You are the Assistant GM: Trade Manny exercise

[Tony-OH]

The power of the Hangout has always been Hangouters. For years, this board was perused for information and ideas from people within the warehouse. The one thing that is certain is that there are a lot of smart people on this board who if situations were different, might have pursued and probably would have been very successful in baseball. So here's the challenge.

I'm going to play Vice President of Baseball Operations (Hey its my site, haha) and you all are my assistant GMS. 

I call you into our war room within the Warehouse. This war room that I designed looks like many OPs floors in the deepest parts of the Pentagon, Virginia, and Ft. Meade (you can figure out where I'm talking about pretty easily). This Ops floor has large Monitors, stacked three high that surround a two floor, multi-deck arena, full of rows of curved tables and chairs with laptops and three monitors at each position. The Ops floor is built as a horseshoe with the open end the displays. The triple high Monitors would parallel a large 20 foot high display in the middle. On the displays would be information about the Orioles and the minor leagues teams that would include hot streaks, pertinent stats, injuries, travel locations, weather at those locations. Other displays would include waiver wires, transactions of all major league organizations including minor league moves. These screens would also feature the games of the Orioles and all of their minor league teams each night (all of my minor league affiliates would have a center field camera and a behind the press box camera installed with feeds that come straight to the ops center.

So I bring you all in and you sit down at the open positions. I come down and sit in my chair behind all of the positions that faces the screens. You all look up and I begin:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is very apparent that this team is not going to compete this year and we need to start looking forward to how to rebuild this team into a consistent contender in the future. Although there are many moves that we need to make, our first order of business, and what I want you to solely focus on right now, is to trade Manny Machado since he is our most valuable trading chip by far.

What I want from you:
Team or teams (if a multi-team trade) involved:
Why this team would be willing to pay a bounty in order to get Manny's services for the rest of the season: ex: Team X is a contender but has player Y at SS and Manny would be a huge upgrade and make them a legitimate contender.
Players in return, why they are a good fit for the Orioles and why the team would be willing to give them up: ex: Player A is a 21-year old shortstop prospect who will be an everyday major league shortstop starting in 2019, Team A would be willing to give him up because they have depth in SS prospects in the minors and they will be bidders for Manny Machado this offseason as  FA. 

Make sure to take salaries into consideration. If you wanna be creative you can see if there is a even a possibility that someone will take Chris Davis' contract on for taking Manny but still be willing to give up a prospect.

Do not just give me Trade Manny to Dodgers for Player X, Player Y, and Player Z. If you don't give me the background i requested you will be excused from the OPs room. I will take the top ideas and then bring them back up for discussion. i then want to here the pros and cons of each of the best deals.

Please have all ideas completed and submitted by COB 30 April. 

So that's your challenge. Who can be the best Orioles assistant GM?


 

[weams]

47 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The power of the Hangout has always been Hangouters. For years, this board was perused for information and ideas from people within the warehouse. The one thing that is certain is that there are a lot of smart people on this board who if situations were different, might have pursued and probably would have been very successful in baseball. So here's the challenge.

I'm going to play Vice President of Baseball Operations (Hey its my site, haha) and you all are my assistant GMS. 

I call you into our war room within the Warehouse. This war room that I designed looks like many OPs floors in the deepest parts of the Pentagon, Virginia, and Ft. Meade (you can figure out where I'm talking about pretty easily). This Ops floor has large Monitors, stacked three high that surround a two floor, multi-deck arena, full of rows of curved tables and chairs with laptops and three monitors at each position. The Ops floor is built as a horseshoe with the open end the displays. The triple high Monitors would parallel a large 20 foot high display in the middle. On the displays would be information about the Orioles and the minor leagues teams that would include hot streaks, pertinent stats, injuries, travel locations, weather at those locations. Other displays would include waiver wires, transactions of all major league organizations including minor league moves. These screens would also feature the games of the Orioles and all of their minor league teams each night (all of my minor league affiliates would have a center field camera and a behind the press box camera installed with feeds that come straight to the ops center.

So I bring you all in and you sit down at the open positions. I come down and sit in my chair behind all of the positions that faces the screens. You all look up and I begin:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is very apparent that this team is not going to compete this year and we need to start looking forward to how to rebuild this team into a consistent contender in the future. Although there are many moves that we need to make, our first order of business, and what I want you to solely focus on right now, is to trade Manny Machado since he is our most valuable trading chip by far.

What I want from you:
Team or teams (if a multi-team trade) involved:
Why this team would be willing to pay a bounty in order to get Manny's services for the rest of the season: ex: Team X is a contender but has player Y at SS and Manny would be a huge upgrade and make them a legitimate contender.
Players in return, why they are a good fit for the Orioles and why the team would be willing to give them up: ex: Player A is a 21-year old shortstop prospect who will be an everyday major league shortstop starting in 2019, Team A would be willing to give him up because they have depth in SS prospects in the minors and they will be bidders for Manny Machado this offseason as  FA. 

