Does Mountcastle have any trade value?

[DocJJ]

What a frustrating player to watch.  He has such lightning quick hands and power potential, but terrible plate discipline and his defense at any position has become intolerable...  Do you hold on to him and hope he can improve?

 

Could he be part of a trade package?

or does not have any real trade value at this point?

[Moose Milligan]

No.

[Baltimorecuse]

3 minutes ago, DocJJ said:

What a frustrating player to watch.  He has such lightning quick hands and power potential, but terrible plate discipline and his defense at any position has become intolerable...  Do you hold on to him and hope he can improve?

 

Could he be part of a trade package?

or does not have any real trade value at this point?

If you're looking for a bag of broken fungo bats he's your guy straight up.

I still think he can be better but that could be the drugs talking.  I think it's a mental thiing with him now.  That can be fixed.  

[ChuckS]

Minimal trade value. 

I won't say he has no trade value.  He would certainly be more appealing to a team with a left field wall that is closer in, but even then for how many teams in MLB is Ryan Mountcastle your starting first baseman?

[interloper]

Absolutely. If you're a rebuilding club with no 1B prospects to speak of, I think you'd be pretty psyched about getting a power-hitting 1B with a few years of control who is still only 26. You look at this metrics and how hard he hits the ball and this bad luck and the Wall and you start to talk yourself into Ryan Mountcastle being a guy you might be getting at exactly the right time. 

I think Mounty can help get you a good reliever. Maybe you have to include another low level prospect, but he's young and hits dingers. Someone would be interested. 

Edited June 13, 2023 by interloper

[Moose Milligan]

My favorite thing to do when people start whipping up fantasy trades is to do the reverse.  If the Orioles were trying to trade for that player (in this case, if the Orioles were trying to trade FOR Mountcastle, if Mountcastle was playing for another team) what would your reaction be?  And who from our system would you want to give up in order to acquire that player?

Because I can't think of anyone we currently have that I'd want to trade FOR Mountcastle.  Westburg, Ortiz?  Kjerstad?  That's hysterical, absolutely not.  A lower level minor leaguer?  I'd rather see what that player could become instead of knowing what Mountcastle already is.

He doesn't hit particularly well overall, but he's hitting lefties this year better than he has previously in his career.  His plate discipline is abysmal.  He's not a butcher in the field, but I don't think he's a particularly great defender...at least not great enough to warrant keeping him in the field despite his bad hitting.  

He doesn't do anything well, except hit lefties.  That's, like, 30-40% of a hit tool.  

It pains me to say this because I think he's a good dude and I think he's well respected in the clubhouse.  There's that pesky chemistry thing again that can't be quantified.  

But if we can find a trade partner for him, I don't think we'd get anything back that's of any consequence.  Again, do the exercise:  what would YOU trade for a first baseman that has a .264 OBP this year?  

So...no, I don't think he has any trade value.  We might be able to find a taker due to the fact that he's 26, he's had some success before, but his career stats are trending down, not up.  If anyone took him, it'd be a team like the Royals or Athletics or Rockies...a team that's on the rebuild where he can go and play every day and maybe a change of scenery or a different hitting coach helps.  

But if you're any of those teams, why would you give up a prospect?

[forphase1]

In my opinion,  the same reasons we are talking about cutting his playing time are much of the same reasons he has little trade value.   Maybe we can throw him in to  complete a trade or something,  but we aren't going to get much value out of him by himself. 

[DirtyBird]

13 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

My favorite thing to do when people start whipping up fantasy trades is to do the reverse.  If the Orioles were trying to trade for that player (in this case, if the Orioles were trying to trade FOR Mountcastle, if Mountcastle was playing for another team) what would your reaction be?  And who from our system would you want to give up in order to acquire that player?

Because I can't think of anyone we currently have that I'd want to trade FOR Mountcastle.  Westburg, Ortiz?  Kjerstad?  That's hysterical, absolutely not.  A lower level minor leaguer?  I'd rather see what that player could become instead of knowing what Mountcastle already is.

He doesn't hit particularly well overall, but he's hitting lefties this year better than he has previously in his career.  His plate discipline is abysmal.  He's not a butcher in the field, but I don't think he's a particularly great defender...at least not great enough to warrant keeping him in the field despite his bad hitting.  

He doesn't do anything well, except hit lefties.  That's, like, 30-40% of a hit tool.  

It pains me to say this because I think he's a good dude and I think he's well respected in the clubhouse.  There's that pesky chemistry thing again that can't be quantified.  

But if we can find a trade partner for him, I don't think we'd get anything back that's of any consequence.  Again, do the exercise:  what would YOU trade for a first baseman that has a .264 OBP this year?  

