Wieters is staying with the Orioles for 2016

[MrOrange82]

The difference between Matt and Caleb's backup might very well be significantly greater then 1 Win.

Given that a 100% healthy, younger Wieters has never managed more than 4.4, and Caleb's been good for a 1.0+ pace in his first two tries, I don't think that chance is worth such a dramatic price disparity.

Catcher is one of the few places that the O's have a cheap, above replacement level, to this point durable option to play a regular role on the team. Funneling another $15.6 million into the position that player occupies is asinine considering the breadth and depth of the team's other needs.

[DrungoHazewood]

Joseph made $515,000 last year. Clevenger was paid at an equivalent rate. What are the odds that Wieters will be worth around 15 times their combined production in 2016? Or 7.5 times? 4? Double?

Paying Wieters that much is a horrendous waste of money. No other way to describe it.

It doesn't work that way. Did Adam Jones provide 15 times the production of David Lough? No, so why was Jones employed at 15 times the salary?

Edit: You already addressed this.

[Babypowder]

True, but if we had a guy on the roster putting up similar numbers and costing $500K instead of 16M... and they were the same age... and you had to pick one to keep on the roster next year, you'd probably go with the guy who costs $500K. At least I would.

This was a pretty enormous miscalculation, I would imagine. But I don't blame them for rolling the dice. They just lost.

I would park Wieters at first base. I think it would extend his career and probably bring up his offensive numbers. Put CJ behind the dish for 2/3 of the games, spelled by a veteran. If Wieters could hit .280 with 25 homers, and an OPS somewhere around .800... switch hitting at first... that would be pretty much worth the money. Also, you have to like his veteran presence and knowledge, which could benefit our whole team. You need good veterans around...

Changing positions would make Wieters about 20 percent better on offense? That's about how much better he would have to get to be a league average first baseman. Then he'd need to be respectable on defense, which I also would have doubts about.

[Hallas]

Jeff Sullivan from Fangraphs thinks this is good for the O's.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jeff-sullivan-fangraphs-chat-111315/

Jeff Sullivan: Hey, Wieters is taking the QO from the Orioles

Jeff Sullivan: Good news for the Orioles!

[TouchemAll]

Shocked but not upset.

Yea me too, the market must have not been to receptive?

[TouchemAll]

Boras sees no market for Matt this offseason without the numbers to back it up.

Yep that's my guess.

[SteveO]

Jeff Sullivan from Fangraphs thinks this is good for the O's.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jeff-sullivan-fangraphs-chat-111315/

If the Orioles are willing to pay Matt and still make the moves they need to then he is absolutely right. MW is a good player and having him on the team is not the negative.

We all know that is not going to be the case though. The money will come from somewhere else it is needed more than C. Having MW is not the issue, not having the resources dedicated to him now is.

[weams]

If the Orioles are willing to pay Matt and still make the moves they need to then he is absolutely right. MW is a good player and having him on the team is not the negative.

We all know that is not going to be the case though. The money will come from somewhere else it is needed more than C. Having MW is not the issue, not having the resources dedicated to him now is.

Who did you want to buy with his one year of money?

[SteveO]

Yea me too, the market must have not been to receptive?

The market was soft to start, add in a few teams addressing C, the pick attached and MW limitations last year, it makes sense to wait another year and get paid well to do it.

[TouchemAll]

This is not good news for the Orioles in any shape or form. Take off your fan glasses and if you look at what just happened, you'll see the Orioles just took a huge payroll hit in a place where they didn't necessarily expect it. This will cause ramifications elsewhere this offseason. We just signed a 2 win (at best) catcher for $15 million dollars when we probably could have had those two wins from Joseph and Clevinger for about $13 million less.

The only thing I'm surprised about is that the Orioles didn't have an agreement in place with Wieters to not accept. From the outside looking in, it appears Duquette gambled and lost on this one.

Nope I think Buck pushed for this and hard JMHO.

[SteveO]

Who did you want to buy with his one year of money?

Just about anyone who can play 1B, OF, SP and is half decent. Not a C which is a position we did not have a 15.8 million dollar need at.

Yea 16 million AAV won't give you Price it most certainly will get you a good bit of the way there on any number of other players though. Structure some deals right you could likely get a player and good depth guy for around that or a little more.

MW is the last guy this team needed and you all are rationalizing the hell out of it. Its an unmitigated disaster, if we where a franchise like the Dodgers, Red Sox blah blah then it would not matter, we are a franchise on a budget with NO 1B, no corner OF worth mentioning, no real DH and oh btw our best pitcher just walked out the door....but hey at least we got 2 great catchers.

But yea nothing I would have rather done with 16 million than sign a backup catcher lol

[TouchemAll]

My guess, and it's only a guess, is that Showalter really wanted him back, hence the QO.

YEP THIS BINGO :agree:

[Mayor McCheese]

YEP THIS BINGO :agree:

Yes to hopefully sign him to a multi year deal...He has no intention of playing more than 1 year in Baltimore.

This is all about betting on himself and even if he loses the Orioles will still get screwed.

[25 Nuggets]

Yea, why not? Joseph just had a 2-win season and he's still got years at discounted rates. Trade him to fill a hole, and maybe you miss his not-too-far-off decline/arb years. Or you keep him, but it's an option.

Joseph for Marcell Ozuna straight up. Corner OF filled, no additional money. Push for Alex Gordon. Rotation at 1B. Little tight trying to get that frontline starter, but plausible.

[OriolesMagic83]

I blame weams. DD is a compulsive reader of O's hangout, and kept reading how no one had ever accepted a QO, and no Boras client would ever accept a QO b/c it was against his most sacred beliefs.