Do you like the Feldman trade?

[mlrhode]

I like the trade because it improves us for 2013. I hate to give up guys with long-term potential for short-term gain, but that's what contending teams do.

Agree 100%. I voted for #2 and the best part is we gave up nothing that would prevent us from making a trade for Garza or Norris at the trade deadline.

We have 4 weeks to see if Chen returns to form and how Feldman performs. If we still think we need a Garza or Norris then we still have Britton, Schoop, Ed. Rodriguez or Delmonico to trade.

[allquixotic]

Everyone is just sick of Arrieta and Strop. But I don't really like the return. I don't think Feldman is a difference maker.

Well, it does make our bullpen quite interesting, potentially, if they make a few more adjustments (bold = recent change of position or addition to roster; in parenthesis is the role and overall subjective effectiveness grade for 2013):

Britton (Long man / B-)

Gausman (Long man / B because of his good results out of the pen)

Hunter (Setup or spot closer / A+)

Jim Johnson (Closer / A+ or F depending on his mood, phase of moon, etc)

Matusz (Setup or middle relief / B)

McFarland (Long man of last resort; mop-up guy in blowouts / C)

O'Day (Setup or middle relief / A+ most days, sometimes C)

Patton (Middle relief / D+/C-)

SP:

Tillman - De facto #1

Gonzalez - De facto #2

Chen - Hope he pitches like a #2, but probably #3

Hammel - Pitching like a #4 or #5 this season

Feldman - Probably a weak #5, but better than Garcia or Arrieta could do, and deeper into game than Britton or Gausman could do

This is a significant improvement over what we had just a while ago:

Strop (Pitcher of last resort / F-)

Arrieta (Long man / D)

Hunter (Setup or spot closer / A+)

Jim Johnson (Closer / A+ or F depending on his mood, phase of moon, etc)

Matusz (Setup or middle relief / B)

McFarland (Long man; mop-up guy in blowouts / C)

O'Day (Setup or middle relief / A+ most days, sometimes C)

Patton (Middle relief / D+/C-)

SP:

Tillman - De facto #1

Gonzalez - De facto #2

Garcia - It's pretty sad when Freddy is your De facto #3...

Hammel - Pitching like a #4 or #5 this season

Gausman/Arrieta/McFarland/Jurrjens/Britton/Stinson - Not even worthy of #5, either due to how deep they can go before they hit a wall, or general lack of stuff/command/composure/experience, depending on the player

[bluedog]

Depends on what you mean by "difference maker." I think we'll win a couple more games with Feldman on the team than without him, and his presence gives us a little leeway if one of our other starters goes down with an injury in the second half of the season. It's pretty similar to the Saunders move last year in terms of immediate impact on the team, but we should be able to get 15-16 starts from Feldman instead of the 7 we got from Saunders last year.

Remember what a couple more wins would have meant to the O's last year - a division title instead of a wildcard / one game play-in.

I totally agree with Frobby that "difference maker" is pretty subjective. In my book, if the O's win more games this year because of this trade, then Feldman will have been a difference maker and I think there is a pretty strong chance he'll deliver a few extra wins. It was a very low risk / reasonable reward type trade to me.

[mark_beckens]

I think it makes us better. He will be more consistant then the other options, I hope. I don't like giving up on both Arrieta or Strop but we couldn't wait for Pedro to figure it out anymore. Wanna go on the record as being one who thinks Arrieta will figure it out and become what we all had hoped he would be. I think a change of scenery will be good for him. I wish them both luck. Lets hope Feldman gives us 6+ innings per start.

[mark_beckens]

Everyone is just sick of Arrieta and Strop. But I don't really like the return. I don't think Feldman is a difference maker.

You shouldn't use terms like everyone or all when you post. You don't speak for everyone and you don't know what everyone thinks. I personally was willing to wait for them to figure it out. I'm sure I'm not alone.

[crowmst3k!]

Everything about Feldman screams "solid".

Good GB%, decent HR/9, decent k/9, decent bb/9

He's won 7 games on a bad Chicago Cubs ball club.

He's a sinkerballer whose primary pitch actually works (see GB%)

His fWar is currently equal to our best starter Chen (albiet in twice as many innings). Per innings pitched, he has the highest fWar out of our starting staff, excluding Chen.

