Potential Target: C.J. Cron

[Brooks The Great]

Just now, weams said:

Houston stuck out very little last season. 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/sort/strikeouts/type/expanded/order/true

I have little doubt Elias will help build the O's into a similar offense, at the very least cutting down on the high-strikeout, low-OBP approach that Duquette plagued us with.

But the fact Cron is a high-strikeout player shouldn't matter to our long-term plans. He would be a short-term signing made with the intention to flip for a prospect that could potentially help us in 2-3 years.

[weams]

3 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Hays will be 24 in July. We will already control his prime years anyhow. I'm fine with an OF of Mancini, Mullins, and Hays. 

Mancini can not play outfield. 

[Brooks The Great]

6 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Hays will be 24 in July. We will already control his prime years anyhow. I'm fine with an OF of Mancini, Mullins, and Hays. 

Even agreeing with your assessment that we control his prime years anyway, I don't think there's any downside to promoting Hays in July/August after we (theoretically and hopefully) trade Cron, in the event we acquire him. As opposed to having Hays break camp with the major league team, which I assure you will not happen because the team will want Hays to resume playing in the minors after suffering a significant injury last year and not re-establishing his level of play prior to suffering the injury.

[Brooks The Great]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

Mancini can not play outfield. 

But he has. And he can for the 2019 O's. Because, again, it makes us worse. Which is exactly what we want.

[theocean]

1 minute ago, weams said:

Mancini can not play outfield. 

As long as Trumbo is on the DL, I think we'll see Mancini at first and Davis at DH. 

[ScGO's]

I don't think a move like this takes us in the right direction.  I'd be very surprise if ME did something like this out of the gates.

These next three years are all about using their money to build the system up.  I think the only money ME spends on the MLB roster will be to help promote the development of the youth on the big league club.  To me, that's a defensive SS to support our pitchers.  Maybe a SP, but not even until 2020 bc we are heading into the season with a top 3 of Bundy, Cobb, and Cashner.  I believe at least 2 out of 3 of them will be gone by the end of next offseason, so we might need to buy a Scott Feldman type to round out our MLB starting rotation in 2020 (unless we go to an opener model).  If they trade Givens this offseason, I'd sign an affordable back of the bullpen option to create a little more stability for a young, unproven bullpen.

 

[Moose Milligan]

22 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

You can lose and still be bearable to watch. Mullins and Hays should be 2 of the 3 starting OFers next year. Sink or swim time.

This is about where I am.  There's no need for a redundant type.  

I get that Hays might not be ready for Opening Day but he should be up soon after.  Sink or swim, indeed.

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Moose Milligan said:

This is about where I am.  There's no need for a redundant type.  

I get that Hays might not be ready for Opening Day but he should be up soon after.  Sink or swim, indeed.

With Hays, he needs to prove he’s ready.    He hasn’t played a minute of AAA yet, and he struggled in AA last year.    I’m still extremely high on him, but I’m in no rush whatsoever to see him in Baltimore.   I want him handling AAA pitching at a solid clip for a couple months before he sees OPACY again.  

[Dark Helmet]

44 minutes ago, weams said:

Mancini can not play outfield. 

He has most of his major league career. Why worry about his defense in a lost year?

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

With Hays, he needs to prove he’s ready.    He hasn’t played a minute of AAA yet, and he struggled in AA last year.    I’m still extremely high on him, but I’m in no rush whatsoever to see him in Baltimore.   I want him handling AAA pitching at a solid clip for a couple months before he sees OPACY again.  

What if he comes out and has a monster spring?  Does that speed things up for you or no?

 

[weams]

17 minutes ago, Brooks The Great said:

But he has. And he can for the 2019 O's. Because, again, it makes us worse. Which is exactly what we want.

He won't.

[weams]

1 minute ago, Dark Helmet said:

He has most of his major league career. Why worry about his defense in a lost year?

Why waste his value, small as it is, on this team?

[Dark Helmet]

26 minutes ago, weams said:

Why waste his value, small as it is, on this team?

Davis and Trumbo are going to play as long as they are here. They are 1b/DH. His bat doesn't have much value platooning off the bench.

[weams]

7 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Davis and Trumbo are going to play as long as they are here. They are 1b/DH. His bat doesn't have much value platooning off the bench.

I mean, I believe he will be traded. As he is the only one of the three that can be now, and he has limited upside to be concerned about losing. 

[Frobby]

16 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

What if he comes out and has a monster spring?  Does that speed things up for you or no?

 

I’ll never say never, but it would take a lot to persuade me.    Spring training is full of minor league pitchers and major leaguers who are “working on stuff.”   Heck, the Orioles went 17-12 last spring and scored 5.9 runs per game.   How meaningful was that?