Would you offer Hays or Mountcastle a long term deal now?

[DrungoHazewood]

47 minutes ago, hoosiers said:

Both Hays and Mountcastle have at least minor questions about their offensive game to answer at the major league level.  I would prefer to wait until after this year to make a longer term commitment to each.  I don't like the risk/reward if they don't pan out and we are paying out $10M in five or six years to a non-producer when we are trying to be competitive.  

Hays is older and might be quicker to sign a deal that involves some decent security.  

I am a fan of both players, just wouldn't sign them to a Kingery deal right now.

I think it's more than minor questions.  Hays has trouble staying healthy and consistently hitting at a high level.  Mountcastle's possible outcomes include Adam Jones/Jonathan Schoop profiles, which doesn't work out as well when you're an okay LF/1B/DH.

[HowAboutThat]

2 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

You also have to be willing to be a jerk, and have ownership willing to let you do unpopular things.  You have to go to the team and the fanbase and the media and tell them that you know that Fred Smith was a key part of a lot of good and memorable teams, and everyone loves having him here, but we're cutting him loose for prospects when he still has something left in the tank.  And if it doesn't work out very well not only does everyone hate you, but your head may be on the block, too.

Well, are we hating anybody for not bringing back AJ or Hardy or Manny?

nobody is the face of the franchise beyond his time with the franchise.

In the history of the O’s what, five guys are true icons?

The team is the team, and the team is made of of guys. And the guys change. We have memories of past times and then we look to present and future.

this year it’s Rucker and Harvey and Mountcastle. If Mountcastle hits great, maybe we’ll trade Mancini, and everyone will mourn, but only for a few minutes. 

Next year it’s Adley and Gray-Rod and Hall, and so on

[DrungoHazewood]

5 hours ago, Philip said:

Well, are we hating anybody for not bringing back AJ or Hardy or Manny?

nobody is the face of the franchise beyond his time with the franchise.

In the history of the O’s what, five guys are true icons?

The team is the team, and the team is made of of guys. And the guys change. We have memories of past times and then we look to present and future.

this year it’s Rucker and Harvey and Mountcastle. If Mountcastle hits great, maybe we’ll trade Mancini, and everyone will mourn, but only for a few minutes. 

Next year it’s Adley and Gray-Rod and Hall, and so on

@Frobby is still mad about Markakis.

[HowAboutThat]

34 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

@Frobby is still mad about Markakis.

I’m a bit annoyed about one Nelson Cruz.

oh how the dominoes would have been different if we’d ponied up for him!

But we didn’t because certain idiots chose not to. And 7 seasons later, the Twins are happy.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

[atomic]

I am not even sure Hays is a major league player so I wouldn’t sign him to anything. 

[DrungoHazewood]

11 hours ago, Philip said:

I’m a bit annoyed about one Nelson Cruz.

oh how the dominoes would have been different if we’d ponied up for him!

But we didn’t because certain idiots chose not to. And 7 seasons later, the Twins are happy.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

I'm 100% comfortable with the O's not signing Cruz.  Not signing a 34-year-old DH coming off a career year to a long-term deal is GM 101.  Unless you know he's on undetectable PEDs and you don't care.

[DrungoHazewood]

8 hours ago, atomic said:

I am not even sure Hays is a major league player so I wouldn’t sign him to anything. 

If you are unsure he's even a MLB player, I guess I have to endorse a 6/30 deal based on the standard atomic discount rate on Oriole players.  

[jabba72]

8 hours ago, atomic said:

I am not even sure Hays is a major league player so I wouldn’t sign him to anything. 

I voted yes to the extension because I believe its likely they'll be everyday players for Baltimore, but there are definitely questions. The lack of walks both seem to have could be an issue.  Also how well will Mountcastle adjust to LF? Or is he playing 1B?

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

I voted yes to the extension because I believe its likely they'll be everyday players for Baltimore, but there are definitely questions. The lack of walks both seem to have could be an issue.  Also how well will Mountcastle adjust to LF? Or is he playing 1B?

He's played both so far this spring.

[jabba72]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

He's played both so far this spring.

After reading more comments in the thread I can easily see the argument for not extending them. I just liked the idea of team control through 8 years, even if there was an overpay up front. 

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I'm 100% comfortable with the O's not signing Cruz.  Not signing a 34-year-old DH coming off a career year to a long-term deal is GM 101.  Unless you know he's on undetectable PEDs and you don't care.

I wish we had kept him

[weams]

13 hours ago, Philip said:

I’m a bit annoyed about one Nelson Cruz.

oh how the dominoes would have been different if we’d ponied up for him!

But we didn’t because certain idiots chose not to. And 7 seasons later, the Twins are happy.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

They did pony up for him. Seattle went four years.

[weams]

2 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I'm 100% comfortable with the O's not signing Cruz.  Not signing a 34-year-old DH coming off a career year to a long-term deal is GM 101.  Unless you know he's on undetectable PEDs and you don't care.

He never tested positive. He was caught on the paper trail. The troches, gummies, and lozenges that the Biogenesis used were not detectable during the time periods the players would be available for testing. 

[HowAboutThat]

27 minutes ago, weams said:

They did pony up for him. Seattle went four years.

If I remember correctly, we offered him three, and Seattle went four. So we didn’t pony up the fourth year.

[weams]

5 minutes ago, Philip said:

If I remember correctly, we offered him three, and Seattle went four. So we didn’t pony up the fourth year.

You are right. The Orioles never went four years on a 34 year old steroid suspended DH.