His FIP and ERA are very, very close. 3.46 ERA to 3.93 FIP. He's not significantly outperforming his peripherals.

These are very, very good signs.

[Old#5fan]

You shouldn't use terms like everyone or all when you post. You don't speak for everyone and you don't know what everyone thinks. I personally was willing to wait for them to figure it out. I'm sure I'm not alone.

Yeah, so was I. I would have especially liked to have seen Arrieta tried out of the pen. He could end up benefiting by first being able to suceed in relief and then eventually back to starting. The Orioles always indicated they were going to do that but never did, and I don't like unanswered questions.

[blid]

You aren't getting a difference maker for Arrieta and Strop.

Then just hang on to them. Or throw in them in with someone that will get you a difference maker. Looking at Feldman's career stats and 4.66 ERA, I'm not expecting to improve much from this trade. If this is the Orioles' "solution" to the SP problem then I am very disappointed.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Yeah, so was I. I would have especially liked to have seen Arrieta tried out of the pen. He could end up benefiting by first being able to suceed in relief and then eventually back to starting. The Orioles always indicated they were going to do that but never did, and I don't like unanswered questions.

Valid point but I think we did what we had to do here.

[xKHx]

Then just hang on to them. Or throw in them in with someone that will get you a difference maker. Looking at Feldman's career stats and 4.66 ERA, I'm not expecting to improve much from this trade. If this is the Orioles' "solution" to the SP problem then I am very disappointed.

Considering our fifth spot was getting a 6.80 era this year and only 4 innings a start that will even be a huge upgrade with your prediction. He is a sub 4 era this year and is getting a lot of groundballs throughout his career. We also have the top defense in the league so we should be good.

[SteveO]

Yeah, so was I. I would have especially liked to have seen Arrieta tried out of the pen. He could end up benefiting by first being able to suceed in relief and then eventually back to starting. The Orioles always indicated they were going to do that but never did, and I don't like unanswered questions.

You have to give something up to get something.

Jake seemed to struggle most with men on base. Not exactly the makeup of a good reliever IMO.

Yes he had potential but he also had numerous chances to show he belonged and failed to do so. Strop was just a case of a guy without options and unable to really help a team in a pennant race and as result was actually just eating up a roster spot.

In return we get an unspectacular guy who is pretty solid, can log innings and buys you time to let Gausman develop

[ledzepp8]

Even if you don't necessarily like the trade, I don't see how you can't think the team is improved. They got rid of two players that were having a negative effect on the team's overall performance. They weren't "young" anymore and couldn't be afforded anymore opportunities to figure it out. They get back a player who has been worth positive value.

That seems to be the definition of improvement.

[mark_beckens]

I'm sure most of us would have liked a TOR starter. Someone like Cliff Lee. I don't think we have the resources to make that trade without giving up 4-5 players and or Gausman, which isn't happening. Most of the other starters available aren't HUGE upgrades over what we already have 1-4. So if you're trading for someone like them, you pick a player who fits what you want/need and comes at a reasonable price. Garza may have been better, but is the additional cost worth it? He is more injury prone, if you trade more and he makes 5 starts is that better then Feldman for the rest of the season?

[crowmst3k!]

The guy once gave up 181 hits in 141 innings, he throws 88-89 MPH, he's been incredibly lucky this year, and the team we traded with had a much better trade option that we refused because we're too cheap.

I'm ecstatic, clearly.

Once is right. His worst year for WHIP was 2010, and was overall a poor year from Feldman. That said, he still had a 4.73 FIP during this year all the while giving up an unusually high amount of hits on balls in play while having the worst groundball percentage of his career, not to mention the lowest K-rate per nine innings.

It was his worst year, not counting 2008, which was his first full year in the majors. Every year has been better, including 2012 where he was ridiculously unlucky (really high BABIP).

I'm liking the Feldman deal. It was a very good return for a guy who was not very good (Strop), and a guy who needed a change of scenery (Arrieta). Neither of those guys would bring back Garza.

I call that a blip.

[crowmst3k!]

I'm sure most of us would have liked a TOR starter. Someone like Cliff Lee. I don't think we have the resources to make that trade

Precisely. It was unrealistic to assume Cliff Lee.

I'm not totally convinced that the Orioles are done making trades yet, either. But this helps very much right now. The rotation is about to become very solid with the addition of Feldman and the return of Chen.