Many roster moves coming.

[NickM21]

It's sad to think our current bench and backup options could put together a comparable lineup to some of our dark years teams. Remember when Jeff Conine was our cleanup hitter?

[stomperspc]

Flaherty likely goes when Roberts comes back. It makes no sense to keep four middle infielders at this point. If Hardy was not hitting or was hurting then maybe. If Flaherty and Casilla were both hitting very well, then maybe then as well. Given the current situation however it just doesn't make a lot of sense especially since Flaherty has options.

Reimold is likely the next guy back and that is the toughest decision but I think it might be Dickerson. Reimold doesn't have any real platoon splits. There is a solid chance that he either hits or doesn't hit so he a platoon won't make a difference. Dickerson is not hitting well enough right now to be overly concerned about losing him as a LH designated hitter. If the need arises for another lefty outfielder, the O's have Jason Pridie at Norfolk. Urrutia could be a possibility later this year as well. You risk losing Dickerson over Ishikawa because there are guys that can replace Dickerson?s skill set (left-handed outfielder mainly getting DH at bats). Ishikawa - at the very least - has 1B working for him and the fact that the Orioles don't want him heading to the Yankees. He?s maybe slightly (very slightly, I admit) harder to replace.

Gausman goes for Chen. Britton has pitched fine as a 5th starter so he stays until (if ever) another move for pitching is made.

Betemit is not particularly close from what I gather so the picture likely looks different by the time he is ready to come back. Assuming that when he returns the 25-man roster is exactly the same as described above, then you probably have to do something with Ishikawa. Pearce gets DFA'd if everyone else is healthy when he is ready to return.

Basically, we are back at the projected opening day roster (pre-Betemit injury) with Valencia in place of Pearce as right-handed DH and Britton in the rotation over Arrieta. When we get to late July and early August, depth starts to become a secondary concern to putting the best players on the field. Besides for Reimold (and the jury is still out on him) I am not sure I see any internal substitutions that would be better to those 25 guys. Plus, even if Dickerson, Pearce, and Ishikawa are all lost, we?d still have Flaherty, Priddie, and Urrutia as left-handed bats and Hoes, Navarro, and Canzler as right-handed options in AAA. There would still be some depth on the offensive side for the final two months or so.

[Ruzious]

I agree with almost all of this. Except I'd try to keep Dickerson because I don't think McLouth is any kind of center fielder any more. Five years ago he was a terrible CFer. I'd put McLouth there for a game or two until someone could come up from AAA, but you need some kind of solution and Dickerson doesn't have any more options, right?

I agree with your logic, but if Jones stays healthy, I'm not sure he's going to take any days off, so I'm not sure there's a need for Dickerson. And if he gets injured, I'm not sure there's much difference between Dickerson and Avery or even Pridie - who's quietly hit very well at Norfolk.

[Lester Freamon]

I agree with almost all of this. Except I'd try to keep Dickerson because I don't think McLouth is any kind of center fielder any more. Five years ago he was a terrible CFer. I'd put McLouth there for a game or two until someone could come up from AAA, but you need some kind of solution and Dickerson doesn't have any more options, right?

At this point I have no problem letting Reimold go. Strop, too. And as nice as it would be to have Ishikawa around as a spare part you don't reserve a 25-man spot for a backup first baseman, nor do you DH a modern Mike Squires.

I agree with your logic, but if Jones stays healthy, I'm not sure he's going to take any days off, so I'm not sure there's a need for Dickerson. And if he gets injured, I'm not sure there's much difference between Dickerson and Avery or even Pridie - who's quietly hit very well at Norfolk.

I think Drungo (and me too) were just dealing in hypotheticals. IF Jones or McLouth get injured then Dickerson becomes quite a key piece. And YES, Dickerson would have to clear waivers, no options left with him. I have no idea if he would (same with Strop, Reimold, Pearce) but my guess is guys like Dickerson and Pearce get picked up because they are very solid bench players. I also agree with Drungo that McLouth is not really an ideal everyday CFer from a defensive standpoint. Not sure how the Orioles feel. I'm sure the O's front office would have the same concerns as Drungo, not too sure that Buck would necessarily agree.

