Do the Orioles have enough talent to acquire next year's starting catcher now & remain a contender?

[Can_of_corn]

Or get robo umps.

Or that.

[Tryptamine]

Castillo would be the fourth best catcher on the Orioles.

That's not true, but feel free to say it.

[SteveO]

I grew up in Chicago and spent my summers at Wrigley so I still have some love for the Cubbies. Though my loyalties are all Orange I watch a fair amount of Cubs games cause I love watching baseball.

My take on Castillo is this. From a offensive standpoint he superior to any option outside of MW. Defensively he is very inconsistent. There are times when you watch him and he looks as good as say Joseph did last year. At other times he gets in this funks and resembles Arencebia ala ST this year. More concerning to me though is the fact he seems to struggle to be on the same page as his pitchers and unable to find a rhythm calling a game. This is likely the reason the Cubs have soured with him. He is not god awful calling a game but he is below average IMO. Overall though I think he is a guy that if you work on some aspects of his game he can improve a great deal and become a solid catcher. Joseph on the other hand is more limited as far as his upside IMO.

If the O's are convinced that MW will be able to be effective behind the plate this year then going after Castillo seems to be a panic move. I think you can by with 2 of Lavarnway, Cleavenger and Caleb until MW is ready. Castillo would be a slight upgrade over those other three IMO but not enough of one to warrant giving up talent or committing to him as the starter if MW leaves.

[Can_of_corn]

He's also the one Buck has mentioned several times.

He has a good pop time.

[Redskins Rick]

He has a good pop time.

But, how is his poop time? :laughlol:

[OriolesMagic83]

The O's have Joseph. They can pay him 500k and change. I'm sure they will be looking for a better backup.

[Tryptamine]

The O's have Joseph. They can pay him 500k and change. I'm sure they will be looking for a better backup.

Theo turned down a Castillo for Matusz deal via Bruce Levine

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/27/levine-cubs-orioles-discuss-trade/

[Crazysilver03]

Theo turned down a Castillo for Matusz deal via Bruce Levine

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/27/levine-cubs-orioles-discuss-trade/

That is kind of shocking. And sad if true.

[Slade-OH]

The progression (or lack there-of) of Chance Sisco's defensive skills at catcher this year will dictate the Orioles decision making for the future at the position. I have no doubt he will hit. If he can strongly convince the organization he will remain behind the plate long term, he's your answer and Caleb Joseph or someone outside the org will serve as a placeholder until he's ready.

Or we could re-sign Wieters

[Slade-OH]

That is kind of shocking. And sad if true.

Agreed. That's a solid return and someone who could present us a decent starting option down the road if Wieters leaves.

[mdbdotcom]

Theo turned down a Castillo for Matusz deal via Bruce Levine

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/27/levine-cubs-orioles-discuss-trade/

Tells us the O's are not satisfied with their current options.

[weams]

Tells us the O's are not satisfied with their current options.

Or at least that they were willing to save a million.

[fastball]

My question is do they have enough talent to compete this year. Let's not trade a pitcher unless

we get a quality bat. At this time in ST we need all our pitching and a bat.The American East will be very talented this year.

[Crazysilver03]

My question is do they have enough talent to compete this year. Let's not trade a pitcher unless

we get a quality bat. At this time in ST we need all our pitching and a bat.The American East will be very talented this year.

You aren't getting a quality bat for a relief pitcher.

[weams]

Fangraphs

A quality framer is a pitcher’s good friend. He maximizes strike calls, which swings counts in the battery’s favor, thus improving the odds of an out. Conversely, a poor framer can cost a pitcher strikes and lead to a loss.

How does this impact a pitcher’s psyche? Suppose the catcher he’s throwing to is rated among the worst framers in the league. Is that in the back of his mind, and could it potentially affect his performance?

“I don’t know how many guys pay attention to that data,” said Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow. “But I think guys understand they’re going to have little control over who is catching at any given time. That becomes just one of an infinite number of variables. It’s like if you have an umpire behind the plate with a small strike zone. What are you going to do? You need to figure out a way to deal with it. I don’t foresee it becoming a huge issue.”

BTW, Boston is now looking for a catcher.