So...no, I don't think he has any trade value.  We might be able to find a taker due to the fact that he's 26, he's had some success before, but his career stats are trending down, not up.  If anyone took him, it'd be a team like the Royals or Athletics or Rockies...a team that's on the rebuild where he can go and play every day and maybe a change of scenery or a different hitting coach helps.  

But if you're any of those teams, why would you give up a prospect?

Spenser Watkins

[Frobby]

We’d certainly be selling low if we tried to trade him now.  He’s a streaky player who’s capable of making up ground in a hurry.  We just saw Gunnar raise his OPS by 102 points in a week, and Mountcastle is capable of doing things like that.  But will he, anytime soon?  Hard to predict.  

[interloper]

17 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

My favorite thing to do when people start whipping up fantasy trades is to do the reverse.  If the Orioles were trying to trade for that player (in this case, if the Orioles were trying to trade FOR Mountcastle, if Mountcastle was playing for another team) what would your reaction be?  And who from our system would you want to give up in order to acquire that player?

Because I can't think of anyone we currently have that I'd want to trade FOR Mountcastle.  Westburg, Ortiz?  Kjerstad?  That's hysterical, absolutely not.  A lower level minor leaguer?  I'd rather see what that player could become instead of knowing what Mountcastle already is.

He doesn't hit particularly well overall, but he's hitting lefties this year better than he has previously in his career.  His plate discipline is abysmal.  He's not a butcher in the field, but I don't think he's a particularly great defender...at least not great enough to warrant keeping him in the field despite his bad hitting.  

He doesn't do anything well, except hit lefties.  That's, like, 30-40% of a hit tool.  

It pains me to say this because I think he's a good dude and I think he's well respected in the clubhouse.  There's that pesky chemistry thing again that can't be quantified.  

But if we can find a trade partner for him, I don't think we'd get anything back that's of any consequence.  Again, do the exercise:  what would YOU trade for a first baseman that has a .264 OBP this year?  

So...no, I don't think he has any trade value.  We might be able to find a taker due to the fact that he's 26, he's had some success before, but his career stats are trending down, not up.  If anyone took him, it'd be a team like the Royals or Athletics or Rockies...a team that's on the rebuild where he can go and play every day and maybe a change of scenery or a different hitting coach helps.  

But if you're any of those teams, why would you give up a prospect?

The Orioles wouldn't want to trade for him, but maybe some team who is contending with a weak 1B or who needs a bat vs LHP. I could also see a rebuilding team who thinks they are ready to pop trading for him since he's still plenty young. 

[baltfan]

I think this is the most frustrating part for Elias.  He had two players in Mountcastle and Mateo who had trade value coming into the season.  He likely thought this season would be a little bit of a step back and the cavalry would be ready.  He would then move Mountcastle and Mateo in the fall.  Things haven't quite gone according to plan.  While that is good from a record perspective, I am sure it is frustrating that you have two guys whose value has substantially decreased.  That's why it is likely that they are kept around in the hopes that they can help in the postseason or maybe actually start playing better.  I suspect they will both be traded by fall.  

[HakunaSakata]

35 minutes ago, DocJJ said:

What a frustrating player to watch.  He has such lightning quick hands and power potential, but terrible plate discipline and his defense at any position has become intolerable...  Do you hold on to him and hope he can improve?

 

Could he be part of a trade package?

or does not have any real trade value at this point?

...not unless he starts hitting again. If they get any type of reasonable offer for him they should trade him, play Santander at 1B mostly full time, and call up Cowser to fill the open OF slot. 

[HakunaSakata]

Just now, baltfan said:

I think this is the most frustrating part for Elias.  He had two players in Mountcastle and Mateo who had trade value coming into the season.  He likely thought this season would be a little bit of a step back and the cavalry would be ready.  He would then move Mountcastle and Mateo in the fall.  Things haven't quite gone according to plan.  While that is good from a record perspective, I am sure it is frustrating that you have two guys whose value has substantially decreased.  That's why it is likely that they are kept around in the hopes that they can help in the postseason or maybe actually start playing better.  I suspect they will both be traded by fall.  

I can somewhat forgive him for keeping Mountcastle since we were already so thin at 1B, but not moving Mateo (if he acutally received solid offers for him) is inexcusable given our middle infield depth in the high minors. 

[interloper]

1 minute ago, HakunaSakata said:

I can somewhat forgive him for keeping Mountcastle since we were already so thin at 1B, but not moving Mateo (if he acutally received solid offers for him) is inexcusable given our middle infield depth in the high minors. 

Of course, we all felt very differently about trading Mateo in April...

Well, not all of us. A lot of us. 

Edited June 13, 2023 by interloper

[Sports Guy]

Not a lot but more than people think imo.