Can_of_corn

I'm the wrong one to ask. I'm the one that been worrying over how frugal the sons have been. This is fuel for my fire. Now I wonder if Elias didn't spend all the draft and international slot money this year because he was told not to. Is this connected with the Gary Thorne issue earlier in the year? How much are they cutting?

I also think the financial gains, particularly with fringe top 100 guys, is going to be marginal. Player has to have a career long enough for control to matter Player has to stay with the organization or be part of a trade in which their remaining service time will increase the return. Team has to fail to come to terms on an extension with the player. Team has to value the last year of control. The next CBA has to not tear all this apart. I look at someone like Schoop, holding him back and getting an extra year wouldn't have changed anything. Would the O's have been damaged if they had let Wieters start the year in Baltimore?

Not really you can pro after one year at juco, you have draft eligible sophomores and lots of kids get signed as seniors.

The savings aren't going to amount to much.

Naw, I've seen enough of Elias to assume he's going to hold him back. I said he should be up.

So far sounds like they are the cream of the crop.

Who is falling on a sword? I think I that the O's will win more games if Elias is aggressive with promotions than if he isn't.

I don't count them out in the playoffs until they are dead and buried.

James Shields. What a trade.

And they annoy the old guard which is a good thing.

Yep, shame they had those pitching injuries late, I had them pegged for a deep run and it's going to be a lot harder now.

Yea, I'm a firm believer that the idea that top college bats need to spend times in the minors just isn't all that true. He spent a "whole" season in the minors this year. Take a look at recent catchers who were top 5 draft picks, they don't spend a lot of time in the minors. He's going to be 23 this year, Sisco was in the majors at 22. The only reason to keep him down is service related and it's a shame because it's probably going to cost him a lot of money. I don't think there is a chance Diaz gets promoted until he is safely past the Super 2 deadline because the O's have no leverage in getting him to sign an extension due to the large signing bonus he received. The purpose of not promoting him in 2019 was so Elias would have the excuse of claiming he "needed" to play at AAA and couldn't make the team out of camp. So are you agreeing or disagreeing that the four or five players I mentioned could be the difference between 67 and 70 wins? BTW, I liked you better before you started doing the LOL crap again. I hope you don't continue to backslide and get personal.

Right, the team's top prospect who is a top 5 prospect in all of baseball might not be a factor in how many games the team wins next year. ? As for Diaz, when he was healthy, he could have been promoted. He wasn't. Last time I checked you can take a guy off the IL and immediately promote them. Is there a rule that they have to stay at the level they were when they were injured for X number of games that I'm unaware of? Four players, five including Wells. They could make the difference between the team winning 67 games and 70 games, which is what we are discussing.

Adley should 100% be up and not late in the season. I'd love to be as enthusiastic about Diaz as you are but they chose for him to spend in excess of a full season in AA. I think they hold him back past the Super 2 deadline which could impact the team's record.

Holladay really isn't. He doesn't have a MLB bat. He only looks decent if you are comparing him to Davis.

Crazy ain't it?

Tough season to have a career year. Seven players in the AL had at least a 6 win season (rWAR). Knoblauch had an 8.7 win season and finished 16th.

Diaz, AR, Pop, Baumann. I'd like to see Wells at some point, maybe in the pen.

Aside from his HR rate decline and his pitch usage continuing a trend we saw last year nothing much changed tho. I'm not sure I see the handiwork of a pitching coach.

What about when they sign Stroman? I guess I'll go over but I'm not certain Elias is going to promote enough players to make it happen.

It's funny how you keep saying you understand how if the offense is good enough you put up with the defense when you obviously don't.

Grienke might what? Be bothered? Sure.

I was never bothered. Teams cheat, players cheat. Baseball mostly doesn't care.

That would be this season.

It would be hilarious if the Astros won.