At this point, what team would Fielder go to?

[JTrea81]

Pretty much.

Every other team can be eliminated for obvious reasons in each case.

My money is on the Cubs.

The Cubs will probably re-sign Pena.

The Ricketts family isn't likely to spend like the Kardashian sisters this offseason, and Pena could be the best non-Prince, non-Pujols alternative. The Ricketts family also loves Pena's clubhouse presence, which carries some added weight.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-1002-sullivan-cubs-chicago--20111002,0,2633855.story?track=rss

[Orioles0615]

I said the O's just because I want him haha, but I could honestly see him signing with the cubs or rangers, I used to think angels but with morales and trumbo i dunno. I would be perfectly happy with A ram to the O's for 3rd and a couple of pitchers

[GoldGlove21]

The Cubs will probably re-sign Pena.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-1002-sullivan-cubs-chicago--20111002,0,2633855.story?track=rss

That is fine by me, one less bidder if we throw our hat in the ring. That being said, why would he come to Baltimore if he had the opportunity to play for the Rangers (No State Tax and playoff team), go to play for the Angels (Playoff quality team and fun place to live) or stay with the Brewers where the fans and city loves him, he gets an opportunity to play for a contender and he doesn't have to move his family? I have to think that we may really want Fielder, but a "competitive offer" is not going to do it for a team that hasn't been competitive for the last 14 years. What do you think JTrea? Do you really think that we have a shot and knowing our huge holes in the starting rotation and our max team payroll of $95M, do we have a chance?

[JTrea81]

That is fine by me, one less bidder if we throw our hat in the ring. That being said, why would he come to Baltimore if he had the opportunity to play for the Rangers (No State Tax and playoff team), go to play for the Angels (Playoff quality team and fun place to live) or stay with the Brewers where the fans and city loves him, he gets an opportunity to play for a contender and he doesn't have to move his family? I have to think that we may really want Fielder, but a "competitive offer" is not going to do it for a team that hasn't been competitive for the last 14 years. What do you think JTrea? Do you really think that we have a shot and knowing our huge holes in the starting rotation and our max team payroll of $95M, do we have a chance?

Depends on who the GM is. With Showalter or his pick, we do, with MacPhail no way IMO.

Make no mistake, Buck wants Fielder, and I have no doubt Buck will pull out all the stops to try to get him, that is if Buck is allowed to.

And Fielder won't be the only add. I wouldn't be surprised to see us land both Fielder and CJ Wilson this offseason if again MacPhail is gone and Buck is in charge.

The payroll will go above $100 million this offseason IMO if Buck has his way.

[GoldGlove21]

Depends on who the GM is. With Showalter or his pick, we do, with MacPhail no way IMO.

Make no mistake, Buck wants Fielder, and I have no doubt Buck will pull out all the stops to try to get him, that is if Buck is allowed to.

And Fielder won't be the only add. I wouldn't be surprised to see us land both Fielder and CJ Wilson this offseason if again MacPhail is gone and Buck is in charge.

The payroll will go above $100 million this offseason IMO if Buck has his way.

I just want to get your opinion on this, but what makes Showalter's insight in terms on the next GM matter? Would the Yankees bring in Girardi do ask who the next GM should be? Would the Red Sox have done it with Francona? I do not think so, but that is my opinion. I think that the Orioles should not consider Showalter for the position of GM. If they were going to go this route than why not just bring him in as a special assistant to MacPhail for a couple years instead of as the GM? Randolph could have served as the manager on a bad team full of young players.

