Per Roch: Bench depth being addressed...

[clapdiddy]

At this point we don't even know who our 3rd outfielder is.

It just seems a little backwards to be signing bench guys and spare parts when there are still so many holes in the starting lineup and rotation. The O's should be prioritizing the starting players first-- you can always add backups later in the offseason.

Agree with you here. This is like shopping for tires before you know what car you are buying.

[Sports Guy]

At this point we don't even know who our 3rd outfielder is.

It just seems a little backwards to be signing bench guys and spare parts when there are still so many holes in the starting lineup and rotation. The O's should be prioritizing the starting players first-- you can always add backups later in the offseason.

Right...The bench and BP do need improvements(I agree with Trea about how poor our bench has been and how it can be a hindrance) but still, those guys are always there and let's face it, as important as those areas are, they should be way down the "issues list".

[Brendan25]

Right...The bench and BP do need improvements(I agree with Trea about how poor our bench has been and how it can be a hindrance) but still, those guys are always there and let's face it, as important as those areas are, they should be way down the "issues list".

Like we said, I think it all depends on how much they like the guy.

[Fan4Life]

I haven't given up on the idea of a trade. But either way I expect that two of the rotation spots will be new

Agreed. We have been over this many times.. the offense was good enough this past season. The pitching is where the primary help needs to come from.

[Sports Guy]

Agreed. We have been over this many times.. the offense was good enough this past season. The pitching is where the primary help needs to come from.

But what is it going to be like long term?

The lack of positional depth and talent is still troubling and will be until they really address it.

People see the pitching stats and say that is what we need to concentrate on...I disagree with that.

While I do agree that the pitching needs to be improved, EVERYTHING has to be concentrated on and we have got to bring in some legit offensive prospects.

[Brendan25]

But what is it going to be like long term?

The lack of positional depth and talent is still troubling and will be until they really address it.

People see the pitching stats and say that is what we need to concentrate on...I disagree with that.

While I do agree that the pitching needs to be improved, EVERYTHING has to be concentrated on and we have got to bring in some legit offensive prospects.

I think we need to find some better offensive prospects but that should come via the draft. We have been so wrapped up on pitching, which is fine, but the pitching has taken so long to develop that we haven't been able to transfer to the bats. I feel like if Matusz and Britton and Arrieta and Bundy become what we need them to become then we will start to develop more dangerous offensive weapons through our farm.

[Fan4Life]

But what is it going to be like long term?

The lack of positional depth and talent is still troubling and will be until they really address it.

People see the pitching stats and say that is what we need to concentrate on...I disagree with that.

While I do agree that the pitching needs to be improved, EVERYTHING has to be concentrated on and we have got to bring in some legit offensive prospects.

And I agree with you that the long term solutions need to be addreased. I just don't see that happening during this offseason. Perhaps at the break of the 2012 season we'll see some guys become available or some of our MiLB guys may up their value and open some doors.

[El Gordo]

But what is it going to be like long term?

The lack of positional depth and talent is still troubling and will be until they really address it.

People see the pitching stats and say that is what we need to concentrate on...I disagree with that.

While I do agree that the pitching needs to be improved, EVERYTHING has to be concentrated on and we have got to bring in some legit offensive prospects.

But the decision apparently has been made to not trade the pieces that would bring in the kind of long term depth you are talking about. So unless we get it through amateur FA we need to improve the SP so that some of that can be used in trades. Signing bench guys now could free up a Reynolds or Reimold to be traded for a SP, like Floyd or Danks.

[DrungoHazewood]

The problem with the 125 AB is no matter how good a hitter he might be, in that small number of PA's he might not be very productive. But even if he hit like Piazza for 125 AB, how many W's is that. And of course if he could hit like Piazza he would be a starting C.

You could say exactly the same thing about defense. In 200 or 300 innings you could throw a few balls into center field, and happen to catch a disproportionate number of innings from the guy on the staff who has 11 wild pitches, and suddenly your defensive ratings are worst in the league.

[DrungoHazewood]

30 games vs 125 AB? You aren't seriously asking this question. The C impacts on every pitch of every inning of those 30 games.

What's the impact of the catcher on each of those pitches? I think you're assuming the impact is quite a bit greater than what's warranted by the evidence.

[JayThomas]

:vader:

But seriously, he wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to the Os. I'm shocked no one is asking for Larry Bigbie.

Yesterday Roch mentioned that we're looking for an outfielder ...

[Going Underground]

Doumit,I think wants too much money. Punto might also be priced out of what O's are willing to offer. Kubel is going to get alot of offers. I think they wanted Doumit as a backup catcher,DH, 1B.

[NCRaven]

Is it possible that they could be talking to agents and GMs about free agent and tradeable starters and backup guys at the same time? But, it's easier to get the smaller deals done so they might come first?

We b*tch that they can't multitask, but when they do, we complain because the smaller, easier things might get done first.

If you see a player that you think fills a role on the team, why would you wait? Fill that role with the player you want and move on instead of waiting on starters who probably won't want to make a decision this early in the bidding process anyway.

The team has sucked so bad that complaining has become an ingrained response, even over silly things like the timing of deals for utility players. I'm hoping we sign another closer to a $7mil deal so I can see heads explode online.

[Richmond Bird 9]

Has anyone seen anything on the type of bench that Buck wants ? I think he wants a veteran bench. Ryan Adams seemed to have sat on the bench for 2 weeks, Fox didn't play much, Tatum was so good that he had 87 AB's in 31 games, Reimold sat while Pie played. The bench has to be Buck's bench. So I will help Buck out some and pick his bench.

Ryan Doumit.....Bats S..D/H-C-1B-LF-RF (super sub)

Robert Andino...Bats R..2B-SS-3B-OF

Bill Hall............Bats R..3B-SS-2B-CF

Corey Patterson..Bats L..OF (speed off the bench)

Wilken Castillo...Bats S..C-3B-OF-2b-SS (he is the 25th man on the roster and should get more than 87 AB's)

Note: Doumit is signed to be the D/H and backup C. Castillo (limited Ab's) batted .313 for the Reds in 08/09.

This flexibility would allow Buck to mix and match better depending on the pitching matchup and or to give a player some rest. Also Sundays does not have be be a B squad game (all reserves in). Castillo/Patterson and or Hall could be signed as minor league F/A agents and invited to S/T or added to the 40 man roster after the rule 5 draft.

[JayThomas]

Not this offseason. Bench players especially in the middle IF are flying off the shelves.

We already have our backup middle IF. His name is Robert Andino. What we need is a starting 2B.