Who will be covering the left side of the infield next year?

[FanSince88]

Obviously Hardy is struggling.  I believe he has the team option next season that includes a $2 million buyout, but if we keep him I think we owe him $14 million.  

Does Hardy turn it around enough this year to warrant us picking up his $14 million option for another season?  Or if we do cut bait on him, then who takes his place at short?  Do we shift Manny to SS for a year, and if so who covers third (Davis, maybe just for one year?)?  Do we sign somebody or try to promote from within?  Or do we jettison both Hardy and Manny this offseason, and if we do who replaces them?

Interested to hear what the board predicts might happen.  

One thing's for sure -- I'd like to see us draft either another SP or a SS/3B with our first round pick this year.  

[esmd]

I don't think they pick up the option even if they want him back.  He's not getting anywhere near $14M on the market.  Pay him the 2 million and bring him back for a $6M salary, and you've saved $6M.  That assumes he won't get his feelings hurt and go elsewhere out of spite, but I don't think that's Hardy's MO.

That's IF they want him back.  Otherwise they need to find a SS, as I think moving Manny over would be a mistake.  I'm sure folks will chip in with FA options or potential trade targets.

[orioles119]

According to Sportrac, here's a list of pending FA 3B and SS:

3B:

Jhonny Peralta
Todd Frazier
Mike Moustakas
Yunel Escobar
Danny Valencia
Trevor Plouffe
Jung Ho Kang
Aaron Hill
Mark Reynolds
Jose Reyes

SS:

Zach Cozart
Danny Espinosa
Eduardo Nunez
Andres Blanco
Darwin Barney
Alcides Escobar
Cliff Pennington
Erick Aybar

[FanSince88]

5 minutes ago, esmd said:

I don't think they pick up the option even if they want him back.  He's not getting anywhere near $14M on the market.  Pay him the 2 million and bring him back for a $6M salary, and you've saved $6M.  That assumes he won't get his feelings hurt and go elsewhere out of spite, but I don't think that's Hardy's MO.

That's IF they want him back.  Otherwise they need to find a SS, as I think moving Manny over would be a mistake.  I'm sure folks will chip in with FA options or potential trade targets.

Good point, they could always bring him back cheaper, and I don't think he would be angry about it.  But other teams would be in a better position to outbid us for Hardy on the open market since they don't have the $2 million buyout cost that we'd have.  

[esmd]

1 minute ago, FanSince88 said:

Good point, they could always bring him back cheaper, and I don't think he would be angry about it.  But other teams would be in a better position to outbid us for Hardy on the open market since they don't have the $2 million buyout cost that we'd have.  

I just don't see Hardy being in high demand, not with his offensive numbers.  I think we'd value him more than anyone else due to his clubhouse presence, defense, leadership, etc.  Not sure another team would value that as highly as the O's would.

[FanSince88]

4 minutes ago, orioles119 said:

According to Sportrac, here's a list of pending FA 3B and SS:

3B:

Jhonny Peralta
Todd Frazier
Mike Moustakas
Yunel Escobar
Danny Valencia
Trevor Plouffe
Jung Ho Kang
Aaron Hill
Mark Reynolds
Jose Reyes

SS:

Zach Cozart
Danny Espinosa
Eduardo Nunez
Andres Blanco
Darwin Barney
Alcides Escobar
Cliff Pennington
Erick Aybar

I'd take Moustakas, Espinosa, Cozart, Frazier, or possibly even Barney next year over Hardy.  

[MDtransplant757]

I wouldn't mind getting Espinosa 

[Matt Bennett]

The option is a vesting option, not a team option.

[wildcard]

It all depends on whether they decide to sign Manny for the big bucks.   That decision probably has to be made this off season.   I don't think they can allow Manny to walk after 2018 and get nothing for him.  So a trade or sign decision needs to be made om him  this off season.  That will drive what happens with Hardy because if Manny wants to play SS in order to sign then that is what will have to happen.

 

[backwardsk]

Lindor from Cleveland at SS.  Manny at 3rd.

[wildcard]

6 minutes ago, Matt Bennett said:

The option is a vesting option, not a team option.

He needs 600 plate appearance for it to vest and with the days he needs off during the season it will not vest.

[PaulFolk]

Just now, backwardsk said:

Lindor from Cleveland at SS.  Manny at 3rd.

Don't stop there! Then trade for Mike Trout, Carlos Correa, and Clayton Kershaw.

[Ruzious]

Moustakas and Cozart are very nice options, but the O's have to decide first on Manny.  If they decide they're not keeping Manny, then Moustakas AND Cozart sounds good.  

[backwardsk]

10 minutes ago, PaulFolk said:

Don't stop there! Then trade for Mike Trout, Carlos Correa, and Clayton Kershaw.

Nah.  Kershaw doesn't win in the playoffs.   Once I trade Kim, Bourn, and Alvarez for Lindor, I'm out of trade chips.

[FanSince88]

22 hours ago, Ruzious said:

Moustakas and Cozart are very nice options, but the O's have to decide first on Manny.  If they decide they're not keeping Manny, then Moustakas AND Cozart sounds good.  

Agreed, if we trade Manny this offseason, then we should go very,very hard after Free Agents at both SS and 3B because we have no ML-ready prospects at those positions.  And Flaherty is a great backup but not starter material.