The Hole-RF

[Redskins Rick]

15 minutes ago, Number5 said:

Buy are there enough trucks in Maryland to make Rasmus happy?    When asked why he signed with Houston, he mentioned that he really liked the trucks in the Houston area.  Yes, really.

Chevy makes a good looking Texas edition truck

[backwardsk]

13 minutes ago, esmd said:

Ugh.  No really good options.  I agree with those who say if we're going to consider giving 4/55 or even 4/60 to Trumbo, we might as well try to sign Encarnacion for 4/80 or so.  Trumbo had a career year last year, I don't expect him to repeat that for the next four years, or even just next year.  I could see him getting hurt again and only hitting 20-25 HRs with his low batting average and obp.  That would not be a good value at all.

I don't like the Granderson, Bruce, Revere, or Bourn options.  Bourn is done, Bruce is a Trumbo clone, Granderson is 35 and an expensive rental (not giving up Brach for that), and Revere can't seem to hit consistently or throw at all.

I think you see a Kim/Rickard platoon on LF, so Rickard is not an option in RF for the most part, other than as a game by game fill-in as Buck juggles the lineup.  At some point, they have to see if Mancini can play, you're not going to contend consistently without developing your own guys.

So....where does that leave us?  I'd try and find a CFer and move Jones to RF personally, but it doesn't seem like that's an option at all as far as the team is concerned.  So, Rickard/Kim in LF, Jones in CF.  I'd bring back Pedro Alvarez to split DH with Mancini, and if Mancini doesn't produce, you've still got a guy who can hit at least 20-25HR's at DH.  Alvarez shouldn't be all that expensive either.  For RF, there are several internal possibilities, though none of them knock your socks off (Dariel Alvarez, Christian Walker, etc.).  Of all the options, I guess I'd explore the Granderson trade, but if we're giving up Brach, they need to eat a ton of money, and/or include a prospect or prospects.  Brach is under control for several more years, and Granderson is a rental.

Brach only has two years of control.  I don't know if Walker can play RF.  I don't believe they tried him there last year.

[esmd]

Still, a premier reliever at a bargain price for two seasons vs an overpriced rental, I put more value on Brach than Granderson.

Agreed on Walker, I have no idea how the LF experiment worked, or if he could possibly handle RF.  Never heard a peep about him in the OF after ST.  But with the overall lack of options, it was worth mentioning IMO.

[esmd]

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/76975/center-your-attention-on-these-guys

I really wish the O's would follow this guys advice.  Move Jones to RF and try and get one of Blackmon, Hamilton, or Dyson.

[25 Nuggets]

6 minutes ago, esmd said:

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/76975/center-your-attention-on-these-guys

I really wish the O's would follow this guys advice.  Move Jones to RF and try and get one of Blackmon, Hamilton, or Dyson.

I would be very happy with Dyson and a free agent LH DH (Alvarez, Saunders, Moss), with Jones in RF and Mancini backing up 1B/DH.

[Dark Helmet]

10 hours ago, gtown said:

None of the above. They way you phrase it, Bruce is the better option, but if I'm giving up Brach, I have to get Granderson, not Bruce. 

In my scenario, I'm not giving up Brach. I'm keeping Brach and either giving up a bad contract like Gallardo/Jimenez or basically giving up noting of value to take on Bruce. And I'm not giving up 2 years of Brach for 1 year of Granderson.

[gtown]

• I keep seeing Rickard's name come up in a LF platoon. Rickard played well below replacement level last year. Had he not been a Rule 5 pick, he surely would have been sent down. Between a below-average season and coming off an injury, it's hard to fathom how he doesn'tt start the season at Norfolk or Bowie. 
  
  Seems far more likely (although maybe not ideal) that one of this year's Rule 5 pick will be in a LF platoon.

[El Gordo]

4 hours ago, theobird said:

He is a defensive upgrade to Trumbo, and if you can get rid of an atrocious contract like Gallardo or Ubaldo and commit to only one year of Bruce? Yep, I do that everyday.

