Luis Hernandez gets nod at SS.

[Crazysilver03]

Considering it's past 3:00, our lineup is set and Hernandez is at SS. No waiver wire starter will be acquired.

Not necessarily.

The 3:00 pm deadline just means teams have to be down to 25 man rosters, meaning players will be DLed, optioned, DFA'ed, or released. Really, between now and April 15th will be interesting because of all the players that got stashed on the DL while they try to figure out how to manage the roster.

[SVOF]

I can understand why they picked Hernandez over Fahey. Fahey can play multiple positions in the infield or outfield so he makes a better backup than Hernandez in my opinion.

[Sports Guy]

Rome wasn't built in a day.

So that means we shouldn't have addressed an obvious need when that need could have easily been filled?

This argument is one of the worse arguments I have seen on this board.

Many of you are justifying playing this awful excuse for a ML player just because AM made 2 very good trades this offseason.

I don't get that at all.

[Boy Howdy]

I would still hope this situation is resolved ASAP this year. I think it will because Hernandez is going to force the issue in the same way that Gibbons forced the issue IMHO.

Unless Luis reminds us of the four-armed Hindu deity Visnu, the way Tony Fernandez inspired some Toronto fans two decades ago:

"...Keeping with Fernandez's defensive prowess, it comes as no surprise that Visnu is depicted generally with four arms...and many heads. Four arms, one for each gold glove Fernandez earned as a member of the Blue Jays. It would also help to explain how he managed to make 3214 put outs and 5544 assists while only committing 196 errors. Merely 49 errors an arm over 17 seasons. A stunning number for a shortstop, but when one puts the four arm theory into the equation, even if only two were ever visible, it sounds a lot more plausible..."

http://torontobaseballguys.com/20030128chris.html

[Sports Guy]

I'm not happy about the Luis Hernandez situation at all. Based on the intelligence shown via other moves this offseason, I am guessing that AM hasn't had any luck trading for a blocked youngster like a Lillibridge. Maybe AM wants to see what he has got in his young pitchers before he trades one? I dunno (picture me shrugging my shoulders).

I can't imagine the Hernandez/Fahey situation going on for very long, but I agree that the Orioles should have avoided the current situation for even one day of real games. I'd be livid if this team was actually trying to compete this year. In the current situation, I'm not happy about it, but I can't get too excited about it either. I would still hope this situation is resolved ASAP this year. I think it will because Hernandez is going to force the issue in the same way that Gibbons forced the issue IMHO.

I think he assumed he was getting Cedeno in the BRob deal.

The problem is, he didn't complete the deal and he didn't seem to have a back up plan just in case the BRob deal didn't get done.

He should have dealt for another SS and then replaced Cedeno with EPat in the Cubs deal(if that deal was/is going to happen).

[RShack]

I think he assumed he was getting Cedeno in the BRob deal.

The problem is, he didn't complete the deal and he didn't seem to have a back up plan just in case the BRob deal didn't get done.

But that wouldn't have gotten LH out of the lineup. It would've put both LH and Cedeno in the lineup.

Regardless of anybody's opinion about it, all the available evidence indicates that LH just was not very high on AM's list of big worries for this off-season.

[Hoo'sdaveO]

Hernandez won't make it to June as our starting SS.

I hope you are RIGHT>(read “better”) direction the rebuilding O’s are headed(read “better”) direction the rebuilding O’s are headed

[RShack]

I hope you are RIGHT>(read “better”) direction the rebuilding O’s are headed(read “better”) direction the rebuilding O’s are headed

Well, maybe. On the other hand, I hope you are LEFT%(read "asparagus") anti-gravity the rebuilding O's are soaring(read "asparagus) anti-gravity the rebuilding O's are soaring

I guess it depends on how you look at it ;-)

[FollyFollyToo]

The guy batted .290 last year, didn't he? I'm OK with this for now, especially if he starts turning those singles into doubles. And I'm not worried about his errors until they start happening in the regular season. A lot of that was probably nerves because he knew he was fighting for the starting job (unlike before, when Tejada already had it).

[Shopay]

So that means we shouldn't have addressed an obvious need when that need could have easily been filled?

This argument is one of the worse arguments I have seen on this board.

Many of you are justifying playing this awful excuse for a ML player just because AM made 2 very good trades this offseason.

I don't get that at all.

Relax SG. My comment has nothing to do with AM making two trades, and more with the fact that people (like you) are, IMO, overreacting on this. AM is looking for long term solutions. I'm sure he is quite quite aware, as everyone on this board is, that LH is the not the Os SS of the future. But neither are any of these waiver wire type guys that have been mentioned on this board. Is it possible he could obtain more than a stop gap type SS right now -- it's possible. And notwithstanding what we have heard, he may have explored some of these options and didn't believe it was worth making the deal, at least not at this time. AM will address the SS position in due time, and when it makes the most sense for him, and I'm sure well before the 2010 season (the earliest we will be able to compete for something meaningful anyway). This isn't fantasy baseball, it takes more than a year to turn bad teams around.

[Shopay]

I'm not happy about the Luis Hernandez situation at all. Based on the intelligence shown via other moves this offseason, I am guessing that AM hasn't had any luck trading for a blocked youngster like a Lillibridge. Maybe AM wants to see what he has got in his young pitchers before he trades one? I dunno (picture me shrugging my shoulders).

I can't imagine the Hernandez/Fahey situation going on for very long, but I agree that the Orioles should have avoided the current situation for even one day of real games. I'd be livid if this team was actually trying to compete this year. In the current situation, I'm not happy about it, but I can't get too excited about it either. I would still hope this situation is resolved ASAP this year. I think it will because Hernandez is going to force the issue in the same way that Gibbons forced the issue IMHO.

I believe the highlighted statement probably has a lot of truth. To get more than a stop gap meausre at SS, the Os would have to give up something of significance. AM is a big fan of pitching and wants to get a good handle on what he has at that spot before trading one or more of our young arms.

[Lucky Jim]

I think he assumed he was getting Cedeno in the BRob deal.

The problem is, he didn't complete the deal and he didn't seem to have a back up plan just in case the BRob deal didn't get done.

He should have dealt for another SS and then replaced Cedeno with EPat in the Cubs deal(if that deal was/is going to happen).

You pretty consistently assume that a trade can be made simply because you want it to be. I'm not sure this is the case. I agree with VaTech. I think he likely had feelers out for a full-time replacement.

Absent that, why give up value for another stop-gap?

[Shopay]

You pretty consistently assume that a trade can be made simply because you want it to be. I'm not sure this is the case. I agree with VaTech. I think he likely had feelers out for a full-time replacement.

Absent that, why give up value for another stop-gap?

Truer words may have never been uttered on this board.

[Leitch]

Well, maybe. On the other hand, I hope you are LEFT%(read "asparagus") anti-gravity the rebuilding O's are soaring(read "asparagus) anti-gravity the rebuilding O's are soaring

I guess it depends on how you look at it ;-)

This is one of the best posts in history.

[cindyluvsbrady]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-gibbons0330,0,1607405.story

Good News! I love him!