At this point, what team would Fielder go to?

[BrunoCherrytown]

The Fielder issue speaks to the grand problem of this organization.

Unfortunately, we aren't ever contending with the team we rolled out this year. And our joke of a farm system isn't going to help us there either anytime soon.

So we can either go sign premium players and incrementally get better and HOPEFULLY our new "leadership" actually believes you need scouts, an international presence and a respectable post-1st round draft budget to contend with the grown up organizations.

Then maybe our team will deserve to leave the kiddies table and eat with the adults.

Or we can keep with the "well we're not one player away so don't sign superstars" mantra and suck for another 3 years while hopefully, to be a bit redundant, our new "leadership" actually believes you need scouts, an international presence and a respectable post-1st round draft budget to contend with the grown up organizations.

The redundant part of my post is necessary for us to actually be considered a serious ballclub over the long haul. We all know that. We all say it on a daily basis.

But I want to actually enjoy watching the Orioles play next year. So let's add a legit superstar to this mostly AAAA squad please.

And i'm waiting for somebody to prove we can't spend like the Red Sox. Just because MacPhail says it, doesn't mean it's true.

The market data of MASN and owning the big chunk of your regional competitor's TV rights is a pretty homerun case for having a top spending budget. MASN's reach and the forced subscription dues are pretty solid case too. Plus a better team overall (even incrementally better) would hypothetically equal higher ad revenue since there would be more interest in watching them...so that needs to be taken into account with any attendance increases too from incremental improvements.

I know I stopped watching with about 1.5 months left in the season after the Calvary looked more like the practice squad and our big prospect call ups were the Angles and Hudsons of the world.

Here's why the Orioles are pathetic now and for the future unless something changes...

It all comes down to...

Can't and Won't...

And...

Can and Won't...

The first one is a myth, the second one is the truth. And they both refer to the "Can't Spend Like the Red Sox" belief.

And that's not just on the major league level. It applies to international, draft, scouting, and player development. We are not the Rays in market size and revenue.

We aren't the Yankees. But we absolutely, positively are in the same range as the Red Sox and Phillies if we actually put a half decent product on the field.

So we should sign Fielder this year and Darvish. Darvish is actually easier in theory than Fielder since we are blind posting.

We will become a better team at the pro level. More enjoyable to watch. And it will at least show the majority of the fanbase our owner is done nickel and diming us.

And we should ramp up all of the spending in our other departments.

Unfortunately, what we will do is sign Cuddyer and some "innings eater" aka over the hill guy who somehow completes innings.

I think Roy Halladay is an innings eater. But what we've come to believe is that just because you can get some guy to throw 200 innings of batting practice, that equates to being an innings eater.

Maybe Darvish could be an actual Innings Eater and not a Kevin Millwood kind of Innings Eater.

I basically have no hope in the Orioles doing anything right in the months ahead. I saw a bit on the Bmore Sun today that said John Stockstill, and this was pure speculation by the Sun, could be in the running for the GM position if Buck didn't take it.

I mean he was just in the list of names. But the fact that he was even mentioned in the same breath as GM shows you we shouldn't be expecting any kind of great things from the O's this year.

But I'd love to be wrong.

[TonySoprano]

If Angelos didn't allow us to make even a solid offer to Tex, (the Maryland native who would certainly have attracted fans to the ballpark, who in addition to being a middle of the order bat, also plays gold glove defense) then why in the blue hell would he sign an overweight Fielder with decent but not great defense?

Duh! Because Angelos wants to win NOW.

bwahaha. Sounds really dumb, doesn't it? The sad thing is people believe it.

[Can_of_corn]

This idea that a superstar player jacks up attendance by huge amounts was one of the first things Bill James discredited 30 or 35 years ago. He did it with Nolan Ryan (everyone knew he increased Astros attendance by many thousands of fans a game - until the data showed that Joe Niekro outdrew him for several years). If Ryan couldn't do it, Prince Fielder certainly won't. By himself Fielder might sell a thousand season tickets or so, if you're lucky. But unless the team really contends the ticket sales will be pretty flat, and even with a good team the real bump doesn't come until the year after.

I refuse to go to a game at the Trop, since well its a dome and an embarrassment. But I have to say that if the O's picked up a knuckle baller that was successful, I would be sorely tempted to go see him.

[sangar]

Red Sox. They will dump Ortiz and sign Fielder.

I thought this too until they missed the playoffs, largely because of their pitching collapse. Now they will be after pitching, a lot of pitching.

[El Gordo]

Red Sox. They will dump Ortiz and sign Fielder.

