Rank the order of importance for re-signing the following free-agents...

[Scrat1]

You are offering what is fair to Hardy. FAs in demand don't get what is fair. They get much more. Add a year and about 2M a year to the highest figure you can stand and that is what it take to get a FA that is in demand.

I used 3/33 because I think that's a reasonable starting point, though I know he won't accept that. As others, including yourself, have pointed out, he's probably going to look for Peralta's 4/52, which he can probably get on the open market. If the O's start negotiating now, before it reaches that point, they may be able to get him at 4/40-4/44 or so. I don't think anything I've written in my previous post or here is fantastical.

I suspect DD is going to play hardball with Hardy. My best guess is he's going to hit all three of them with qualifying offers in order to suppress their market and negotiate from there. Even the Yankees may not be willing to pay 4/52 and give up a first round pick for Hardy. The rules are clearly broken, but I think Duquette will take advantage of them while they exist.

[mdbdotcom]

I will miss Hardy more than the others, but I don't think any of them will be back.

I just don't see the O's offering Hardy or Markakis a multi-year deal that would turn him into a 10/5 guy after next season. Besides, they will each be offered a year more than they should get by a team with big pockets. The O's won't want to match it, and loyalty usually goes out the window once a player puts himself on the market.

Maybe they'll re-sign Cruz if no one offers him more than two years.

[webbrick2010]

I can't see Nick leaving.

I think he can be easily replaced as a baseball player, but I think he is rooted in Baltimore and a deal will be made, similar to the BRob situation.

QO's to Hardy & Cruz and unless they sign a well below market deal, they are gone

[Creamsicle]

Rank the order between Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, and JJ Hardy - order of importance in re-signing them for next year.

For the right contracts ($$ and years) I would definitely want all three.

My ranking of them would be in descending order from best deal to worst deal. I wouldn't pick up the Kakes option; reneg instead. Very slight asterisk applied to JJ's value considering that (a) He and Mintyfresh make an incredible DB combo, and (b) the NYY need a SS next year.

[weams]

Rank the order between Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, and JJ Hardy - order of importance in re-signing them for next year.

Hardy.

[barnanimal]

I'd wait to see if Manny can play a full season before annointing him as the SS

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[weams]

I wonder if Manny still wants to play SS.

I wonder if he is confident that he could still play SS

I wonder if the O's are still considering it.

If Manny at SS is still a possibility, then the O's have a lot more options going forward.

Manny won't play shortstop for the Orioles. It does not matter what he might want. Ryan Flaherty would play it first.

[wildcard]

A win in free agency costs about $6M. An average player is maybe 2.0 wins over a full season. So acquiring a player you expect to be average over his contract should cost you $12M a year, give or take.

But Nick hasn't been a 2 win player. Probably closer to 1.3 wins over the past three years. So he is closer to an 8M/yr player if wins are used as the criteria.

[Ruzious]

Hardy

Cruz

Nick

Cruz could very well do better next season. He's had 2 OPS+ seasons better than this - he just hasn't stayed healthy enough to play full seasons.

And for those opting for Nick over Cruz because they think Cruz will cost considerably more, I don't see it. I think Nick will get about the same as Cruz - if not more.

[Frobby]

You are offering what is fair to Hardy. FAs in demand don't get what is fair. They get much more. Add a year and about 2M a year to the highest figure you can stand and that is what it take to get a FA that is in demand.

I think Hardy will accept less than full market value, so long as its not absurdly out of line. He already did it once, when he signed his last deal with us. In hindsight, that deal was highway robbery, and even at the time, it was obviously a very good deal for the O's. Hardy seems like a guy who wants to play somewhere where he knows he's comfortable. Ditto Markakis, whose deal turned out to be overly generous but at the time was very fair and even a little on the cheap side considering his age and track record at the time.

[wildcard]

I think Hardy will accept less than full market value, so long as its not absurdly out of line. He already did it once, when he signed his last deal with us. In hindsight, that deal was highway robbery, and even at the time, it was obviously a very good deal for the O's. Hardy seems like a guy who wants to play somewhere where he knows he's comfortable. Ditto Markakis, whose deal turned out to be overly generous but at the time was very fair and even a little on the cheap side considering his age and track record at the time.

This looks like it will probably turn into a very different situation than Hardy's last contract. He signed the last one in July 2011. There was no competition for Hardy at that time. The way Dan Duquette as allowed this situation to continue, it appears that Hardy will enter free agency and be allowed to get competitive bids. That will probably raise his contract price. Its one thing to agree to a team friendly contract when there is not competition. Its another to do that when there are other teams offering more millions.