Looking back now, did the Orioles actually have a plan? Or still nah?

[weams]

7 hours ago, Beef Supreme said:

Re. Signing Greg Holland: Looks to be #87 would be the next pick for the Orioles that they would lose.

Supposedly, that is the pick we give for Cobb. Dan Connolly and FearTheNoodle have some info on the non forfieture of the competitive balance picks. 

[Moose Milligan]

Yeah, I think they had a plan.  I think this is always DD's plan.  Wait out the market, see what's there.  

Remember back a few years ago, we signed Cruz and Ubaldo late.  Certainly not this late, but I'm pretty sure those guys were signed with a few days to go before spring training.

Can't say I'm a fan of this plan, it seems that they're relying on a funky offseason like this one where there's a relatively dead market and respectable players are still left waiting to sign with a few weeks to go.  Had this offseason been hot, where'd we have ended up?  

That said, I'm glad they got Cobb.  I still don't think Cashner is going to be good, but I understand why they signed him.

Overall, I'm underwhelmed by the offseason.  Rule 5 guys, an outfielder who took off half of last season and matches our low OBP philosophy, a middling rotation guy...Meh.  This offseason doesn't seem to have a cohesive plan to either get this team to the top of the division or blow it up.  

[sportsfan8703]

I’d say everything went great. It’s hard to predict trades. I would have only made minor changes like,

- Lynn over Tillman

- Signing Neil Walker

- Bringing back Ryan Flaherty. Haha

[sportsfan8703]

4 minutes ago, weams said:

Supposedly, that is the pick we give for Cobb. Dan Connolly and FearTheNoodle have some info on the non forfieture of the competitive balance picks. 

Great info. Did not know and actually asked you in another thread. Rep to you sir. 

[weams]

20 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Great info. Did not know and actually asked you in another thread. Rep to you sir. 

Yes. I did not know this. 

[weams]

https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-baltimore-orioles/

[tntoriole]

In any other usual offseason, Cobb would not have been around when the slow decision  making style of the Orioles got to being serious about an offer. 

They would have been signing Feldman or Dickey or somebody like that, so they did luck out in terms of Cobb being a better option that happened to still be available given the weird market. 

I think it is a plan as much as a plan can be in MLB given free agency, no salary caps, market differences, etc. 

[webbrick2010]

I'd love to know if the price for Cobb was higher on March 20th or on March 1st.

Did we get a bargain waiting him out, or did he get more when the O's panicked about having Mike Wright or equivalent in the starting rotation

As always signing 30+ pitchers to 4 year deals is risky, but given that they refused to re-build it was the move they had to make.

Bothers me that in a wild card race that always goes down to the wire that we are missing a couple of Cobb starts in the beginning of the year.

Now I think the O's big weakness is the offense if Davis and Trumbo are allowed to clog up the middle of the order for most of the year, when there are better options (Valencia, Alvarez, Sisco)

[tntoriole]

2 hours ago, weams said:

Supposedly, that is the pick we give for Cobb. Dan Connolly and FearTheNoodle have some info on the non forfieture of the competitive balance picks. 

Yes, that is interesting.   Tampa Bay sports news in reporting about the signing identifies the pick coming to the Rays as #51 (meaning that the third pick includes the competitive balance pick) , not #87 (which it would be if the competitive balance pick is not counted in the determination of what is the third highest pick). 

[PNG_78]

Buck really seems to be most important of the things to take care of.  Does anybody else that think that if Buck doesn't come back none of the others come back? 

[weams]

14 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

Yes, that is interesting.   Tampa Bay sports news in reporting about the signing identifies the pick coming to the Rays as #51 (meaning that the third pick includes the competitive balance pick) , not #87 (which it would be if the competitive balance pick is not counted in the determination of what is the third highest pick). 

The pick that a team receives and the one forfeited have no bearing any longer.

[foxfield]

3 minutes ago, PNG_78 said:

Buck really seems to be most important of the things to take care of.  Does anybody else that think that if Buck doesn't come back none of the others come back? 

Welcome friend, hope you find the OH to be as enjoyable and informative as I and many others do.  I think that Buck is not ready to go and is the most likely of all of the free agents in the clubhouse or warehouse to return.  I think $ would decide for Jones, Machado, Britton and I honestly believe that DD will only stay if he has no other offer and that presumes the Orioles offer him which presumes a lot.  

(I am in the camp that would argue DD has been the most successful GM in the Angelos era)

[Redskins Rick]

2 minutes ago, foxfield said:

Welcome friend, hope you find the OH to be as enjoyable and informative as I and many others do.  I think that Buck is not ready to go and is the most likely of all of the free agents in the clubhouse or warehouse to return.  I think $ would decide for Jones, Machado, Britton and I honestly believe that DD will only stay if he has no other offer and that presumes the Orioles offer him which presumes a lot.  

(I am in the camp that would argue DD has been the most successful GM in the Angelos era)

I am not sold that Buck wants to keep managing.

He got very real one evening after a game, and was asked about his long range goals, he said, to be honest, you can't manage forever, and at some point, his wife and he needs to decide at what point, is it time to ride off into the sunset and enjoy life after baseball. He said, not that I am there, yet, but at some point, it will happen.

[foxfield]

7 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

I am not sold that Buck wants to keep managing.

He got very real one evening after a game, and was asked about his long range goals, he said, to be honest, you can't manage forever, and at some point, his wife and he needs to decide at what point, is it time to ride off into the sunset and enjoy life after baseball. He said, not that I am there, yet, but at some point, it will happen.

I agree and that is why I said that Buck is the most likely to return.  He may or may not have reached that point....but I believe that point will arrive in Baltimore.

[TouchemAll]

1 hour ago, webbrick2010 said:

I'd love to know if the price for Cobb was higher on March 20th or on March 1st.

Did we get a bargain waiting him out, or did he get more when the O's panicked about having Mike Wright or equivalent in the starting rotation

As always signing 30+ pitchers to 4 year deals is risky, but given that they refused to re-build it was the move they had to make.

Bothers me that in a wild card race that always goes down to the wire that we are missing a couple of Cobb starts in the beginning of the year.

Now I think the O's big weakness is the offense if Davis and Trumbo are allowed to clog up the middle of the order for most of the year, when there are better options (Valencia, Alvarez, Sisco)

With the real cost of today's pitching yeah I think we did get and OK deal. Remember he turned down 4/48 from the cubs. In any other FA year I don't think we get a sniff of Cobb. Is it perfect nah but I sure feel a heck of lot better about the rotation now. IF they can stay healthy I at least give them a chance to compete for a WC spot now. JMHO I really think that's the real goal by the O's stay competitive enough to compete for a WC.