Will DD Pursue Victor Martinez ?

[tntoriole]

They will definitely overpay for someone. The question is will it be for Scherzer, Martinez, Hunter... or Hanley Ramirez. I doubt they'll be trying for more than one of those names.

My bet is Martinez of that group.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[atomic]

Rather sign Morales than Martinez. Younger, cheaper, no QO, and both their prior 3 seasons are very similar. Good chance they could both have very similar seasons next year as well.

You can't be serious can you? Morales was absolutely awful this season. I would be surprised if he gets more than 5 million contract if that. Victor is a star.

[backwardsk]

You can't be serious can you? Morales was absolutely awful this season. I would be surprised if he gets more than 5 million contract if that. Victor is a star.

They are similar in the sense they both play baseball.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jonesy10]

You can't be serious can you? Morales was absolutely awful this season. I would be surprised if he gets more than 5 million contract if that. Victor is a star.

In their previous 3 seasons Morales average wRC+ was 122. Victor's was 121.3. They've been pretty much the same hitters until this season when Morales started the season late and then suffered from a dreadful BABIP. On the other side Victor's strikeout rate suddenly declined by a ton and his HR/FB% balooned at the age of 35. In a vacuum I'd rather have Martinez for next season but in reality if we could get Morales on a cheap platform deal like we gave Cruz I would rather take that than give up a pick for a 36 year old DH who just had his career year and will in all likelihood regress tremendously next year. There's a pretty good chance Morales and Martinez have similar years, once again, next season.

[OriolesMagic83]

Morales can't be offered a qualifying offer, is that correct? I wonder if the O's could get him on a 2 year deal?

[section18]

Proposed 2015 Lineup:

Altuve 2B (trade)

Machado 3B

Martinez DH (FA)

Cruz RF

Jones CF

Pearce 1B

De Aza LF

Hardy SS

Martin (FA) C

I would try to sign Russell Martin C if a Wieters deal is possible and Victor Martinez.

Wieters will be traded along with Davis in a package deal. Chris Sale?

[isestrex]

Proposed 2015 Lineup:

Altuve 2B (trade)

Machado 3B

Martinez DH (FA)

Cruz RF

Jones CF

Pearce 1B

De Aza LF

Hardy SS

Martin (FA) C

I would try to sign Russell Martin C if a Wieters deal is possible and Victor Martinez.

Wieters will be traded along with Davis in a package deal. Chris Sale?

I like how this casually brushes off the Altuve trade as if he can be easily acquired with no need for explanation.

Both Sale and Altuve are about as untouchable as they come on their respective teams right now.

[section18]

An Altuve trade would probably include Schoop, Bundy, Webb or Brach and possibly Matusz who some think could still return to being a starter.

[Crabby9]

The problem with Martinez is that he is a liability anywhere besides DH. He can't catch anymore, and can't play first well. I'd rather have Martinez than Cruz still, but it's close. Cruz can play LH if needed.

VMart may get paid something like 3/50 and that's too rich for my blood.

That's a good thing IMO. Let him DH and keep speedy guys that field in the field. I don't want to have to trot out Cruz who is a liability out there and likely tires him towards his annual mid-season slump. You don't want a 35+ guy out there in the dog days of August anyway. Keep him fresh and keep him swinging.

[Crabby9]

Chris Davis running into homers and doubles and then not doing so makes some sense. He didn't lose his strength, he simply hit into the shift more and made contact less. His K% was still very high in all 3 years.

V-Mart with high contact rates and ridiculously low K rates means he's going to continue to put the ball in play. He's going to decline steadily and not drop off a cliff or "be figured out" like Davis. The argument could be made that he'll lose his strength and those line drive contacts will start turning into weak grounders (e.g. Jeter last year), but he's still only 35 and I don't see that time coming soon. He's still got 2-3 prime years left before that starts happening. I'd love get those 2-3 years of prime and would be willing to swallow the 1-2 years of decline in a 4-5 year contract.

This is why I'd pursue him as I tend to agree that his ability to take walks and not strikeout will keep him fairly consistent. It's a valid point to bring up Davis as a one-year wonder but I agree with your response that VMart seems to be a surer thing. And I agree, if it takes adding more years to what Detroit offers, by all means swallow a little to get him. It's going to take a lot to entice him to leave Detroit. And all reports indicate he's their #1 priority. Chances seem small that we land him.

[weams]

Proposed 2015 Lineup:

Altuve 2B (trade)

Machado 3B

Martinez DH (FA)

Cruz RF

Jones CF

Pearce 1B

De Aza LF

Hardy SS

Martin (FA) C

I would try to sign Russell Martin C if a Wieters deal is possible and Victor Martinez.

Wieters will be traded along with Davis in a package deal. Chris Sale?

I just don't know what to say about this. You don't really think this is in any way possible do you? Chris Davis and Matt Wieters for Chris Sale? Who for the worst defensive second baseman in baseball also?

[SteveO]

I just don't know what to say about this. You don't really think this is in any way possible do you? Chris Davis and Matt Wieters for Chris Sale? Who for the worst defensive second baseman in baseball also?

Me thinks someone has been playing a little to much OOTP or MLB The Show

Yea the White Sox are gonna give up a solid TOR guy like Sale in a trade for a catcher coming off TJ and guy whom had the Mendoza line renamed after him....sure.

Altuve is going nowhere. Houston would want to be so overwhelmed its ridiculous to let him go.

Then to top it off we are gonna sign VMart and Martin.... There is a better chance of the Babe Ruth statue magically coming to life and signing a deal with the O's than even 1/3 of that happening.

[DrungoHazewood]

This is why I'd pursue him as I tend to agree that his ability to take walks and not strikeout will keep him fairly consistent. It's a valid point to bring up Davis as a one-year wonder but I agree with your response that VMart seems to be a surer thing. And I agree, if it takes adding more years to what Detroit offers, by all means swallow a little to get him. It's going to take a lot to entice him to leave Detroit. And all reports indicate he's their #1 priority. Chances seem small that we land him.

I'm very wary of signing Cruz, as a 34-year-old DH coming off a career year. Martinez is a 35-year-old DH with a ton of catching mileage on his resume, also coming off a career year. I'm not sure I'd even call his agent to find out what kind of terrifying contract he's looking for.

[jamalshw]

Honestly...I put Cruz and Martinez in similar groups. I would go 3/$48M as a top for Cruz (unless the O's payroll goes up even more than we think it will). I, however, am not sure I go there with Martinez. I would feel okay going with 2/$36M or so. I really like that Martinez offers pop, but more so offers contact. He has a dynamic that his line-up is missing. I would certainly kick the tires, but the price range (years namely) may be more than I'd be willing to go.

[tntoriole]

I'm very wary of signing Cruz, as a 34-year-old DH coming off a career year. Martinez is a 35-year-old DH with a ton of catching mileage on his resume, also coming off a career year. I'm not sure I'd even call his agent to find out what kind of terrifying contract he's looking for.

One of them will be as productive for as long as David Ortiz. And I think that could very well be Cruz. For one thing, he adjusted tremendously well to being the DH for 89 games, whereas his previous high as a DH in any season was 8 games. I think that he will be a full time DH next year for an AL team and I believe that his production may very well even improve. Cruz may be someone who becomes a full-time dh with tremendous value and production for the next three or four years easily.