Don't Look Now but Joseph Might be a Better a Catcher for the Orioles...

[Dr. Unk]

I think if you factor salary and game calling, Caleb may get the nod. I'd love to see more offense, but what Matt will cost, vs. Joseph....I think we can do the math.

[EagleOriole]

This is funny. Last year of deal coming of Tommy John good luck getting anything for him.

First of all, I would not trade him in the off-season coming off Tommy John, that is selling low. But I think you are undervaluing him - Wieters is an upgrade at catcher for most teams around MLB and he is WAY better than anything we have currently. I am glad that we will have Caleb Joseph to help carry the burden for Matt next year, but Matt is the better player.

[wildcard]

I will take both of them next year. Let them compete with each other for playing time. I think Joseph's hitting will improve as he learns the league. He was a hit first catcher in the minors.

[Reboulet'sStache]

First of all, I would not trade him in the off-season coming off Tommy John, that is selling low. But I think you are undervaluing him - Wieters is an upgrade at catcher for most teams around MLB and he is WAY better than anything we have currently. I am glad that we will have Caleb Joseph to help carry the burden for Matt next year, but Matt is the better player.

I think we can get something for Wieters. Maybe not in the off-season, but def. at the break.

[Snutchy]

That bat is hot tonight. 3 ribbies!

[Ripken]

I've been saying for weeks I want CJ as our starter going forward, especially considering the C depth we have and seem to be growing. I LOVE his defense and think his bat will be just fine. Matt will want a fortune and we've ridden him pretty hard. I really want to trade Wieters. Whether that brings back MLB talent like a good hitting OF or a SS (if JJ moves on) or we get some prospects to improve the system I don't care. I would take the best return possible.

If Matt goes that's one less soon-to-be-FA to deal with and allows money to be spent elsewhere. I think Nick will be extended regardless of how that gets worked out. Cruz will very likely get the QO and leave. Then it's figuring how to go forward with Davis and Hardy.

[HokieOs]

Obviously between Wieters and Joseph, I'd rather have Wieters all else being equal...

But given the fact that that Wieters is going to be HIGHLY over-valued when FA hits, I'd rather let him walk at this point and let Joseph take the reigns. Not only because he seems better on defense, but also because I'm not sold the difference between Wieters and Joseph is as great as many here make it.

Joseph currently has an OPS of .656. Surely, not very good. But look at most of Wieters's other action outside of 2014. He barely cracked .700. Heck, in his first full major league season, he didn't even crack .700. Sure, he was having an excellent 2014. But let's be real, he had only played 26 games. And he appeared to possibly be coming back to earth in his last 5 games, going 3-22 over that stretch and his average fell from .342 all the way to .302 over the course of the month of May (until he played his last game May 10).

Look, I love Matt Wieters as a player. But at the end of the day, it's a business. He has an adequate bat. Nothing more, nothing less. He is decent on D... but the numbers say that he's not awesome either. If instead of being a VERY early draft pick with such hype and promise, he were instead say, a 5th rounder, and NOTHING else about him were different, would anyone think as highly of him as they do? I'm not so sure. And not enough to go offering some kind of crazy 5/75 deal to keep him around.

Of course, he could make that all irrelevant by coming back from his injury, and having an excellent 2015.

[mdbdotcom]

If nothing else, next year Joseph will be the best backup we've had for Wieters, hands down. And with Matt coming off TJS, Caleb might get to start 50 games or so. If CJ can position himself to be the starter after Matt leaves, good for him.

[Palmoripken]

I like Caleb. He calls a good game and has some pop. I have no idea how he'd do over a whole season but he's a legit backup. I really like what I saw from him when I went to the game Saturday night.

[El Gordo]

Caleb will start the season catching until Wieters returns, then they will split the workload until Wieters is back to 100%. Very unlikely Wieters brings much in trade at the TD. Caleb reminds me of Rick Dempsey, only smarter.

[TouchemAll]

If that happens, maybe we can trade Wieters for a nice return of future prospects or a good LF..

Bingo we have a winner! :thumbsup1: even better 2nd base.

[Aristotelian]

Can we merge with the other CJ thread? I don't want to repeat all the stuff I said in praise of him again... Sure Wieters offense blows away CJ but I like CJ's plate approach, he has hit OK in the minors, and at $500k he is an amazing value relative to Wieters. I would rather have CJ + Nelson Cruz than Wieters + Urrutia/replacement level OF.

[itscbm5042]

Bingo we have a winner! :thumbsup1: even better 2nd base.

I take Joseph's pitch calling, offensive potential, and cost (not to mention prospect haul by trading Wieters) over Wieters known offense, pitch calling, and upcoming mega contract... Just makes more sense to me he isn't the switch hitting Jesus we thought he would be and I'm willing to give up his bat and name recognition

[byrdz]

Is the 2014 offense Wieters the real Wieters standing up? Because if not I like Joseph.

[Just Regular]

I love what Joseph's doing right now but it'd be pretty unusual for a multi-year productive regular to debut at 28. I think he's establishing himself as the clear #2 and frankly I'm not sure what Dan and Buck are going to do with themselves this offseason not having to sift about for Wieters's caddy.