Regretting Not Signing Andrew Miller?

[weams]

Why? What's wrong with Zach Britton? He is doing a perfectly good job as our closer and there is no reason to move him from the closer's role. I don't think that he was a lock, either. But I believe that Miller thought he had a good chance to get to the closer's role.

Miller said he was on his last contract. Or at least his big one. A chance to take care of his family generationally. I am sure that he had other monies to think about in New York. I am sure he liked the idea of the mystique as well. And maybe even staying on the East Coast. Word is that Houston was the high roller.

[Can_of_corn]

Miller said he was on his last contract. Or at least his big one. A chance to take care of his family generationally. I am sure that he had other monies to think about in New York. I am sure he liked the idea of the mystique as well. And maybe even staying on the East Coast. Word is that Houston was the high roller.

[mdbdotcom]

You think they have to show up two hours before first practice?

You also know if you are on the road that early it doesn't take an hour to get there. Maybe 30 minutes difference...big whoop. I knew a guy in Norfolk who commuted back and forth to North Carolina five days a week.

Seems like 7 a.m. was when most veterans started hitting it in Sarasota. But why should he commute to play for the O's instead of the Yankees if the O's weren't paying him more? Maybe if they'd offered him the 4/40 the Astros reportedly did. That there is the kind of money that got Jim Johnson traded.

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Padres lose Brandon Morrow to shoulder*injury <a href="http://t.co/prXF1x7R3L">http://t.co/prXF1x7R3L</a></p>— HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) <a href="

">May 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Can_of_corn]

Seems like 7 a.m. was when most veterans started hitting it in Sarasota. But why should he commute to play for the O's instead of the Yankees if the O's weren't paying him more? Maybe if they'd offered him the 4/40 the Astros reportedly did. That there is the kind of money that got Jim Johnson traded.

I am just saying that if push came to shove having spring training in Sarasota or Kissimmee would not have been a deal breaker.

[weams]

I am just saying that if push came to shove having spring training in Sarasota or Kissimmee would not have been a deal breaker.

Luckily for Miller, the WORLD was his oyster. 21 out of 30 teams asked after him.

[CA-ORIOLE]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Padres lose Brandon Morrow to shoulder*injury <a href="http://t.co/prXF1x7R3L">http://t.co/prXF1x7R3L</a></p>— HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) <a href="

">May 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wow. Morrow has some bad luck.

[Frobby]

If the O's were smart they would have used Miller as the closer.

Why? What's wrong with Zach Britton? He is doing a perfectly good job as our closer and there is no reason to move him from the closer's role. I don't think that he was a lock, either. But I believe that Miller thought he had a good chance to get to the closer's role.

I'll take it a step further: a relief ace who can be used in critical situations anywhere from the 6th to the 9th inning is often more valuable than a closer. BJ Ryan played that role for us in 2004, and Jim Johnson played it in 2011. If I had Miller, I might prefer to use him in that role than as a closer, not because he can't close well, but because the other role actually impacts winning and losing more if you use the guy the right way.

[Can_of_corn]

I'll take it a step further: a relief ace who can be used in critical situations anywhere from the 6th to the 9th inning is often more valuable than a closer. BJ Ryan played that role for us in 2004, and Jim Johnson played it in 2011. If I had Miller, I might prefer to use him in that role than as a closer, not because he can't close well, but because the other role actually impacts winning and losing more if you use the guy the right way.

Sorry I don't think the two are separated by that much in terms of results. I'd rather save the money in Arbitration. Especially with Britton being a Super 2.

[Frobby]

Sorry I don't think the two are separated by that much in terms of results. I'd rather save the money in Arbitration. Especially with Britton being a Super 2.

I wasn't thinking of it in terms of money, just which alignment was most effective. I'll concede that using the guy with the fixed salary as the closer probably saves money, only because the market overvalues closers.

[Redskins Rick]

I agree with you there. There's no way to say what Miller would have done if we had matched or slightly exceeded the Yankees' offer. The Astros are playing well now, but last fall they were a perennial doormat and it is not that surprising that Miller wanted to play for a perennial contender instead. He liked playing for the Orioles, by all accounts, so he might have considered Baltimore an attractive option if we had pursued him aggressively, which we didn't.

The Astro's organization is probably tainted by years of miss-management, and players avoid wanting to go there, sounds like the Orioles circa 2001.

It will take time for the climate to change.

That is, if the climate from within the clubhouse is truly changed.

[Frobby]

The Astro's organization is probably tainted by years of miss-management, and players avoid wanting to go there, sounds like the Orioles circa 2001.

