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Orioles deal with Grant Balfour Cancelled


Greg

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Oh I see...they got Reed but they tuned down all trade proposals for him last deadline. It sounds like they aren't trading him.

I just threw that name out there because he's cheap and the Marlins are in a re-tooling mode.

I'm sure there are other guys that they can acquire in a trade not named Papelbon.

Thanks for doing the research.

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Wrong answer.

Come on Scott...how many times had it happened in the past 20 years or so? I'm sure it happens with other teams as well...we just don't talk about it as much because we aren't fans of those teams.

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By my count, we have Sele, Hernandez, Burnintz, and now Balfour. ln the previous three cases, it looks like the Orioles most likely made the right decision based on the medical examinations. I can understand some frustration over the near signing of Balfour, but I think that the venom directed toward PA on here over this is a bit much. Apparently, the Orioles made a counter offer to Balfour after the medical team recommended passing on the two year deal. IMO, the Orioles made a business decision by passing on the initial offer based on the medical reports. Balfour has made this a much more inflammatory situation by criticizing the Orioles and their decision on twitter. This is another aspect of this situation that is different than the past non-signings. Because of the advent of social media, the fans are able to monitor the reaction of the player in pretty much real time.

The Orioles need to move on from this, and I'm confident that DD has a backup plan. I hope that it does not include an expensive closer like Rodney. My gut tells me that they are more likely to trade for a closer ( Cishek perhaps?) than to sign one in free agency. Finally,

Yeah the PA stuff is rather silly imo. We have been trying to sign the guy for a month or so (at least) and people think that all of a sudden PA steps in and says no. That just seems ridiculous to me. Could he have had input in the subsequent decisions after the physical? Perhaps and probably. But at that point the argument turns into whether you think he's being too cautious, not whether he's trying to get out of the deal altogether, because suddenly he thinks 15 million is too much to give the guy.

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Yeah the PA stuff is rather silly imo. We have been trying to sign the guy for a month or so (at least) and people think that all of a sudden PA steps in and says no. That just seems ridiculous to me. Could he have had input in the subsequent decisions after the physical? Perhaps and probably. But at that point the argument turns into whether you think he's being too cautious, not whether he's trying to get out of the deal altogether, because suddenly he thinks 15 million is too much to give the guy.

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While it's still an assumption, I think that this may be closer to the truth than PA being "cheap" and succuming to a type of buyers remorse. Like you said, the Orioles negotiated with Balfour for over a month. I don't think that anyone associated with the Orioles, including PA, wanted to find a way to get out of the contract. I believe that the Orioles are legitimately disappointed that they could not work out the deal. ( Angelos included)

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While it's still an assumption, I think that this may be closer to the truth than PA being "cheap" and succuming to a type of buyers remorse. Like you said, the Orioles negotiated with Balfour for over a month. I don't think that anyone associated with the Orioles, including PA, wanted to find a way to get out of the contract. I believe that the Orioles are legitimately disappointed that they could not work out the deal. ( Angelos included)

Yep...plus, I may be remembering incorrectly, didn't Balfour originally want a 3 year deal? If that's the case, and the Orioles were able to negotiate a 2 year deal instead, why would they try and get out of a deal that they (in theory) wanted more than the client?

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Yep...plus, I may be remembering incorrectly, didn't Balfour originally want a 3 year deal? If that's the case, and the Orioles were able to negotiate a 2 year deal instead, why would they try and get out of a deal that they (in theory) wanted more than the client?

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You're making too much sense Zep. I'm sure the length of the contract had an impact on the length of the negotiations as well. YOUr point probably is the reason why Balfour and his camp are so upset that the deal fell through. Not only did they not get the deal that they negotiated with the Orioles, they played out their hand when he initially agreed to two years.

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I despise PA just as much as the next guy but to blame this on him is ludicrous. Its teetering on conspiracy theory. Why in the world would he ok the deal in the first place only to use the physical exam to back out of that very deal. Im sorry but thats just way out there. Its far more likely that the physical was indeed troubling and balfour and his agent are now trying to spin it in order to save as much money as possible. Lets not act like balfours mound behavior doesnt translate into his everyday personality.

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I despise PA just as much as the next guy but to blame this on him is ludicrous. Its teetering on conspiracy theory. Why in the world would he ok the deal in the first place only to use the physical exam to back out of that very deal. Im sorry but thats just way out there. Its far more likely that the physical was indeed troubling and balfour and his agent are now trying to spin it in order to save as much money as possible. Lets not act like balfours mound behavior doesnt translate into his everyday personality.

Well lets see if someone else gives him a two year contract. If the Rays sign him to two years then we know it was Angelos meddling.

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Well lets see if someone else gives him a two year contract. If the Rays sign him to two years then we know it was Angelos meddling.

Why? First of all, there are reports (Roch among them) that three doctors, including one independent doctor, reviewed the shoulder MRI and recommended not giving him more than a one-year contract. And second of all, the Orioles WANT someone to give him a two-year deal at the same price so they don't face a grievance.

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I despise PA just as much as the next guy but to blame this on him is ludicrous. Its teetering on conspiracy theory. Why in the world would he ok the deal in the first place only to use the physical exam to back out of that very deal. Im sorry but thats just way out there. Its far more likely that the physical was indeed troubling and balfour and his agent are now trying to spin it in order to save as much money as possible. Lets not act like balfours mound behavior doesnt translate into his everyday personality.

If I'm Grant Balfour and there isn't anything wrong with his medicals, this is some slander by the Orioles. They've basically taken away his ability to earn his living. I completely agree with the way he's handled this by filing a grievance. I hope he sticks it to the Orioles for the price of the contract he should have earned pending the results of league review.

Both Balfour's agent and several physicians are surprised by the O's decision to nullify their deal with Balfour. Balfour's agent, Sam Levinson, released a statement, asserting that his client is healthy, citing physical exam reviews by Dr. Koco Eaton, the Rays' team physician, and Dr. Tim Kremchek, the Reds' team physician. Drs. Eaton and Kremchek told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that there were "no red flags" in Balfour's medicals.

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/12/20/5231286/free-agent-reliever-balfour-may-file-grievance-against-os

Embarassing.

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Why? First of all, there are reports (Roch among them) that three doctors, including one independent doctor, reviewed the shoulder MRI and recommended not giving him more than a one-year contract. And second of all, the Orioles WANT someone to give him a two-year deal at the same price so they don't face a grievance.

What doctor is going to look at a veteran reliever's arm - Balford's age - and say he predicts he'll have 2 completely healthy seasons?

And is he a character on The Simpsons?

Sorry guys, this smells. The O's have the burden of proof. Until/unless they prove there's something legitimately wrong with Balford's arm, I'm not buying what they're selling.

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What doctor is going to look at a veteran reliever's arm - Balford's age - and say he predicts he'll have 2 completely healthy seasons?

And is he a character on The Simpsons?

Sorry guys, this smells. The O's have the burden of proof. Until/unless they prove there's something legitimately wrong with Balford's arm, I'm not buying what they're selling.

Why agree to a deal in the first place then?

It isn't as if this deal moved at such lighting speed that anyone was caught unawares.

It doesn't make sense that they would suddenly back out, particularly when the market is pretty well gone.

It just makes a lot more sense that the O's notoriously though medical team saw something that wouldn't alarm other teams.

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