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

[SoBo]

I don't blame the guy for squeezing every cent out of the Orioles or any other team. He's 36 years old and about to cash in once and for all. It still sucks as a fan to sit here weeks later without a deal done. Lets wrap this up and throw in a new deer stand for Burnett and get that done.

[Il BuonO]

The Yankees are close to their luxury tax limit and they need to sign two more SP. They aren't throwing 7 M at Balfour. They will go in house for their closer.

I'm pretty sure they've already said they didn't care about the tax this year. The priority was winning.

[Capn Vivi]

I guess I'd be pretty patient if we were talking about a couple million dollars, as well.

[fearthenoodle]

I'm pretty sure they've already said they didn't care about the tax this year. The priority was winning.

They've said they want to stay under the tax if at all possible. I don't *think* that Balfour is the kind of guy that they want to go over the tax threshold for. Now, if they decide to fill their SP spots internally, and have a little extra lying around, that might change things.

[mdbdotcom]

They've said they want to stay under the tax if at all possible. I don't *think* that Balfour is the kind of guy that they want to go over the tax threshold for. Now, if they decide to fill their SP spots internally, and have a little extra lying around, that might change things.

They were all about the limit until they dropped $50 million in revenue last season by not contending.

[fearthenoodle]

Outside of Tanaka, I don't see the Yankees paying big dollars for anyone else until the A-Rod situation is resolved.

I think Balfour will be signed before that.

[LookinUp]

I don't blame the guy for squeezing every cent out of the Orioles or any other team. He's 36 years old and about to cash in once and for all. It still sucks as a fan to sit here weeks later without a deal done. Lets wrap this up and throw in a new deer stand for Burnett and get that done.

He better be careful not to overplay his hand. I suspect the O's have put a best and final offer on the table.

[Number5]

There is no more ideal landing spot for a closer right now than Baltimore, IMO. The Orioles afforded JJ the opportunity to save 50 games each of the last 2 years - and he is no Mariano Rivera. Potential closers should be banging on our door, it seems to me.

[TradeAngelos]

How dare anyone question Royle and her "sources". Now she is taking shots at Brittany....

‏@Jen_Royle 1m

@Irishlad72 If Brittany doesn't know, it must not be true, right? Funny. I was first to report the interest in Orlando. She followed.

That was after Brittany said she has not heard the Orioles offered a 3rd year, a direct contradiction of what Royle reported.

[mdbdotcom]

How dare anyone question Royle and her "sources". Now she is taking shots at Brittany....

That was after Brittany said she has not heard the Orioles offered a 3rd year, a direct contradiction of what Royle reported.

I wonder how many fans would attend a mud wrestling match between the two.

[sportsfan8703]

Assuming Grant/his agent stop messing around and sign the deal:

Jim Johnson (10.9M)

vs

Grant Balfour(7M)

Ryan Webb(2.25M)

Jemile Weeks(no added cost)

David Freitas(no added cost)

1.65M left over

It's not just this all this but it's not like if Balfour doesn't sign we're going to throw that money at a LH hitter. They're pretty much gone and we're not getting Choo. So as a fan it's either we sign Balfour or that's just more savings for our owner.

[mcgraw238]

Johnson wanted 4 years 50 million dollars or he was leaving after this season anyway.

Johnson should have been approached early 2012 about a potential extension and revisited post-2012 about the same. If nothing could have been worked out he should have been moved last off season when the return would have been greater and we weren't in the position of doing a flat out salary purge. Terrible and inexcusable planning on the part of the front office in handling this issue. Sadly, I suspect I'll be posting the same rant next year about Davis and Wieters.

[webbrick2010]

With our starting rotations why are we giving a multi-year contract to a closer?

Same old O's throw money at relievers to give the impression of doing something.

If we give Balfour 3/21 he'll be making more than any of our starting pitchers

What a backwards team we have.

Sign Choo, Garza and extend Davis

or

sign no one, trade Wieters, Hardy, and Davis

Or be the sucker and stay stuck in the middle ground.

[sportsfan8703]

Duq XM said today that Balfour doesn't want to go to the "other team" and is just nickel and diming the O'S. He's been offered 3 years with incentives and now he want's a 4th year vesting option.

This is why negotiating through the media is a bad thing. Balfour's agent knows we need a closer after trading JJ and now he's just trying to milk us for every penny. I want Balfour to sign but I don't feel like that's going to happen with the way things have been dragging out. I can just see a report saying that we are out on Balfour and then minutes later him going to the NYY for 3/25 million.

[mcgraw238]

With our starting rotations why are we giving a multi-year contract to a closer?

Same old O's throw money at relievers to give the impression of doing something.

If we give Balfour 3/21 he'll be making more than any of our starting pitchers

What a backwards team we have.

Sign Choo, Garza and extend Davis

or

sign no one, trade Wieters, Hardy, and Davis

Or be the sucker and stay stuck in the middle ground.

Because 2 of the Peter principals are your can't give a pitcher $10M plus and you can't give pitching contracts over 3 years. Makes it tough to get a legit FA starter under these rules making bullpen guys a nice target for any O's exec wanting to add pitching to the roster. Just look to the history of O's high price relievers for confirmation.