That being said you mention Pridie who is having an outstanding year at Norfolk. Would he be adequate in CF at the ML level? I have no idea. If so it would soften the blow of losing Dickerson. Pridie is left-handed to boot. Of course a spot on the 40-man would have to be made for Pridie if his number was called.

[Crazysilver03]

Just curious why you don't think Casilla can back up SS. Also, Valencia plays 3B.

Just judging by how they have been used this year. Valencia is a poor defender at 3B, which is why he DHs. And when Casilla has been brought into a game late, it has always been Flaherty moving to SS and not Casilla. I just don't see Buck sacrificing the defense.

[Three Run Homer]

I don't see how we keep Roberts, Flaherty and Casilla on the roster. Nobody needs 3 second basemen or two utility infielders on their roster. My guess is that Flaherty is sent down to play every day in Norfolk.

If Reimold is deemed worthy of a callup, then I think Ishikawa is the obvious candidate to be let go. Keeping him away from Yankees is cute and all, but what exactly does he do for our team? Someone suggested that we could trade Ishikawa for a bag of balls to the Brewers or some other team that is not the Yankees, and if there is a team that wants him, then this is the perfect solution.

My own preference would be to call up Urrutia immediately to platoon with Valencia at DH until Betemit returns. But realistically I think Reimold will get the nod, to DH against most righties and to spell McLouth in LF against lefties. If Reimold is halfway decent, then Pearce will be the odd man out, because Reimold makes Pearce redundant.

The hardest decision will come when Betemit returns. Dickerson would no longer qualify for regular at bats as a platoon DH once Betemit comes back, but it's hard to imagine not carrying a backup outfielder who can play a decent CF. So I think the decision will come down to Valencia or Reimold. Hopefully performance will play a part in this decision.

If Strop doesn't show any improvement then he absolutely should be cut once Steve Johnson is ready to return.

I sincerely hope that Arietta and Gausman do not get any more starts this season. I'd really like to see Nolasco in an O's uniform by this weekend, but barring that I'd give TJ a start.

[Ruzious]

I think Drungo (and me too) were just dealing in hypotheticals. IF Jones or McLouth get injured then Dickerson becomes quite a key piece. And YES, Dickerson would have to clear waivers, no options left with him. I have no idea if he would (same with Strop, Reimold, Pearce) but my guess is guys like Dickerson and Pearce get picked up because they are very solid bench players. I also agree with Drungo that McLouth is not really an ideal everyday CFer from a defensive standpoint. Not sure how the Orioles feel. I'm sure the O's front office would have the same concerns as Drungo, not too sure that Buck would necessarily agree.

That being said you mention Pridie who is having an outstanding year at Norfolk. Would he be adequate in CF at the ML level? I have no idea. If so it would soften the blow of losing Dickerson. Pridie is left-handed to boot. Of course a spot on the 40-man would have to be made for Pridie if his number was called.

And is there much blow to soften if the O's lose Dickerson? He had a short stretch where he played well and hit homers, but other than that, he's been ineffective offensively and hasn't been needed defensively. In case of injury to Jones, my guess is that there will be relatively similar alternatives - as far as effectiveness - and Dickerson's past 30, so he's not here for his down the road potential.

Being a Braves fan and seeing McLouth play CF, you're both correct - he's not an adequate CFer.

[Ruzious]

Just judging by how they have been used this year. Valencia is a poor defender at 3B, which is why he DHs. And when Casilla has been brought into a game late, it has always been Flaherty moving to SS and not Casilla. I just don't see Buck sacrificing the defense.

Your reasoning makes me doubt the rest. He could be a great defensive 3Bman, and he still would DH on the O's. Mr. Machado has become a human hilight reel at 3rd.

[wildcard]

Lot of good ideas in this thread. Here is the ones I agree with.

1) McFarland starts on Friday.

