Yanks get Tanaka 7y/$155M

[Can_of_corn]

Yanks got better this off-season. What were the O's problems last year DH SP OBP what have they done to fix this? Nothing

Hard to say they got a lot better. They are even older, and they lost Cano and Arod. Tanaka to me, makes them an improved team over their OD roster last season.

[Orioles4Life21]

Yanks got better this off-season. What were the O's problems last year DH SP OBP what have they done to fix this? Nothing

I don't think they've gotten significantly better. Their infield is going to be bad at best.

Between Young, Pearce, Peguero, Colvin, Reimold ect., I think we will see better production at DH. I also still expect us to add a starter. I'm not ready to throw in the towel on this offseason or this team.

[Orioles4Life21]

Here is the thing about drinking the kool aid comments:

We are talking about sports. Not politics, not government, not economics, or jobs, or family.

Sports.

We all "drink the kool aid." Why would anyone waste time in their lives following something that gives them nothing but bother? If you genuinely believe the Orioles are going to be terrible, if all you do is complain about them, why are you wasting your time with them?

I'm with you. I am a proud drinker of the kool aid. Doesn't mean I can't also be realistic.

[Guest]

People the Yanks fielded a AAA team last year and finished with 85 wins.

Gardner Ellsbury Beltran 2014 >>>>> Gardner Suzuki Soriano 2013

McCann 2014 >>>>>>> Cervelli

Jeter 2014 >>>>> Ryan

Tex for a full year

[Frobby]

At some point, this team has to be willing to take some risks. They owe it to their fan base which may erode after a promising season two years ago

I am frustrated as a fan and as an observer of this team.The National league champion Cardinals have virtually the same financial situation as the

Orioles...about the same TV deal, maybe even less than the Orioles. Yet the Cardinals make their team better and better every year with shrewd

signings and compete with solid young players who will re-sign with them because of the way they run their organization. The Orioles do none of the above but shed salary and try to hit on bargain basement deals. The Orioles are not bargaining. They might be IN the basement.

Be specific, Roy. What risks did you want them to take?

I agree the Cardinals are a very well-run organization that I'd love to emulate. That starts with having a great farm system that consistently provides new talent. They've produced 23 different players in the last 10 years who were valued at 1 WAR or higher, compared to 10 such players for the Orioles. Having a lot of cheap, good players makes it easier to spend on the others.

As to taking risks, last weekend I did a little study of all the contracts over $100 mm. Here are the results:

Really bad contracts:

Santana $138 mm, 15.2 WAR

Soriano $126 mm, 9.3 WAR (one year remaining)

Zito $126 mm, 3.0 WAR

Wells $126 mm, 6.9 WAR (one year remaining)

Howard $125 mm, -0.5 WAR (three years remaining)

Hampton $121 mm, 4.3 WAR

Griffey $116.5 mm, 13.3 WAR

Carlos Lee $100 mm 8.7 WAR

Likely to suck, at this point:

ARod II: 10 years, $275 mm

Pujols: 10 years, $254 mm

Fielder 9 years, $214 mm

Teixeira 8 years, $180 mm, 16.3 WAR (3 years remaining)

Kemp 8 years, $160 mm

Gonzalez 7 years, $154 mm

Crawford 7 years, $142 mm

Hamilton 5 years, $125 mm

Good:

ARod I $252 mm, 71.6 WAR, but ARod opted out after $185 mm, 56.4 WAR

Jeter $189 mm, 41.2 WAR

Sabathia $161 mm on original deal, 22.1 WAR with one year left; opted out and got one-year extension with a vesting option for a second year

Ramirez $160 mm, 36.6 WAR

Cabrera $152 mm, 36.4 WAR with 2 years remaining

Holliday $120 mm, 16.6 WAR with 3 years remaining

Beltran $119 mm, 32.2 WAR

Helton $142 mm, 32.9 WAR

Slighthly disappointing:

Giambi $120 mm, 22.0 WAR

Brown $105 mm, 22.9 WAR

Too soon to tell: Tanaka, Kershaw, Cano, Votto, Mauer, Posey, Verlander, Hernandez, Tulowitizki, Ellsbury, Greinke, Hammels, Wright, Choo, Cain, Werth, Zimmerman, Cliff Lee, Andrus, Pedroia, Reyes, Braun, Longoria.

Do you like those odds?

[Orioles4Life21]

People the Yanks fielded a AAA team last year and finished with 85 wins.

Gardner Ellsbury Beltran 2014 >>>>> Gardner Suzuki Soriano 2013

McCann 2014 >>>>>>> Cervelli

Jeter 2014 >>>>> Ryan

Tex for a full year

As already pointed out, they were lucky to win 85 games last year and should have been around 80. I don't think they are more than 6 or 7 wins better.

[Guest]

As already pointed out, they were lucky to win 85 games last year and should have been around 80. I don't think they are more than 6 or 7 wins better.

You could same the same about us.

[Guest]

You could same the same about us.

You could say the same about us (Fixed)

[Orioles4Life21]

You could same the same about us.

We may have been lucky to avoid any major injuries, but our Pythagorean record was 85-77. Exactly what our actual record was.

[bpilktree]

Hard to say they got a lot better. They are even older, and they lost Cano and Arod. Tanaka to me, makes them an improved team over their OD roster last season.

They still have major questions in their rotation. Tanaka though talented is still going to have to make the adjustment to the majors and also pitching in New York. IF he struggles early the media will be all over him. We don't know how that will affect him. C.C. is supposed to be healthy and slimmed but carrying that weight all those years may have caught up to him. He had one of the worst ERA in the majors post all star at over 6. Kuroda also fell apart the second half as well. Their offense is not great so they will need CC to bounce back and be healthy and Tanaka to adjust.

[SilentJames]

I'm with you. I am a proud drinker of the kool aid. Doesn't mean I can't also be realistic.

I don't know man, there is so much to be cynical about in this world. Cynicism is needed in virtually every aspect of one's life - but I can never be cynical about sports. Come on, its sports. Being overly cynical just seems like a waste of energy and time.

[Frobby]

You could same the same about us.

No, you couldn't. We outscored our opponents by 36 runs, while the Yankees were outscored by 21 runs. Our pythagorean record was 85-77, same as our actual record, whereas the Yankees were 6 games better than their pythagorean record.

[Guest]

We may have been lucky to avoid any major injuries, but our Pythagorean record was 85-77. Exactly what our actual record was.

If the Yanks stay healthy and that's a big if. They will win 90 plus.

[Orioles4Life21]

If the Yanks stay healthy and that's a big if. They will win 90 plus.

I agree that is a big if. They also need CC to return to form and I have my doubts.

[SilentJames]

If the Yanks stay healthy and that's a big if. They will win 90 plus.

They are going to have to score 80-100 more runs to accomplish that.