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I don’t want to put a sloppy infielder that may go through an adjustment period in just because he hit a lot of home runs in AAA. Urias is the better defender and more of a proven commodity. Granted, Mayo has a ton more upside. But I just don’t know if it’s worth the defensive downgrade in hopes that Mayo can start off hot. Id really like to see Mayo get more time at 1B or RF. That seems to be where he’ll end up anyways. It feels like the O’s are trying to do the square peg in a round slot game with him.

I’d trade both Norby and Stowers for him.

I’d be doing a strict platoon with O’Hearn. Mountcastle was consistently awful against RHP last year as well. Kjerstad could DH on days that O’Hearn is at 1st.

It’s a tough call. The O’s need more help in the bullpen, both short term and long term, than they do in the outfield. But I think the state of affairs are well enough that you can really pick and choose your keepers. Kjerstad is a “nugget” (are we still using that term?) and the back of the bullpen, while a weak spot on an otherwise great team, isn’t really that bad off or anything. So you offer out the guys that obviously don’t have a place here, presently Norby, Stowers, and Beavers, and take what you can get for them…assuming you’re not giving them away of course. No reason to put Kjerstad in that mix if you dont have to…and they don’t have to.

Same. I think it may be a better discussion to ask who would you move to that role? That takes some obvious candidates out like Burnes, Rodriguez, and Bradish. But between Wells, Suárez, and Kremers success the first time through the order…it’s a good thing to ruminate.

Burnes is pretty clearly the best pitcher, so I don’t see how any other answer will do.

Holliday in CF is an interesting idea, as is Mayo in RF. Put Norby at 2B, Kjerstad at DH. Room for everyone! The reality is there’s no room for Mayo unless he moves and I highly doubt Holliday is going to be moved. Fun ideas though.

I think you should be looking at the back end of the rotation for potential Kimbrel replacements. Suárez or Wells are possibilities. Cano is an obvious candidate. Grayson is not in the discussion.

0% chance this happens. Either Santander is playing well and he is valuable to this team or he is not playing well and he isn’t valuable enough for any team to trade anything worthwhile.

Kremer is usually pretty average with an awful game thrown in once in awhile. I know it’s an intentional reverse jinx thread but you never know with Kremer.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone with options or even any remaining years of control. Someone to pitch in the 7th/8th and maybe the 9th every once in a while. We’ve got good relief pitchers but they all (like most RP) have a penchant for forgetting how to do their job for stretches. It’s good to have back ups for your back ups. And to be honest, and even contradict myself…when Wells comes back, he’ll make a great reliever. So the answer could already be in the organization. I just don’t see guys like Coulombe, Webb, Akin and even Cano pitching lights out over a whole season. And if anything, my concerns over the bullpen being the weak spot on the club is more of a testament to how good this team really is.

No. They need relief pitching but Scott’s not the guy. Despite his success, he still struggles with the walks. That’s not a recipe for longevity. Povich is the best pitching prospect in a system without many pitching prospects. He’s a keeper in my eyes.

I don’t know the Yankees system, but I can tell you Elias is extremely risk averse and isn’t going to “go for it” the same way other teams will. The Yankees or whoever else just need to beat Norby/Stowers/Beavers type of offers because I don’t see Elias trading anyone else.

Judge is gonna turn it around. Cole is coming back. They’ll undoubtedly make a big move by the deadline. The Yankees won’t be going anywhere. It was good to get 3 out of 4 while they're not firing on all cylinders. Orioles bullpen is very shaky. I can’t predict a division title unless some changes happen.

I agree with this. It’s a little confusing why they aren’t giving him more reps at either position. With Westburg, Henderson, and Holliday all presumably being every day players there is literally no where to put Mayo. It’s not even like he’s some kind of defensive asset at 3B.

Yep, like I said…just using his bonk play as a reference. He will be my example for bad defense until I am dead…or until something else silly and memorable happens.

Just personal preference, thats why the thread exists. I don’t want to have to laugh off bad plays. Im not sure Nelson Cruz would be a fun player to have on your team if he was playing the field every day.

I wasn’t referring to him overall as a player. I meant that is the type of play that might happen with a -10 defense guy.

Boring answer but I’m going with the average hitter, average defender. Everyone loves a great hitter but just wait til they have a DJ Stewart bonk on the head moment time after time and the offense won’t seem so great. On the other hand, Izturis was cool to have on the team until he came up to bat. Give me someone who will make most of the plays and won’t kill you at the plate.

My gut feeling was wrong once again! I’m thankful I’m not a betting man

Thanks for sharing! I think Mayo in the OF is a good idea. Westburg is proving himself capable of being an every day option at 3B. 1B is covered for now unless something unexpected happens with Mountcastle. All of the OF prospects are left handed so Mayo would help balance that out.

I’m far more concerned about how many runs will be given up than how many they’ll score today.

During the off-season I had mentioned in a couple threads that Kremer should be the 6th starter and two starters should be acquired. Anyone who engaged with me disagreed pretty vehemently but his performance so far this year is a good example of why I felt that way. Granted, he was a decent 5th starter last year so I totally understand why someone would’ve pushed back on that idea but he’d be great depth rather than a mainstay of the rotation right now.

I mean, at this point you’ve really got to wonder what is going on. Norby has proven himself at AAA, there’s a need for a productive 2B (until Holliday can prove to be ready, not saying to send him down today but it’s looking ugly so far), and he hasn’t been traded yet. If I had to guess, he’ll be traded at the deadline this year.

My guess is Elias doesn’t want to risk Norby going through a Holliday level stretch of abysmal play and ruin his trade value. Norby seems like a sure thing to be trade bait this summer.