What are your expectations for Santander and Hays in 2021?

[Sports Guy]

3 minutes ago, owknows said:

I think history teaches us that it is better to let other teams pay the sizeable contracts.

If you are constantly grinding out talent and can plow 3 solid prospects back into the farm for every talent you send out... I see that as sustainable. Get the ascending youth out of 'em and send them on...

I don't see any other club really doing this yet...  closest may be TB... but I think that's what the front office has in mind.

Depends on how you define sizable contracts.  It also depends when you sign the player as to whether the sizable contract is worth it.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, owknows said:

I think history teaches us that it is better to let other teams pay the sizeable contracts.

If you are constantly grinding out talent and can plow 3 solid prospects back into the farm for every talent you send out... I see that as sustainable. Get the ascending youth out of 'em and send them on...

I don't see any other club really doing this yet...  closest may be TB... but I think that's what the front office has in mind.

I think a number of teams have had some nice success locking up young players, with the key word being young.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, owknows said:

I think any starting caliber Major League ballplayer is an asset. A key to the future.

No team has 9 All-Stars

I'm probably a little more optimistic than you are about Hays and Santander... but maybe a little less optimistic than Wildcard.

 

Asset yes.  I agree.

But not your core

You win in sports with elite talent.  The elite makes up your core. Santander and Hays will never be elite talents.  That doesn’t mean they can’t be very good but you don’t win with very good.

End of the day, they are both replaceable commodities.

[owknows]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

Depends on how you define sizable contracts.  It also depends when you sign the player as to whether the sizable contract is worth it.

Premium (top 20% by position) FA contracts are more risk than they're worth.

Sometimes they pay off handsomely. But often they create exactly the situation we're in today.

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, owknows said:

Premium (top 20% by position) FA contracts are more risk than they're worth.

Sometimes they pay off handsomely. But often they create exactly the situation we're in today.

I largely agree with this but it shouldn’t be a steadfast rule.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, owknows said:

I think any starting caliber Major League ballplayer is an asset. A key to the future.

No team has 9 All-Stars

I'm probably a little more optimistic than you are about Hays and Santander... but maybe a little less optimistic than Wildcard.

 

The 2015 Royals would have if the league hadn't changed the vote totals.

[owknows]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I think a number of teams have had some nice success locking up young players, with the key word being young.

Hard to argue that it can't be done. We've seen it... but players and their agents are pretty savvy

Wave cash in front of an emerging talent and you've got a shot at signing him for a few years.

Of course the younger you do it, the higher the risk that you've paid for a hot streak instead of enduring talent.

It's a crapshoot

[owknows]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

I largely agree with this but it shouldn’t be a steadfast rule.

None of these things are rules.

If an opportunity presents itself you take it.

But we're not the Yankees. We can't take ALL of them.

And there was a time when the Orioles tried to be a poor imitation of that.

We're still paying for it.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, owknows said:

Hard to argue that it can't be done. We've seen it... but players and their agents are pretty savvy

Wave cash in front of an emerging talent and you've got a shot at signing him for a few years.

Of course the younger you do it, the higher the risk that you've paid for a hot streak instead of enduring talent.

It's a crapshoot

That's why our front office has all those analysts right?  So we don't do things like spend a high draft pick on a kid that had a hot spring and instead use it on someone that had a legitimate breakthrough in a small sample size.

[owknows]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

That's why our front office has all those analysts right?  So we don't do things like spend a high draft pick on a kid that had a hot spring and instead use it on someone that had a legitimate breakthrough in a small sample size.

Yes... that's why we pay the experts.

And as in nearly every subject...  that has about as much value as a coin flip.

Edited December 1, 2020 by owknows
spelling

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, owknows said:

Yes... that's why we pay the experts.

And as in nearly every subject...  that has about as much value as a coin flip.

Gosh I hope they can do better than a coin flip. 

[owknows]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Gosh I hope they can do better than a coin flip. 

I'm being sarcastic of course... mostly... sorta...

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, owknows said:

I'm being sarcastic of course... mostly... sorta...

I noticed, hence the gosh. 

[owknows]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

I noticed, hence the gosh. 

I haven't figured out your cadence yet.

I usually have a pretty good sarcasometer... you definitely have a dry wit (which I like)

But I occasionally have the "not sure if..." reaction

[Sports Guy]

9 minutes ago, owknows said:

None of these things are rules.

If an opportunity presents itself you take it.

But we're not the Yankees. We can't take ALL of them.

And there was a time when the Orioles tried to be a poor imitation of that.

We're still paying for it.

We shouldn’t be paying for it.  The Davis contract doesn’t prevent this team from doing anything.