Who goes and who stays in 2015

[wildcard]

Hardy's agent comes to you this winter and says, we have a Jhonny Peralta type offer from another team. Hardy will give you a hometown discount of around 10%. We are looking for 4/48 from you. Do you do that deal?

I think not.

The way DD has played the negotiations with Hardy, I think there has to be a Plan A and a Plan B at this point.

Plan A - Sign Hardy to a 3 year extension at a competitive rate. Keep Manny at 3B, Hardy at SS and explore how to get better at 2B until Schoop starts to hit better.

Plan B which is used if the contract extension does not work out with Hardy. Manny to SS, Schoop to 3B with a lot of training from Dickerson, Flaherty/ DeJesus platoon at 2B.

[bpilktree]

So DD signs Jimenez for 11-13 per year but will not give Norris 8M when Norris is pitching better than Jimenez. Doesn't sound right to me.

They may have to use Norris to fill one of the holes though in a trade because they won't have the money to sign 3 free agents in Hardy, Nick and Cruz. No one is going to trade for Ubaldo at this point with the contract so the next highest pitcher may have to be the one they use as the trade chip to find that younger guy to fill atleast one of those spots at 3rd, SS lf or RF.

[backwardsk]

I think not.

The way DD has played the negotiations with Hardy, I think there has to be a Plan A and a Plan B at this point.

Plan A - Sign Hardy to a 3 year extension at a competitive rate. Keep Manny at 3B, Hardy at SS and explore how to get better at 2B until Schoop starts to hit better.

Plan B which is used if the contract extension does not work out with Hardy. Manny to SS, Schoop to 3B with a lot of training from Dickerson, Flaherty/ DeJesus platoon at 2B.

I think another piece of that plan would be to give the QO offer to Hardy and if he takes it great, if not go to plan B or find another 3B/SS through a trade. BTW, I'm comfortable with Schoop as the 2015 2Bman.

[bpilktree]

I think another piece of that plan would be to give the QO offer to Hardy and if he takes it great, if not go to plan B or find another 3B/SS through a trade. BTW, I'm comfortable with Schoop as the 2015 2Bman.

The qualifying offer would be pretty high and i can't see them doing that. As we have said we will be around 80-85 million depending on how the arbitration guys perform over the rest of the year and the final numbers. If you give Hardy 10 million that gets us around 95 million and still with two huge holes. So Peter will have to increase payroll or we will have to fill them with cheaper free agents.

[El Gordo]

It makes no sense to move Manny to SS. You can't replace him at 3B, but you can find a comparable SS to Hardy at least with the glove.

[wildcard]

I think another piece of that plan would be to give the QO offer to Hardy and if he takes it great, if not go to plan B or find another 3B/SS through a trade. BTW, I'm comfortable with Schoop as the 2015 2Bman.

The biggest problem with offering Hardy between 15-16M for one year is -- he might take it. Then the O's have to deal with what that does to the 2015 payroll.

[El Gordo]

The qualifying offer would be pretty high and i can't see them doing that. As we have said we will be around 80-85 million depending on how the arbitration guys perform over the rest of the year and the final numbers. If you give Hardy 10 million that gets us around 95 million and still with two huge holes. So Peter will have to increase payroll or we will have to fill them with cheaper free agents.

One more year of Hardy would be well the worth 15 M if he took it. That's about what he would get on the FA market. The problem isn't the money it's the years.

[wildcard]

It makes no sense to move Manny to SS. You can't replace him at 3B, but you can find a comparable SS to Hardy at least with the glove.

I have great confidence in Bobby Dickerson ability to turn Schoop into an about average 3B. Just give him time from the beginning for ST and by opening day I think Schoop will be fine. Schoop has the arm, hands and range to be a very good 3B.

[wildcard]

One more year of Hardy would be well the worth 15 M if he took it. That's about what he would get on the FA market. The problem isn't the money it's the years.

I doubt seriously that Hardy will ever get 15M per year from the O's under any circumstance.

[bpilktree]

I doubt seriously that Hardy will ever get 15M per year from the O's under any circumstance.

If he takes 15 million we are at 100 million with an outfield of Jones and maybe Perarce and no DH. We can not pay Hardy that type of money unless you are trading one of Norris, Wieters, or Davis. As much as I like Hardy he is not a player a team like the Orioles can pay 12-15 million a year for even if it is 1 year at this point.

[Aristotelian]

So DD signs Jimenez for 11-13 per year but will not give Norris 8M when Norris is pitching better than Jimenez. Doesn't sound right to me.

Especially with Chen having an option for <$5 million and Bundy ready for the big leagues.

[El Gordo]

I have great confidence in Bobby Dickerson ability to turn Schoop into an about average 3B. Just give him time from the beginning for ST and by opening day I think Schoop will be fine. Schoop has the arm, hands and range to be a very good 3B.

You are going from a 6+WAR 3B to a 2.5 WAR 3B best case scenario. No guarantee Manny will be a 6 WAR SS. I doubt it actually.

[bpilktree]

You are going from a 6+WAR 3B to a 2.5 WAR 3B best case scenario. No guarantee Manny will be a 6 WAR SS. I doubt it actually.

I am sure everyone would rather have Hardy at SS and Manny at 3rd but you have to live within a payroll and figure out how to field a team that can compete as much as possible in that payroll. We can't be a team that pays 13 million to Adam, 12 million to Davis, 11 million to Ubaldo, and 9 million to Weiters and another 12-15 million to Hardy and stay competitive IMO. That is more then half our payroll most likely and only 5 positions.

[Aristotelian]

I am sure everyone would rather have Hardy at SS and Manny at 3rd but you have to live within a payroll and figure out how to field a team that can compete as much as possible in that payroll. We can't be a team that pays 13 million to Adam, 12 million to Davis, 11 million to Ubaldo, and 9 million to Weiters and another 12-15 million to Hardy and stay competitive IMO. That is more then half our payroll most likely and only 5 positions.

I would not be opposed to trading Wieters and rolling with CJ. Wieters is more expendable than JJ in my opinion.

[DrOrioles90210]

You are going from a 6+WAR 3B to a 2.5 WAR 3B best case scenario. No guarantee Manny will be a 6 WAR SS. I doubt it actually.

Most of that 6 WAR was based off of defensive metrics. I believe Manny had an amazing season defensively last year, but most people who work with those numbers agree that a three year sample is what you want to look at. Manny may never come close to those numbers again even if he continues to play amazing defense at third.