This is A Mess (Mega RANT Thread)

[Camden_yardbird]

To be clear, I was not criticizing the Orioles off season, I was merely pointing out some good off season moves to someone who was adamant none were made.

I meant Madson, not Medlen.

And I agree by and large free agents are a poor investment. Building fom within and making trades from depth is way more effective. Thus why I am in the trade the FAs camp if you want to compete in the next few years.

[bpilktree]

Cabrera was 2.4 million, which isn't 4 millon, or even close to it.

Yeah but we also tradd foir Snider who is getting 2.1 million we could ahve used those two and got a guy like Aoki. The teams biggest need th offeason was OBP and Aoki is a career .358 OBP guy which was a perfect fit. Teams make good and ad moves all the time I just think that with our need and what he gives a team seemed like a perfect fit.

[Redskins Rick]

Yeah but we also tradd foir Snider who is getting 2.1 million we could ahve used those two and got a guy like Aoki. The teams biggest need th offeason was OBP and Aoki is a career .358 OBP guy which was a perfect fit. Teams make good and ad moves all the time I just think that with our need and what he gives a team seemed like a perfect fit.

At the time, they had bigger concerns over their INF and depth, keeping in mind that Flaherty can only fill in, for one position and if another goes down, they were screwed.

But, it didn't work out as planned and Manny proved to be healthy.

[bpilktree]

Aoki's numbers and power (any that he had) had declined for 3 years in a row, bottoming out at a .710 OPS last year. His defense had gone from plus to average or worse. He looked shaky in the playoffs last year and was taken out for defense. He was entering his age 33 season. Yeah, give me the crystal ball.

I could care less about OPS for this team as long as he gets on base the number one thing this team can not do. HE was not being signed for multiple years just this season though he has an option. I think his defense was ok lord we had Young in as our right fielder so not sure he could not be any worse. If he go a 3 year deal then I could see why we didn't go after him put one year with option is a move this team needs to make for a guy that has proven he can do it at the major league level not guys like Snider that have a good half season.

[Redskins Rick]

Again. I'll go withe the crystal ball. Duquette went for the 27 year old Snider coming off a big second half last year with a .338 OBP over the declining Aoki, at age 33 with a .349 OBP last year. Turns out he was wrong but I can understand the decision.

[bpilktree]

Again. I'll go withe the crystal ball. Duquette went for the 27 year old Snider coming off a big second half last year with a .338 OBP over the declining Aoki, at age 33 with a .349 OBP last year. Turns out he was wrong but I can understand the decision.

You just made my point Dan seemed to go to look to much at a hot half a season or hot year instead of a few seasons in a row. Pearce didn't do much his career til last second half, Snider same thing and even Young who no one wanted and ad a great year last season. I have no problem not giving long term deals to Cruz, Miller and Markakis but you have to also add guys that have proven they can do it at the maj league level for a few years instead of just hoping they have another great year with no tract record of success.

[mcgraw238]

The Royals seem to get credit for quantity of moves. As I said, Morales was certainly a buy-low guy. Rios has been terrible, far worse than Snider. Medlin has done nothing at all. Volquez is a fine mid-rotation guy, but he was just a one-for-one replacement for Shields who they let walk. And Madson has been fine, pretty comparable to Chaz Roe, but hadn't pitched in the majors in four years. Forgive me if I don't see the seismic difference between their offseason and the Orioles'.

No one characterized anything as seismic until you did. I'd say Volquez has out pitched the mid-rotation characterization even if by a little as his ERA is currently 11th in the AL. That's a real nice signing. You are correct, he was a replacement for a departed impact free agent. We had a few of those as well. Madson has been a substantially better than Roe. Morales was a risk and I was stunned by the contract, but it has paid off for them and more than replaced the loss of Billy Butler. Another one-for-one replacement. Rios started nicely and then was injured and then non-productive. I wasn't a fan of that signing, but it was the one year variety. I'd say there is quantity and some quality in there. Merlin was a buy low signing that hasn't worked. So sure there is some one-for-one replacement in there for the losses, where did we find our one-for-one replacements for RF and DH? I'd call it a much better offseason than Snider, Cabrera, and Wright, maybe not seismic, but certainly better. Nevertheless, it worked and it addressed the club's needs.

[weams]

Red Sox

Padres

A's

Any other individual poor moves?

[weams]

You just made my point Dan seemed to go to look to much at a hot half a season or hot year instead of a few seasons in a row. Pearce didn't do much his career til last second half, Snider same thing and even Young who no one wanted and ad a great year last season. I have no problem not giving long term deals to Cruz, Miller and Markakis but you have to also add guys that have proven they can do it at the maj league level for a few years instead of just hoping they have another great year with no tract record of success.

Instead of chancing that an old player won't decline? I'd say that is fair risk assessment. Of course you never know who is juicing. So I'll give you that.

[bpilktree]

Plenty of guys in the majors this year with a track record of success who are stinking the place up. Aoki has a career OBP of .358. At age 33, he's at .383. Did you expect that or something similar or worse to his .349 of last year?

Travis Snider has a .327 OBP his year, despite a sub .250 average.

I figured he would be right around .350 maybe a bit higher here at Camden. As I have said the biggest problem this team has is OBP and that is something Aoki does and at just $4 million should have been a guy we went after.

[mcgraw238]

I think you are giving a false alternative here. In what world, are we going to hit on every prospect in every trade to make the difference between competing and not competing over the next 3 years? We are likely to get close to the majors who are B prospects and maybe some B+ guys who are lower in the minors. The chances of getting real difference makers in trades are slim.

You might be correct that our FA's to be will only net B type prospects. I would hope DD is exploring whether some team is willing to overpay for Davis' power production down the stretch or the impact of O'Day, or perhaps what Chen could provide to a contending club. If the return is not there, then play it out and take the picks. I think a team like the Cards, Bucs, Stros, or Angels may pony up to get the power bat.

[weams]

So Aoki's .350 OBP would have made all the difference over Travis Snider's current .327 OBP?

Aoki was out for a while injured so you have to do that analysis as well.

[Going Underground]

Any other individual poor moves?

Here is a good list of guys struggling. Not all from this year but how players decline.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/07/09/yankees-red-sox-well-represented-on-2015-monetary-black-holes-team/

[bpilktree]

So Aoki's .350 OBP would have made all the difference over Travis Snider's current .327 OBP?

I am not even sure what that comment means. Would we be in first with Aoki who knows maybe he hits .350 for us and has a .400 OBP and plays all season. The entire point is in the off season if I was the GM and had a chance to sign a guy that has a three year track record of hitting around .300 and OBP near .350 and pay him 4 million for one season with a possible option or trade a prospect for a player that has done nothing most of his career and had one good half of a season and pay him 2 to 2.5 million it is a no brainer. Dan has made some great decisions that i didn't like and also some poor ones as well. This move probally doesn't make us a world series winner but it is also a move that should be questioned as well.

[weams]

This move probally doesn't make us a world series winner but it is also a move that should be questioned as well.

Such a minor question that it probably could be ignored though. Like "...should I leave the interior door to my office open? Or Closed." That kind of question.