Brooks The Great

Mateo should be the very first guy traded. The team needs to open up playing time for multiple players who will very likely be better hitters, and most likely better players overall. One or two nice single A prospect pitchers will do the trick.

I've had enough of Frazier, even coming off the bench late in games as a pinch hitter. Just give Ortiz the everyday 2B job for an extended period and see how he does with it. Don't make a stupid sunk cost signing hurt the team moving forward.

I'm still a major believer in Gunnar. I love his plate discipline, which he's always displayed even when he's struggled batting average wise. If/when Gunnar gets hot, which I think he will, he'll help carry the offense. When we have Adley, Gunnar, Cowser, and Westburg in the lineup later this season, we'll really be in business in terms of getting on base and having a great offense.

Hyde bats Tony Oh way too high in the lineup. He's better as a #8 hitter. Based on early performance, Chelsea_Phil may have to be DFA'd. Still a small sample size, though. Probably should give him another week or two.

There's no rushing anything with Cowser and Westburg. Cowser is 23 and Westburg is 24. They're ready. We could and should be better with both players on the roster. The team has played well, but the offense hasn't been very good over the past couple weeks. Elias should constantly be trying to improve the team at all times, and bringing up Cowser and Westburg will make the team better.

Good point, probably O'Hearn down to Norfolk and Johnson to 60-day IL.

Westburg is the future 1B of this team. It just won't happen until next season at the earliest. Urias, Mateo, Santander, Hays, Mountcastle - all of them should be traded. I'd stick with Gunnar for another few weeks. Adley struggled his first month or so in the majors and then figured things out. Coming into today's game, Gunnar's OBP was higher than that of Santander, Mateo, Mountcastle, and Frazier. This offense actually can't afford to send down Gunnar when he makes pitchers work as much as he does, and when he gets on base as much as he does despite a low average (which I have full confidence will improve soon).

O'Hearn DFA. If he's still on the roster at the time.

I think the lineup that got shutout this past Monday was worse. A cold Mateo hitting 5th, McCann 6th, and Frazier 7th. McKenna 9th. The lineup against lefties is an issue that needs to be addressed. I'm a broken record saying this, but Westburg is part of the answer to that problem.

Westburg and Cowser. Bench Frazier, put Santander at DH on days Cowser starts. Lineup would be so much better.

Yes, Frazier needs to be moved/phased out. This situation is one of several reasons most of this message board thought the Frazier signing was terrible. Frazier has been blocking two premium prospects who could be helping the team win now (Ortiz is technically helping the team today, but only because Mateo is getting a day off). Frazier's OPS+ is 91. He's not a good hitter. Like Odor last year, he's had timely hits. And unlike Odor, Frazier does a decent job taking pitches and working some walks. But Frazier shouldn't have been signed, and the sooner Westburg and Ortiz are everyday players, the better for the major league team both short-term and long-term.

Frazier still batting 5th is so bad. Hyde is lucky that the entire pitching staff has been amazing over the past 10 days or so. I'm going to celebrate the first game that Westburg and Ortiz start together at 2B and SS.

At .750, however, he's expendable with Ortiz and Gunnar in the organization. As I've maintained before and during Mateo's hot streak, he should be traded. I'm not concerned with getting a ton of value for him, I trust Elias to get decent value from a team in need of a glove-first SS with elite speed and some pop. Elias got great value from Jorge Lopez and Trey Mancini. I'm confident he can do it again with Mateo. And even if a trade doesn't pan out, the organization still improves by deploying their elite MI prospects at the major league level. The major league team will be better off with Gunnar, Westburg, Ortiz, and Holliday at different positions in the infield over the next few seasons.

It's absurd that Westburg's not already helping the Orioles. His bat is sorely needed against left-handed pitching, and to lengthen the lineup and make it more dangerous in general. I've mentioned it before in this thread I believe, but I think Westburg will provide leadership qualities that will help the big league team as well. I actually think Westburg will/should wind up as the organization's 1B of the future. Mountcastle should be traded during the offseason. In the meantime, Westburg can play 2B instead of Frazier, and/or RF or DH.

Not funny, because it's a guy who has no future with this organization both long-term and for the rest of this season as soon as Elias makes the correct moves and brings up the elite prospects which will help the team win now. You're the king of terrible one-sentence takes.

I'm fairly certain that a player dasignated for assingment can be recalled earlier than 10 days if it's to replace an injured player on the 26-man roster going on the IL. So I do believe that Ortiz would have been eligible to replace Urias. Unless that rule was changed for this season.

I actually like the whole Torrens play, it's a calculated gamble that Torrens makes it through waivers. The team had him as a third C as insurance against an Adley or McCann injury during the Braves series as a micro-management move, but longer term the team takes a shot at improving their organizational catching depth without risking any players, just some cash. This team is in a bad spot if either Adley or McCann gets hurt, so I don't mind the Torrens moves. Vavra makes some sense as the guy to bring up to replace Urias (while Torrens gets DFA'd) because Vavra can serve as an emergency catcher. However, hate the move to bring back O'Hearn, and I hate that Westburg and Coswer are still in AAA. They need to be added to the roster immediately. These moves also increase or maintain the reliance on Frazier and McCann, which is stupid. They're not good players, they're replacement level at best and McCann isn't good enough to start regularly against lefties - he should strictly be a backup catcher playing sparingly. Terrible roster management by Elias. O'Hearn and McKenna are the next two guys on the chopping block for me. Westburg and Cowser replacing them.

Damn, that sucks. Ortiz time.

Westburg up for Torrens, Cowser up for McKenna, Ortiz up for Urias if Ramon has to miss time. Givens for Akin. Or Vespi for Akin for a few days until Givens is ready.

I imagine it would be Ortiz again. I'm going to be a broken record saying this until it happens, but man would I love to phase out Frazier as soon as possible so that Ortiz and Westburg can get regular playing time.

Westburg and Cowser up now, please. And perhaps Ortiz too if Urias has to miss time. Elias and Hyde are giving games away now. Can't afford to do that with the AL East an uprecedented beast of a division.

Atrocious lineup tonight. McCann should strictly be a backup who only plays at C on days that Adley is resting. McCann shouldn't be featured as a regular against LHP. Urias is a better hitter than both McCann and Frazier, he shouldn't be hitting 8th behind those two. Both Westburg and Cowser should already be called up and playing regularly. McKenna and Torrens should be DFA'd immediately to make room for both. Lineup optimization was a major weakness for Buck Showalter and it's also poor for Hyde. And Elias is mismanaging this roster currently. With the AL East as tough as it is, the organization needs to leverage its strength - offense and position players.

I was calling for it and I still want him DFA'd. Jordan Westburg should take his spot on the roster. The team shouldn't keep using McCann as a DH against lefties, and a situational fifth OF doesn't have as much value to this team as Westburg would.

Nothing beats a good old fashioned Firestone Reverse Jinx.

Westburg for both. And if the organization doesn't trust Westburg in RF, he's the best option the organization has at 2B against LHP (and I believe overall). I'd take Ortiz over Frazier both against LHP and overall as well.