Per Rosenthal: Balfour (FINALLY) to Orioles...

[weams]

DD slow and steady wins the race?

I know we are the worst franchise and all and we can't draft and can't develop and always keep our prospects too long. And the Rays are the perfect franchise and have Joe Maddon... But http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24374657/rays-prospect-tim-beckham-to-miss-most-of-2014-with-knee-injury

[Guest]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Source: 3rd year is still sticking point in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Orioles&src=hash">#Orioles</a>' talks w/ Balfour. O's holding to 2-year offer, willing 2 explore other closing options</p>— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) <a href="

">December 14, 2013</a></blockquote>

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What a joke just give the guy a 3rd year.

[Can_of_corn]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Source: 3rd year is still sticking point in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Orioles&src=hash">#Orioles</a>' talks w/ Balfour. O's holding to 2-year offer, willing 2 explore other closing options</p>— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) <a href="

">December 14, 2013</a></blockquote>

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What a joke just give the guy a 3rd year.

Or give the job to Wright.

[Number5]

So you're willing to have a washed up arsonist like John Axford as your closer just to avoid giving a good closer 3 years instead of 2? Will you still feel that way when Axford has an ERA of 5 and eight blown saves by the ASB next season?

Didn't say that. Simply that there is no spin whatsoever regarding Balfour. I agree we should hold at 2 years. 3 years would be a bad contract. No spin there at all. You can disagree that we should hold at 2 years, and that is OK, but don't say there is a spin. There is none.

Mr. Balfour, we'd love to have you on our team on a 2 year contract. If you need 3, I'm afraid we aren't in a position to accommodate you. It has been a pleasure meeting with you.

[weams]

Or give the job to Wright.

Or Jason Gurka. Or Steve Johnson. Or Brad Brach.

The World Champion Boston Red Sox used four closers last season and the guy who won the World Series for them was sixth on their depth chart for a good deal of the season. Their adversaries in the World Series used at least three.

[atomic]

I wonder if this thread will get to 100 pages? You are in a bad place when your biggest hope of the off-season is signing a reliever you are scared to give 3 years to.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

I was thinking along the lines of the Dodgers eating half. Again, we both agree it isn't likely, but I can see a scenario (though unlikely) where Ethier would make sense. At what is being discussed for Choo, I see no scenario that would make sense. That is the point I am making. Kemp is probably a little more possible, since the Orioles could reasonably decide to pay a larger portion of what he is out than Ethier, but it is still a longshot, IMO.

The problem with getting them to eat that much of the contract is that they will then expect(and rightly so) several quality prospects in return- prospects that we don't have to spare right now.

And Kemp is a whole different can of worms- I highly doubt they would trade him if they had reason to believe that he's 100% and poised to return to his previous MVP-caliber form. That whole thing just seems fishy to me(they aren't exactly hurting for cash and clearly don't need the payroll relief) and would make me very uneasy about taking on that contract.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Didn't say that. Simply that there is no spin whatsoever regarding Balfour. I agree we should hold at 2 years. 3 years would be a bad contract. No spin there at all. You can disagree that we should hold at 2 years, and that is OK, but don't say there is a spin. There is none.

Mr. Balfour, we'd love to have you on our team on a 2 year contract. If you need 3, I'm afraid we aren't in a position to accommodate you. It has been a pleasure meeting with you.

Exactamundo this. I remember Baez and Walker and Kline and Gregg. Free agent relievers are landmines.

[nevadaO]

We just better not even be mentioned with Fernando Rodney...

[Finisher]

We just better not even be mentioned with Fernando Rodney...

He wants 10 million a year.

Sign Balfour or Benoit, or don't bother signing anyone. Axford and Perez will not help us.

[Ommaculate]

Exactamundo this. I remember Baez and Walker and Kline and Gregg. Free agent relievers are landmines.

Too bad you don't remember Mike Dejean? He was the worst of them all. I hated that man with a passion.

[isestrex]

I wonder if this thread will get to 100 pages? You are in a bad place when your biggest hope of the off-season is signing a reliever you are scared to give 3 years to.

You mean 1000 posts?

I'm only at 18 pages... You might want to adjust your settings.

[VeveJones007]

He wants 10 million a year.

Sign Balfour or Benoit, or don't bother signing anyone. Axford and Perez will not help us.

Yeah. I could live with Rodney, Balfour, or Benoit. Anyone else is just flushing money down the drain.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Too bad you don't remember Mike Dejean? He was the worst of them all. I hated that man with a passion.

Haha, just blocked him out. I used to play Dynasty Mode on MVP Baseball 2004 for the original XBox and everytime I started a new dynasty, the first thing I did was trade Dejean lol.

Hm. I'll see your Mike Dejean and raise you Buddy Groom

[isestrex]

Haha, just blocked him out. I used to play Dynasty Mode on MVP Baseball 2004 for the original XBox and everytime I started a new dynasty, the first thing I did was trade Dejean lol.

Hm. I'll see your Mike Dejean and raise you Buddy Groom

I see your Buddy Groom and raise you Steve Kline