Ok, so now what?

[Crazysilver03]

Man, who cares?

This team will never, ever, ever step up to the plate to get something done.

If they couldn't step up here they never will. AM doesn't think Tex fit into his plan. I'd love to know what his longterm plans at 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B are.

This team is a joke.

Teix only answers the 1B question. Possibly the 2B question if it convinces Roberts to stay.

[Crazysilver03]

How about San Diego's 1B Adrian Gonzales? What would it take to get him?

San Diego said he is off-limits.

[Big Mac]

1. Extend Markakis

2. Give B-Rob a take it or leave it extension offer. Something like 4/50. If he declines trade him to Cleveland for Beau Mills and a pitching prospect.

3. Explore the market for Huff, try to target some young pitching. I doubt that we find the deal we are looking for, so I think we end up keeping him at least until the deadline.

4. Sign no more than 2 veteran stopgaps to one year deals. I'm fine with not signing any to be honest.

[JTrea81]

Know what SG? I'm gonna go out on a limb and disagree with you that Nick extends.

Nick has just seen what can happen to your bank account when you hit the FA market in your late 20's. He's spent three seasons toiling on a horrible ballclub. He has no better idea if Matsuz/Arrieta/Tillman will pan out than the rest of us. He has no idea if this team will EVER compete...just like the rest of us.

I'm sure Nick has been promised that we'll build around him...essentially the same pitch that Tex got to come here.

If we extend Nick, he'll do the smart thing and request an opt out so he can be free after his 28/29 season if this "rebuilding" project is failing.

Mark my words, Nick Markakis will have his day on the free agent market. It could be anywhere from two to five years from now, but he will have it.

It's just my hope that the Orioles have unscrewed themselves by then so he'll think about sticking around rather than bolting up the coast as soon as he possibly can.

I'd say offer him a 6 year extension this offseason for market value and if he declines, deal him. I am on this page with you Moose, I don't think Nick is attached to this organization as much as it is attached to him...

And the Orioles have lowballed him twice now, and didn't even make an effort really to go after Tex or Burnett. What kind of message does that send?

[ChaosLex]

Know what SG? I'm gonna go out on a limb and disagree with you that Nick extends.

Nick has just seen what can happen to your bank account when you hit the FA market in your late 20's. He's spent three seasons toiling on a horrible ballclub. He has no better idea if Matsuz/Arrieta/Tillman will pan out than the rest of us. He has no idea if this team will EVER compete...just like the rest of us.

I'm sure Nick has been promised that we'll build around him...essentially the same pitch that Tex got to come here.

If we extend Nick, he'll do the smart thing and request an opt out so he can be free after his 28/29 season if this "rebuilding" project is failing.

Mark my words, Nick Markakis will have his day on the free agent market. It could be anywhere from two to five years from now, but he will have it.

It's just my hope that the Orioles have unscrewed themselves by then so he'll think about sticking around rather than bolting up the coast as soon as he possibly can.

Yep. No chance in hell that Nick extends, IMO.

[YaBoyTopher]

"Rebuild and Get Younger" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love it, is that the best you can come up with? No I'm not insulting you by any means. Seriously, we have nothing to look foward too. Maybe Tex getting a WS Ring with the Yankees has a nice twist to it right?

We are not the Yankees, Tex would not have made us a contender in 09, not even close.

We cant afford to spend 500 million on FA. But we dont need to be the Yankees to win.

Look at the Rays, Phillies, Marlins, Rockies, Cardinals, Angels, White Sox and Oakland. All have been contenders or won world series without spending like the Yankees or Red Soxs.

We need to continue what we started last season and build a winner with good drafting and good trades.

The Orioles have a bright future, we just cant be short sighted as fans and put all of our hope in one over paid player (Tex).

[raypetty]

Well, the only way AM can convience Nick to stay is to try and trade for a bonefide 1B that is somewhat young and up and coming or sign Dunn and get some legit pitching. It will be interesting to see what the FO's Plan B is now that we have lost out on Tex.

[PaulBako]

1. Extend Nick

2,Trade Roberts to Cardinals for Jess Todd, Mitch Boggs, Chris Perez and Pete Kozma

3.Sign Gregg Zaun

4.Trade Scott for Nick Evans

5.Trade Sherrill for Lambo

6.trade Huff for Sean Rodriguez

Trade the old veterans! Keep Markakis, Guthrie, and all minor league prospects!

C-Wieters

1B-Evans

2B-Rodriguez

3B-Mora

SS-Izturis

LF-Reimold

CF-Jones

RF-Markakis

DH-Lambo

Rotation:

Guthrie

Olson

Todd

Boggs

Bergeson

Hernandez

It's time to rebuild!!!!!!

[jcroemer]

"Rebuild and Get Younger" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love it, is that the best you can come up with? No I'm not insulting you by any means. Seriously, we have nothing to look foward too. Maybe Tex getting a WS Ring with the Yankees has a nice twist to it right?

Look, we didn't buy into AM's plan to win in 2009. 2009 was always a lost cause in the plan.

Relax, we have a very promising crop of young talent that is mostly starting at AAA and AA this year. We can compete with those teams and when we do, FAs will want to come here. The AL East will always be tough. Look at the Red Sox - they rely on player development.

