oriole

Selling low on Mullins seems like a great idea!

I’m going to say Westburg. I think Henderson probably moves to 3B and SS is likely filled by FA or Mateo. If the rest of the lineup is good then you can stand to carry a defensive SS with speed. Mateo as a 9 hitter is great and considering he can steal with the best of them then all he really needs to do is focus on getting on base. Vavra is a possibility at 2B too but I think long term we will see him as an outfielder if/when he is healthy.

A bit off topic but Santander's vaccination status probably affects his trade value for whatever it’s worth. Any team that has dates in TOR will have to take that into consideration, plus the potential of having to play in TOR in the playoffs.

Okay so I’m bad at memes and technology so I’d like everyone to imagine that scene in Billy Madison where Steve Buscemi crosses Billy’s name off the list and then puts on lipstick. Now imagine that’s Orioles fans collectively crossing Zimmermann’s name off our 2023 SP staff projections Sorry, that’s the best I’ve got

Hey, if the O’s move to Nashville then games wouldn’t be blacked out in Baltimore anymore. That’s a win, right?

Unless the Yankees are practically giving him away then I don’t see much of a chance of this happening. And I highly doubt the Yankees will give him away to a divisional team anyways.

At this point my answer is none. Any consistent competitive relevance depends entirely on having as many young, controllable, and, most importantly, good players as possible. Even though it’s one of the best farm systems in the game right now we are still only likely to see maybe three or four of the top 10 guys actually become every day players who can stay healthy. It could be even less than that if things don’t go particularly well. Don’t trade anyone until you know which ones stick.

I’m not sure if you’re serious? You want me to list a 25 man roster, years in advance?

I mean, I would start signing free agents starting in 2023 if it were up to me, but it’s not. 2024 will have Rutschman, Rodriguez, and Hall with some experience, Mountcastle will be a team veteran by then in context to others, and some of the further down prospects like Henderson, Cowser, Westburg etc will hopefully be ready to come up by then. Add in one or two decent free agents and I don’t see why 2024 couldn’t be a really solid place to start expecting an actual good team.

I disagree…Stowers is the obvious answer and maybe Diaz if he can ever stay healthy. Two years left is nothing for this rebuild. 2023 will still be a transition year with possibly 2024 being the first year Elias actually cares about wins and losses.

OF is the one spot where I feel confident we could see a couple good players make it. Stowers, Haskins, Cowser, Diaz are all good players (health an issue with Diaz but still…)…that’s not even mentioning Kjerstad or a potential Druw Jones signing this year. And on top of all that Mayo will probably be added to that list at some point. All that being said, I don’t necessarily want them to trade all three of current OF. Especially Hays, but he’s the one that can most likely bring in a legit SP prospect which we lack outside of Rodriguez and Hall. And Hall has future TJ surgery or at least chronic injury concerns written all over him. The best move is to keep Mullins since his value has dropped this year but still has a lot of potential.

I think no matter what the record is around the deadline, we’ll see Elias dealing players away. Mancini and Santander seem like sure things to move but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mullins or even Hays moved. Same goes for Lyles, Lopez, and Urias not that anyone will be blowing us away with offers for them…

That guy is either stupid, high, or both

I wonder if he could be back in the rotation at some point?

Diaz just needs to stay healthy…same as Kjerstad except Kjerstad has yet to play a game of professional baseball. But I see your point and it’s probably best to just assume neither player has an impact in Baltimore until proven otherwise. Though, if Kjerstad gets on the field and avoids injury for any extended period then I think I’d change my tune a bit.

I could see Rutschman taking over a lot of 1B starts to get his bat in the lineup with Mayo possibly taking over full time in a couple years. So Mountcastle doesn’t have to work out in the long run…it would be a lot cooler if he did though

Mullins was a bit expected but I really thought Mountcastle was going to be a real threat at the plate. So far he has looked absolutely lost to my eyes. Either way, there’s a lot of time to get it back

I think you can count Kjerstad out and all of the OF on the roster now will be traded. I imagine an OF mix of Diaz, Stowers, Haskins, Cowser, possibly Mayo since he might not stay at 3B, and also whoever is drafted this year will probably be an OF. I could also see Rhodes becoming relevant but that’s even more speculative than Mayo and the new draftee. I think 2B, SS, or 3B is where we’ll see a bigger free agent signed in the next couple years. Henderson will hopefully be at either SS or 3B, I really like Mateo but he might be best utilized as a utility guy/pinch runner on a winning team. I want to believe in Vavra, but I think I saw Tony mention he isn’t great with turning double plays? If so, he isn’t a guy to count on realistically. I’d love to see the O’s go after Abrams in SD since he is blocked and they desperately need OF and we’ve got plenty to spare but that’s wishful thinking.

Who else would have to go to San Diego with Mullins and Mancini if they wanted Abrams in return? An infield of Abrams, Henderson, and Mateo seems interesting assuming Mateo can play a decent 2B and we all keep in mind that he is a 9-hole hitter speedster.

Seems like a high return for someone who is not really playing like his 2021 self.

Mancini is the easy sell of the group since he’s a free agent. The other three, especially if doing well, not so much. But considering there’s a lot of talent in the OF in the minors I don’t really feel it’s worth keeping all three. Maybe keep one of Hays or Mullins for good will but honestly…if someone is willing to give up some good players for these guys then the smart move is to take the PR hit and do it. The fans will come around once the team is winning again.

If Mullins, Hays, Santander, and Mancini are all playing well enough by the deadline to get a good return…and if Rutschman, Hall, and Rodriguez are up and presumably playing well…then it creates quite a conundrum because it will be exciting baseball. That’s a really tough sell for a GM to make. I do think it’s the right choice to make the trades if the return is good…but people are going to be absolutely pissed.

Nice play in his first inning and base hit in his first AB. Think there’s room for another statue at the park?

This will be a fun post to resurrect in 30 games

Tonight is his first start in AAA. I’m not saying he isn’t ready but Elias is going to want to keep him back because that’s what Elias does.