Meanwhile, back at the ranch…in Texas

[HowAboutThat]

The Rangers have just signed half $1 billion worth of middle infielders. That means that their super utility guy, Isaiah Kiner-Felefa, Is probably going to be on the block. He can play catcher, third or short, his defense is excellent he hits well and was worth over 4WAR last season. And he is now superfluous to the Rangers, who are spending stupid right now.

We should jump on IKF.

[Camden_yardbird]

Teams usually keep those type of guys around because they can play everywhere.

Why would Texas trade him? Why would the Orioles trade for him, and what would it cost? 

[Frobby]

So, I didn’t know much about this player so I looked him up.   I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player whose defensive metrics diverge so much.   Rdrs (which feeds into rWAR) rated him +10 and Rtot had him at +13, both of which are excellent.   UZR, which feeds into fWAR, has him at +1.2, solid but nothing special.    But then OAA has him at -7, in the 4th percentile.   That’s absolutely terrible.   So what are we to make of the guy?   I gather that Philip thinks he’s a plus defender.   

One thing we know for sure, he’s a .670 OPS career hitter in 1523 at bats.   And that stinks.   I’d probably rather play Mateo or Gutierrez, neither of whom has hit much in the majors but seem to have more room for improvement 
 

[oriole]

I dunno, seems like a team putting that much effort into competing will want a player they can play almost anywhere when needed. I doubt he’s available. 
 

Also, there’s absolutely no reason why a rebuilding club would want to trade from future assets for a super utility player to play while they lose 100 games the next couple years.

[Sports Guy]

Rather try to trade them Mullins for Jung.

[luismatos4prez]

Someone make a flow chart for answering the question "Will the Orioles make X move?" this season. 

Does it involve acquiring a player that makes more than the minimum salary?

Yes -> Get real.

No -> Probably still too expensive.

[HowAboutThat]

51 minutes ago, Frobby said:

So, I didn’t know much about this player so I looked him up.   I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player whose defensive metrics diverge so much.   Rdrs (which feeds into rWAR) rated him +10 and Rtot had him at +13, both of which are excellent.   UZR, which feeds into fWAR, has him at +1.2, solid but nothing special.    But then OAA has him at -7, in the 4th percentile.   That’s absolutely terrible.   So what are we to make of the guy?   I gather that Philip thinks he’s a plus defender.   

One thing we know for sure, he’s a .670 OPS career hitter in 1523 at bats.   And that stinks.   I’d probably rather play Mateo or Gutierrez, neither of whom has hit much in the majors but seem to have more room for improvement 
 

What I think it that I know he had 3.7 WAR last year and has won a gold glove( don’t recall which position) so I think he’s worth investigating.

Texas is run by folks with more money than sense so it’s within the realm of possibility that he could be had for cheap.

I think they should keep him but @oriole @camdenyardbirdthe talk at lone star ball is that they’ll trade him because Texas has some prospects who are expected to be ready this season.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Philip

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

6 hours ago, Frobby said:

So, I didn’t know much about this player so I looked him up.   I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player whose defensive metrics diverge so much.   Rdrs (which feeds into rWAR) rated him +10 and Rtot had him at +13, both of which are excellent.   UZR, which feeds into fWAR, has him at +1.2, solid but nothing special.    But then OAA has him at -7, in the 4th percentile.   That’s absolutely terrible.   So what are we to make of the guy?   I gather that Philip thinks he’s a plus defender.   

One thing we know for sure, he’s a .670 OPS career hitter in 1523 at bats.   And that stinks.   I’d probably rather play Mateo or Gutierrez, neither of whom has hit much in the majors but seem to have more room for improvement 
 

Career 81 OPS+ not a lot to get excited about other than his versatility as a fielder. Would take him on the cheap though as a utility player. 

[sportsfan8703]

5 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Career 81 OPS+ not a lot to get excited about other than his versatility as a fielder. Would take him on the cheap though as a utility player. 

We shouldn’t be trading assets for a utility guy that had a career year. 

[jamalshw]

It looks like Texas was interested to see what he was as a full-time player with a set position. They mostly saw that in 2021 and the answer is: he's a above average player up the middle based on defense, but a below average bat. 

With Seager and Seimen added, the Rangers can now put him in what is probably his best role: utility player. The fact he can play catcher makes him valuable as a utility guy. If I were them, I'd give him looks at 2B and OF during spring to see if they can make him even more versatile. He's an interesting player and one that I think has plenty of value, but not someone the Orioles should target. He's a Swiss Army Knife type player that is a great bench option for a team, but not a building block type player or someone that can be counted on as an everyday option nor someone the Orioles should give up assets to acquire. 

[Frobby]

FWIW, MLBTR estimates his 2022 salary at $4.9 mm, Cot’s says $4.75 mm.   That’s a fair chunk of change for a utility player.   

[waroriole]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

FWIW, MLBTR estimates his 2022 salary at $4.9 mm, Cot’s says $4.75 mm.   That’s a fair chunk of change for a utility player.   

That’s a pretty crazy amount for a utility guy who’s not a good hitter and below average at SS. Maybe he’s non-tendered. 

[HowAboutThat]

Today’s Dallas news was glowing about how wonderful it is that Texas spent so much money for three players, and the proposed linup for next season Assumes Josh Jung will take over third base.

I agree that they should keep IKF as utility guy But as I said, the buzz is that Texas will try to trade him.

His WAR Would have been a strong second on this team, and remember that hitting isn’t everything, and his versatility allows him to play catcher as well. But I thought he was an interesting player to mention.

Certainly if they nontender him, I hope we will approach him.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Philip

[HowAboutThat]

A bit more commentary from a Texas writer:

“Semien and Seager starting up the middle would displace Isiah Kiner-Falefa from shortstop, the position he manned all of 2021. Third base, where Kiner-Falefa won an American League Gold Glove in 2020, is expected to be filled by Josh Jung, the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who would have made his MLB debut in ‘21 if not for injuries delaying his start to the Minor League season.”

So money aside, is IKF more versatile than Gutierrez? Does he hit better than Gutierrez?

If those answers are Yes, then if he is non-tendered, we should pick him up. 

[NCRaven]

5 minutes ago, Philip said:

A bit more commentary from a Texas writer:

“Semien and Seager starting up the middle would displace Isiah Kiner-Falefa from shortstop, the position he manned all of 2021. Third base, where Kiner-Falefa won an American League Gold Glove in 2020, is expected to be filled by Josh Jung, the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who would have made his MLB debut in ‘21 if not for injuries delaying his start to the Minor League season.”

So money aside, is IKF more versatile than Gutierrez? Does he hit better than Gutierrez?

If those answers are Yes, then if he is non-tendered, we should pick him up. 

I think my Mountcastle man crush is more justified than your Kiner-Falefa man crush.