POLL: Yay or nay on Beckham trade?

[webbrick2010]

I really didn't think that DD could further weaken this franchise... but he did

TB is not a ML SS, defensively or offensively. He is a waste of a roster spot, a poor defender who also manages to never walk and strikes out once in every 3 AB's. The exact worst guy that could be added to the O's already dysfunctional order.

I respect Tampa's scouting and suspect that if they liked Myers, they are likely to turn him into something far more valuable than Tim Beckham will ever be,.

[tntoriole]

It will be fun enough watching what Buck does with Hardy coming back in the last part of August and seeing whether he sits Beckham even if he is playing well or if he just sits Hardy.  

[HokieOs]

Don't know how you can be too upset with this trade. Sure, I would have preferred to gain some prospects. But we didn't lose anyone of real consequence and I think we upgraded at SS versus what we have been trotting out at the position. No, our odds of making the playoffs didn't go from about 5% to 50% or anything, but I think we went from being very unlikely to make it to just unlikely. And Beckham has a chance to be our everyday guy for a while.

I'll take it.

[HokieOs]

1 hour ago, webbrick2010 said:

I really didn't think that DD could further weaken this franchise... but he did

TB is not a ML SS, defensively or offensively. He is a waste of a roster spot, a poor defender who also manages to never walk and strikes out once in every 3 AB's. The exact worst guy that could be added to the O's already dysfunctional order.

I respect Tampa's scouting and suspect that if they liked Myers, they are likely to turn him into something far more valuable than Tim Beckham will ever be,.

Really? Beckham may not be a knock your socks off type of acquisition. But he was worth 1.3 WAR last year and has already been worth that again this season. He's under inexpensive control for a while and we didn't give up anything of real consequence.

I would have rather seen us go after prospects, but hey... we're only 4.5 back in the WC race, with two more to go against that #2 WC team. Get the sweep and we're 2.5 games back. Stranger things have happened.

[PHRESH]

Tobias is less of a baseball name than Tristan. And way less than Tim. 

[Ruzious]

3 hours ago, esmd said:

Great, because he's your starting SS next year and Hardy won't be brought back on a reduced contract, as I'd feared.

You feared Hardy won't be brought back?  It was obvious from his play and his numbers that Hardy's done as a useful MLB SS before he got injured.  Hardy had a -.6 WAR this year, Tejada has a -.3 WAR this year, Beckham has a 1.3 WAR this year.  TB fans - who should know the best - were overwhelmingly distraught about the Beckham trade.  

[Ruzious]

And at least one person said he commits a lot of errors - that's not true - he's got a .974 fielding percentage at SS - which is perfectly okay for a relatively young SS.  And by all accounts, he's got above average range, arm, and hands. 

[gfrank]

Stumbled onto this article that makes me a bit happier about the trade: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/rays-make-the-right-move-in-dealing-tim-beckham/2332172

Beckham isn't a perfect player, and it sounds like the management wasn't terribly pleased about the consistency of his attitude, but the players really liked him and were really vocally against trading him. The writer of this article suggests that the main reason they traded him was because they planned on benching him for Brad Miller, and was afraid he'd get moody with the demotion. Which doesn't sound like terrific reasoning anyway, as Archer cited Beckham's loss as damaging to the team's vibe.

I guess this could go either way, where Beckham doesn't really fit in terribly well, and gets irritated if Hardy gets playing time down the stretch or something, but I think there's the potential for something extremely good here. It sounds like he's a bit of a chip-on-his-shoulder/team chemistry sort of guy, which is how you'd already describe a bunch of Orioles who were dumped by their past team for generally stupid reasons.

I dunno. Good glove, some power, strikes out a ton, doesn't take a walk, plays with a chip on his shoulder. Sounds like an Oriole to me.

[Ruzious]

And the comment that TB would never trade him to rival as powerful as Baltimore if he were any good... what paranoic (if that's a word) hokum.  All trades you make should be an attempt to get better - period.    

[Camden_yardbird]

It's a decent trade.  Three years of an infielder that could hit 75 home runs over the next three years, is flexible but not great in the infield and is entering his prime.  Tampa may turn Myers into a stud but I feel like I am okay with this gamble.

[Cumberbundy]

Tobias has pretty good stuff, that curve ball is filthy. The fb at 16 seconds in has a lot of movement on it. 

 

[interloper]

I think we will regret giving up Tobias, but I like Beckham and I like that the Rays are bummed about losing him. We have to do something about SS for the next few years, and Ruben Tejada is not the answer. 12 home runs is nothing to sneeze at, either. Only 5 less than Chris Davis at this point!

[oceanicvoyage]

I didn't love the trade, but its growing on me. If you take this season and last, he has played the equivalent as a full-time starter. With those stats, he has 2.3 WAR which would rank him the 16th SS by WAR. I'll take that especially as he currently has a salary under $1M. 

Probably weren't going to find anything better on the market and if you did it would cost a lot more.

This means they are going for it in 2018 as well. Frees up some money to get free agent starting pitching.

[glenn__davis]

Voted no.  Not a fan of giving up young arms with potential for marginal-at-best upgrades.

With that said, my opinion on our ability to develop starting pitching is about as low as it could possibly get, so the cynic in me says that we would not have developed Myers correctly here anyway.

[esmd]

10 hours ago, Ruzious said:

You feared Hardy won't be brought back?  It was obvious from his play and his numbers that Hardy's done as a useful MLB SS before he got injured.  Hardy had a -.6 WAR this year, Tejada has a -.3 WAR this year, Beckham has a 1.3 WAR this year.  TB fans - who should know the best - were overwhelmingly distraught about the Beckham trade.  

No, I'm saying I was afraid they WOULD bring Hardy back.  This move pretty much closes the door on that possibility.  So in that sense, I'm calling it a great move.