Update your offseason grade after the Yoon, Jimenez and Cruz signings

[LayzieDES]

B+ for me. Morales would have bumped it a bit for me because I really would have preferred signing him. But addressing starting pitching & still getting DH help (love the Lough signing also) are big for me.

[ricowiz]

I gave a C because I felt we missed some better opportunities like Corey Hart/ David Murphy, both guys I thought would have helped us a lot. I also preferred a Santana/ Morales situation over a Jiminez/ Cruz situation...Cruz off PEDs scares me a bit, but its only a one year deal.

Still all that being said I am more then thrilled they actually picked a direction and went for it....so maybe I should have given them a C+ or B-

[DrungoHazewood]

Prior to the Cruz signing- C+

After the Cruz signing- D

We gave up a second round pick in a good draft year for a guy that doesn't fill any particular need. We needed to improve OBP and Cruz has gotten on base at a .319 clip over the last 3 years. And he's a 34 year old injury-prone cheater. Ugh.

So it's one roster spot, in what you claim is not a position of need, for a guy who has a career OPS well over .800... and somehow that drops the organizational offseason grade by one and half letter grades? To me that says you believe the team is now in a significantly worse position than it was a week or two ago. That maybe they were wildcard contenders and now they're pretty much throwing in the towel.

I'm under no illusion that Cruz makes the team more than a couple wins better, but that seems crazy.

[wildcard]

Two guys that I think their stock will soar once the ST games begin. Peguero and Almanzar. Peguero is tooly. Can run, hit and throw. People don't seem very high on him now. I think that will change once people see him.

I likely the report that called Almanzar a specimen and said he was out of one the the best farm systems in baseball. I think he might impress this spring.

[TouchemAll]

B+ Signing a REAL starting pitcher does it for me :clap3:

[Ruzious]

Moves I have opinions about:

- Ubaldo Jimenez - A. Immediately fulfills a need where a fifth starter was needed and we got a #1. He might have some issues and not statistically fulfill the needs of a #1, but if he makes for a better #4 than Zach Britton would have, that's not really all that bad.

- David Lough for Danny Valencia - A. Solid trade. Need for a need. A guy with some speed, some power, good defense. Just needed a shot to start full time. I think he's going to be a fan favorite in Baltimore.

- Nelson Cruz - B. It's the DH we wanted but never had. Hopefully we aren't reliving Sosa or Guerrero, and I'm pleased that we aren't running out 5 different DH's every week.

- Jemile Weeks - B. Low risk high reward move. I suspect he will be on the bench to start the season and spell Flaherty on Sundays. He'll also pinch run. If he can be anything like the .303/.340/.421 hitter he was three years ago, we robbed the A's.

- Suk-Min Yoon - B. I have no idea what to think about this. Is this Koji? Is this Wada? I imagine we'll find out in Spring Training if it was a good use of funds.

- Ryan Webb - C. I've never really understood the need to BUY relief pitching, when the Orioles have enough failed starters to stick out there and succeed *cough Britton cough*. But it worked when we had Ayala, and he was a stud in Miami so there's that.

- Brad Brach - D. I'd honestly rather have Devin Jones than Brad Brach. Seems dumb to get worked up about this trade, but my O's irrationality knows no bounds.

- Delmon Young - D. Don't like the player and don't see the point of wasting a roster spot on a half-trick pony. He can't even do a whole trick!

Other notes:

- Francisco Peguero. I imagine we'll see him up at some point if the David Lough experiment goes horribly wrong. He'd even be a good candidate to replace Reimold in the event that he's thrust from the team.

- Michael Almanzar. I'm convinced that the only reason they signed him was in case of Machado's leg falling behind schedule. It doesn't sound like it has, so I expect him to be on the first flight to Boston in April.

- Johnny Monell, David Freitas. This tells me that Caleb Joseph has no future in Norfolk, let alone Baltimore, and that makes me sad.

