Trade chips replaced in-house = Salary Relief

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, IPlayGM said:

I guess it feels different when you put names and numbers to it. Take Snell for instance, who you have been a big fan of (as have I).  By definition I would say he is not an ace, but that dude is getting well over 100 mil this off-season in the current market. Os aren’t going there. So then as you slide down the list, you have to ask yourself at what point does the player value/monetary value make it better just to take what you have?

I would like them to spend the money on guys like that in the right circumstances, but all the tea leaves just point to it not happening.

I have no idea what to think of Snell. 

I can see why you think he will get 100M+. Logically, you are right.

But then you see his IP, his injury history, etc…and it makes me question that he gets it.

Maybe he gets a 3 year deal that gets close to that number though as opposed to something like Ray or Rodon got.

[emmett16]

1 hour ago, spiritof66 said:

From what I've seen of Cowser's defense, I wouldn't want him to be the full-time left fielder at Camden Yards.

From what I've read about Kjersted's defense, I wouldn't want him to fill that spot, either.

The same goes for O'Hearn.

Can one of our fast middle infielders handle LF, and hit enough to take that spot if Hayes is dealt? Westburg, m,aybe?

You raise a good point.  The defense is the only thing that gives me some pause.  I'm fairly confident that they will hit enough to be successful regulars, but the defense is the question.  I must say I was pretty disappointed with Cowser in the field while he was up here.  Kjerstad, I think, will be passable in RF.  Westburg was getting OF reps last year in AAA.  I have to imagine that continues and he develops into a super-sub type player that can cover OF corners, 2B, SS, & 3B.   That has a ton of value. 

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

You raise a good point.  The defense is the only thing that gives me some pause.  I'm fairly confident that they will hit enough to be successful regulars, but the defense is the question.  I must say I was pretty disappointed with Cowser in the field while he was up here.  Kjerstad, I think, will be passable in RF.  Westburg was getting OF reps last year in AAA.  I have to imagine that continues and he develops into a super-sub type player that can cover OF corners, 2B, SS, & 3B.   That has a ton of value. 

Cowser will be fine in the OF. Just needs to settle in. People get so worked up over SSS. Pay attention to scouting reports and what they have done their whole pro careers.

[MCO'sFan]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

There is a middle ground between ace and clear improvement over what they have. Why wouldn’t you sign that?

In general, I don't like FA pitchers. I think you rarely get value. I also expect further improvement of the current SP. I think that a rotation of Means, Bradish, Kremer, Rodriguez, Wells etc. is fine. I would like to upgrade but I don't like the risk. 

[emmett16]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

Cowser will be fine in the OF. Just needs to settle in. People get so worked up over SSS. Pay attention to scouting reports and what they have done their whole pro careers.

I still have faith he will be fine.  Just a bit disappointed from the performance he had in his first crack in the show and because of that it's something I'll be paying a little more attention to.  I can't imagine the nerves of making your MLB debut and these guys are human after all.  I give him a pass, but I wasn't expecting him to have so much difficulty out there.  I think some of it came from indecision playing CF while being the new guy.  It's got to be tough to take control of the vets on either side of you when you are the rookie.  I remember Jones talking about his first time playing with Ichiro and he had some of the same issues.  

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, MCO'sFan said:

In general, I don't like FA pitchers. I think you rarely get value. I also expect further improvement of the current SP. I think that a rotation of Means, Bradish, Kremer, Rodriguez, Wells etc. is fine. I would like to upgrade but I don't like the risk. 

You can also trade for it.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, emmett16 said:

I still have faith he will be fine.  Just a bit disappointed from the performance he had in his first crack in the show and because of that it's something I'll be paying a little more attention to.  I can't imagine the nerves of making your MLB debut and these guys are human after all.  I give him a pass, but I wasn't expecting him to have so much difficulty out there.  I think some of it came from indecision playing CF while being the new guy.  It's got to be tough to take control of the vets on either side of you when you are the rookie.  I remember Jones talking about his first time playing with Ichiro and he had some of the same issues.  

Well, they need to stop with the CF stuff. He’s not a CFer.

[emmett16]

1 minute ago, MCO'sFan said:

In general, I don't like FA pitchers. I think you rarely get value. I also expect further improvement of the current SP. I think that a rotation of Means, Bradish, Kremer, Rodriguez, Wells etc. is fine. I would like to upgrade but I don't like the risk. 

It sure didn't work out to well for last year's FA SP class.  Lot of wasted money given out.  By the time these guys hit FA they have some serious miles on their arms.  Trading for 2 o 3 years of a cost-controlled guy seems like the much safer bet to me.  

[emmett16]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

Well, they need to stop with the CF stuff. He’s not a CFer.

Agree.  That's pretty much my point.  Because of the injury he was forced to play a lot in CF and that experiment didn't go so well.  

[MCO'sFan]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

You can also trade for it.

Yep, that's a different issue. Pitching is so fragile. I understand that I am risk adverse when it comes to acquiring pitching and sometimes you have to roll the dice. I would love to have a SP step up and bump Wells to the pen.  It is the fear of wasting money and/or prospects if the deal/trade flops. 

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, MCO'sFan said:

Yep, that's a different issue. Pitching is so fragile. I understand that I am risk adverse when it comes to acquiring pitching and sometimes you have to roll the dice. I would love to have a SP step up and bump Wells to the pen.  It is the fear of wasting money and/or prospects if the deal/trade flops. 

The problem is, you say you are risk adverse but then you also state you want to just go status quo. Is that also not risky? I mean, as well as some of our guys have pitched, even Many of them have numbers that suggest they are pitching over their heads.

There is risk in anything they do but increasing the talent should be a priority.

[spiritof66]

12 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Cowser will be fine in the OF. Just needs to settle in. People get so worked up over SSS. Pay attention to scouting reports and what they have done their whole pro careers.

My guess, from everything I've seen and especially the opinions of others, is that Cowser will be a passable outfielder. From what I've seen, though, I have doubts as to whether he'll have the range I would want to see in LF at Camden Yards (or in the big sides at other lopsided ballparks). Maybe I'm misreading things, but there appears to be a consensus that Kjersted is not a guy you'd put in LF every day. 

[MCO'sFan]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

The problem is, you say you are risk adverse but then you also state you want to just go status quo. Is that also not risky? I mean, as well as some of our guys have pitched, even Many of them have numbers that suggest they are pitching over their heads.

There is risk in anything they do but increasing the talent should be a priority.

Yes, standing pat is also a risk. Increasing talent sounds great in a vacuum but it is not that simple. I can upgrade "talent" but there is always a chance the talent doesn't perform or gets injured. Same with standing pat. It comes down to making an evaluation and deciding on a course of action. In my current role as a message board GM I would not spend a large amount of cash or prospect capital to upgrade the projected rotation going into next season.  

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, MCO'sFan said:

Yes, standing pat is also a risk. Increasing talent sounds great in a vacuum but it is not that simple. I can upgrade "talent" but there is always a chance the talent doesn't perform or gets injured. Same with standing pat. It comes down to making an evaluation and deciding on a course of action. In my current role as a message board GM I would not spend a large amount of cash or prospect capital to upgrade the projected rotation going into next season.  

So, you would largely bring back the same team with whatever internal upgrades you make?

[G54377]

Man it'd be awesome to have Mullins in LF and Bradfield in CF in 2025. Maybe Beavers could be the long term answer to LF?