Boras & Wieters v. Smouse?

[TonySoprano]

It's interesting that the Orioles were able to reach a deal with Davis, another Boras client, but with Wieters it could go to arbitration unless they agree to meet in the middle.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23orioles&src=hash">#orioles</a> already submitted a figure on Wieters. Will receive Boras' counter offer shortly.</p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">January 17, 2014</a></blockquote>

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[Can_of_corn]

They will settle.

Or Smouse will crush.

[NCRaven]

Arbitration hearings aren't held until mid-February. Silly to be making more of this than there really is. This was going to be the toughest case, all along. It doesn't surprise me that it's going to take longer than the others.

[weams]

They will settle.

Or Smouse will crush.

He is undefeated and still champion.

[SoBo]

Advantage Smouse.

[Can_of_corn]

I could see a Wieters case getting very ugly.

[Orioles4Life21]

Built like a house, hung like a Smouse.

[clapdiddy]

Quite honestly, I hope DD is looking to trade him. He's not going to stay here and I'd rather get something other than a couple of picks for him.

[mdbdotcom]

Maybe DD pissed off Boras when the agent told him that Wieters hit into more line drive outs than anyone last year, and DD responded by suggesting he tell that to an arbitrator.

[GoldGlove21]

Quite honestly, I hope DD is looking to trade him. He's not going to stay here and I'd rather get something other than a couple of picks for him.

Wieters always seemed to me as the one guy who extend here, but the bottom line is that even with his offensive numbers being what fans considered to be poor, he hits well compared to other catchers who are not nearly as good a defensive catcher. He is going to get paid and the funny part is that he will likely get a deal that guarantees him more than $100M. The Orioles should have traded him prior to the start of last season if they thought that he wouldn't extend here. Those comments that Buck made about "Wieters being a Yankee" could easily have been an arrow at the Orioles front office for not spending a little more to lock up current Orioles.

I know that I am the minority on this one, but if Wieters, Davis and Jones are going to cost us a combined $40M-$50M per year moving forward and the team payroll is going to stay in the $90M range than I would rather just trade them and get young controlled talent on the cheap. I like having players to root for, but that is much more important when you can't root for a competitive team. I love the Ravens for example, but I would trade pretty much any individual Raven to win another SB. The Orioles are now good enough on the field to not be a punch line and yet the front office remains one of the worse run organizations in all of sports.

[Can_of_corn]

Trade him with three full years of team control left coming off a playoff appearance?

Bit early for me.

I would be open to trading him but don't want a replacement or worse Catcher back there for 162 games.

[TonySoprano]

They'll probably settle if this is the best Boras can do

Talked to Boras yesterday about Wieters. Boras said, "You know, I tried to take a close look at why Matt's average was down, and I came up with the fact that Matt hit the ball on the nose more times than any other catcher, but the balls were caught." Dan's response, "Scott, do you want to go make that argument to the arbitrator? Good luck, buddy." Boras then goes, "Well, your hitting coaches just tell him hit the ball hard, and everything else is out of his control." "Yeah that's what the hitting coaches say, but that's not what the general manager says. But it’s true, Matt is one of the building blocks of our ball club, and I would expect him to have a much better average. In spite of his low average against RHP he still hit over 20 HRs, he's still one of the top defensive catchers in the league, and he just kills, absolutely kills, LHP from the right side."

”

[GoldGlove21]

Maybe DD pissed off Boras when the agent told him that Wieters hit into more line drive outs than anyone last year, and DD responded by suggesting he tell that to an arbitrator.

Line drive outs, pop outs, strike outs and fly outs all count for an out. People can cite the "all outs are not created equal" and they are right, but the 27 outs in a single game are equal and they all count. I think people will really respect and miss Wieters when he is gone, but I do not think that the O's should spend big on a guy who's value is based 75% on his defensive at one position. The other 25% is based on his offensive numbers at a position where you hope a guy can bat .250. Hard pass on paying him big money and deal him for a quality return. This one could get ugly.

[mcgraw238]

Quite honestly, I hope DD is looking to trade him. He's not going to stay here and I'd rather get something other than a couple of picks for him.

We know DD shopped him this winter but I would think the market was somewhat soft given the catching options in free agency and Matt's stats. Might be best to get his on field production in 2014 and hope his numbers rebound. A bounce back offensive season could raise his stock even if he is a year closer to free agency.

[Can_of_corn]

Line drive outs, pop outs, strike outs and fly outs all count for an out. People can cite the "all outs are not created equal" and they are right, but the 27 outs in a single game are equal and they all count. I think people will really respect and miss Wieters when he is gone, but I do not think that the O's should spend big on a guy who's value is based 75% on his defensive at one position. The other 25% is based on his offensive numbers at a position where you hope a guy can bat .250. Hard pass on paying him big money and deal him for a quality return. This one could get ugly.

249 BABIP is unlucky but Matt has only been over 300 one season. Sometimes it isn't just bad luck. I think his 283 career number is about all you can reasonably expect from him.