BastardO?

[TonySoprano]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Orioles and Mets have been among those teams involved in talks with lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo. Very strong second half in 2015.</p>— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) <a href="

">January 5, 2016</a></blockquote>

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[clapdiddy]

Bastardo would be an interesting guy for the pen. Wonder if we'd be looking to move someone if he's brought on board?

[Can_of_corn]

Yet another bullpen guy that can't be optioned?

[Tx Oriole]

Bastardo would be an interesting guy for the pen. Wonder if we'd be looking to move someone if he's brought on board?

I wouldn't mind him on the team. I think it be good to have him. IMO

[Frobby]

Bastardo would be an interesting guy for the pen. Wonder if we'd be looking to move someone if he's brought on board?

It would be an absolute necessity to move someone. Frankly, I don't see the O's spending the money it is likely to take to land Bastardo. Tony Sipp recently signed for 3/$18 mm and Bastardo is very comparable.

[canonfaz]

I don't understand this move unless there is a secondary trade of moving Matusz or Brach afterwards. We need another optionable piece in the pen besides Givens

[Can_of_corn]

It would be an absolute necessity to move someone. Frankly, I don't see the O's spending the money it is likely to take to land Bastardo. Tony Sipp recently signed for 3/$18 mm and Bastardo is very comparable.

Not sure why the O's would be throwing up chaff.

[Aglets]

Our pen is currently set up like this, right?

O'Day

Britton

Matusz

Brach

McFarland

Givens

Bundy

Riefenhauser?

Worley?

Don't get me wrong, Bastardo is better than some of those guys most likely, but who would go if we add another bullpen arm?

[Can_of_corn]

Our pen is currently set up like this, right?

O'Day

Britton

Matusz

Brach

McFarland

Givens

Bundy

Riefenhauser?

Worley?

Don't get me wrong, Bastardo is better than some of those guys most likely, but who would go if we add another bullpen arm?

Obvious answer from a production standpoint is McFarland. Then again that further limits flexibility.

[srock]

Our pen is currently set up like this, right?

O'Day

Britton

Matusz

Brach

McFarland

Givens

Bundy

Riefenhauser?

Worley?

Don't get me wrong, Bastardo is better than some of those guys most likely, but who would go if we add another bullpen arm?

Matusz is sucking up the most resources. He could be traded.

The lack of bullpen options is alarming given how the roster has been managed the last few years. I hope Duquette has some magic up his sleeve.

[WietersCorner]

Go get him. As MLB has proven over the last several years - an exceptional bullpen wins championships.

Britton

O'Day

Bastardo

Givens

Brach

Matusz (maybe rotation/trade candidate?)

Bundy

McFarland?

Riefenhauser?

Worley?

[Aglets]

I wonder what the over / under would be from Vegas for days Dylan Bundy will spend on the 25 man roster this year?

[waroriole]

Yet another bullpen guy that can't be optioned?

Maybe we're getting rid of SP.

[Aristotelian]

Our pen is currently set up like this, right?

O'Day

Britton

Matusz

Brach

McFarland

Givens

Bundy

Riefenhauser?

Worley?

Don't get me wrong, Bastardo is better than some of those guys most likely, but who would go if we add another bullpen arm?

I think McFarland is more of a question mark than Worley because TJ can start the year in Norfolk. I hope Worley has a higher chance of starting the year in the bullpen than becoming our replacement for Chen.

[Frobby]

The lack of bullpen options is alarming given how the roster has been managed the last few years. I hope Duquette has some magic up his sleeve.

I think this issue is somewhat overrated. If your bullpen guys are marginal, then it's nice to have options so that you can move them up and down. If your bullpen guys are reliable, then as a practical matter you aren't going to option them.

Most likely, there will be times when the bullpen has been used heavily and we will need to create an 8th bullpen spot at times to give the others a blow. The players called up to fill that spot need to be optionable, and you need a couple of the marginal position players to be optionable to make room for that 8th bullpen spot when needed.