Should the Orioles sign Hardy to a 3 year contract extension?

[UMDTerrapins]

I am sure the trade package we would get for him would be very strong.

I think you might be overestimating this.

[Sports Guy]

I think you might be overestimating this.

Zero chance I am.

Contenders have needs for offense and SS...He will be worth 2 picks. He is a very good defensive player.

He isn't that expensive in terms of dollars either.

He is a perfect rental player for a team.

[Hank Scorpio]

Zero chance I am.

Contenders have needs for offense and SS...He will be worth 2 picks. He is a very good defensive player.

He isn't that expensive in terms of dollars either.

He is a perfect rental player for a team.

Given what I've suffered through the past 4 years at shortstop, I'm probably a little reactionary in saying that I'd like Hardy around for 3 more years... but I would.

[NCRaven]

For now, I think the O's should follow both tracks - ie. continue to negotiate with Hardy while checking around the league to see who has interest and what they're willing to trade. Now that the All-Star Game is over, trade talks should start heating up.

In a vacuum, I'd want to re-sign Hardy, but if the return were substantial, I'd certainly consider a trade.

IOW, I'm not ready to vote, yet. The problem is, if they sign Hardy, we won't know what he might have brought back in trade. And, if they trade him, I won't know if I approve until after I find out what we got.

[UMDTerrapins]

Zero chance I am.

Contenders have needs for offense and SS...He will be worth 2 picks. He is a very good defensive player.

He isn't that expensive in terms of dollars either.

He is a perfect rental player for a team.

I think we can assume he'd fetch slightly more than equivalent of the 2 picks (that we'd receive as comp if he signed elsewhere) in trade. And there is the added benefit in trading him that we're not in charge of drafting these two guys.....they would be players who have a minor league track record. Lord knows we should never be assumed to draft/develop better than we can trade.

But 3 more seasons of a very good SS in his prime is more valuable to me than the players we're likely to receive. We need lock down players on this roster. And if we can get him to a good value 3 year deal, we have potentially a much better player/contract status to deal down the road if need be.

[24fps]

Yes, contingent on no, or a very, very limited, no-trade clause.

[Sports Guy]

I think we can assume he'd fetch slightly more than equivalent of the 2 picks (that we'd receive as comp if he signed elsewhere) in trade. And there is the added benefit in trading him that we're not in charge of drafting these two guys.....they would be players who have a minor league track record. Lord knows we should never be assumed to draft/develop better than we can trade.

But 3 more seasons of a very good SS in his prime is more valuable to me than the players we're likely to receive. We need lock down players on this roster. And if we can get him to a good $ 3 year deal, we have potentially a much better player to deal down the road if need be.

Why? Because this roster is so good?

[GoldGlove21]

The Orioles are 16 games under .500 with Hardy and although that doesn't say much about Hardy on an individual basis, it does provide a glimpse into what it could be like with Hardy over the next three seasons. If we were .500 right now or even a few games under and playing well, then I would be more interested in extending him. The issue is that many are labeling him as a stop-gap until Machado comes along. Does a team that is not likely to finish .500 much less compete in the AL East really need a stop-gap? This team still needs quality talent at almost every position. I do not think Hardy is part of the next Orioles playoff team, so IMO, he should be traded while he is the best middle infield trading chip not named Reyes. This is the best market to deal him and his current Type-A status means that added value would go to the team requiring Hardy and give the Orioles leverage to keep him if the deal isn't good enough.

[UMDTerrapins]

Why? Because this roster is so good?

Because this roster is so full of holes.

[MikeAD]

How great would it be if we could actually pull moving him for a good package and then sign him in the off season?

Even if that doesn't happen, I think Hardy needs to be excluded from the normal trade obsession on this site. This is one of the few guys we've had who is both talented AND performing at a high level as the deadline approaches. In the past we talk about guys like Guthrie, Scott, Huff, Wiggy, etc. This isn't that. This is a guy that will be one of the best players moved and one that teams would actually want, a guy that they would attempt to extend, a guy they would be willing to move very good prospects knowing he comes in and gives them premium talent at SS.

[JERSEYORIOLE]

I do not think trading him is even an option. I think we either sign him now, wait and try and sign him at the end of the year or take the picks. I don't think AM is even thinking trade. But what do I know.

[GoldGlove21]

I think we can assume he'd fetch slightly more than equivalent of the 2 picks (that we'd receive as comp if he signed elsewhere) in trade. And there is the added benefit in trading him that we're not in charge of drafting these two guys.....they would be players who have a minor league track record. Lord knows we should never be assumed to draft/develop better than we can trade.

But 3 more seasons of a very good SS in his prime is more valuable to me than the players we're likely to receive. We need lock down players on this roster. And if we can get him to a good value 3 year deal, we have potentially a much better player/contract status to deal down the road if need be.

What good does a shortstop in his prime do for a team that is destined to finish 4th or 5th in the AL East in each of the next 3 seasons? So it is a much better move to give a 28 year old injury-prone shortstop on a below .500 team a 3/$24M-$27M deal than it is to trade them for two quality prospects and save that $24M over the next three years in the process?

[Sports Guy]

Because this roster is so full of holes.

So, since it is full of holes, we should keep those players who can fill the holes and depth to the organization?

How is that different from what we have done in the past and how has that strategy worked out for us?

[Nolanseye14]

The Orioles are 16 games under .500 with Hardy and although that doesn't say much about Hardy on an individual basis, it does provide a glimpse into what it could be like with Hardy over the next three seasons. If we were .500 right now or even a few games under and playing well, then I would be more interested in extending him. The issue is that many are labeling him as a stop-gap until Machado comes along. Does a team that is not likely to finish .500 much less compete in the AL East really need a stop-gap? This team still needs quality talent at almost every position. I do not think Hardy is part of the next Orioles playoff team, so IMO, he should be traded while he is the best middle infield trading chip not named Reyes. This is the best market to deal him and his current Type-A status means that added value would go to the team requiring Hardy and give the Orioles leverage to keep him if the deal isn't good enough.

Agree with this.

[El Gordo]

One thing to do is to look at the contenders who would be in the market for a SS. MIL, CINCY, SF, St.L. What do they have and what will they give up. The other thing is if you are trading Hardy, you better be trading everyone who has 3 years or less and some value. You aren't winning anything before 2014.