Showalter to meet with Rasmus

[clapdiddy]

Exactly! Sign someone and lets go play ball.

I want Rasmus more than the other potential outfielders we are pursuing though.

I can not justify my opinion - I just prefer him

I think I would have preferred Bonifacio at 3M to Rasmus. He could've been our super-utility player and played some OF against LHP. Rasmus does offer potential power and would be worth a one-year deal. I definitely prefer him to Aoki or Suzuki.

[25 Nuggets]

I think I would have preferred Bonifacio at 3M to Rasmus. He could've been our super-utility player and played some OF against LHP. Rasmus does offer potential power and would be worth a one-year deal. I definitely prefer him to Aoki or Suzuki.

Bonifacio has zero power though. .291/.340/.380 vs LHP (.721 OPS) and much worse vs RHP.

[UpstateNYfan]

Isn't it more important what Buck came away with?

[fearthenoodle]

Alex Rios got 1/11M from the Royals. I would have assumed Rasmus could get the same type of deal before Roch mentioned the O's thought it would be in the 5-8M range. Gonna guess there is a base salary 5-8M with another 2-3M in incentives based on games played.

Roch went from saying $5-8MM last week to $7MM (no range) in his blog on Sunday, which made me think that some of the parameters have maybe already been discussed.

[Going Underground]

I guess both sides waitng for the other side to come up or go down a little. I think by the end of the week ,we should know either way.

[scOtt]

Isn't it more important what Buck came away with?

I was going to say, I can't imagine anyone coming away with a bad opinion of Buck. Someone said earlier this tweet is half the battle. I think it's about 10% of the battle. Buck's opinion is king.

[Ruzious]

It's sounding like Rasmus might end up in Tampa Bay. If that's the case, I wouldn't write off Tony's suggestion a while back to go after Steven Souza. I think TB traded for Souza thinking they wouldn't sign Rasmus. If they do sign Rasmus, maybe Souza becomes available. And Souza is right-handed. Given what the Nats got for Souza, he likely would not come cheap, but he's a very compelling older prospect.

[oriolediehard]

Why is waiting so important for DD's MO?

What is the purpose of methodly analyzing every 1 year FA signing?

While we are waiting for the unknown Tampa will swoop in and sign Rasmus.

The O's writers and GM / manager think the O's will be good as they are now.

It is easy to win with whatever roster we have in December through February!

So the motto is WAIT!! For what I don't know but just wait!!!

[weams]

Why is waiting so important for DD's MO?

What is the purpose of methodly analyzing every 1 year FA signing?

While we are waiting for the unknown Tampa will swoop in and sign Rasmus.

The O's writers and GM / manager think the O's will be good as they are now.

It is easy to win with whatever roster we have in December through February!

So the motto is WAIT!! For what I don't know but just wait!!!

Wait because a valuable commodity is now prepared to sign with us on a make good rather than an over commit. Dan is not Andy the percolator. He strikes when the time is right. He doesn't need to think about it.

[Ruzious]

The Rays signing Rasmus would be contrary to everything else they've done this offseason, which is to shed payroll. They've gotten rid of:

Sean Rodriguez - 1.475M and arbitration elegible

Joel Peralta - 2.5M in 2015

Jeremy Hellickson - 3.625M in 2014 and arb eligible

Matt Joyce - 3.75M in 2014 and arb eligible

Out of all the players they got back, I can only find one that is arbitration eligible, that being Kevin Jepsen who made 1.462 last year. It would seem very odd if they turned around and outbid the Orioles for Rasmus. Their current outfield with David De Jesus, Desmond Jennings, and Kevin Kermaier seems like it is ready to go. How and why would they sign Rasmus?

From mlbtraderumors.com:

Rays Have Had Discussions With Colby Rasmus

By Steve Adams [January 5, 2015 at 3:35pm CST]

The Rays and free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus have had discussions, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). A Rasmus signing could become more likely in the event of a Ben Zobrist trade, Morosi adds. In that case, the outfield/DH rotation would consist of Rasmus, Kevin Kiermaier, Desmond Jennings, David DeJesus and Steven Souza.

....

