Obvious Improvement

[Orange]

We need a RH outfielder who plays good defense and IMO we need a better second catcher and a proven 7th guy in the bullpen.  The prices have come way, way down on Pagan, Wieters, and Travis Wood.  Don't you think we could get each of them on a one year deal for, I dunno, $5m-ish?  Maybe add a club option with a buyout?  Those signings would really catapult the completeness of the team.  (I'd still like to upgrade Flaherty too, but I don't see an obvious candidate.)

The Rule V guys turn into Pagan (unless you send down Rickard, but I really like the Kim/Rickard platoon in LF and now Pagan with Smith in RF), Joseph goes to the minors and you upgrade to Wieters, and McFarland turns into Wood (TJ's out of options, but he's making a tick over the minimum so maybe he clears?).  (And seriously, Wood was really good as a reliever last year and would be a capable swingman to boot.  MLBTR had him as the #24 FA.)

I mean, it makes too much sense, right?  The only tiny thing is that you have a Drake-Verrett battle for the last spot in the pen, but I think you were going to have that anyway and I believe we signed Verrett to a minor league deal, if memory serves.  So maybe there's no issue losing Drake... not that I'm losing sleep over that. 

What am I missing here?  Are we just out of money?

[Frobby]

With payroll up to about $164 mm, I doubt they have a lot left to spend.    I don't believe any team will sign Wieters for as little as 1/$5 mm, and in any event, no team spends that on a second catcher.     The other two are more interesting to me.    

[webbrick2010]

1 hour ago, Orange said:

We need a RH outfielder who plays good defense and IMO we need a better second catcher and a proven 7th guy in the bullpen.  The prices have come way, way down on Pagan, Wieters, and Travis Wood.  Don't you think we could get each of them on a one year deal for, I dunno, $5m-ish?  Maybe add a club option with a buyout?  Those signings would really catapult the completeness of the team.  (I'd still like to upgrade Flaherty too, but I don't see an obvious candidate.)

The Rule V guys turn into Pagan (unless you send down Rickard, but I really like the Kim/Rickard platoon in LF and now Pagan with Smith in RF), Joseph goes to the minors and you upgrade to Wieters, and McFarland turns into Wood (TJ's out of options, but he's making a tick over the minimum so maybe he clears?).  (And seriously, Wood was really good as a reliever last year and would be a capable swingman to boot.  MLBTR had him as the #24 FA.)

I mean, it makes too much sense, right?  The only tiny thing is that you have a Drake-Verrett battle for the last spot in the pen, but I think you were going to have that anyway and I believe we signed Verrett to a minor league deal, if memory serves.  So maybe there's no issue losing Drake... not that I'm losing sleep over that. 

What am I missing here?  Are we just out of money?

I like those ideas, unfortunately DD blew 13 million on a DH when he could have saved 10 million for your ideas by signing Chris Carter.

The money wasted on Trumbo, Davis, O'day is really going to hurt this club the next 3 years

[thezeroes]

12 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

I like those ideas, unfortunately DD blew 13 million on a DH when he could have saved 10 million for your ideas by signing Chris Carter.

The money wasted on Trumbo, Davis, O'day is really going to hurt this club the next 3 years

If the Orioles had not signed Trumbo I do not think the Market Price for Carter would have declined as far as it did because more teams would have been in the running for his service thus keeping his price INFLATED to some degree.

[PaulFolk]

23 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

I like those ideas, unfortunately DD blew 13 million on a DH when he could have saved 10 million for your ideas by signing Chris Carter.

Wait, aren't you the guy who constantly complains that Duquette just waits until the last minute and signs the scrap FAs that nobody else wants? Now you're lamenting that he can't sign those FAs because he already spent his money earlier? Pick a position.