Duquette: "Extensive Conversations a Couple Years Ago" with Manny

[Hallas]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

I think the O’s screwed up the Manny negotiations big time.   It’s been obvious since virtually the day he made his debut that he was the kind of talent an organization gets only once in a generation.    Signing him long term should have been the team’s highest priority.    So many times during Manny’s tenure I heard Duquette say, in essence, that the O’s were not pursuing a long term deal with Manny yet because the team had more urgent priorities.    That’s just asinine.  They should have pressed for a deal every single winter from 2013 onwards.    And I don’t want to hear the knees as an excuse.    That should have been weighed into what the O’s would offer, but it clearly shouldn’t have kept the O’s from aggressively and regularly looking for a deal.    If anything, it created an opportunity for the O’s with Manny having to realize the risk he’d be taking by going year by year.    To hear Manny say that the O’s said they’d be contacting his agent to discuss and then never did it, is extremely frustrating.    I accept that the story is probably more complicated than Manny is portraying it, but it’s obvious to me that the O’s were nowhere near as aggressive and active as they should have been.  

You're right of course.  We should have pushed harder to sign him in 2014-2016.  Do you think Manny would have signed 6/140 in 2014 offseason?  That would make him a FA in 2020, at age 28, still young enough for a monster contract.  Maybe not 10/300, but 8/250 would have been likely.

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, esmd said:

None of really know, and probably never will.  But my own personal belief is that Manny never was interested in signing here.  I think he always planned to hit free agency, maximize his value, and move on elsewhere to a more glamorous locale like NY or LA, or even Miami if the Marlins were any good, but that obviously doesn't seem to be the case.  We shall see.

 

3 hours ago, Sanfran327 said:

Of course. He's the new A-Rod. It was always his intention to become a mercenary for the highest bidder. Guys like A-Rod and Manny measure their talent by the size of their paycheck moreso than their actual production.

I would have loved to make him a career Oriole if he wanted to be a career Oriole, but I don't think that was ever in his heart. I won't go so far as to say good riddance, but I will be relieved when this situation is all over and we can move on.

OK, so I guess we should just ignore the dozen or so times he said he’d be open to a long term deal with the Orioles and would love to be an Oriole for life.    Look, I am not naive.  I know players often say things that will appease the fans in the city in which they’re currently playing.  I know that despite those statements, there was always a good chance he’d wind up somewhere else.    But I also believe that if we’d put a realistic offer on the table, he would have seriously considered it.   And I do believe he’s a good teammate and will be sad to leave.   This idea that Manny is all about making the most money and going where the lights burn brightest just isn’t based on anything other than speculation.   He’s said very little to support that conclusion.

[webbrick2010]

The legacy of this FO will be signing Chris Davis for 161 million (Mark Trumbo & Darren O'day) while letting Manny Machado walk

What was the plan? Was there ever a plan?

[esmd]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

 

OK, so I guess we should just ignore the dozen or so times he said he’d be open to a long term deal with the Orioles and would love to be an Oriole for life.    Look, I am not naive.  I know players often say things that will appease the fans in the city in which they’re currently playing.  I know that despite those statements, there was always a good chance he’d wind up somewhere else.    But I also believe that if we’d put a realistic offer on the table, he would have seriously considered it.   And I do believe he’s a good teammate and will be sad to leave.   This idea that Manny is all about making the most money and going where the lights burn brightest just isn’t based on anything other than speculation.   He’s said very little to support that conclusion.

I just don't buy it.  I think he was always, 100% going to hit free agency, no matter what he said publicly.  And the Orioles simply cannot afford to pay him a contract in the neighborhood of 10/300, even if the Davis contract is out of the question.  Personally, I think one of the reasons they panicked and signed Davis was because they knew they weren't going to be able to re-sign Manny.