Parra to the Orioles (Done Deal)

[Ohfan67]

The issue I have is that, you can't have a roster completely comprised of FA. While not necessarily an impact player, Davies is the type of talent that you hope to slot into the #4 or #5 slot for the league minimum, freeing up payroll to spend elsewhere.

The line this FO is walking is not impossible to do, but right now it hinges entirely on:

1. Machado/Schoop/Jones/Gausman being an impactful offensive core that remains healthy

2. Ability of the FO to find FA at a reasonable enough price to build a competitive team around that core.

3. Ability of the FO to fill holes as the support staff graduates and needs to be replaced

That's what has to happen for the next three years. The more expensive Machado/Schoop/Gausman get the less money there is to try and supplement the core. And because the farm system has been constantly pulled from for trades, Baltimore has not leveraged its international pools, and Baltimore has not been able to fully leverage the draft, the system can't be depended upon to provide useful options (though you hope pieces like Givens/Wright/etc. will at least help fill some bullpen slots).

I remain uncertain enough that I can't definitively say "this is going to end badly", but it's tough for me to envision this as a sustainable approach. That said, 2016 is a ways off and Baltimore has a chance to do some restructuring this offseason (hopefully).

Good post. Whatever the plan, DD is pretty consistent: he seems to view everybody but the elite prospects as expendable for a few wins during a playoff push. It will be interesting to see what the Orioles do this offseason, for sure. Hopefully a plan will emerge from the dust, but there's a chance that he really is just focusing on the near future and winning as much as possible within his budget constraints.

[Number5]

Good post! :agree:

Well, of course you agree, it is virtually impossible not to agree. Thing is, this trade has no impact on this being the course of action that the Orioles, like most non-rich contending teams, have to follow. Were the trade not made, what the Orioles would have had to do going forward would be exactly the same. This trade certainly didn't change anything to suddenly dictate that this is what the Orioles must do.

This is what Stottle said:

"The line this FO is walking is not impossible to do, but right now it hinges entirely on:

1. Machado/Schoop/Jones/Gausman being an impactful offensive core that remains healthy

2. Ability of the FO to find FA at a reasonable enough price to build a competitive team around that core.

3. Ability of the FO to fill holes as the support staff graduates and needs to be replaced"

While Stotle's points are valid as to what the Orioles need to do going forward and what they need to depend on happening to be successful, it is an invalid point to claim that this particular trade has caused that situation to exist.

[Stotle]

Well, of course you agree, it is virtually impossible not to agree. Thing is, this trade has no impact on this being the course of action that the Orioles, like most non-rich contending teams, have to follow. Were the trade not made, what the Orioles would have had to do going forward would be exactly the same. This trade certainly didn't change anything to suddenly dictate that this is what the Orioles must do.

This is what Stottle said:

"The line this FO is walking is not impossible to do, but right now it hinges entirely on:

1. Machado/Schoop/Jones/Gausman being an impactful offensive core that remains healthy

2. Ability of the FO to find FA at a reasonable enough price to build a competitive team around that core.

3. Ability of the FO to fill holes as the support staff graduates and needs to be replaced"

While Stotle's points are valid as to what the Orioles need to do going forward and what they need to depend on happening to be successful, it is an invalid point to claim that this particular trade has caused that situation to exist.

I respectfully disagree. If the trade targets a player that can fill a hole past 2015 then you have lessened the number of holes you need to fill via FA in the offseason.

I do agree the mode of operation I set forth didn't just now come into existence. I was more lamenting that this *type* of trade furthers the (perceived by me) problem, rather than starting to course correct.

Only other point I'd add is the lower the reserve of in-house future ML assets gets, the more dire the situation becomes (again, as perceived by me -- not claiming my way or the highway).

[Hallas]

When Gonzalez was 22 years old he was a middle reliever in Double-A sporting a 3.88 ERA, a 6.4 K/9. Zach Davies is a starter who sports a 3.02 ERA and 7.6 K/9 in AAA at the same age. So tell me why Davies can't have a ceiling of Miguel Gonzalez again?

I'm not going to say that Miguel Gonzalez was better than Davies, because he wasn't, but I tend to take good AAA pitching stats from Norfolk with a grain of salt because it is such an extreme pitcher's park. That's probably the biggest reason I thought it was a reasonable trade. That said, I don't get to see the MiL players in person, so if your opinion is different after watching him pitch then I'm all ears.

[TonySoprano]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Parra expected here around game time. Will be active. Another roster move coming. Snider expected to be impacted <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orioles?src=hash">#orioles</a></p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">July 31, 2015</a></blockquote>

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

[weams]

Parra will be in Baltimore by game time.

[Jonesy10]

A slap hitter with speed at the top of the order is exactly what the Orioles need and I expect them to try to resign him. Like I said, this is a move that should have been made last offseason but hopefully it will still help the team.

Parra has a higher ISO this season than Adam Jones did last season. Hasn't been a slap hitter at all this year.

[TonySoprano]

Parra will be in Baltimore by game time.

He had to fly into D.C. first, so I won't expect him to play tonight.

[weams]

He had to fly into D.C. first, so I won't expect him to play tonight.

He made it in time to see Chen get hammered. Destroyed.

[Mooreisbetter27]

I really liked watching him going up to every single person in the dugout and introducing himself and shaking their hands. Seems genuinely excited to be here. I hope he plays like he did in Milwaukee.

[TonySoprano]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gerardo Parra has arrived and is greeting his new teammates. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Birdland?src=hash">#Birdland</a> <a href="http://t.co/Y6Klt9zTML">pic.twitter.com/Y6Klt9zTML</a></p>— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) <a href="

">August 1, 2015</a></blockquote>

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

[mrpennybags]

Sellers market and we paid the price. Could still be ok if Parra plays well, has fun and we can sign him to a decent extension.

[ChuckS]

Sellers market and we paid the price. Could still be ok if Parra plays well, has fun and we can sign him to a decent extension.

I've seen a few people say this. The problem is Parra is a career .720ish OPS guy coming off a year where he's an .880ish OPS guy. He will want to get paid like an .880 OPSish guy and someone will pony up the money. I hope it's not us. He's deserving of a 4/30 type contract, but he likely gets 4/50. No thanks.

Dexter Fowler and Denard Span are guys I would look at signing in the offseason that will be cheaper and likely better.

[backwardsk]

I've seen a few people say this. The problem is Parra is a career .720ish OPS guy coming off a year where he's an .880ish OPS guy. He will want to get paid like an .880 OPSish guy and someone will pony up the money. I hope it's not us. He's deserving of a 4/30 type contract, but he likely gets 4/50. No thanks.

Dexter Fowler and Denard Span are guys I would look at signing in the offseason that will be cheaper and likely better.

Both Span and Fowler make more than Parra now. Do you expect them to sign for less than Parra? If so, why?

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[ChuckS]

Both Span and Fowler make more than Parra now. Do you expect them to sign for less than Parra? If so, why?

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I expect them to get contracts in the same range annually as Parra and probably for less years. Parra is a couple years younger than both of those guys and will be coming off a better season, so if I had to bet on it I would say he will get a bigger contract. What they are making this season is irrelevant.