What was the main reason the Red Sox folded in Sept. Their offense? What is their primary need? DH? This makes no sense. Fielder doesn't want to DH, even for the Red Sox. He; much rather play 1B for the Gnats..

[Can_of_corn]

What was the main reason the Red Sox folded in Sept. Their offense? What is their primary need? DH? This makes no sense. Fielder doesn't want to DH, even for the Red Sox. He; much rather play 1B for the Gnats..

Morse put up a 910 OPS, I don't think the Gnats are looking to replace him.

[SammyBirdland]

Duh! Because Angelos wants to win NOW.

bwahaha. Sounds really dumb, doesn't it? The sad thing is people believe it.

OH MY GOSH! Is it 2012 already!? It's time to win! NOW!

(picks up phone)

Put the 14 year futility plan on hold, stat!

[El Gordo]

Morse put up a 910 OPS, I don't think the Gnats are looking to replace him.

Morse can play LF. The Gnats are the team because they are the only ones willing to go 7/180. None of the other interested teams will go beyond, 6/150 IMO. Take the Gnats out of the equation and the price goes below 6/150. I think most of the innitial offers will be in the neighborhood of 5/125.

[glenn__davis]

I agree with Gordo. If I had to put money on it right now, I'd go with the Nats.

[Can_of_corn]

Morse can play LF. The Gnats are the team because they are the only ones willing to go 7/180. None of the other interested teams will go beyond, 6/150 IMO. Take the Gnats out of the equation and the price goes below 6/150. I think most of the innitial offers will be in the neighborhood of 5/125.

I think they have their corner outfield posts sewn up for the foreseeable future with Werth and Harper. You don't think they would go with Werth in CF do you?

[El Gordo]

I think they have their corner outfield posts sewn up for the foreseeable future with Werth and Harper. You don't think they would go with Werth in CF do you?

Why not he's played there before.They can get a real CF next year or the year after when AJ is FA. Or they can trade Morse, for some SP and sign Crisp as well. That's not a problem. They want to make a big splash and boost attendence, getting media attention. The owner is one of the richest in MLB and has said he is willing to spend. I can see the LAA's. TEX, and the Cubs going 5/125 but I don't see any of them going much higher. Maybe the Cubs, but who knows about their FO and financial situation.

[Can_of_corn]

Well if you see Werth in CF as a real possibility then yes your scenario is feasible.

I personally don't but I guess we will see.

[DrungoHazewood]

And i'm waiting for somebody to prove we can't spend like the Red Sox. Just because MacPhail says it, doesn't mean it's true.

Some simple math. 3.05M fans x $80 a head = $244M for the Red Sox. 1.7M x $40 = $68M. Maybe those are off by a little, maybe the O's have half the Sox ticket revenues, not about 25%. Maybe... In any case they draw a lot more fans at a much higher price point.

But NESN is almost certainly much more profitable than MASN.

Forbes estimates that the Sox bring in revenues of $272M and have a franchise value just shy of $1B. They say the O's bring in $175M and have a value of $400M.

I'd say a conservative, best data available estimate is that the Sox annually have $75-100M more than the O's to play with. And depending on how related-party monies like MASN and NESN are figured in it could be quite a bit more.

[DrungoHazewood]

Morse can play LF. The Gnats are the team because they are the only ones willing to go 7/180. None of the other interested teams will go beyond, 6/150 IMO. Take the Gnats out of the equation and the price goes below 6/150. I think most of the innitial offers will be in the neighborhood of 5/125.

Morse is also not necessarily the kind of talent you forgo signing stars for. He's a 29-year-old slow first baseman coming off his first full MLB season, with Adam Jones' K:BB ratio.

[CA-ORIOLE]

What was the main reason the Red Sox folded in Sept. Their offense? What is their primary need? DH? This makes no sense. Fielder doesn't want to DH, even for the Red Sox. He's much rather play 1B for the Gnats..

The Sox will have plenty of money coming off the books (approx 30 mil) with Ortiz and Drew alone to sign Fielder and acquire pitching. Plus they have another 6-10 mil potentail in smaller contracts with guys like Varitek/Scutaro/Wakefield etc, Plus another 9.5 mil on Papelbon, who I'm gonna guess Theo (being the astute GM I think he is) is not going to pay bigs bucks to retain as closer. In short, they'll have plenty of money available to accomplish multiple goals. I doubt they'll push their luck banking on Ortiz's continued production. That would be something we would do. Run differential is run differential. Not sayng they won't be outbid by a team like the Nats to a point it doesn't make sense, but they'll be in on Fielder imo.