Schmuck brought up Hosmer and Smoak as potential 1B targets

[theobird]

For Hosmer you're talking Bundy.

And thats not all, more likely Bundy, Britton plus.

[Bradysburns]

It sounded like it was more his opinion than the front office's though, hence why I'm not linking to the article here.

That said, if it's true that Britton's name is being thrown around a lot by other teams, is he the kind player that you'd include in a deal for either Smoak or Hosmer? Just curious.

Hosmer would be an incredible get, IMO. I would trade Britton for Hosmer straight up - and I think it would be a good deal for both teams.

[Bradysburns]

And thats not all, more likely Bundy, Britton plus.

If true, I would do one of those laughing hang-up calls on KC. No way I trade Bundy, Britton PLUS for Hosmer, as fine a young player as he is. Britton and... Matusz? I would be sorely tempted. In fact, I would pull that trigger on that trade as well.

[Os84]

And thats not all, more likely Bundy, Britton plus.

For Hosmer? I don't think this is accurate. While Britton is not yet a proven major league starter, Hosmer is certainly not a proven big league hitter. Hosmer may turn out to be a great 1B, but I think he may be a little overrated at this point in time.

[Moose Milligan]

Smoak is awful. I pitched a hissy fit when we didn't draft him in 2008 but I'm glad we didn't.

I'll pitch hissy fits that we didn't draft Buster Posey, though... :cussing:

[MachadOboutManny]

Hosmer would be an incredible get, IMO. I would trade Britton for Hosmer straight up - and I think it would be a good deal for both teams.

You would trade Britton for Hosmer? I guess so. That wouldnt come close to scratching the surface on a deal and it would be an awful deal for KC. Hosmer carries more trade value than anyone the Orioles have. Bundy and Machado are close in the conversation.

[crissfan172]

For Hosmer you're talking Bundy.

And thats not all, more likely Bundy, Britton plus.

What? There's no way Hosmer's price tag is that high. It's certainly higher than just Britton, but Bundy has significantly more trade value than Hosmer.

[MachadOboutManny]

What? There's no way Hosmer's price tag is that high. It's certainly higher than just Britton, but Bundy has significantly more trade value than Hosmer.

Thats just not the case. Bundy is not significantly more valuable than Hosmer in a trade.

[CA-ORIOLE]

That's why I said 'does not have "much better plate discipline" than Mark Reynolds, who is the player he'd be replacing.' I.e., I think Reynolds is perhaps just as important a comparison.

Ok, don't be ridiculous. The context of my comment to COC was about upside and comparing Davis to Smoak. If your argument is that Reynolds is a better bet to produce more than Smoak next year then there is no argument from me (and probably not from anyone else).

[CA-ORIOLE]

If the O's were coming off a 93 loss season and not a 93 win season I could see taking a flyer on him. If this team is a contender then he is too big a risk.

Ok, that's fine and a perfectly understandable position. I'm not sure about the "if this team is a contender" comment. One final thought, doesn't Smoak have a remaining option?

[crissfan172]

Thats just not the case. Bundy is not significantly more valuable than Hosmer in a trade.

You're talking about a young 1B. He doesn't play a premium position, and he's coming off a down year. He has plenty of value, but it's not near Bundy's right now.

[ShaneDawg85]

I don't think Britton alone gets you Hosmer, unless KC has really soured on him, which even after a disappointing second season, I can't imagine they've soured that much. But, if it can, or if the deal can be expanded off of that and it gets him, you'd be crazy not to do it. He is just 23 and one season removed from finishing 3rd in the ROY voting, one percentage point below an .800 OPS in his rookie season. Now I know people will say you can say the same things about Britton, but to me, save for early on in his rookie season, Britton has been extremely disappointing in the big leagues. The walks and hits allowed have been too high, and there just hasn't been any consistency out of him. I'm not saying throw Britton out for whatever you can get, but if he could potentially land Hosmer, I'd be willing to part with him. My question is, what's Hosmer look like defensively? BBRef has him with a -1.5 dWAR last year, and a -1.7 his rookie season. Is he that bad?

[Three Run Homer]

I think Arietta for Smoak is a pretty fair deal. Two players with high ceilings who for whatever reason haven't yet been successful in the majors for an extended period and who would both benefit from a change in scenery. The O's might have to sweeten the pot with someone like Belfiore, but I wouldn't go much higher than that. I certainly would not trade Britton straight up for Smoak.

Hosmer is a much better bet than Smoak and I'd expect we'd have to give up Britton and at least one more good young player or prospect to get him.

[WarehouseChatter]

Hosmer was the 3rd pick overall in the 2008 draft while Smoak was the 11th pick overall. It's way too early to give up on Smoak. He'll be decent somewhere (provided he gets out of Seattle). If we don't offer Reynolds and if no other options are available, we may have to consider a Britton for Smoak type of deal. I would much prefer to retain Reynolds and Britton. I feel like too many people have given up on Britton. I could see him having a breakout year in 2013.

[RVAbird]

Hosmer would be an incredible get, IMO. I would trade Britton for Hosmer straight up - and I think it would be a good deal for both teams.

Going into the 2011 season (the last year he had prospect eligibility), Baseball America ranked Hosmer the #8 prospect in baseball.

That year, at age 21, Hosmer went on to post a 1.107 OPS in a brief AAA stint before OPS'ing a robust .799 OPS in his 563 ML debut.

Last year, he took a step backwards in his development. It was an ugly season, no doubt. But his contact and LD rates were nearly identical in 2012 to thos of 2011 and his BABIP dropped .59 points. There are plenty of indicators that Hosmer's disappointing 22 year old season was a sophomore slump on the way to a very good career. His bat still has plus plus potential and he still has 5 cost controlled seasons remaining.

I really don't think Britton is close to Hosmer's value, and if Hosmer's gone from top prospect to spare part swap in a year, KC would be foolish to trade him now.