Does anyone believe the payroll with be $100 million?

[tntoriole]

Most people are disappointed with this offseason. You want proof that they want to win despite this? Go see then in Sarasota next week. Every one of them is going to work hard to win. And I do just mean the players. Everyone on the Orioles organization.

I am sure if one went to visit the Astros spring training site, you could see them exerting just as much effort to win. Everyone is exerting effort to win, the difference is talent.

[Can_of_corn]

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>My quick look at poss Os 25-man payroll: Just about $83M right now. That's approx $11M for rotation; $14.5M for pen and $57.2M for offense.</p>? Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) <a href="

">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sad that even with trading Johnson and not signing Balfour that they are spending more on the pen then the rotation. For all you folks that wanted to keep Johnson, you are happy with the idea of over a quarter of the payroll going to the pen?

[tntoriole]

Sad that even with trading Johnson and not signing Balfour that they are spending more on the pen then the rotation. For all you folks that wanted to keep Johnson, you are happy with the idea of over a quarter of the payroll going to the pen?

Nope. Not happy. But will be even less happy with Potter keeping Johnson's salary in his pocket.

[Frobby]

I looked up the last ten #17 picks. Seven guys who I've never heard of. The top 30% of the last ten were Josh Sale, AJ Pollock and Blake Beaven. Not great. The odds of getting Mike Trout are what? Not very good.

The odds of getting Mike Trout are never very good. The odds of getting someone who will provide more value than a Jiminez or Santana will give you over three years are probably 20-25%. But it could be someone who is significantly better for much longer, at much cheaper cost. That's the trade-off.

[backwardsk]

Sad that even with trading Johnson and not signing Balfour that they are spending more on the pen then the rotation. For all you folks that wanted to keep Johnson, you are happy with the idea of over a quarter of the payroll going to the pen?

Jim Johnson would make this team better and his savings haven't been reallocated to anything significant. So yes, I wouldn't mind the bullpen having a greater slice of the payroll pie for 2014. Especially when they have one of the best players in the game at 3b pre-arb, they fill three other positions --2b, lf, DH with league minimum players, and are fortunate enough to have their 3 best SP relatively making peanuts. They'll also fill their 5th slot cheaply.

If they had to spend the going rate on a starting rotation and had to sacrafice JJ, that's one thing, but I don't think it makes any sense to weaken the team just to satisfy some ideal payroll ratios. I guarantee that by OD, there will be 20-25 teams that have invested more in the top 2 spots of their rotation than Orioles spend on their entire 5.

[TradeAngelos]

I would put the odds of the payroll being 100m somewhere in between me getting elected President in 2016, and me walking down the aisle with Alyssa Milano after she leaves her husband.

[Ommaculate]

I would put the odds of the payroll being 100m somewhere in between me getting elected President in 2016, and me walking down the aisle with Alyssa Milano after she leaves her husband.

Does it really matter? Following an Orioles offseason is the biggest waste of time known to man. Never again.

[weams]

Jim Johnson would make this team better and his savings haven't been reallocated to anything significant. So yes, I wouldn't mind the bullpen having a greater slice of the payroll pie for 2014. Especially when they have one of the best players in the game at 3b pre-arb, they fill three other positions --2b, lf, DH with league minimum players, and are fortunate enough to have their 3 best SP relatively making peanuts. They'll also fill their 5th slot cheaply.

If they had to spend the going rate on a starting rotation and had to sacrafice JJ, that's one thing, but I don't think it makes any sense to weaken the team just to satisfy some ideal payroll ratios. I guarantee that by OD, there will be 20-25 teams that have invested more in the top 2 spots of their rotation than Orioles spend on their entire 5.

I assume that in order to offer Davis and Hardy what is needed, Dan can't spend them money ahead of time. Even if he is unsuccessful at extending them. I think he only can offer what is in his budget and not spent ahead of time.

[backwardsk]

I assume that in order to offer Davis and Hardy what is needed, Dan can't spend them money ahead of time. Even if he is unsuccessful at extending them. I think he only can offer what is in his budget and not spent ahead of time.

I would agree that extending guys like Davis, Machado, Tillman, hardy, and wieters (probably in that order) is more important than reaching 100mm in 2014, I don't understand what that has to do with Johnson who would be gone in 2015.

[joeyc]

I assume that in order to offer Davis and Hardy what is needed, Dan can't spend them money ahead of time. Even if he is unsuccessful at extending them. I think he only can offer what is in his budget and not spent ahead of time.

That's funny that anyone thinks we have any shot at all at re-signing Davis. The Orioles are never going to spend $200 million on a player and that's what he's going to get, so you might as well enjoy him while we got him because as soon as he becomes a free agent, the O's will not even be in the picture anymore. Boras is his agent, remember and the O's are cheap and want to pocket money, not spend it.

Oh and the same thing is going to happen as soon as manny becomes a free agent because he's gonna get $200 million, at least, as well.

So when they say they want to build from within, that's a load of crap too because they are never going to pay these players what they can get on the open market, when their time to get paid comes around.

Face it guys, we are a major league farm system for the big market teams.

[weams]

That's funny that anyone thinks we have any shot at all at re-signing Davis. The Orioles are never going to spend $200 million on a player and that's what he's going to get, so you might as well enjoy him while we got him because as soon as he becomes a free agent, the O's will not even be in the picture anymore. Boras is his agent, remember and the O's are cheap and want to pocket money, not spend it.

Oh and the same thing is going to happen as soon as manny becomes a free agent because he's gonna get $200 million, at least, as well.

So when they say they want to build from within, that's a load of crap too because they are never going to pay these players what they can get on the open market, when their time to get paid comes around.

Face it guys, we are a major league farm system for the big market teams.

Just who was that last player the Orioles lost to Free Agency that became a superstar elsewhere?

[Can_of_corn]

That's funny that anyone thinks we have any shot at all at re-signing Davis. The Orioles are never going to spend $200 million on a player and that's what he's going to get, so you might as well enjoy him while we got him because as soon as he becomes a free agent, the O's will not even be in the picture anymore. Boras is his agent, remember and the O's are cheap and want to pocket money, not spend it.

Oh and the same thing is going to happen as soon as manny becomes a free agent because he's gonna get $200 million, at least, as well.

So when they say they want to build from within, that's a load of crap too because they are never going to pay these players what they can get on the open market, when their time to get paid comes around.

Face it guys, we are a major league farm system for the big market teams.

When is the last time the O's let a "premium" position player walk?

[mcgraw238]

Just who was that last player the Orioles lost to Free Agency that became a superstar elsewhere?

You have got to be kidding me. We had zilch in talent for a decade and a half so its not as if there was anything material to let walk.They did a nice job retaining Nick and Jones as those guys were willing, but Wieters is a lost cause and Davis is trending that way fast.

[Can_of_corn]

You have got to be kidding me. We had zilch in talent for a decade and a half so its not as if there was anything material to let walk.They did a nice job retaining Nick and Jones as those guys were willing, but Wieters is a lost cause and Davis is trending that way fast.

So, what you mean is 1999.

They extended Mora and Roberts as well.

[weams]

You have got to be kidding me. .

I was being completely serious. I responded to the absolute post that I did. The premise of which was that we are a farm system for all the other major league teams. My post was much more founded in fact.