Mixed feelings about the offseason thus far

[Sports Guy]

I look at this offseason, as it stands right now, in a few different ways.

On one hand, i think the signings have been solid...They haven't gotten into any stupid contracts and they may even end up getting really good value out of the contracts they have given out....They may be able to trade some of these role players for a decent piece or just keep them and let them play it out and earn the money we paid them...Either way, the signings haven't been bad.

And the Ramon deal was ok...Got rid of him and saved a little money...I am not a huge fan of the deal but I am glad Ramon is gone.

On the other hand, nothing has been done for the future...All of the moves made have been made with the focus on 2009(although i acknowledge that they also haven't blocked anyone for the long term either) and to me, that is terrible.

Now, AM obviously still has some time....About 1 whole month to be exact.

In that month, hopefully he can deal BRob and perhaps Scott and Sherrill.

I am also hoping that the Cubs see a roster crunch in March and need to dump Pie for whatever and that we can jump on that.

And lastly but of course not least, GET NICK EXTENDED!

If we can get Nick extended and deal BRob and perhaps 1 or 2 of the other vets, I think this offseason ends up being very good.

They aren't going to trade Guthrie...There isn't going to be a market for Huff. I think it is down to Sherrill, Scott and BRob as the realistic guys that we could end up dealing.

[Singleton]

I agree with your post. I think the signings, while unexciting, make sense. They fill a need, don't block prospects and don't cost too much. I think the Ramon deal was pretty good considering his value. I would have liked the O's to have found a way to acquire a young player or two someway somehow. My expectations for a trade are much lower than yours. I just think the market for Brob and Scott are limited while Odog and Abreu and others remain available on FA market. Hopefully, AM can nab a corner from KC or other hopeful.

[howie14]

Gee, now I'm going to sound like the negative one.

I don't think they are going to move BRob, Sherill, or Scott anytime soon. Not basing this on anything but a gut, but it seems they are going to go to the brink on trying to get Roberts resigned even though that seems unlikely.

Still, SG's plan is sound and I would welcome it.

[ChaosLex]

Until we extend Nick, this offseason has been a failure, IMO.

[Frobby]

I feel the same way you do, SG. Things are still in flux and so it is too soon to pass judgment on the 2009 offseason. All over MLB, it has been the slowest-moving offseason I can recall, so there is still a lot that could happen. If Nick gets signed and we can do maybe 1-2 more small things I'll call it a solid offseason, but I would like a clearer picture of where things are headed for the long-term.

[Mad Mark]

In a market where everybody (other than the Yankee$) is waiting to find out where the bottom is, I'm not surprised to find things moving slowly. I think there will be a rush of one-year, low-dollar FA signings just before (or even just after) the start of spring training.

[RShack]

While I disagree about the necessity of dealing vets (I think it depends 100% on what you can actually get), I completely agree with the general attitude of SG's post.

[Lucky Jim]

We should note that the deflation (and devaluing) of free agents is almost necessarily going to mean an inflation (or increased valuation) of prospects, especially near-ready ones.

Thus, the downturn in FA market activity will also likely make it more it difficult to trade veterans for prospects: you'll get fewer prospects back, or they'll be high risk or lower upside.

It becomes a question of whether it's worth more than the on-field production + pick you'll get for letting your veteran walk.

Otherwise, I think SG's post is pretty accurate.

[crawdad]

I'm not seeing a lot of movement to begin with anywhere in the league, so I assume there have not been many options for the Orioles to deal for young players. I think we were fortunate that the O's did not successfully sign big ticket items even thought that inexplicably (in my mind) went after a couple (Tex in particular). So, yeah, I think it was an average offseason. Nothing they did wowed me. Nothing they did disappointed me.

[hoosiers]

Agree with general thoughts.

I would like to sign a premium talent or a younger talent with upside, but it hasn't worked out and I don't think we should be overpaying.

It would be nice to deal Sherill, Guts, BRob and get a decent return, but it would not make me feel like we lost out on anything. We are still in control of Sherrill and Guts for several years.

Let see what AM can do in this last month.

[Frobby]

We should note that the deflation (and devaluing) of free agents is almost necessarily going to mean an inflation (or increased valuation) of prospects, especially near-ready ones.

Thus, the downturn in FA market activity will also likely make it more it difficult to trade veterans for prospects: you'll get fewer prospects back, or they'll be high risk or lower upside.

It becomes a question of whether it's worth more than the on-field production + pick you'll get for letting your veteran walk.

This is an excellent point. We all should be prepared for a scenario where we hold on to BRob and Huff because there isn't really an attractive alternative.

[Sports Guy]

We should note that the deflation (and devaluing) of free agents is almost necessarily going to mean an inflation (or increased valuation) of prospects, especially near-ready ones.

Thus, the downturn in FA market activity will also likely make it more it difficult to trade veterans for prospects: you'll get fewer prospects back, or they'll be high risk or lower upside.

It becomes a question of whether it's worth more than the on-field production + pick you'll get for letting your veteran walk.

1000% agree with this post.

I definitely feel like we can deal BRob to either Chicago team(the Cubs depend on Peavy though in all likelihood) but AM can't demand a guy like Floyd, for example. I mean, he can ask for him and if he can get him, rgeat but he can't be "pigheaded" about it and only go after him and no one else.

If AM is willing to take a "fair package" and not one where he is getting the overwhelming advantage, I feel BRob could easily be dealt.

Guys like Scott and Sherrill are kind of in the middle of what you are saying...They are obviously vets and not prospects but they are still cheap and very productive for the money they will get. So, I feel they could be dealt although I do acknowledge that we may not get offered enough to deal them at this point.

[crawdad]

This is an excellent point. We all should be prepared for a scenario where we hold on to BRob and Huff because there isn't really an attractive alternative.

I doubt Huff is going anywhere in a deal as it is far more difficult to work a deal for a DH in season as opposed to out of season. Also, we will probably not see draft picks from him. If we offer him arbitration, he will probably take it considering what Bradley and Burrell are making.

Roberts may find more of a market from a team like the Dodgers in season, but he will not be bringing back a whole lot. We would probably see a high B level guy and a low B level guy. We would see picks from him because I think he will have a market out there.

[mweb]

We should note that the deflation (and devaluing) of free agents is almost necessarily going to mean an inflation (or increased valuation) of prospects, especially near-ready ones.

Thus, the downturn in FA market activity will also likely make it more it difficult to trade veterans for prospects: you'll get fewer prospects back, or they'll be high risk or lower upside.

It becomes a question of whether it's worth more than the on-field production + pick you'll get for letting your veteran walk.

Otherwise, I think SG's post is pretty accurate.

Yeah, I agree. It would be nice to be able to deal those guys SG mentions, however as you say, we likely will be disappointed in what we can get back.

[DennisTheOsFan]

SG, the fact that you have 'mixed' feelings makes me feel better about what we are doing this summer.

We missed out on Tex, we haven't signed any big impact FA (Sheets, Dunn), and we still have not traded Roberts/Sherril, or extended Markakis....... and you have mixed feelings about summer thus far (meaning there have been some good things done this summer).