The Yankees have always operated this way. You can go back through baseball history and see that they always take this approach - trade your young talent for proven talent and later - do that plus sign big name free agents.

We'll have to settle for building teams to compete with them year after year and then we'll get to take much more pleasure in it when we do beat them. You can only be so satisfied if you make a short-term investment and buy a championship. And, by the way, not everything is in stone now. Players get hurt, fortunes change, hitters get in funks, pitchers get happy and FAT, other pitchers spend most of their careers on the DL... it'll be alright. You still have to play 162.

[Birds of B'more]

Know what SG? I'm gonna go out on a limb and disagree with you that Nick extends.

Nick has just seen what can happen to your bank account when you hit the FA market in your late 20's. He's spent three seasons toiling on a horrible ballclub. He has no better idea if Matsuz/Arrieta/Tillman will pan out than the rest of us. He has no idea if this team will EVER compete...just like the rest of us.

I'm sure Nick has been promised that we'll build around him...essentially the same pitch that Tex got to come here.

If we extend Nick, he'll do the smart thing and request an opt out so he can be free after his 28/29 season if this "rebuilding" project is failing.

Mark my words, Nick Markakis will have his day on the free agent market. It could be anywhere from two to five years from now, but he will have it.

It's just my hope that the Orioles have unscrewed themselves by then so he'll think about sticking around rather than bolting up the coast as soon as he possibly can.

I don't think you are going out on a limb at all. In fact, I think the Orioles have very little, if any, negotiating leverage right now to sign him to an extension. Good points.

[UMDTerrapins]

Part of what you do now is wait out the market. Most of the free agent market is on the value rack and it's going to get worse. There will be some bargains in January. But we go back to the trade route if we can get younger. I think very highly of Roberts. I might trade him now if the return is solid. Extend Markakis. Sign one or two veterans to one year deals for the rotation. Explore a few trades for good players on teams looking to shed payroll. But mostly, it's another development year. Keep all our draft picks. I also think you give spots to Olsen and Liz. See if they can develop into something worth trading or keeping as a 5th starter of bullpen arm. It adds up to another frustrating year. But the long term plan has to stay in place.

[Moose Milligan]

I'd say offer him a 6 year extension this offseason for market value and if he declines, deal him. I am on this page with you Moose, I don't think Nick is attached to this organization as much as it is attached to him...

And the Orioles have lowballed him twice now, and didn't even make an effort really to go after Tex or Burnett. What kind of message does that send?

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to deal him. I have a huge man-crush on Markakis...I want to fight like hell to extend him and keep him here for his career.

But you touched on something that I didn't, which is that we've loweballed him twice now and annoyed him both times.

We just offered Tex 7/140. I'm sure Nick is thinking that it's a shame that we didn't land him and I'm sure he's also thinking why are the O's not coming up a few million to make him happy, either.

If I'm the Orioles, I try to save face here and turn around and extend Nick and publicly say that he is the guy we are rebuilding around. Don't allude to it, don't put him on a billboard off 95....say it, mean it and pay him like you mean it.

[Lucky Jim]

Know what SG? I'm gonna go out on a limb and disagree with you that Nick extends.

Nick has just seen what can happen to your bank account when you hit the FA market in your late 20's. He's spent three seasons toiling on a horrible ballclub. He has no better idea if Matsuz/Arrieta/Tillman will pan out than the rest of us. He has no idea if this team will EVER compete...just like the rest of us.

I'm sure Nick has been promised that we'll build around him...essentially the same pitch that Tex got to come here.

If we extend Nick, he'll do the smart thing and request an opt out so he can be free after his 28/29 season if this "rebuilding" project is failing.

Mark my words, Nick Markakis will have his day on the free agent market. It could be anywhere from two to five years from now, but he will have it.

It's just my hope that the Orioles have unscrewed themselves by then so he'll think about sticking around rather than bolting up the coast as soon as he possibly can.

Present value of money > Future value of money.

Discuss.

[theobird]

I would hope we at least sign Kawakami.

Trade Roberts for the best possible deal, talk to dodgers about deal involving Hu and maybe MacDonald.

Trade Scott to cubs for Marquis, Pie and Hill.

Ask Mora to waive no trade and see if twins will bite.

Trade Huff and Sherrill. Looking to get back some corner infield prospects.

Extend Markakis.

We would have a very nice young outfield with Pie, jones and Kakes.

Marquis, Hill and Kawakami would help our starting pitching out greatly.

The Angels seem to be a team that Huff and or Sherrill could net us some help.

There are alot of things that need to be done, which makes me wonder why we even made an offer to Tex, while we dragged our feet on making other moves.

I like this line of thought. Since I was one of the first blow it uppers, I say lets get on with it. I would trade Huff and Sherrill to the Angels for Brandon Wood and Nick Adenhart. I would do your Scott to the Cubs for Pie, Hill and Marquis deal. I would put together a package centered around Roberts for Joey Votto. No Tex is not the end of the world. Lets get younger, cheaper and start this thing rolling.

[PaulBako]

Yep. No chance in hell that Nick extends, IMO.

Why?

Because we didn't sign Tex?

We can sign him for a reasonable offer, like Rios. He is starting a family and probably wants to stay here.