Lowered Expectations

[Can_of_corn]

Well, the Orioles made the QO, so I think it is safe to say they were prepared to pay it. A bit would probably have been saved by not resigning Delmaon, had Cruz accepted the QO, and I'd guess signings like the E. Cabrera one would have been less likely to occur. I don't really think that Cruz accepting the QO would have presented a massive payroll problem.

The deadline for accepting a QO happens before the deadline for offering players arbitration.

[Number5]

The deadline for accepting a QO happens before the deadline for offering players arbitration.

OK. Not sure what your point is here.

[Can_of_corn]

OK. Not sure what your point is here.

That they could make the offer to Cruz knowing that they could in turn non-tender players like Davis and Matusz to make room. That goes a bit beyond not signing Young and Cabrera.

[MemorialStadKid]

Our ST record supposedly "doesn't matter" but I don't like seeing the Orioles lose game after game after game. I hope they play tighter as we get closer to the regular season.

MSK

[ChuckS]

I just want to see our key starters start to hit a little as we get closer to Opening Day. Wieters, Davis, and Jones specifically.We aren't even half way through Spring Training and you will see the regulars start to get more consistent bats as we start trimming down our roster. There is no reason to panic at this point and their ST record is irrelevant IMO.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Agree Frobby. To me Cruz is not worth what he got. IMO

Most free agents aren't "worth" what they get over their contract. It's not the only decision that goes into it. Cruz may be very good on the front end of that deal.

[FanAddict]

Most free agents aren't "worth" what they get over their contract. It's not the only decision that goes into it. Cruz may be very good on the front end of that deal.

But, to take it a step further, one could say the excess marginal value over whatever the O's alternative ends up being, might not be justified by the poor value on the back end.

[weams]

Most free agents aren't "worth" what they get over their contract. It's not the only decision that goes into it. Cruz may be very good on the front end of that deal.

Yeah, I don't believe in prepaying for badness later though. So I guess my opinion is that yes, a Free Agent has to be worth his contract to make it reasonable. I know the Yankees have use that method to a couple Championships. I just don't see as a model for more than one or two teams out there.

[weams]

But, to take it a step further, one could say the excess marginal value over whatever the O's alternative ends up being, might not be justified by the poor value on the back end.

This is close to my feelings. Yes. Plus the cold three months last year in his career year frightened me a bit. As I said. I may have made the mistake of retaining Nelson myself. I just think it is a mistake.

[FanAddict]

Yeah, I don't believe in prepaying for badness later though. So I guess my opinion is that yes, a Free Agent has to be worth his contract to make it reasonable. I know the Yankees have use that method to a couple Championships. I just don't see as a model for more than one or two teams out there.

Yep, agree that few teams out there can sustainably get by with this method.

Part of me feels like this is starting to catch up to even the Yankees. Some of the contracts they are carrying around these days seem so bad compared to the near replacement level production they are getting. CC Sabathia and AROD come to mind but you also have 20M+ a year for the next 6 for Jacoby Ellsbury ( I know he's better than replacement but his performance is dropping), 23M for the next two for Tex (has he done anything the last 2 or 3 years?) .

Carrying around this much relatively dead money has to hamstring them if they can't consistently put winning teams on the field. They haven't made the playoffs the last two years and the odds aren't looking terrific this year. This is bad for a fan base built around fair weather fans.

[ArtVanDelay]

Our ST record supposedly "doesn't matter" but I don't like seeing the Orioles lose game after game after game. I hope they play tighter as we get closer to the regular season.

MSK

Why put it in quotations? Of course ST record doesn't matter. I remember the Orioles playing extremely well in ST in some of the bad years. Look how that turned out. On April 6th, the Orioles will be 0-0.

[weams]

Why put it in quotations? Of course ST record doesn't matter. I remember the Orioles playing extremely well in ST in some of the bad years. Look how that turned out. On April 6th, the Orioles will be 0-0.

I hope we are healthy on that day. Unlike some of the teams with great spring records.

[CA-ORIOLE]

But, to take it a step further, one could say the excess marginal value over whatever the O's alternative ends up being, might not be justified by the poor value on the back end.

Sure. I don't blame Duquette. That said, the team could spend more money and it's not like Cruz would have been in some insane Fielder stratosphere.

[weams]

Sure. I don't blame Duquette. That said, the team could spend more money and it's not like Cruz would have been in some insane Fielder stratosphere.

I agree with every word of this. It's a mistake I probably would have made.

[FanAddict]

Sure. I don't blame Duquette. That said, the team could spend more money and it's not like Cruz would have been in some insane Fielder stratosphere.

For sure, Cruz would have been way better of an overpay than say, Fielder. But I'm getting this feeling that many posters are already convinced that not breaking the bank, or pushing the chips to the center of the table, in the failure to resign Cruz, has already doomed us for 2015. Some are already using the first 13 games of Spring Training as the supposed tipping point in making that conclusion.

I say, let's play the games out. I don't think the the 2015 replacement of Cruz's production is the pile of band-aids and 4A players that many are claiming it to be ( not suggesting you are making this claim). Folks have short memories when it comes to what we "had" in Cruz this time last year. And other folks still refuse to put any stock whatsoever in the idea that just maybe a rebounded CD, a healthy MW and Manny, and a creatively managed outfield combo of Snider, Lough, De Aza, and Young, can offset the loss of Cruz's departure.

I think DD's decision to not resign Cruz, and to a larger extent Markakis, was just a shrewd business move grounded moreso in discipline than in payroll constraints.