ESPN: 1 player every team should trade or trade for

[wildcard]

14 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

It’s possible.  It’s also possible that he doesn’t get players back in those trades but still replaces them in other ways.  You don’t have to get  an 825 OPS 30 HR DH.  You could get better defense and pitching and that makes up for the lost production. 
 

There are a lot of ways to build a contender.

I don’t think we trade Santander but I have no idea why you think he’s so tough to replace.

I think you are stretching.  Very hard to trade Mancini or Means and not hurt the teams competitiveness in 2022.

[waroriole]

4 minutes ago, wildcard said:

There is a lot more going on in Bowie than those three though they are the leaders.   Vavra 2B, Grenier SS and Dorrian 3B would be an upgrade over what the O's have now if they continue to improve in the 2nd half.   If not Elias needs to get FAs for whatever spot are needed.

When you talk about the current team you are talking about below replacement players in Franco, Wilkerson/Valaika,  and Severino/Wynns.

I think Vavra and Ortiz are guys to keep an eye on, but I’d be surprised if either were replacement level or better next year. Our good middle IF prospects haven’t progressed far enough to contribute next year. 

[DrinkinWithFermi]

14 minutes ago, SteveA said:

All of those things are pretty darn obvious to opposing GMs too.   What makes you think they will give us much of value?

The Yankees are desperate for a LH bat,  yet I haven't heard a peep about them knocking down the door for Santander or Mullins.   I don't think any team in MLB is badly hurting at 1B to the point where they think Mancini is the Answer to help them over the top this year.   Unless Freddie Freeman steps in a pothole I think most opposing teams see Mancini as a nice piece to add to their lineup but not something they will give up the farm for.   With Means on the IL *and* with the crackdown on stickum, and with his relatively short track record of success, he will not come close to bringing what Erik Bedard was.

Yes, we could deal those guys and get some warm bodies back, some second tier prospects maybe.   But I don't think we could get difference makers that would really help our rebuild.   That doesn't mean that Elias should try and see what is out there, but I think the actual returns will be pretty disappointing.

I sort of agree, and in a normal year, I think the returns would probably be decent but unspectacular, but 2021 is not a normal year. Injuries are through the roof, seemingly due to the shortened 2020 season, and desperate teams in playoff races sometimes do shortsighted things.

I'm just saying that I would be VERY actively shopping every last player with a single iota of hypothetical trade value on the MLB roster, including guys with 3+ years of service time remaining like Mullins, not that I would simply give them away for the sake of making any deal.

[wildcard]

36 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

The first year or two of those guys will be wasted regardless because we do not currently have enough talent on-hand to build a winner around them.

Mancini is good but hardly irreplaceable and likely a poor long-term extension candidate as an almost 30 year old 1B/DH type of player with a history of cancer.

Mullins will come back down to Earth eventually when his .360+ BABIP corrects itself.

Means may not be the same guy we have seen so far in 2021 without whatever substance he has been using on his fingers.

Santander is already arb-eligible and seems to be made of porcelain.

If we can turn some or all of those pieces into multiple guys that could help us realistically compete in 2024 and beyond, that is probably the way to go, IMO.

Do I like it? No, of course not.

But reality doesn't much care about my opinion of it.

If Duquette turned a 13 year loser into a winner over a winter then Elias can add the pieces he needed to  make the most of the Adley/Grayson/DL window in 2022.

I don't see a long term extension for Mancini.  2 years plus an option  year is about as much as he will get anywhere IMO.

[Turtle]

43 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I disagree.   You are going to see a major improvement when Adley is added behind the plate and to the offense.   Grayson and DL will bring stuff that is near the top of the league.   Its up to Elias to put the right players around them.  That maybe a 2B/SS/3B and a closer but to not waster these guys years that is Elias needs to do.

Rookies often take time to adjust to the majors. They don't just come to the big leagues and immediately start contributing to their potential. I think the idea of Adley, Grayson, DL, etc... all coming up next year and performing enough to the point of being competitive is unlikely. It's a .500 team at the very best. I expect we will see all of them next year at some point for sure, but 2022 is not a winning year. It's a transition year. 

2023 is the year when we will add FAs when the CD contract frees up $23Milion. By that time, top prospects will mostly have had MLB experience and we can start to become contenders. So in the meantime, sell anyone you don't see as a long-time contributer now. Continue to build the farm system. Then when the big prospects come up next year and the following year, you buy Free Agents to fill in the holes. 

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Just now, wildcard said:

If Duquette turned a 13 year loser into a winner over a winter

Dan Duquette rode Andy MacPhail's coattails to success.