Delmon is a defensive upgrade to Trumbo, The O's have the worst defensive OF in MLB. It needs to be addressed. Bruce doesn't do it. He's just another HR guy with a low OBP. Don't we have enough of those?

[weams]

21 hours ago, theobird said:

The 28 year old Revere is a declining player, but the 35 year old Granderson is not. Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong, I like Granderson the man. Probably not a better guy in all of baseball. I just think that he is at the very end of a fine career, where Revere still has his best baseball ahead of him, imo. Revere had an injury filled year last year, but look at his numbers prior to least season. I think Dan said something earlier in the offseason about two lefty hitting OFers with speed. I would be OK with bringing back Bourne and Alvarez and signing Revere.

 

 

21 hours ago, theobird said:

The 28 year old Revere is a declining player, but the 35 year old Granderson is not. Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong, I like Granderson the man. Probably not a better guy in all of baseball. I just think that he is at the very end of a fine career, where Revere still has his best baseball ahead of him, imo. Revere had an injury filled year last year, but look at his numbers prior to least season. I think Dan said something earlier in the offseason about two lefty hitting OFers with speed. I would be OK with bringing back Bourne and Alvarez and signing Revere.

 

 

21 hours ago, theobird said:

The 28 year old Revere is a declining player, but the 35 year old Granderson is not. Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong, I like Granderson the man. Probably not a better guy in all of baseball. I just think that he is at the very end of a fine career, where Revere still has his best baseball ahead of him, imo. Revere had an injury filled year last year, but look at his numbers prior to least season. I think Dan said something earlier in the offseason about two lefty hitting OFers with speed. I would be OK with bringing back Bourne and Alvarez and signing Revere.

 

Revere makes Nate McLouth look stout. 

[weams]

1 hour ago, gtown said:

• I keep seeing Rickard's name come up in a LF platoon. Rickard played well below replacement level last year. Had he not been a Rule 5 pick, he surely would have been sent down. Between a below-average season and coming off an injury, it's hard to fathom how he doesn'tt start the season at Norfolk or Bowie. 
  
  Seems far more likely (although maybe not ideal) that one of this year's Rule 5 pick will be in a LF platoon.

Short side of a platoon is unimportant. 

[ELMERO]

2 hours ago, backwardsk said:

Brach only has two years of control.  I don't know if Walker can play RF.  I don't believe they tried him there last year.

Well, he never has as a pro.  I think the guy has earned a shot as part of our LF platoon, though.  More so than Rickard.

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=572233#/career/R/fielding/2016/ALL

[Babypowder]

3 hours ago, ELMERO said:

Well, he never has as a pro.  I think the guy has earned a shot as part of our LF platoon, though.  More so than Rickard.

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=572233#/career/R/fielding/2016/ALL

Rickard was poor last season because he didn't hit RHP at all. He hit LHP very well, which is why he is talked about as being the short side of a platoon.

Walker is neither an outfielder nor a much of a hitter.

[sportsfan8703]

17 hours ago, El Gordo said:

Delmon is a defensive upgrade to Trumbo, The O's have the worst defensive OF in MLB. It needs to be addressed. Bruce doesn't do it. He's just another HR guy with a low OBP. Don't we have enough of those?

Trumbo should be viewed as a 1B/DH.  Since we have Davis at 1B and our only MLB ready prospect is a DH, he doesn't have that much value to us at his price.  I saw we offered 4/52-55 to him and then we pulled it off the table.  So he obviously wants more.  So if his price tag is 4/60+, then we should just see if EE would sign for 4/70ish.  

Obviously DD has already felt out the RF market and the high asking prices, because he made the comment about platoon guys wanting too much.  I'm assuming that was Rasmus, Pagan, Bourn, Crisp, R.Davis etc...  

My hope is that we pull the trigger on EE, while his market is down, and then play the long game with these RF's until they realize their real market value.  

[Bahama O's Fan]

Does Smith fill this hole? Maybe as a platoon? Rasmus is now off the shelf

[backwardsk]

11 minutes ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

Does Smith fill this hole? Maybe as a platoon? Rasmus is now off the shelf

Unless we get Granderson, I predict he gets the most innings in right.

Rasmus signs for only $5M.