- Matt LaPorta, Cord Phelps, Julio Borbon, Ivan DeJesus, Quintin Berry, Aaron Laffey, Alex Gonzalez, Evan Meek. A stack of guys I really like. Seeing any one of them in Baltimore means something went terribly wrong, but nevertheless I like these depth signings.

- Olelky Peralta, Carlos Andres Diaz, Jomar Reyes. This is going to be the most spanish team in history in four years.

Enjoyable overview, Terror. I had forgotten about a few of those names. I think the 2 big signings make the little signings better, because now they're not depending on a few of the marginal players to become contributors. If a few of them surpriseand contribute, it's a plus - not a need. So, imo there's a synergistic effect there for managing the team better. They don't have to force square pegs into round holes. As the better pegs get gradually rounder, they will fit in smoothly.

The volume of that list also makes you (actually me) appreciate - wow, there's an awful lot of work that Duq and his group have done this offseason - and they do this every year - making so many more moves than has been typical. They work those rosters! That's hard work and skill and strategy.

[DrungoHazewood]

Two guys that I think their stock will soar once the ST games begin. Peguero and Almanzar. Peguero is tooly. Can run, hit and throw. People don't seem very high on him now. I think that will change once people see him.

I likely the report that called Almanzar a specimen and said he was out of one the the best farm systems in baseball. I think he might impress this spring.

I have more faith in Buck and the coaching staff than to think they're going to press the I Believe button based on spring training athleticism and toolsiness.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

So it's one roster spot, in what you claim is not a position of need, for a guy who has a career OPS well over .800... and somehow that drops the organizational offseason grade by one and half letter grades? To me that says you believe the team is now in a significantly worse position than it was a week or two ago. That maybe they were wildcard contenders and now they're pretty much throwing in the towel.

I'm under no illusion that Cruz makes the team more than a couple wins better, but that seems crazy.

I see Cruz as a ~2 win DH that doesn't get on base much(310 over his last 3 seasons). We would've probably gotten similar production from a platoon comprised of the guys we already have, so basically we threw away a draft pick for an injury-prone ~34 year old cheater that does nothing to improve our biggest area of concern in regards to the offense, OBP.

The move just reeks of panic and window-dressing, IMO.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

I see Cruz as a ~2 win DH that doesn't get on base much(310 over his last 3 seasons). We would've probably gotten similar production from a platoon comprised of the guys we already have, so basically we threw away a draft pick for an injury-prone ~34 year old cheater that does nothing to improve our biggest area of concern in regards to the offense, OBP.

The move just reeks of panic and window-dressing, IMO.

Should be .319 not .310.

[gmelson26]

I voted B. I like Webb, Lough, Jiminez, was fine with the JJ trade. I am not thrilled by Cruz, but at the price, I can swallow it. Down on the Balfour situation. If Balfour worked out I would go A-.

[Stotle]

Same grade for me: C.

[Roll Tide]

I think Jimenez is a good signing, a free agent not on a cut rate deal.

I much preferred Morales to Cruz and I think money was the deciding factor.

I don't think we have a closer as I think Hunter is a mistake. I don't like Lough in LF and think they could've done better.

I gave them a B minus

[weams]

I am guessing losing the picks was actually a plus for signing those guys. I don't know how much the alotments for the first and the second but you are probably close to paying half Cruz's salary with not paying bonuses for the lost picks.

It's a bit over 3 million.

[weams]

I have more faith in Buck and the coaching staff than to think they're going to press the I Believe button based on spring training athleticism and toolsiness.

"I Believe" Button. Classic.

[DrungoHazewood]

I see Cruz as a ~2 win DH that doesn't get on base much(310 over his last 3 seasons). We would've probably gotten similar production from a platoon comprised of the guys we already have, so basically we threw away a draft pick for an injury-prone ~34 year old cheater that does nothing to improve our biggest area of concern in regards to the offense, OBP.

The move just reeks of panic and window-dressing, IMO.

Whatever it reeks of I don't see any reason to believe it's significantly and negatively impacted the outlook of the 2014 Baltimore Orioles. Or the future of the franchise, either.