Keri: 2015 Os Should Be Even Better

[MachoMachadoMan]

A healthy Wieters and Machado would be a great start. Kevin Gausman, who?s only 23, showed flashes of brilliance during the regular season as a starter, was nearly unhittable during the playoffs as a reliever, and might very well become the staff?s ace as soon as next season. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who?s also 23, should improve in his second big league campaign. Promising lefty Tim Berry could crack the big club next year, and if former ?ber-prospect Dylan Bundy can stay healthy, he might too.

And while losing MLB home run leader and free agent Nelson Cruz would hurt, the Orioles could spend significant money to replace him, since they?re currently on the hook for only $45 million in 2015. While that figure doesn?t include eventual arbitration figures for Wieters and Davis, most of the other arbitration-eligible players are first-time guys who won?t win that much money. Plus, the club should be able to spend after earning additional revenue during this year?s playoff run and presumably seeing an uptick in season-ticket sales for next year.

Jonah Keri at Grantland

I think he's overestimating the potential impact of Berry and Bundy on next year's team. I wouldn't expect either to be up until late in the season in the best case scenario (or worst case if we flop and are just checking out guys).

I'm also not clear on just how much money we can expect to have to spend this offseason. This morning Steve Davis was saying our payroll is going to swell due to arbitration giving some guys big raises (Tillman, Britton). Keri says we're going to have money to spend.

It all depends on if Markakis comes to terms, if Cruz is back, and what they do with Davis, I guess.

(Copied and pasted the subhead from the story. Didn't like the apostrophe. Mods, please fix that. Thanks)

[neveradoubt]

I doubt it. Yankees and Red Sox will be much better come ST. jmo

[weams]

I doubt it. Yankees and Red Sox will be much better come ST. jmo

They may appear to be. My opinion.

[El Gordo]

MFY will get a SS and at least one, probably 2 TOR SP'S. And another RP. They'll be much better.

[VeveJones007]

MFY will get a SS and at least one, probably 2 TOR SP'S. And another RP. They'll be much better.

If that is their haul, they'll be around .500 again. Pitching wasn't their problem.

The O's will be the favorites next year.

[SteveA]

MFY will get a SS and at least one, probably 2 TOR SP'S. And another RP. They'll be much better.

They have two quality major league starting hitters in thier lineup, Ellsbury and Gardner. And Ellsbury is always hurt.

McCann is OK but on the downside of the age curve.

Tough to fill 6 holes in the lineup. They are paying huge bucks to A-Rod, Tex, and CC and it wouldn't surprise me if those three add up to about 1 WAR.

They've got some pitching, I'll say that. And you're right, they'll add more.

They could be a contender. But they certainly won't be a juggernaut that will frighten anyone.

[24fps]

I doubt it. Yankees and Red Sox will be much better come ST. jmo

Maybe. Probably. Whatever. Seize the initiative and don't look back.

[murph]

MFY will get a SS and at least one, probably 2 TOR SP'S. And another RP. They'll be much better.

But not the one they probably wanted!

[El Gordo]

If that is their haul, they'll be around .500 again. Pitching wasn't their problem.

The O's will be the favorites next year.

C McCann

1B Teix

2B Prado

3B Hundley

SS Han Ram

LF Gardner

CF Elsbury

RF Beltran/Rasmus

DH ARoid

SP

Scherzer

Sheilds

Peneda

Greene

McCarthy

Tanaka?

CC?

Pen

Betances, Miller, Robertson, Kelly

etc.

Yeah, .500 team definitely.

[25 Nuggets]

Let's see, you have them resigning Headley (sp?), McCarthy and Robertson... then adding Scherzer, Shields, Ramirez, Rasmus and Miller. I'll take a conservative guess at the money there.

$20 mil - Scherzer

$18 mil - Ramirez

$13 mil - Shields

$10 mil - Headley

$9 mil - Miller

$9 mil - McCarthy

$8 mil - Robertson

$7 mil - Rasmus

----

$94 mil TOTAL

Yeah even they don't have that much. But that particular team would be a World Series contender given good health.

[Jagwar]

MFY will get a SS and at least one, probably 2 TOR SP'S. And another RP. They'll be much better.

I expect the Yankees to be a lot more like the 1980s teams than the 1990s teams. They might sign some big names, but the team has no real identity, mediocre talent and no depth.

[epic]

C McCann

1B Teix

2B Prado

3B Hundley

SS Han Ram

LF Gardner

CF Elsbury

RF Beltran/Rasmus

DH ARoid

SP

Scherzer

Sheilds

Peneda

Greene

McCarthy

Tanaka?

CC?

Pen

Betances, Miller, Robertson, Kelly

etc.

Yeah, .500 team definitely.

So they're going to sign Ramirez, Headley, Rasmus, Scherzer, Shields, McCarthy, and Miller? I highly doubt it.

I almost hope they do sign all of those guys. They would be a good team in 2015 and 2016 with all of them but that team would be a train wreck with all of those contracts after that.

[TXOriole]

We heard this same stuff after the 2012 playoff run and re-signing McLouth ended up being our big FA splash. I guess I'll take the wait and see approach.

[Olson30]

We heard this same stuff after the 2012 playoff run and re-signing McLouth ended up being our big FA splash. I guess I'll take the wait and see approach.

No one said we would be signing a bunch of FA

[weams]

No one said we would be signing a bunch of FA

And I hope we don't now. They tend to be very poor values and only really gimmicks for mediocre teams to sell tickets.