Duquette talks (Orioles to spend extensive resources in FA)

[El Gordo]

I could see Cueto's market not materializing, and DD waiting to get him for a bargain.

[SteveO]

I could see Cueto's market not materializing, and DD waiting to get him for a bargain.

I tend to think a National League team will jump in and snatch him up before he gets to that point.

AL teams may be a little weary but NL teams are all to familiar with what he brings to the table. He may take a while to sign depending on how a few other domino's fall but I expect he will get a contract that will hardly be a discount.

Think about it, the Cubs would love pitching, National might need an arm if they lose JZ, Dodgers if they lose Grienke and so on. If your a National league team why would you be all that uncomfortable signing Cueto? He has been a beast in the NL, a TOR guy. I tend to think he will end up back in the NL just because there will be more teams in the NL with confidence in him.

[Roll Tide]

Will he cost 23? If so, I'll go with a 500k utility infielder for seven years. And Price.

Weans .... They are not signing Price

[MDtransplant757]

So I'd take Chris Davis, Leake and O'Day, maybe Alex Rios/ Alex Gordon too, and call it an offseason well spent

[El Gordo]

I tend to think a National League team will jump in and snatch him up before he gets to that point.

AL teams may be a little weary but NL teams are all to familiar with what he brings to the table. He may take a while to sign depending on how a few other domino's fall but I expect he will get a contract that will hardly be a discount.

Think about it, the Cubs would love pitching, National might need an arm if they lose JZ, Dodgers if they lose Grienke and so on. If your a National league team why would you be all that uncomfortable signing Cueto? He has been a beast in the NL, a TOR guy. I tend to think he will end up back in the NL just because there will be more teams in the NL with confidence in him.

Unless a QO is a problem I could see teams preferring.

Price

Greinke

Zimmerman

Lackey

Iwakuma

Possibly

Leake

Samardzija

and

Gallardo to Cueto

[SteveO]

Zimermann costs the number 11,12,13,14,or 15 pick. No thanks.

I would prefer to sign guys without a pick attached. On that I agree. I think building the farm system is important.

The reason the O's farm system sucks right now though is not entirely for a lack of good #1 picks, it has lot to do with not hitting on picks beyond that in whole lot of other rounds as well. A first round pick and a handful of sandwich picks alone will not cure what ails this farm system. A lot of that is dependent on better scouting and better development than we have seen. Without those things, all those picks represent is potential future failures.

The picks are important, not trying to say they are not. They are not the end all be all though and they alone will not fix this farm system. That will require developing those guys we pick and of course, picking the right ones in the first place. I don't think you sacrifice fielding a competitive team simply to preserve draft picks that may or may not materialize into anything. You want a better farm system, pick better players with the picks you have first and foremost.

[SteveO]

Unless a QO is a problem I could see teams preferring.

Price

Greinke

Zimmerman

Lackey

Iwakuma

Possibly

Leake

Samardzija

and

Gallardo to Cueto

Are you basing your opinion of Cueto soley on his performance in half a season in KC?

Price, Greinke, Zimmerman yea....the rest now way. Mark my words, Cueto will be in demand and get paid. He may have to wait for a couple of the bigger dominos to fall be he will not be a discount candidate. No way, no how. He easily gets 4-5 years at an AAV of 20-22 million something like that.

[Can_of_corn]

Are you basing your opinion of Cueto soley on his performance in half a season in KC?

Price, Greinke, Zimmerman yea....the rest now way. Mark my words, Cueto will be in demand and get paid. He may have to wait for a couple of the bigger dominos to fall be he will not be a discount candidate. No way, no how. He easily gets 4-5 years at an AAV of 20-22 million something like that.

Cueto also looked hurt before he was traded.

Could he even pass the physical?

[SteveO]

Cueto also looked hurt before he was traded.

Could he even pass the physical?

Now that is the one caveat lol

If his elbow is hamburger nobody is paying him right.

I guess the physical could be an issue, we shall see but if passes that he has been one of the best pitchers in the NL over the past 4 yrs and costs no pick. He will be snatched up by somone.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[weams]

I would prefer to sign guys without a pick attached. On that I agree. I think building the farm system is important.

The reason the O's farm system sucks right now though is not entirely for a lack of good #1 picks, it has lot to do with not hitting on picks beyond that in whole lot of other rounds as well. A first round pick and a handful of sandwich picks alone will not cure what ails this farm system. A lot of that is dependent on better scouting and better development than we have seen. Without those things, all those picks represent is potential future failures.

The picks are important, not trying to say they are not. They are not the end all be all though and they alone will not fix this farm system. That will require developing those guys we pick and of course, picking the right ones in the first place. I don't think you sacrifice fielding a competitive team simply to preserve draft picks that may or may not materialize into anything. You want a better farm system, pick better players with the picks you have first and foremost.

We have picked well since we got a new Scouting director.

[El Gordo]

Are you basing your opinion of Cueto soley on his performance in half a season in KC?

Price, Greinke, Zimmerman yea....the rest now way. Mark my words, Cueto will be in demand and get paid. He may have to wait for a couple of the bigger dominos to fall be he will not be a discount candidate. No way, no how. He easily gets 4-5 years at an AAV of 20-22 million something like that.

I'm basing it on his recent struggles with injury as well as his trouble adjusting to the AL hitters. Two-three years of Lackey or Iwakuma night be safer. If it weren't for the QO I would rather the O's went after them. I'm thinking he might not get the 100 M he is looking for and if he is around 5/90 the O's might be players.

[SteveO]

I'm basing it on his recent struggles with injury as well as his trouble adjusting to the AL hitters. Two-three years of Lackey or Iwakuma night be safer. If it weren't for the QO I would rather the O's went after them. I'm thinking he might not get the 100 M he is looking for and if he is around 5/90 the O's might be players.

I hope not. Even though I am saying I think Cueto will get paid, I really hope it is not us who pays him.

I just think his game is better suited in the NL. I expect an NL team that has seen him dominate over there is going to value him far more than most AL teams will. Thats not to say there will not be interest but his performance in KC should and will give teams in the AL pause. Teams in the NL are less likely IMO to be as hesitant

Honestly I agree with you. There are a number of guys I would rather the O's go after than Cueto. If I were a Cubs fan, Nationals fan or NL team fan needing pitching though, Cueto would have much more appeal.

[SteveO]

We have picked well since we got a new Scouting director.

When it comes to this farm system, I have a wait and see approach. I see some positive things. Schoop came through this system and is turning into a fine player. We certainly did no harm to Manny though I think three circus clowns could have developed him and he would have still become a baseball god

Ultimately I don't even care about system rankings. I just want to see a system that can pick players and develop them into solid major league prospects and players at even average rate. The sandwich picks will hopefully infuse some good talent into the system. I agree they should be protected, just not quite to the extreme you do.

[SteveO]

We have picked well since we got a new Scouting director.

Let me ask you this in all seriousness. When Manny sits down to look at an extension, do you think he is gonna wanna hear how even though the team was horrible, we did manage to protect these three picks who lead to these talented guys in A ball? I would imagine there is a number at which Manny might say, you know what those guys look great. I bet that number is a hell of a lot higher though than if he has competent players surrounding him. Protect the picks yes, to the extent of not fielding a competitive team, no.

[Horsepower]

My best case off season would be:

1. Sign Zimmerman

2. Sign Davis

3. Trade for Markakis

4. Sign Parra