Make sure to take salaries into consideration. If you wanna be creative you can see if there is a even a possibility that someone will take Chris Davis' contract on for taking Manny but still be willing to give up a prospect.

Do not just give me Trade Manny to Dodgers for Player X, Player Y, and Player Z. If you don't give me the background i requested you will be excused from the OPs room. I will take the top ideas and then bring them back up for discussion. i then want to here the pros and cons of each of the best deals.

So that's your challenge. Who can be the best Orioles assistant GM?


 

I'll Play. But I am working on something now.  I'll start with who I think is in the position to bid for his services. And I will edit with your other requests if that is acceptable. I don't want to get tossed.

[Tony-OH]

12 minutes ago, weams said:

I'll Play. But I am working on something now.  I'll start with who I think is in the position to bid for his services. And I will edit with your other requests if that is acceptable. I don't want to get tossed.

i expect this to take some time so no worries. i forgot to give a deadline. 

Let's use Tuesday May 1st as the deadline.

 

[now]

Just want to give props, Tony, for your initiative and creativity in building this exercise. I'm already ready to delve into this real-life-simulation novel of yours... as a reader/observer, that is.

The question that immediately comes to mind is, why aren't the Orioles (and every MLB team) doing this exact same thing re. their operations? One might say, cost... Hmm. The stage set you've described would cost, what, $1 million? $5 million? Chicken feed, I imagine, given the contracts given out to the likes of... well, you know. So I guess the answer is the more pedestrian one: inertia, tradition, the Old School. Ah, father Syd, where art thou? 

[Tryptamine]

Fun idea. Ok I'll start off by saying that I wont be at all trying to get rid of Chris Davis or Trumbo  in a Machdo deal. Machado is the one and only shot this organization has to infuse itself with young high end talent. With that said, the primary focus should be the St.Louis Cardinals. It's no secret the Cardinals are enamored with Manny and with Jed Gyorko at 3B and coming back down to earth, Manny would be an enormous upgrade both offensively and defensively. Also, the Cardinals have a huge sum of money available for just the right contract. Remember that just 2 years ago they actually offered more for Jason Heyward than the Cubs did and they were also willing to take on Stanton this offseason. They have the positional need, they have the financial resources and having gotten off to a good start in what looks to be a very competitive NL Central, Machado may get them over the top. With that said, what does it do for Orioles? Well, the Cardinals have one of the deepest farms in the league and and universally ranked in or around #5 with most of their talents in pitching. Unfortunately because Manny is only under contract for the rest of the  year you can almost definitely eliminate the elite prospects from the conversation. In this case Alex Reyes wouldn't be on the table, just like a deal with the Dodgers wouldn't have Walker Buehler or a deal with the Yankees wouldn't have Gleyber Torres available. My initial deal is as follows

 

Manny Machado and Brad Brach for Jack Flaherty, Austin Gomber and Max Schrock

Jack Flaherty is your big piece, a guy who looks like a potential #2 and rank top 50 just about universally.. He had a taste of the bigs last year at 21 and has been successful in limited innings this far in 2018. He's a guy you can pencil into your 2019 rotation.

Austin Gomber isn't the flashiest name in the Cardinal system. He doesn't have Flaherty's stuff, he can't hit 102mph on the gun like Jordan Hicks, but what he does have is pitchability. He's smart and mixes up his pitches well.  Thanks to that and an uptick that saw his fastball go from 88-92 to 90-94 he dominated the second half of last year and has started on that pace again at AAA this year. He's a strong bet to be a middle of the order inning eater.

As Schoop continues to get bigger, it becomes more obvious that 3B is going to have to eventually happen. With that  said, Max Schrock is a guy who is ready to fill that position Schrock is nearly MLB ready and brings elite bat to ball skills and above average plate discipline which is going  to keep both the BA and OBP  well above average. He does lack pop, you likely wont see him hit more than 10-15HR, but between the hit tool and his above average defensive reputation at 2B, he definitely fits the mold.

2019 Rotation

Bundy, Gausman,Flaherty,Gomber,Cobb(All under control for 3+ years)

 

 

[Moose Milligan]

I like this exercise.  Dunno if I will partake but it'll be cool to read some of the responses because I know they'll be well thought out.

Good to know as the O's GM, you'd have the assistants doing the grunt work  

[Aristotelian]

Play the Braves and Mets against each other. Aim for Gohara, Riley, and some B prospects from the Braves.

[Dipper9]

I walk into the room, sit down in my old timer's chair, look around the room, and quickly realize that any opinion I have would never measure up to the immense talent in our war room.  Therefore, I grab a case of Budweiser and stick it in my station fridge.  I crack open the first beer, kick my feet up on the desk, and take in the fun that is about to commense. 

[foxfield]

I walk in...look around the room and sit next to Dipper9. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

I feel like this is a homework assignment for Brady Anderson.  

