Is it too early to call the J.J. Hardy extension a mistake?

[Can_of_corn]

Yes and if Andy Macphail had just gone a little bit over the Twins 3.1 million offer to Sano, we could be looking at an amazing all star infield for a decade to come. That decision will haunt me for a long, long time, because Sano actually wanted to be an Oriole as his hero was Felix Pie, lol.

I am by no means sure Sano sticks at third.

[Can_of_corn]

But he never swings at the first pitch. Strange.

He's hitting .348 with RISP, which is why he doesn't seem as bad as his overall numbers this year. And it's tough to measure the stability he brings and his influence on Schoop's play. They turned another double play tonight that 90% of the teams don't make. So let's not bury him yet.

I missed the DP with Hardy. Was it as good as the one Schoop had with Manny? Frankly that doesn't seem possible.

[BarclaySouthway]

I missed the DP with Hardy. Was it as good as the one Schoop had with Manny? Frankly that doesn't seem possible.

In the 5th with 2 on/ no out. No, it wasn't as good as Manny's, but a lot of guys would have taken the sure out at first (maybe 90% is overstating it.) Just another example when we get 2 outs instead of 1. Those extra outs are huge.

[Bahama O's Fan]

When we were looking at the offseason, I felt like JJ was the most important one to sign. I knew Cruz would be too expensive for his age/years on the deal. Markakis and Miller would be easier to replace for less money. JJ would be hard to replace. You could pour money into Hanley. You could find a cheap replacement, like Cabrera. You could put Manny there and find a3B, but could you trust Manny's knees to play SS? Would you find a good 3B? I loved the idea and still do of resigning Hardy.

[waroriole]

He's struggling, but I think we knew what we were getting. I'm fine with the contract.

[ChuckS]

JJ has always been a streaky hitter. I bet he gets hot at some point and finishes the season in the .250 .290 .380 range with 10 to 15 homeruns.

[tntoriole]

I am by no means sure Sano sticks at third.

About as long as Miggy Cabrera.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DrungoHazewood]

Let's talk about J.J. Hardy for a moment since nobody seems to want to discuss his struggles. It's alarming how bad he has been at the plate this year. Hardy has a BB rate of 4.2% this year which is the worst walk rate on a team filled with impatient hackers. Among the 31 shortstops in baseball with over 200 plate appearances, Hardy is 26th in OPS and 27th in on-base percentage and wRC+. The alarming part is that his current .269 BABIP is not too far off from his career .278 BABIP so there's not much indication his atrocious performance at the plate has been due to bad luck. His defense has been solid as always but is it worth paying $13 million a year for an aging all-glove no-bat shortstop? I feel like the Orioles could have easily found a cheaper, younger alternative at SS or moved Manny to SS and traded for a player like Trevor Plouffe who is blocking Sano right now.

I haven't read the whole thread, so someone probably already said this: Of course it's too early to call it a mistake. Hardy has been banged up this year but is still should finish somewhere near two wins. He's being paid for two wins a season. He will probably decline from his career marks, but hopefully also be more healthy.

I suppose if your prior was that this was a bad contract from the start you'd see it in a different light.

[DrungoHazewood]

That's an easy question to answer. Move Manny back to Short.

With each passing moment that seems less and less likely. And with Hardy signed it's a nonstarter. I would have to have some darned good reasons to move a great young defensive player to another position.

[byrdz]

Really? Just a few weeks ago he was the captain of the team now his contract was a mistake. You ppl are incredible.

[weams]

Really? Just a few weeks ago he was the captain of the team now his contract was a mistake. You ppl are incredible.

Pretty much.

[24fps]

Really? Just a few weeks ago he was the captain of the team now his contract was a mistake. You ppl are incredible.

Just a few people, which given the level of play over the last couple of weeks is predictable.

Actually I'm surprised at the overall tone of this thread, which I agree with. JJ is an asset.

[Singleton]

I dint think it's too early to consider it -- halfway through the first season of a 3 year deal when you'd expect the deal to look worse over time.

The deal is/was ok as long as he plays and maintains his defense.

On the other hand, it's not exactly inspiring and left us with a bit less flexibility.

Shrug

[AlbionHero]

Its not unreasonable to question whether giving a declining injury prone player a 40 million dollar deal was a mistake.

[Il BuonO]

Not unreasonable at all considering his age and previous health concerns. Those things may have been needed to be considered more carefully before giving out a sizable chunk of payroll to an aging vet.

Otoh, the intangibles he brings to the table may be worth it alone. Especially when the team's young superstar notes the influence that Hardy has made on him.