I think this team needs a respected young GM candidate who could fix a major area of weakness due to his expertise in that area while serving on a team that exceeded in that area of baseball operations. I would imagine every manager in the game wants Fielder, but what Buck wants or what the new GM wants probably has little to do with what Peter Angelos will do in terms of opening up his wallet. I remember Angelos saying that no player was worth X amount of dollars especially players who do not play everyday which I think is funny considering that he is a lawyer and they do not go to trial everyday. Angelos is a problem IMO, but I want a young guy who was crap-hot to come in and try to fix the holes he is seeing compared to those in his prior organization. I want to see if he can do it and if he can great, but if he can not than I want to see who will blame him and label him as the issue while we were terrible. For some reason, our next GM feels like he is the guy before our next GM. GM's are just the variable, PA is the constant and is Buck going to have Peter Angelos' ear more than MacPhail did? I find that hard to believe, but it is important to note something here. If our payroll goes above $100M now than it would need to go above $120M three years from now considering that Jones and Wieters are either going to get huge paydays or be traded. If they are traded than didn't we probably take a step back? If we are going to go backwards than why try to go forwards right now? You are looking at right now everytime I see you post and that is why you like Buck because he is doing the same. I look a way to sustain a quality product verses being competitive for 2-3 years and than rebuilding for another 3-4. I know the Braves and Rays have won only a single World Series, but I would prefer to be like those two clubs than a team who wins a single title and than struggles to perform moving forward.

[andrewrickli]

The Angels are going to try Trumbo at third and in regards to Morales, Scioscia says "We're going to build the team assuming he's not going to be there, and if he is, it will help,". That being said I believe their top priority will be mid rotation starter. One possible scenario has them signing Reyes and trading either Izturis or Kendrick for a starter. Could Guthrie net us one of these guys?

Edit: That would be Aybar or Kendrick, not Izturis.

Interesting, so you think that we could land Kendrick for 2B if we trade Guthrie? How many people would be for that? Our biggest need IMO is starting pitching and Guts has been an anchor..tough call here.

[JTrea81]

I just want to get your opinion on this, but what makes Showalter's insight in terms on the next GM matter? Would the Yankees bring in Girardi do ask who the next GM should be? Would the Red Sox have done it with Francona? I do not think so, but that is my opinion. I think that the Orioles should not consider Showalter for the position of GM. If they were going to go this route than why not just bring him in as a special assistant to MacPhail for a couple years instead of as the GM? Randolph could have served as the manager on a bad team full of young players.

I think this team needs a respected young GM candidate who could fix a major area of weakness due to his expertise in that area while serving on a team that exceeded in that area of baseball operations. I would imagine every manager in the game wants Fielder, but what Buck wants or what the new GM wants probably has little to do with what Peter Angelos will do in terms of opening up his wallet. I remember Angelos saying that no player was worth X amount of dollars especially players who do not play everyday which I think is funny considering that he is a lawyer and they do not go to trial everyday. Angelos is a problem IMO, but I want a young guy who was crap-hot to come in and try to fix the holes he is seeing compared to those in his prior organization. I want to see if he can do it and if he can great, but if he can not than I want to see who will blame him and label him as the issue while we were terrible. For some reason, our next GM feels like he is the guy before our next GM. GM's are just the variable, PA is the constant and is Buck going to have Peter Angelos' ear more than MacPhail did? I find that hard to believe, but it is important to note something here. If our payroll goes above $100M now than it would need to go above $120M three years from now considering that Jones and Wieters are either going to get huge paydays or be traded. If they are traded than didn't we probably take a step back? If we are going to go backwards than why try to go forwards right now? You are looking at right now everytime I see you post and that is why you like Buck because he is doing the same. I look a way to sustain a quality product verses being competitive for 2-3 years and than rebuilding for another 3-4. I know the Braves and Rays have won only a single World Series, but I would prefer to be like those two clubs than a team who wins a single title and than struggles to perform moving forward.

First of all the Rays never won a WS in 2008, the Phillies did.

Second, you want to sustain winning before the club has even won. Winning now is the first step and to get there, they are going to have to make a significant investment. There's simply no other way around it. Could it cripple the payroll? Not if the team wins as attendance will go up, demand will go up and revenues to sustain winning will also go up.