2) Chen has rehab start on Saturday and starts for the O's on July 4th or 5th. That makes the rotation:

Wed- Hammel

Thurs - Gonzo

Friday - McFarland

Sat - Britton

Sunday -Tillman

Monday - OFF

Tues - Hammel

Wed - Gonzo

Thurs - Chen or McFarland (depending on how Britton and McFarland pitch)

Friday - Chen or Britton (depending of how how Britton and McFarland pitch)

Of Britton or McFarland, the one that pitches the best stays in the rotation and the other goes to long relief.

3) Roberts up; Ishikawa traded or DFA'd

4) Reimold - need to wait and see how he does on his rehab. He is 9 days into what could be a 20 day rehab.

5) Betemit is sometime after the All Star break. Too far away to predict.

6) O's will probably wait until after the July 10th Eastern League All-Star game to promote Urrutia. Where he goes may depend on how Reimold does.

[Lester Freamon]

And is there much blow to soften if the O's lose Dickerson? He had a short stretch where he played well and hit homers, but other than that, he's been ineffective offensively and hasn't been needed defensively. In case of injury to Jones, my guess is that there will be relatively similar alternatives - as far as effectiveness - and Dickerson's past 30, so he's not here for his down the road potential.

Being a Braves fan and seeing McLouth play CF, you're both correct - he's not an adequate CFer.

Yeah, "blow" is probably a poor choice of words . All I mean is a back-up CFer is a pretty important piece and I'm not sure who would fill that role if Dickerson is gone. If Pridie can do it, that'd be great, IMO.

[Norfolk orioles]

Betemit isn't all that close to returning, but I'll give it a stab:

Pearce, Strop and Reimold get DFAd.

Steve Johnson, Chen, and BRob return from injury.

Gausman and Flaherty get optioned.

Ishikawa gets traded to the Brewers for "cash considerations" in light of Hart's setback with the knee.

Urrutia gets called up to Baltimore to DH vs RHPs and play LF vs LHPs.

That's what I'd do at least.

I fully support this.

Strop is terrible, ascensio has looked fantastic down here in Norfolk. He could easily replace strop and then some.

Pearce for urrutia is an upgrade in my opinion.

Roberts for flaherty also is an upgrade as is Chen for gausman.

I'd keep Valencia up as a ph, spot starter if we need to give Davis or manny a day off.

Also might bring up Wada as a reliever eventually. Lots of moves to make, I just really want to see henry get the call and see what he can do.

Nolan should get nowhere near this team. He doesn't deserve it, he hasn't earned it. You can't b.tch about arrieta getting called up a week ago and then say you support calling up Reimold. That's just bs.

Dl him again with a setback or just send him through waivers. If someone picks him up, he's their problem.

[Crazysilver03]

Your reasoning makes me doubt the rest. He could be a great defensive 3Bman, and he still would DH on the O's. Mr. Machado has become a human hilight reel at 3rd.

I don't understand your point, are you saying he is good defensively?

[El Gordo]

Thats why Ishikawa will be the first to go. If Roberts is only doing a 3-4 game stint at AAA, Ishikawa should just start packing

Then why send down Flaherty when Roberts comes up Who are you replacing him with?

[Art Wing]

I just want to add that it's a luxury to construct your bench to prepare for long-term injuries but not a necessity. If there's a long-term injury, then other moves can be made.

McLouth can play the occasional CF. Valencia can play the occasional 3B. Casilla can play the occasional SS.

[weams]

I want to know who's pitching Friday and Weds. Any body, please, but Arrieta. Jurrjens, Wada, McF, anybody! Starting Arrieta is like sending Freddie back out there. As to Henry, I just looked at his MiL splits. Wow. How long has he been hitting just lefty? His numbers against LHP are as good as Betemit's in the majors against RHP. Bring him up soon.

Well Gausman is starting one of them. And Maybe Chen the other? Hank changed to a lefty only during his 42 weeks in the wilderness. I think Hank will be a good Oriole. Next year mostly.