Adam Dunn on our list?

[JTrea81]

Why the hell are you trying to make sense of this pathetic, horrific organization?

Can't pay for Tex...We will just pay for Hinske, Casey, Redding, and Millar. I laughed out loud just writing that. Here we come 44 wins!

At this point I'd trade BROB for a bag of peanuts just so he don't have to spend more time playing here.

I just find it really strange that somebody who wants to build through trades and develop the Twins and Rays model would want to sign a stopgap mediocre FA like Hinske or Casey. Those two were bench players last season and for good reason.

With all the MASN money available at MacPhail's disposal it also makes no sense to suddenly become small market...

We might have a new nickname for our GM: Andy McFrugal

[Crazysilver03]

Why would we trade for pitching when we can just sign somebody?

Trading for a stopgap pitcher is just idiotic...

Adam Dunn isn't a long term solution.

You also want to go after Ackley in the draft, but he isnt a solid solution at 1B because he doesnt project to have a lot of power.

As for options at first base...

1) Salazar: could provide decent pop for cheap price

2) Scott: Trembley alluded to trying Scott at 1B in 2009 to make room for Montanez/Reimold

3) Snyder

It isnt like we dont have options. They are actually pretty good options to.

[JTrea81]

I'm open for suggestions.

Sign Kawakami and/or Uehara. John Smoltz is also out there as is Randy Johnson. Spend just a little bit more rather than trading somebody that could be actually useful for somebody that is going to be the next Steve Trachsel...

Or forget about signing stopgaps all together and just put Tillman/Arrieta/Matusz and Bergesen into the rotation from Opening Day.

Signing or trading for a bunch of Trachsel's is not the way to go about it...

[JTrea81]

Adam Dunn isn't a long term solution.

You also want to go after Ackley in the draft, but he isnt a solid solution at 1B because he doesnt project to have a lot of power.

As for options at first base...

1) Salazar: could provide decent pop for cheap price

2) Scott: Trembley alluded to trying Scott at 1B in 2009 to make room for Montanez/Reimold

3) Snyder

It isnt like we dont have options. They are actually pretty good options to.

James Loney is a pretty decent 1B man that doesn't hit for HR power. Mark Grace is another example. As long as he gets on base, hits for average, drives in runs and plays solid defense, Ackley is exactly what we need. Smoak would have fit the bill perfectly but we chose not to take advantage of that opportunity...

[Crazysilver03]

Yep, he's talking out of both sides of his mouth.

Wants to be the Rays and Twins but they have things we don't have...talent.

I can see him signing a Looper or Redding, it actually makes a bit of sense if we are waiting things out for our young pitchers.

But the Izturis and this 1B news just makes no sense at all, and at this point I don't have confidence AM can make 2 trades much less find a longterm option at SS, 1B, while dealing Sherill, Huff, BROB, Mora...What a joke.

The Izturis signing makes a lot of sense.

He provides good defense up the middle, which our pitching can greatly use. As Frobby pointed out, he will most likely add 30+ runs on offense compared to the shortstops of last season. The move doesnt stop MacPhail from getting a young SS, as Izturis' 3M salary is reasonable for a back-up option as well.

[Crazysilver03]

James Loney is a pretty decent 1B man that doesn't hit for HR power. As long as he gets on base, hits for average, drives in runs and plays solid defense, Ackley is exactly what we need. Smoak would have fit the bill perfectly but we chose not to take advantage of that opportunity...

It is half a dozen of one and six of another.

You could either draft Smoak and not have Matusz. Or you can draft Matusz and trade another pitcher for a starting 1B.

It is a lot easier to draft a pitcher and trade a pitcher for a bat then it is to draft a bat and trade for a SP.

[JTrea81]

It is half a dozen of one and six of another.

You could either draft Smoak and not have Matusz. Or you can draft Matusz and trade another pitcher for a starting 1B.

It is a lot easier to draft a pitcher and trade a pitcher for a bat then it is to draft a bat and trade for a SP.

Then lets see MacPhail do it then if it's so easy instead of signing Hinske or Casey...

He passed on Tex, well now he's got to have a heck of a Plan B and Casey and Hinske should be more like Plan Z...

[Crazysilver03]

Sign Kawakami and/or Uehara. John Smoltz is also out there as is Randy Johnson. Spend just a little bit more rather than trading somebody that could be actually useful for somebody that is going to be the next Steve Trachsel...