It will take time for the climate to change.

That is, if the climate from within the clubhouse is truly changed.

I might argue that the Astros have been in rebuilding mode since December 2011 when Jeff Luhnow was hired as GM, and that far from being mismanaged, they've simply done what was necessary to rebuild the organization from the ground up. Exactly like the Cubs, in fact, except that Theo Epstein is a "name" and the Cubs have a bigger budget to work with.

12/11 - Jeff Luhnow hired as GM

01/12 - Mike Fast hired for Decision Sciences (analytics) dept.

08/12 - Kevin Goldstein hired as pro scouting director

10/12 - Quinton McCracken hired as farm director

You look at their team now, and they've got one guy over 30 among all their position players. The average age of their position players is 25.7. They've had a complete makeover. We'll see if their early season success will last, but this is a team that wasn't afraid to take a very different approach than a lot of others and it may just be working.

[Redskins Rick]

I might argue that the Astros have been in rebuilding mode since December 2011 when Jeff Luhnow was hired as GM, and that far from being mismanaged, they've simply done what was necessary to rebuild the organization from the ground up. Exactly like the Cubs, in fact, except that Theo Epstein is a "name" and the Cubs have a bigger budget to work with.

12/11 - Jeff Luhnow hired as GM

01/12 - Mike Fast hired for Decision Sciences (analytics) dept.

08/12 - Kevin Goldstein hired as pro scouting director

10/12 - Quinton McCracken hired as farm director

You look at their team now, and they've got one guy over 30 among all their position players. The average age of their position players is 25.7. They've had a complete makeover. We'll see if their early season success will last, but this is a team that wasn't afraid to take a very different approach than a lot of others and it may just be working.

The Orioles didn't get their own image rebuild overnight either.

They also had image issues last year, when they kept one of their hot prospects in the minors for their 2 year control.

[OFFNY]

o

The Astro's organization is probably tainted by years of miss-management, and players avoid wanting to go there, sounds like the Orioles circa 2001.

It will take time for the climate to change.

That is, if the climate from within the clubhouse is truly changed.

I might argue that the Astros have been in rebuilding mode since December 2011 when Jeff Luhnow was hired as GM, and that far from being mismanaged, they've simply done what was necessary to rebuild the organization from the ground up. Exactly like the Cubs, in fact, except that Theo Epstein is a "name" and the Cubs have a bigger budget to work with.

12/11 - Jeff Luhnow hired as GM

01/12 - Mike Fast hired for Decision Sciences (analytics) dept.

08/12 - Kevin Goldstein hired as pro scouting director

10/12 - Quinton McCracken hired as farm director

You look at their team now, and they've got one guy over 30 among all their position players. The average age of their position players is 25.7. They've had a complete makeover. We'll see if their early season success will last, but this is a team that wasn't afraid to take a very different approach than a lot of others and it may just be working.

Yes.

One of our more interesting threads in the MLB section that was started two years ago is precisely in regard to this subject.

When Jim Crane (owner) and Jeff Luhnow (G.M.) made their assertions regarding the future of the Astros in June of 2013, they were in the process of completing their 3rd consecutive 100-plus loss season.

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/133502-The-Astros-Owner-and-G-M-Have-Long-Term-Plans

The Astros' recent 10-game winning streak was the 2nd-longest winning streak in MLB history for a team that had lost 90 or more games the previous season (the 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers won 11 consecutive games from May 5th through May 16th of that year after having gone 63-91 the previous season.)

[Frobby]

o

Yes.

One of our more interesting threads in the MLB section that was started two years ago is precisely in regard to this subject.

When Jim Crane (owner) and Jeff Luhnow (G.M.) made their assertions regarding the future of the Astros in June of 2013, they were in the process of completing their 3rd consecutive 100-plus loss season.

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/133502-The-Astros-Owner-and-G-M-Have-Long-Term-Plans

The Astros' recent 10-game winning streak was the 2nd-longest winning streak in MLB history for a team that had lost 90 or more games the previous season (the 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers won 11 consecutive games from May 5th through May 16th of that year after having gone 63-91 the previous season.)

Thanks for posting that link; it is a better place for a detailed discussion of what's going on with the Astros. In any event, going back to Miller, it is understandable if, last offseason, he preferred 4/$36 from the Yankees to 4/$40 from Houston, based on the two teams' track records. And even if Houston is now poised for some success, their handling of certain player situations as discussed in the thread you posted may have alienated some players from wanting to go there.