Hardy weighs in on Reynolds

[SrMeowMeow]

It appears that Hardy is unhappy with the way the Orioles handled the Reynolds situation. The Orioles owe no player anything in my opinion, EXCEPT a

professional and respectful way to be treated. If other players feel the Orioles are deficient in that area, over time, it could hurt perception of the club as

a winning organization.

That said, this is a tough and cold business. The days of the 'family" run baseball clubs are over.

I don't see any possible interpretation that the O's were unprofessional or disrespectful to Mark Reynolds. Unless you consider not resigning someone to fall into those categories.

[Can_of_corn]

I don't see any possible interpretation that the O's were unprofessional or disrespectful to Mark Reynolds. Unless you consider not resigning someone to fall into those categories.

I think the courteous thing to do is to give him a call and let him know where he stands.

[SrMeowMeow]

I think the courteous thing to do is to give him a call and let him know where he stands.

Free agency is free agency. I'm sure there was an extra mile that could have been gone, but seriously, it's a business. Very positive quotes in the media and a very defensible business decision to let him walk.

[Can_of_corn]

Free agency is free agency. I'm sure there was an extra mile that could have been gone, but seriously, it's a business. Very positive quotes in the media and a very defensible business decision to let him walk.

I agree it was a defensible decision. I still think not talking to him at all about the situation was at the very least discourteous and could certainly be construed as disrespectful. DD couldn't delegate someone fairly up the chain to make a five minute phone call? Buck couldn't spend five minutes while rehabbing?

Obviously Dan was raised differently then I was but to me, giving the man a phone call is not going an extra mile.

[CA-ORIOLE]

I agree it was a defensible decision. I still think not talking to him at all about the situation was at the very least discourteous and could certainly be construed as disrespectful. DD couldn't delegate someone fairly up the chain to make a five minute phone call? Buck couldn't spend five minutes while rehabbing?

Obviously Dan was raised differently then I was but to me, giving the man a phone call is not going an extra mile.

"Hi Mark it's Dan. We like you but you're way too expensive based on my risk-reward spreadsheet. Not to mention PA is squeezing me real hard. We're going to let you become a free agent. If nobody wants you and your price is rock bottom, we'll consider taking you back .... but I wouldn't count on it. Happy holidays."

Obviously a joke, but there isn't a great way to shine a turd and showing your hand isn't the greatest negotiation tactic.

[SrMeowMeow]

Exactly. He was probably a backup plan for us. That's not a thing you can say to someone and have them remain your backup plan.

[russ snyder]

"Hi Mark it's Dan. We like you but you're way too expensive based on my risk-reward spreadsheet. Not to mention PA is squeezing me real hard. We're going to let you become a free agent. If nobody wants you and your price is rock bottom, we'll consider taking you back .... but I wouldn't count on it. Happy holidays."

Obviously a joke, but there isn't a great way to shine a turd and showing your hand isn't the greatest negotiation tactic.

That's pretty much what the phone call would have boiled down to. It would have been perceived by Reynolds' agent as insulting as well. Overall, I think that the Orioles handled the situation pretty well. The dye was cast when they bought out the 12 million dollar option and passed on offering reynolds arbitration. All along they made public statements that cast reynolds in a positive light. I can appreciate that Reynolds might be miffed at the Orioles, but I don't think it's rude to let one of your free agents walk.