O’s are paying $50.5 million for 2019

[Moose Milligan]

Well.  This sucks.

[LookinUp]

My impression was that sports contract insurance is way down, and likely peaks at 20-30% for most players. Of the three we have, Trumbo's is the most likely to kick in with insurance. I'd imagine Cobb's could, but think that's really unlikely unless his injuries are career threatening. That part is speculation by me though.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, bobmc said:

I think that some have argued that they would rather see a middling team with some "household names" vice what we are throwing out there now, right? (see atomic, @).  But many agree with you, yes.

 

Unusual feeling, that.

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

I agree that in a perfect world you have the 30th ranked salary and low overall salary while you rebuild.  I would contend in todays MLB they are there and if they dropped even if they replaced Trumbos salary next year they would be still doing that.

But competitive teams arent also built in a year, or even two.  You have to keep adding pieces.  I mean even look at our old fan favorite, Markakis, added years ago to a Braves team that was bad but building with 5-7 top 100 prospects.  

It worked out OK for them but I don't think the Markakis deal is one we should be emulating.

[Camden_yardbird]

1 minute ago, bobmc said:

I think that some have argued that they would rather see a middling team with some "household names" vice what we are throwing out there now, right? (see atomic, @).  But many agree with you, yes.

 

I like the approach of dropping bad assets and adding better assets while keeping overall salary similar over the next 2 years.  Build a foundation that includes prospects and some carefully selected free agents, then start increasing salary over the next two into the top 12.

Avoid the treadmill of mediocrity at all costs.

[weams]

1 minute ago, Camden_yardbird said:

I like the approach of dropping bad assets and adding better assets while keeping overall salary similar over the next 2 years.  Build a foundation that includes prospects and some carefully selected free agents, then start increasing salary over the next two into the top 12.

Avoid the treadmill of mediocrity at all costs.

I like the approach of spending no extra money until the team is prepared to spend whatever it needs to compete. 

[wildbillhiccup]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

I like the approach of spending no extra money until the team is prepared to spend whatever it needs to compete. 

I hear ya, but they still have to try to put butts in the seats. I honestly don't care how much they spend as long as they don't give out any long term contracts to FAs and as long as it doesn't dip into the money they have allocated for player developmen, the international market, etc.

[Camden_yardbird]

4 minutes ago, weams said:

I like the approach of spending no extra money until the team is prepared to spend whatever it needs to compete. 

When is that? I think thats the real question.  You have to build a competitive team, and that doesnt happen in one year.  That doesnt happen through one free agency period.

Do you do that solely via draft picks until such time that they establish themselves as a 70, 75, 80 win team?

Do that in anticipation that your top prospects will add 20-30 wins in the next 2-3 years when they arrive?

[TradeAngelos]

5 minutes ago, weams said:

I like the approach of spending no extra money until the team is prepared to spend whatever it needs to compete. 

Yeah spending whatever it takes to compete is definitely the Oriole way. No restrictions just let it fly! Just setting a few hundred million aside waiting for the "right time" to unload it all. 

[Roll Tide]

46 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

It really is remarkable on the past 10+ years.  There are a lot of types of big contracts and they have been bad at almost all.

Signing their own prospects: Almost nonexistant outside Jones which worked out.

Signing big name free agents: Who? What?

Signing their "finds":  Trumbo, Davis, ouch.  O'day kind of worked out.

Bargain Bin Diving:  Cobb, Ubaldo, ouch.

Honestly if Cobb was a free agent this winter coming off a full healthy season I’d sign him all over again. Anyone who thinks it was bad luck is kidding IMO.

[weams]

11 minutes ago, TradeAngelos said:

Yeah spending whatever it takes to compete is definitely the Oriole way. No restrictions just let it fly! Just setting a few hundred million aside waiting for the "right time" to unload it all. 

Oh, I know as a small market team that money will not be available no matter what to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Dodgers. Nor the GIants or Atlanta. 

But maybe they can spend what they did last year to compete with the Twins and Royals. 

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

Honestly if Cobb was a free agent this winter coming off a full healthy season I’d sign him all over again. Anyone who thinks it was bad luck is kidding IMO.

Would you give up a draft pick for Cobb?

[weams]

14 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

When is that? I think thats the real question.  You have to build a competitive team, and that doesnt happen in one year.  That doesnt happen through one free agency period.

Do you do that solely via draft picks until such time that they establish themselves as a 70, 75, 80 win team?

Do that in anticipation that your top prospects will add 20-30 wins in the next 2-3 years when they arrive?

You would hope they could spend some on 2021 with the idea that 2022 is a competition year no matter what. 

[weams]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Would you give up a draft pick for Cobb?

It was really dumb to do so for Cobb. I'll never be in favor of giving up another draft pick for a free agent. 

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, weams said:

It was really dumb to do so for Cobb. I'll never be in favor of giving up another draft pick for a free agent. 

I might but it would have to be a Manny type situation.

Who knows, maybe they will kill draft pick compensation in the next CBA?