Yoon, Santana & Morales-Good Offseason?

[gpolee]

Mujica for 2/$10MM - maybe. Hart, OK, if he is fully healthy would be the replacement for Michael Morse (which translates to terrible defensively). Hudson is coming up on 39 years and 3,000 IPs, so that's a gamble at 2/$24MM or more. Colon, 40, seems like a horrible investment.

[gpolee]

If they use the money to sign Cubans and other international players, I would be happier than them spending on the available FAs this offseason.

[srock]

Just out of curiosity, if teams are hesitating to sign him now with the pick considered, what makes you think he'll turn down a QO next offseason or that another team would sign him and forfeit the pick?

Its a risk no doubt.

QO is only a 1 year deal, he only turned it down because he wanted a multi-year deal. If that falls through (which looks possible at this point) he may take a 1 year. If he has a good season, the 3 year deal might materialize next year.

[gpolee]

Madson might be healthy enough to start the season, thus lots of teams are already taking notice. Hanrahan seems a more likely target, as he probably won't get offers until April at his recovery timetable.

[Rene88]

Bartolo Colon at 2/20 was a steal. Tim Hudson at 2/23 was a steal. Mujica was a steal. Corey Hart was a steal. The O's should have been willing to top any of those deals.

Colon a steal ?????? You must be posting in a Colorado haze....linked to steroids, next suspension is how many games, he is how old...the NY METS signed him (kiss of death).

If they had signed Colon, I would have jumped into moving traffic.

[Rene88]

Madson might be healthy enough to start the season, thus lots of teams are already taking notice. Hanrahan seems a more likely target, as he probably won't get offers until April at his recovery timetable.

I like either/or. I hope we aren't close to being done yet.

[SteveA]

If they use the money to sign Cubans and other international players, I would be happier than them spending on the available FAs this offseason.

Do you believe for one minute that is what they are going to do?

[Br10n]

That would put Baltimore's first selection in the draft at around 95th overall. Seems like a steep price for risky additions (production wise).

Don't the Os have a competitive balance pick? Oops, forgot about the Bud Norris trade.

[gpolee]

Do you believe for one minute that is what they are going to do?

I want to believe it. Until they prove otherwise, this is my prediction. I would love to see them expand their pull internationally.

[mdbdotcom]

Bartolo Colon at 2/20 was a steal. Tim Hudson at 2/23 was a steal. Mujica was a steal. Corey Hart was a steal. The O's should have been willing to top any of those deals.

They tried to sign Colon. I suspect their offer was pretty good, because Roch wrote that the FO took it hard when he signed with the Mets.

[Il BuonO]

That would put Baltimore's first selection in the draft at around 95th overall. Seems like a steep price for risky additions (production wise).

Which would seem to contradict all of the previous statements about not building the team through FA. Again, it often strikes me as there is no semblance of a clear plan being implemented.

[El Gordo]

They been saying all along that they wouldn't rule out a pick at the right value, which includes the player at a position of need, and the price. They also have a pretty good idea of the several players who could fall to them at #17. Roch recently said a likely candidate was a power hitting C who projects more as a 1B/DH. Well if they traded that pick for Morales they would be getting a proven power hitting 1B/DH. All depend on how far his price drops IMO. Same for Santana/Jimenez.

[El Gordo]

They tried to sign Colon. I suspect their offer was pretty good, because Roch wrote that the FO took it hard when he signed with the Mets.

Much easier to get all kinds of drugs here in NYC than in BAL, in spite of what The Wire would have you believe..

[BillySmith]

Which would seem to contradict all of the previous statements about not building the team through FA. Again, it often strikes me as there is no semblance of a clear plan being implemented.

I think there is a plan, and it starts with flexibility. Let's pretend Britton breaks out this year and we sign Santana, our starting pitching depth starts with Tillman, Bundy, Gausman, Santana, Chen, Gonzalez, Britton, Rodriguez, Norris, Johnson, McFarland, Harvey, Wright, Yoon, and I'm missing a bunch.

That's some awesome depth and great trade bait.

Assuming Davis and Weiters are traded, that's potentially some serious youth coming to the organization.

If Schoop and Urrieta are for real, we are going to be young, talented and have great payroll flexibility.

It gives us a shot at 2014 but sets us up beautifully for the near future.

[Il BuonO]

Bartolo Colon at 2/20 was a steal. Tim Hudson at 2/23 was a steal. Mujica was a steal. Corey Hart was a steal. The O's should have been willing to top any of those deals.

I don't know if Colon was a steal as he was coming off a very good season and got what I think is fair considering his age, but Hudson was the one I wanted.