But to think about sustaining winning before you've won is the same mentality that has kept us from winning in the first place. Better to win now than to wait 4 years only to find we still don't have enough to win.

It's time to win now and end this 14 year streak of no playoffs.

[scOtt]

Since reading this board, a lot of you IMO think that signing Darvish will be easy, and that we have a good shot, but I just dont see it happening. Although, he is NASTY.

I don't think there's a chance in hell we sign Darvish, for two reasons.

1. PA is against long or expensive contracts for unknown players*. Especially pitchers. Even if he gives (almost) free reign to Buck or whoever, I think he steps in and stops any chance at Darvish.

2. Even if (in bizarro land...) the Orioles REALLY step up and make a very serious bid on Darvish... it's a blind auction. We could STILL be trumped by a more desperate team. It's what I hate about the Japanese posting system above all.

*And I know, the posting fee is not payroll, his contract will likely be only 4 or 5 years at < $10 mill. Yada yada... PA will see it as a $100 million investment. Period.

[scOtt]

If I was him, I'd strongly consider a short term deal with Milwaukee, while I wait for LAD and NYM to get their financial houses in order and then hit the market with more teams competing.

I could see this happening if the market is soft and he doesn't get what he wants. Especially if MIL goes deep into the playoffs. If they were to win it all, you could almost call it "likely".

[DrungoHazewood]

But to think about sustaining winning before you've won is the same mentality that has kept us from winning in the first place. Better to win now than to wait 4 years only to find we still don't have enough to win.

It's time to win now and end this 14 year streak of no playoffs.

You do realize that just saying that over and over won't make it true, right? That there's no magic pill, no Superman ready to sweep in from Krypton to save the organization, right? The O's are 25 wins from true contention, and no amount of letters to Santa are going to bring you that kind of improvement in one offseason. At least not without massive improvements from the core that's already in place, the same core that won 60-some games this year.

It would be nice to take one of the worst organizations in MLB and go wild with mythical money that's never been available before, slap some free agents on top of the roster, and suddenly be on par with the Rays/Sox/Yanks or even Jays. But it ain't happening. Not even close. Even Disney wouldn't dare make a movie like that because of its ridiculous implausibility.

[El Gordo]

I wonder why so many believe Fielder is gong to the Cubs. What is this based on? I know earlier in the season there were repeorts that they would be after him, but that was before they tanked, fired their GM, had finacial difficulties reported, and had the owner fill positions that the GM ought to be filling, if they had one. Also they may replace their manager. They sound desparate enough. Otherwise I don't see it.

[El Gordo]

People keep calling Prince fat.

I think he looks a lot more like the world's strongest man:

than this:

[SilentJames]

Sure would be nice but not a neccassity.

This. Our offense produced well, and that was without OBP stalwarts Roberts and Markakis performing. I guess the questions are:

Are you comfy with Reynolds at first?

Is Reimold a legit starter again?

Will Markakis get back to his solid OBP ways?

Do you find a legit-leadoff man (middle avg, high OBP?)

Are you okay with Andino at second next year?

A lot of questions but my question to you SG, specifically, is this. Say this offense comes out again next year and gives you what we got this year league average to slightly above league average - do you think it is possible we could compete with that offense? Even if you personally don't think it is possible, is it conceivable?

[The Maestro]

Just a gut feeling, but I think the Nats are gonna put up a huge offer and land Prince. They've proven they'll offer big money on premium talent, something the O's haven't shown enough of.

[sangar]

Interesting, so you think that we could land Kendrick for 2B if we trade Guthrie? How many people would be for that? Our biggest need IMO is starting pitching and Guts has been an anchor..tough call here.

Guts for Kendrick/Aybar is just a curiosity. Frankly, I doubt either side would be interested. Upgrading the Andino/Roberts combo should be far down on our priority list and the Angels could probably get more than Guts for a 27yo MI with >4 WAR last year.