos Rodon or whoever 7 years would be a mistake. This operates under the assumption that a massive deal for Rodon would prevent us from signing a massive deal down the line. Assuming payroll is a finite resource, I'm not breaking the bank for any of the available free agents.

It's a fine signing. I'm someone who believes there's no front end or back end of the rotation. There's just the guy you have pitching that day. Gibson adds to the depth and I think I like him a bit more than Lyles. They were, to be honest, pretty similar pitchers last year, but Gibson has a better track record.

I'm sure they will to some extent. How much is the question. If I were the Orioles, right now I would be thinking about trying to sign Rutschman to a long-term extension, buying up perhaps a couple years of free agency in addition to the arbitration years, and preparing to add starting pitchers via free agency or trade within the next one to two years. They will also need to figure out the infield, outside of Mountcastle at first base. Urias and Mateo might be part of the solution, and Henderson almost certainly will be, but I suspect they will need to add somebody at some point.

They have to get some starting pitching in here. At least one guy that you can somewhat rely on for a full season. Otherwise, we're going to be really bad again next year, and possibly unwatchable, as bad starting pitching makes it really hard to watch a baseball team.