Markakis Fading

[backwardsk]

Who leads off next season then?

[Can_of_corn]

How do you know he wouldn't accept it? The O's won't take that gamble.

Read what I wrote more closely.

[Can_of_corn]

Help me out. Looks like you want the O's to make the QO and that you don't think Markakis will accept it. What am I misreading?

I am hoping that they know he won't accept it.

Obviously I don't want them making him the offer and him accepting it (although it wouldn't be crippling). I do however really want that pick. I hope that the FO has strong reasons to believe that Markakis won't accept the offer.

[Can_of_corn]

But he probably would. First of all, the QO hurts his bargaining power with other teams. Secondly, I honestly believe that 8M per year on a 2-3 year contract is about the best he's going to do on the open market. Taking 16M for one year is a no brainer. Agents and players aren't going to be dumb after what happened to Morales and Cruz last year.

Again, if you're implying that Markakis would be ok with them making the QO and privately telling them he wouldn't accept, he'd be an idiot for the obvious reasons stated above.

I wouldn't say he probably would, when, as Weams loves pointing out, no player has accepted it yet.

These are mostly very self confident individuals, very sure of their own worth.

If last seasons' Cruz and Drew didn't accept why should it be a given that Nick would?

The FO should know him a lot better then any of us fans do, they should have a good idea of the risk involved.

[Can_of_corn]

How long has the QO been in effect? Did it even happen before last year? Either way, last year was a lesson to be learned by agents and players alike? Drew, Cruz, and Morales all would have been better off taking the QO. How stupid do you think the agents/players are that they didn't learn from that?

I will hold off on Cruz, see what he gets this year. I think what he is doing in Balt this season is a lot more high profile then anything he would be doing in Texas.

As I said, I hope that the FO knows he won't accept.

Not sure why we are even still having a discussion based on that statement.

[Can_of_corn]

I don't think it is outside the realm of reason that the contract he could get this offseason, being the anchor of a playoff team, could make up for the five million or so he would have made if he had accepted the QO and played for a 100 (ish) loss Rangers team.

I wasn't stating that it was a plan, or even that he shouldn't have accepted the offer. Just, that in the long run, he might have been better served with how it ended up playing out.

[Can_of_corn]

Even if true, what's that got to do with anything?

Refuting your point that Cruz would have been better off accepting the QO.

In the long run he might have lucked into the right course of action.

[mdbdotcom]

Who leads off next season then?

With any luck, Melky Cabrera. Or, the young guy we trade Gonzalez or Norris for.

[ShaneDawg85]

I could not care less about next season, I care about the here and now. As in the tank as I've been for Nick Markakis, he is not hitting well right now and there's no refuting it. They need him to start hitting to wrap this thing up and to have any shot in the playoffs. If Nick isn't hitting, they're going to have a hard time of it offensively in a short series against good pitching.

[atomic]

With any luck, Melky Cabrera. Or, the young guy we trade Gonzalez or Norris for.

Why would we trade those guys? Pitching wins games.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Why would we trade those guys? Pitching wins games.

Scoring runs helps too.

[mdbdotcom]

Why would we trade those guys? Pitching wins games.

How's that working out for the Rays?

[Reboulet'sStache]

Why would we trade those guys? Pitching wins games.

Gonzo I wouldn't trade.

Bud I would be open to trading. I'm not sure what he will make in arbitration next year, but I imagine it will be between 7 and 8 million. While that isn't a ton, it's more than what a team like the O's should ideally pay for a back end, league average guy who might not even start in the playoffs for you.

[Reboulet'sStache]

I could not care less about next season, I care about the here and now. As in the tank as I've been for Nick Markakis, he is not hitting well right now and there's no refuting it. They need him to start hitting to wrap this thing up and to have any shot in the playoffs. If Nick isn't hitting, they're going to have a hard time of it offensively in a short series against good pitching.

I don't think that is true. While Nick hitting would certainly help, that's true of anybody. However, even when Nick was hitting and getting on base at a .355ish clip this year, he wasn't scoring any runs really. His lack of speed from the lead off spot killed him even when he got on base, because he just hit singles and struggled to get himself in scoring position. In the end, the O's have to hit for power in the playoffs, so it's more important that guys like Jones aren't in a funk in the playoffs.

[Can_of_corn]

That's funny. The point of the argument is that other players/agents are going to look at what happened last year and be much more hesitant to refuse the QO. Looking at Nelson Cruz situation and him possibly lucking out in the long run, will not sway someone towards accepting.

Of course it might. I think you are overestimating these fellows.