Or forget about signing stopgaps all together and just put Tillman/Arrieta/Matusz and Bergesen into the rotation from Opening Day.

Signing or trading for a bunch of Trachsel's is not the way to go about it...

Like these are realistic options.

Your next idea is even better, let us just rush our prospects like we did with Penn/Cabrera/Riley and see how that turns out again.

[33rdst]

Sign Kawakami and/or Uehara. John Smoltz is also out there as is Randy Johnson. Spend just a little bit more rather than trading somebody that could be actually useful for somebody that is going to be the next Steve Trachsel...

Or forget about signing stopgaps all together and just put Tillman/Arrieta/Matusz and Bergesen into the rotation from Opening Day.

Signing or trading for a bunch of Trachsel's is not the way to go about it...

First of all you need to read my post again. I said nothing of trading for a "stop gap" pitcher.

It has been reported that Kawakami has a three year offer from the Red Sox.

I'm not sure of Uehara's status but I wouldn't be opposed to signng him.

No one knows how healthy Smoltz is and suggesting that he would play for us is a pipe dream. He would have far better options at this point in his career.

Same goes for Randy Johnson.

Your point about starting our young pitchers is one I wouldn't necessarily disagree with. They may end up here by June in any case.

[JTrea81]

Like these are realistic options.

Your next idea is even better, let us just rush our prospects like we did with Penn/Cabrera/Riley and see how that turns out again.

If we sign garbage we are going to get garbage...

That's not exactly a good investment of money.

Heck I wouldn't be opposed to forfeiting the whole season at this point, taking the #1 pick in the draft and start from scratch in 2010 but obviously that's not realistic.

2009 is going to be lost season. If we sign Trachsels to fill out the rotation the bullpen is going to collapse and we are going to be horrible once again.

If we go with our young pitching, if they are as good as advertised, and Matusz and Arrieta are supposed to be more polished than those guys you named they should at least be able to come in midseason.

In the meantime we have the wave of in betweens such as Olson/Liz/Penn/Bergesen/Berken/Hernandez/Patton/Albers. Some of those guys need to step it up and we've got to evaluate them to see what we've got there. If you put a Hendrickson in there, that's time that a pitcher doesn't get for evaluation.

If you want to protect the Big Three, then send in the other wave and let them take the hit. They can't do any worse than a bunch of Steve Trachsels and we may get a useful SP out of that group. It's better than wasting money on pitchers that will likely provide the same result...

[bsebllfan4life]

Then lets see MacPhail do it then if it's so easy instead of signing Hinske or Casey...

He passed on Tex, well now he's got to have a heck of a Plan B and Casey and Hinske should be more like Plan Z...

Not to sound like Malcolm X here, but we did not pass on Tex, Tex passed on us. offering 20 mil to any player is not "passing" on them.

[Crazysilver03]

Totally agree....Let Guthrie, Liz, Olson, Albers, and Penn be the rotation.

That I am completely content with.

[JTrea81]

Not to sound like Malcolm X here, but we did not pass on Tex, Tex passed on us. offering 20 mil to any player is not "passing" on them.

That was a token offer IMO as MacPhail never seriously pursued Tex because he was too expensive. It took 8/180 to sign him for the team he supposedly wanted to play for and we were 1 year and 40 million short and were the only team not to offer an 8th year. You do the math on that one. I'll stop there because the point has been beaten to death...

[Sports Guy]

Answer my question... what player are you going to ask the O;s for in exchange for your 1B.

This goes back to what i have been saying in terms of what the Orioles need to be willing to trade.

If I were the other team, it would depend on where I was.

Scott, Sherrill, BRob, Guthrie, Tillman, JJ Johnson, Olson, Liz, etc....

There is a lot of talent there. There are a lot of individual players or packages that would make a lot of sense.

The problem is, it is unlikely the Orioles are willing to trade any of these guys.

[Cokeman]

I'm very close to being done with this team.

AM doens't want to sign big FA's, wants to follow a small market model. Then go get talent for goodness sake!!!!!

How in the hell is Casey or Hinske going to help us going forward? They are not stopgapping because we have no one in the minors to play 1B.

What a joke this organization is. Not sure why I care about them anymore. I need to find a team that cares about winning.

This team doesn't deserve to have one fan.

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but my take is that since Tex didn't sign, MacPhail is going to wait to see if Snyder/Rowell can fill the 1B position...so I don't expect to see them sign or trade for any significant improvement at that position until it becomes clear to them whether or not Snyder/Rowell can hack it.