I talked to an insider today

[thomden]

Who fills more seats? ARod or Tex? Maybe we go for both. PA has the money. Maybe he wants a WS before his time runs out.

Stranger things have happened. Did anyone predict ARod to the Rangers to the Yanks to the ???.

This off season is going to be the death for me lol. I'm too old for these shock waves.

[SilentJames]

Wait and see.

Why do you do this to me? WHY?!

seriously PM me. I will keep it hush, i need to know! I need to sleep!

[JTrea81]

Why do you do this to me? WHY?!

seriously PM me. I will keep it hush, i need to know! I need to sleep!

Ditto that, looks like your inbox is full as well...

[Tranquil1]

No I dont think that team can contend. I dont think it would contend if you replaced ARod with Babe Ruth. I see your second point, but if we get enough good young talent back, within a couple years we could have a very strong team.

I respectfully disagree. We would not only have the best hitter in the league (by far). We would probably have the best PITCHER as well.

Sorry, El Gordo, I didn't see your post until I wrote this.

[Joe'sO's]

If nothing else at least the O's are going outside the box for a change.Possible blockbuster trades and big free agent signings haven't been the O's MO. I really think Trembley is pushing a lot of these moves based on player attitudes and lack of dedication to the team. I'm hoping one of the contracts they eat is Millar's. Huff is perfectly capable of playing first every day and they could find a cheap DH somewhere. There's no reason to trade Bedard at this point and he may actually want to stay if they dramatically improve the team. Getting ARod would be a major coup but I doubt it happens. He would have easily paid for himself if we still had the Washington market but I'm not so sure now. I'm not all that crazy about Mora in LF either unless he's just a placeholder until Reimold or Tripp is ready.

[Dipper9]

As I mentioned in one of the other ARod threads, the point of getting him is NOT to win in 2008. Signing ARod would be a 8-10 year committment. You get ARod to win from 2009 on! He would immensely improve the 2008 team, while giving some of the young guys one more year to develop. You then go into 2009 with a core of Teixeira, Roberts, ARod, Weiters, Reimold, and Markakis. That's some pretty serious lineup there. It all starts with signing ARod though.

However...with the rumor of Torre getting the Dodgers job, does Torre bring ARod with him?

One thing I do like about the ARod story...the Orioles are not mentioned anywhere as being IN the auction for him. Maybe we'll be like the Angels were with Vladdy and steal ARod from all the big dogs? I like being the underdog in this and not the ones beating our chest saying we're gonna get him!

[Mackus]

I don't think signing ARod is a good idea for the immediate or long-term future of the team, but you have to admit it would certainly be exciting. Signing ARod is the only "compete now" plan that isn't inherently flawed. I still think trading away and rebuilding is a much better plan for both the short- and long-term.

[Frobby]

ARod appears to me to be the classic Patrick Ewing player. The guy can absolutely rake, but it says something to me that every team he played on has played better without him either before or after he was there for no discernable reason. Once is a coincidence, twice is hard to explain, three times is a trend

You will have to explain the Patrick Ewing analogy. The Knicks went to the playoffs 13 straight seasons while he was there, and they have been in the playoffs twice in 7 seasons since he left. Georgetown won a championship and went to the finals 3 times in 4 years while he was there; they were good but not great before and after.

[ChicagoBird]

It's from ESPN's The Sports Guy.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1193711

[blueberryale77]

You then go into 2009 with a core of Teixeira, Roberts, ARod, Weiters, Reimold, and Markakis. That's some pretty serious lineup there.

Am I the only one who's not completely convinced Reimold is going to be good enough to be part of the core? For some reason every time I hear his name I think of Larry Bigbie. You know - the outfield prospect people around the O's overhype just because he's the best outfield prospect in their system. Once on curiousity I compared the minor league numbers of the two and they're not that vastly different.

[NewMarketSean]

I fully expect the O's to make a run for ARod. I believe they might even be serious in trying to sign him too, not the "well we tried" crap they pulled with Konerko.

But just because the O's go after Arod does not mean he comes here. Also, signing ARod kind of makes me wonder why we'd trade Tejada. Yeah we'd get 2 solid prospects for him, but with Tejada and Arod somehow holding down the left side of the infield would be amazing.

It'd just be hard to figure out where to play them.

Either way, it ain't gonna happen.

And if they are not trading Bedard, they better be offering him an extension and then looking to deal him if he turns it down. It makes so much sense I almost expect the Orioles not to do it.

[geschinger]

You will have to explain the Patrick Ewing analogy. The Knicks went to the playoffs 13 straight seasons while he was there, and they have been in the playoffs twice in 7 seasons since he left. Georgetown won a championship and went to the finals 3 times in 4 years while he was there; they were good but not great before and after.

I don't know about Patrick Ewing, but it is true that with Texas and Seattle were much more successful immediately after ARod left . I don't think anyone would disagree that the Yankees underachieved during his tenure. It is more likely conincidence rather than ARod holding teams back but it is still an interesting phenomenon.

[Mackus]

I fully expect the O's to make a run for ARod. I believe they might even be serious in trying to sign him too, not the "well we tried" crap they pulled with Konerko.

The Orioles were very serious in their attempt to sign Konerko.

[Mackus]

ARod deal....

10@300....

+ $1 million for every game under 90 the team wins

+ $1 milllion for every HR over 45 he hits

+ $1 million for League MVP

+ $1 million for making Allstar team

+ .25 cents per person over 2.1 million attendance for the life of the contract

:002_ssuprised: :002_ssuprised: :002_ssuprised:

Most of those incentives are against MLB rules.

[66-70-83-??]

As I mentioned in one of the other ARod threads, the point of getting him is NOT to win in 2008. Signing ARod would be a 8-10 year committment. You get ARod to win from 2009 on! He would immensely improve the 2008 team, while giving some of the young guys one more year to develop. You then go into 2009 with a core of Teixeira, Roberts, ARod, Weiters, Reimold, and Markakis. That's some pretty serious lineup there. It all starts with signing ARod though.

However...with the rumor of Torre getting the Dodgers job, does Torre bring ARod with him?

One thing I do like about the ARod story...the Orioles are not mentioned anywhere as being IN the auction for him. Maybe we'll be like the Angels were with Vladdy and steal ARod from all the big dogs? I like being the underdog in this and not the ones beating our chest saying we're gonna get him!

Bad move. That is putting the cart before the horse.

This was the idea when we signed Tejada.

AROD is great, but he is 32 yrs old. There is way too much risk in signing him to a 8-10 year ( TEN years !) committment, especially to this team in its current sorry state.

Imagine paying a 40, 41, 42 year old 30 million a year to be a DH (or a 3B coach).

Signing AROD now- would be like a homeless guy blowing his last 20 dollar bill on a longshot trifecta. Fat chance.

The Yankees had him AND better pitching AND Jeter, Matsui, Damon, Abreu, Posada, Giambi, Cano... and still didn't win with him.

Signing AROD would signal that the FO (PA) is still delusional about what this team is.

After ten years of treading water, no more band-aids. Major surgery is required. Blow it all up from top to bottom.

Let Boras/Arod cripple some other franchise. Lets go fill the hopper with the guys who can potentially be the "next" AROD.