Rasmus, of course, seems a bit of a curious fit for what appears to be a Rays team that is re-tooling, if not rebuilding. The team traded David Price in July before moving Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Joyce, Cesar Ramos and Wil Myers this offseason. They did, however, recently add Asdrubal Cabrera to play second base and still can trot out a rotation consisting of Alex Cobb, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly and (eventually, once he is recovered from Tommy John surgery) Matt Moore. In the meantime, Nate Karns and Alex Colome represent suitable solutions in the fifth spot of the rotation.

Despite the roster shuffling, the Rays may still fancy themselves contenders and therefore have interest in Rasmus on a short-term deal, knowing that if things go south, they could flip him to another club. Tampa may also simply feel that Rasmus is being undervalued by the current market and that they therefore should add him to the fold on a multi-year deal ? a route not unlike the one the Astros took in signing Jed Lowrie despite lacking a clear long-term infield need.

[atomic]

Why is waiting so important for DD's MO?

What is the purpose of methodly analyzing every 1 year FA signing?

While we are waiting for the unknown Tampa will swoop in and sign Rasmus.

The O's writers and GM / manager think the O's will be good as they are now.

It is easy to win with whatever roster we have in December through February!

So the motto is WAIT!! For what I don't know but just wait!!!

He has to pass the physical first. Do you want them to announce it and then Rasmus fails the physical?

[24fps]

Why is waiting so important for DD's MO?

What is the purpose of methodly analyzing every 1 year FA signing?

While we are waiting for the unknown Tampa will swoop in and sign Rasmus.

The O's writers and GM / manager think the O's will be good as they are now.

It is easy to win with whatever roster we have in December through February!

So the motto is WAIT!! For what I don't know but just wait!!!

I don't think there will be much swooping at this stage. I think the O's and Rasmus are far enough along to where they would be given the opportunity to bid/negotiate before any decision was made by Rasmus' camp.

It's clear that part of the reason DD waits is because he gets a better price by doing so. My personal theory is that he's also opportunistic at heart and he likes to keep his options open. I think the number of arbitration eligible players this year is probably forcing a little restraint as well.

[mdbdotcom]

If the Rays sign Rasmus, it will be because the O's decided not to.

[TonySoprano]

He has to pass the physical first. Do you want them to announce it and then Rasmus fails the physical?

I'm sure my H.S. classmate Koko Eaton,M.D. will give him a passing mark for Tampa

[hoosiers]

If your Rasmus, the Rays would have to seriously outbid the O's. If I'm Colby Rasmus and the O's offer 7M, the Rays would have to guarantee me 10M or more, and that doesn't seem likely to happen. Playing with the O's is the best long term move for his career and to showcase himself for next year's FA. Better park. Likely a better team. Probably more exposure via media. The O's also have Showalter while the Rays have a rookie manager. Unless the O's don't really want him, I can't imagine a scenario where he becomes a Ray instead of an Oriole.

I don't think it is so clear whether an objective analysis of the benefits playing for the Os v the Rays would favor Bmore.

IMO, the agent's analysis would revolve around factors like $, expected playing time (analyzing who is in the OF), competitiveness of the team, the lineup, likelihood of which manager will offer playing time if Rasmus slumps, is there a OF phenom in the minors, how have hitters adjusted to the ballparks, etc..

(Separately, and not directed at RZ, there have been posts here for some time about Buck and while I understand the manager strategy accolades and the player communication, there has been very, very little evidence that Buck the recruiter is a difference maker. The number of premium FAs coming to Bmore are very few with two last year from an overpay (Ubaldo) and a guy coming on a bargain). Let's face it. If there had been a multi-year offer for Rasmus, he would have taken it as opposed to waiting for a meeting with Buck. I am sure Buck might play a small factor, but it's not among the top three to five at least.)

The Os do have a good story to tell with experience with Nelson Cruz last year, but the Rays sign undervalued bats like Carlos Pena themselves.

Objectively, I would have to pull some sources regarding which team is expecting to be better. I think the Os will be better, but that's somewhat subjective, of course.

I will say that Rasmus would be a nice addition with some upside for the Os and that I would be disappointed if we lost out to the Rays over $ (as long as the contract is reasonable).