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, now said:

Just want to give props, Tony, for your initiative and creativity in building this exercise. I'm already ready to delve into this real-life-simulation novel of yours... as a reader/observer, that is.

The question that immediately comes to mind is, why aren't the Orioles (and every MLB team) doing this exact same thing re. their operations? One might say, cost... Hmm. The stage set you've described would cost, what, $1 million? $5 million? Chicken feed, I imagine, given the contracts given out to the likes of... well, you know. So I guess the answer is the more pedestrian one: inertia, tradition, the Old School. Ah, father Syd, where art thou? 

Or maybe they've never been in an actual Operations center and understand the value of making key decision in a collaborative environment? Or maybe folks never feel safe enough to go to the owner to tell them this is the environment I want to build so we can take advantage of the all the talented minds we've hired? Or maybe because most organizations are ran like some kind of Kremlin where you are looking for a benefactor, picking a side, and doing what's best for that person versus what's best for your organization as a whole? 

[Tony-OH]

39 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Fun idea. Ok I'll start off by saying that I wont be at all trying to get rid of Chris Davis or Trumbo  in a Machdo deal. Machado is the one and only shot this organization has to infuse itself with young high end talent. With that said, the primary focus should be the St.Louis Cardinals. It's no secret the Cardinals are enamored with Manny and with Jed Gyorko at 3B and coming back down to earth, Manny would be an enormous upgrade both offensively and defensively. Also, the Cardinals have a huge sum of money available for just the right contract. Remember that just 2 years ago they actually offered more for Jason Heyward than the Cubs did and they were also willing to take on Stanton this offseason. They have the positional need, they have the financial resources and having gotten off to a good start in what looks to be a very competitive NL Central, Machado may get them over the top. With that said, what does it do for Orioles? Well, the Cardinals have one of the deepest farms in the league and and universally ranked in or around #5 with most of their talents in pitching. Unfortunately because Manny is only under contract for the rest of the  year you can almost definitely eliminate the elite prospects from the conversation. In this case Alex Reyes wouldn't be on the table, just like a deal with the Dodgers wouldn't have Walker Buehler or a deal with the Yankees wouldn't have Gleyber Torres available. My initial deal is as follows

 

Manny Machado and Brad Brach for Jack Flaherty, Austin Gomber and Max Schrock

Jack Flaherty is your big piece, a guy who looks like a potential #2 and rank top 50 just about universally.. He had a taste of the bigs last year at 21 and has been successful in limited innings this far in 2018. He's a guy you can pencil into your 2019 rotation.

Austin Gomber isn't the flashiest name in the Cardinal system. He doesn't have Flaherty's stuff, he can't hit 102mph on the gun like Jordan Hicks, but what he does have is pitchability. He's smart and mixes up his pitches well.  Thanks to that and an uptick that saw his fastball go from 88-92 to 90-94 he dominated the second half of last year and has started on that pace again at AAA this year. He's a strong bet to be a middle of the order inning eater.

As Schoop continues to get bigger, it becomes more obvious that 3B is going to have to eventually happen. With that  said, Max Schrock is a guy who is ready to fill that position Schrock is nearly MLB ready and brings elite bat to ball skills and above average plate discipline which is going  to keep both the BA and OBP  well above average. He does lack pop, you likely wont see him hit more than 10-15HR, but between the hit tool and his above average defensive reputation at 2B, he definitely fits the mold.

2019 Rotation

Bundy, Gausman,Flaherty,Gomber,Cobb(All under control for 3+ years)

 

 

Excellent, I have a feeling this will be one of the takes that will be under consideration! Great job! I'm not going to start conversations about each idea until we get all the responses. But great work!

[Tony-OH]

15 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

I feel like this is a homework assignment for Brady Anderson.  

Maybe this is us helping as much as we can? :;)

[Tony-OH]

25 minutes ago, Dipper9 said:

I walk into the room, sit down in my old timer's chair, look around the room, and quickly realize that any opinion I have would never measure up to the immense talent in our war room.  Therefore, I grab a case of Budweiser and stick it in my station fridge.  I crack open the first beer, kick my feet up on the desk, and take in the fun that is about to commense. 

The world needs ditch diggers too, son! lol

I kid, i kid. I just love being able to use that line from Caddyshack!

[now]

10 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Or maybe they've never been in an actual Operations center and understand the value of making key decision in a collaborative environment? Or maybe folks never feel safe enough to go to the owner to tell them this is the environment I want to build so we can take advantage of the all the talented minds we've hired? Or maybe because most organizations are ran like some kind of Kremlin where you are looking for a benefactor, picking a side, and doing what's best for that person versus what's best for your organization as a whole? 

Well said. I wish they would give you some air time. Maybe armed with a large petition from the rabble with our pitchforks and torches (or absent fannies in the seats, perchance)? Oh I forgot, that's not what pays the bills anymore anyway. Anyway, here's to crowdsourced general managing!