O's sign Cust to minor league deal (w/ Custer Reprise)

[BohKnowsBmore]

Becausse you have socks and your shirt is still in the dryer?

Haha, I think you got what I was getting at, but yea, essentially it's all a part of the process and just because there are bigger moves to be made doesn't make a smaller, less significant bit of activity meaningless or counterproductive. Small signings like these are a part of DD's MO since coming to Bmore. Whether it be supplementing the big club's depth or simply adding more competition and overall skill for the support network for the younger players at AAA.

[tommyboy]

Do you think Duquette has a button on his computer that says "Auto-Fill Minor League Roster"?

I get it you have 25k posts and Hall of Fame status WOW... so this allows you to

make these types of comments because I replied to your post that you disapproved of.. Suggest you read the posting rules before you bar

k down to people..

[El Gordo]

I get it you have 25k posts and Hall of Fame status WOW... so this allows you to

make these types of comments because I replied to your post that you disapproved of.. Suggest you read the posting rules before you bark down to people..

I'm not aware of any board rule prohibiting snark, sarcasm, or ridicule. Just as long as you don't call people names or use profanity, etc.

[weams]

I'm not aware of any board rule prohibiting snark, sarcasm, or ridicule. Just as long as you don't call people names or use profanity, etc.

Calling a player or executive trash, or garbage is against the rules though.

[The Wedge]

I get it you have 25k posts and Hall of Fame status WOW... so this allows you to

make these types of comments because I replied to your post that you disapproved of.. Suggest you read the posting rules before you bark down to people..

If you think that was "barking down" then, well, I don't know what to say to you. It's a legit question. Do you think the minor league rosters just magically fill themselves? It's part of his job. Yeah, I get the frustration that there are "bigger fish to fry," but this stuff has to get done, too, you know.

[Austin]

I get it you have 25k posts and Hall of Fame status WOW... so this allows you to

make these types of comments because I replied to your post that you disapproved of.. Suggest you read the posting rules before you bark down to people..

What are you talking about? He wasn't talking down to you or barking at you. I'm honestly confused why you took so much offense.

You're criticizing the team for something that doesn't deserve criticism and someone called you out on it. That's life on a baseball message board.

[LA2]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_6A1WUHGLzY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=25603025&topic_id=6479266&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

It's just Jack.

I know it's just BP tosses and IF practice, but Cust actually looks pretty balanced and sure-footed compared to years ago. Love the crisp sound recording in the first video: it makes you almost feel the sting of the ball on the bat and glove!

[El Gordo]

Calling a player or executive trash, or garbage is against the rules though.

Isn't that name calling?

[weams]

Isn't that name calling?

Yes. It is. I was just point it out to those who choose to post without reviewing the TOS. Carry one.

[weams]

[gfrank]

I like the move, personally. Basically to the '14 club what Mark Hendrickson was to the '13 club and Lew Ford was to the '12 club. Gotta fill up the Triple A roster, I don't see the harm in getting guys that have some established clue how to play baseball, particularly when you've got a guy so eager to play that they're willing to report without a spring invite. That's actually worked rather well in the Duquette administration, guys like McLouth and Ford, inconsequential signings with seemingly nothing in the tank, ended up having a real function for the big league club. Scouring the junkyard for guys with something left has been one of the strengths of Duquette's administration, all things considered. That doesn't help in getting the top free agents, but that's not a terrible reputation to have around baseball, Baltimore getting identified as a place where guys can try legitimately reestablishing their careers.

I don't really get the argument that this is resources better spent elsewhere. I'd be surprised if anybody relevant in the Orioles front office spent even half a workday on this move, or any amount of time inconsistent with all the other free agent filler moves going on, and the guy is going to be getting paid around what everyone else is going to get paid in Norfolk, which isn't anything to be concerned about. This only got press because the reports correctly assumed we'd heard of Jack Cust, not because this is a move that's going to be blocking any other moves. Big deal, we signed a guy that now has the best batter's eye in the entire organization, y'all will probably survive.

[Oldorioles]

I'm not immediately opposed to this signing, but I don't completely understand it. I get Cust's nice OBP historically and I get that it's a minor league signing, but the flip side is that he's been out of baseball for almost two years now - probably for a reason.

Also, I see several comments about how we have to fill up Norfolk's roster. Norfolk's roster is basically full, especially for LF/DH like Cust. Let's look at it the probable OF's there: Quintin Berry, Jemile Weeks, Xavier Paul, Julio Borbon not to mention Caleb Joseph taking some of the DH ABs. Plus it's likely someone from Peguero,/Pearce/Urrutia/Young gets sent down in ST. So, which younger player gets bumped for Cust's ABs???

[El Gordo]

I'm not immediately opposed to this signing, but I don't completely understand it. I get Cust's nice OBP historically and I get that it's a minor league signing, but the flip side is that he's been out of baseball for almost two years now - probably for a reason.

Also, I see several comments about how we have to fill up Norfolk's roster. Norfolk's roster is basically full, especially for LF/DH like Cust. Let's look at it the probable OF's there: Quintin Berry, Jemile Weeks, Xavier Paul, Julio Borbon not to mention Caleb Joseph taking some of the DH ABs. Plus it's likely someone from Peguero,/Pearce/Urrutia/Young gets sent down in ST. So, which younger player gets bumped for Cust's ABs???

How many of those guys are LH bats? And Weeks is primarily a MIF.

[Oldorioles]

How many of those guys are LH bats? And Weeks is primarily a MIF.

Plenty are LH: Berry, Paul, Borbon, Urrutia.

Weeks is a switch hitter and I think he has an excellent - although not certain - shot at being Norfolk's starting CF this year (with Phelps, De Jesus, and Schoop in the infield).

[Since'54]

I'm not immediately opposed to this signing, but I don't completely understand it. I get Cust's nice OBP historically and I get that it's a minor league signing, but the flip side is that he's been out of baseball for almost two years now - probably for a reason.

Also, I see several comments about how we have to fill up Norfolk's roster. Norfolk's roster is basically full, especially for LF/DH like Cust. Let's look at it the probable OF's there: Quintin Berry, Jemile Weeks, Xavier Paul, Julio Borbon not to mention Caleb Joseph taking some of the DH ABs. Plus it's likely someone from Peguero,/Pearce/Urrutia/Young gets sent down in ST. So, which younger player gets bumped for Cust's ABs???

And toward what purpose? Does anybody want to see Cust in the majors again? Did he ever show the sort of know-how that we want him to show our young players? Okay, he could take a walk. Do we give him a contract for that. What are the coaches for?