[Yossarian]

1 hour ago, baltimoreO's22 said:

Mullis is the best player on the team and right now he's one of the best players in the MLB. Since Mullins is under team control through 2025, he would be very expensive.

The Orioles are going to need to complete the roster with some FA/Trade additions. Its nearly impossible to fill a competitive roster with draft picks, as you would have to hit at an incredibly high rate. Most Chris Davis's contract comes off the books after next year so if the Orioles truly want to be competitive, they'll need to work on signing the right guys in FA and making sure they lock up their home grown talent. 

Agreed.  For sure the O's are going to have to pick up established major leaguers in the free agent market.  The player(s),the price, and the time they start making these moves will have to be thought out very carefully.  No more overpaying for aging guys that are past their primes.  I think Elias has a plan - I just wish it was two years further along than it is.

[wildcard]

4 minutes ago, waroriole said:

I think Vavra and Ortiz are guys to keep an eye on, but I’d be surprised if either were replacement level or better next year. Our good middle IF prospects haven’t progressed far enough to contribute next year. 

Vavra has a chance to be a high OBP and an average defensive 2B next season.  Grenier already is a major league caliber defensive SS.  Have to wait on the 2nd half to see if his offense is ready.  Dorrian has power at 3B. He is probably better than Franco.  Whoever is not ready by next season Elias has to supplement with FA.

[wildcard]

6 minutes ago, Turtle said:

Rookies often take time to adjust to the majors. They don't just come to the big leagues and immediately start contributing to their potential. I think the idea of Adley, Grayson, DL, etc... all coming up next year and performing enough to the point of being competitive is unlikely. It's a .500 team at the very best. I expect we will see all of them next year at some point for sure, but 2022 is not a winning year. It's a transition year. 

2023 is the year when we will add FAs when the CD contract frees up $23Milion. By that time, top prospects will mostly have had MLB experience and we can start to become contenders. So in the meantime, sell anyone you don't see as a long-time contributer now. Continue to build the farm system. Then when the big prospects come up next year and the following year, you buy Free Agents to fill in the holes. 

I agree with some of this but not all.  Next year can be a winning year with some additions.  2023 can be a contending year after the kids get some experience.  Top talent adjusts pretty fast.  Just look at Mountcastle's progress. And the three guys we are talking about are all better then him.

[waroriole]

10 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Dan Duquette rode Andy MacPhail's coattails to success.

He was helped by some moves Andy made, but DD managed the ML roster with precision. Was probably helped by Buck, but you can’t not give him credit for what he did. 

[wildcard]

13 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Dan Duquette rode Andy MacPhail's coattails to success.

And Elias is riding Duquette's coattails.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

3 minutes ago, wildcard said:

And Elias is riding Duquette's coattails.

Yeah dude, that barren farm system, laughably bad MLB roster, and outrageously outdated front office that Elias inherited from DD was truly the envy of baseball 

9 minutes ago, waroriole said:

He was helped by some moves Andy made, but DD managed the ML roster with precision. Was probably helped by Buck, but you can’t not give him credit for what he did. 

DD completely destroyed our farm system with awful trades and awful signings for guys like Gerardo Parra, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, and the bloated remains of K-Rod to keep the solid core he inherited from AM above water a little longer, and we are still paying for it in 2021.

[SteveA]

31 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Yeah dude, that barren farm system, laughably bad MLB roster, and outrageously outdated front office that Elias inherited from DD was truly the envy of baseball 

DD completely destroyed our farm system with awful trades and awful signings for guys like Gerardo Parra, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, and the bloated remains of K-Rod to keep the solid core he inherited from AM above water a little longer, and we are still paying for it in 2021.

All true but I think his last couple drafts were quite good.

[waroriole]

59 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Yeah dude, that barren farm system, laughably bad MLB roster, and outrageously outdated front office that Elias inherited from DD was truly the envy of baseball 

DD completely destroyed our farm system with awful trades and awful signings for guys like Gerardo Parra, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, and the bloated remains of K-Rod to keep the solid core he inherited from AM above water a little longer, and we are still paying for it in 2021.

Yeah, his objective wasn’t to set us up for the future. It seemed to be to squeeze every last drop of contention out of that core group. Of course Ubaldo and Gallardo signings were terrible. Parra trade was a joke. But he is the only GM who was able to actually win. And it wasn’t happening with Andy still in the role. 

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

I think you are stretching.  Very hard to trade Mancini or Means and not hurt the teams competitiveness in 2022.

You overrate Mancini and his overall worth.  
 

You also just don’t seem to understand that you can replace production in other areas and have a much better overall team.