Cowser vs Kjerstad revisited

[wildcard]

24 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Well, I said it didn’t have to be Cease.  I’d like it to be someone just as good as Cease.  I’d like to push Wells and Hall to the bullpen.  And I’d like to have some depth for when someone gets hurt.  You’ve got Bradish, GRod, Kremer and Means penciled in for 122 starts.   That’s great if everything goes perfectly, but I’ll take the under, and you have to be ready in case it’s a LOT under.  

I agree the O's need another starter.   But I doubt its a TOR starter.

[Ripken]

7 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I agree the O's need another starter.   But I doubt its a TOR starter.

They need to add someone who would start a playoff game along with Bradish and GRod.  Obviously things can change but that's how you plan it now.  We don't know what Means, DK or anyone else might do this season but I hope there are three starters above them when the season starts.  Elias has done a great job but he needs to treat 2024 like it's championship time.

[btdart20]

14 minutes ago, Ripken said:

They need to add someone who would start a playoff game along with Bradish and GRod.  Obviously things can change but that's how you plan it now.  We don't know what Means, DK or anyone else might do this season but I hope there are three starters above them when the season starts.  Elias has done a great job but he needs to treat 2024 like it's championship time.

The start of the season matters less than the end of the season.  We’re a playoff contender now.  Who’s the 2024 version of Gunnar or Grayson?  Does Elias believe Holliday, Mayo, Cowser or HK can adjust and be ready for the playoffs?  What about Hall?  McD or Povich?  If so, they need an opportunity on the runway.

[Sports Guy]

4 hours ago, wildcard said:

I agree the O's need another starter.   But I doubt its a TOR starter.

Then adding a starter is a waste of resources 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

They adding a starter is a waste of resources 

Don’t know if I’d say it’s a waste, but not the best use of resources.  It’s a treading water move.  

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Don’t know if I’d say it’s a waste, but not the best use of resources.  It’s a treading water move.  

Which is a waste.

If you arent going to do what’s best for the team and best for your chances to win, give the 5th spot to Hall. At least he has a high ceiling.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Which is a waste.

If you arent going to do what’s best for the team and best for your chances to win, give the 5th spot to Hall. At least he has a high ceiling.

I basically agree with you, I just wouldn’t word it that way.  Anyway, we’ll see what Elias does.  

[RZNJ]

The bat is the most important thing and Kjerstad, imo, looks to have the edge there.   Much better contact rates in the minors and more power potential.   Kjerstad might have to tone down his aggressiveness but Cowser looked tentative offensively and defensively.   Just a lot more confident in Kjerstad’s bat.   

[AnythingO's]

I believe HK's bat is MLB ready now, the coach in Bowie said that it was. Cowser is reported to be faster than HK but the speed rating at Fangraphs which includes base running says otherwise. Then there are the number of triples that HK put up, he is sneaky fast. In his 33 MLB ABs he put up . I expect those to improve significantly in 2024 if he is given regular ABs and by the trading deadline he will be putting up Santander numbers or better. He will be beast.

[interloper]

It would be a huge mistake to trade Kjerstad. Huge. 

[interloper]

What's usually the biggest concern with power bats? Strikeout rate. Yet a lot of people like Cowser more, who has less power and more strikeouts than Kjerstad. 

We can find LF defense somewhere. Give me the guy who can hit the Warehouse without the strikeout concerns.

 

[turtlebowl]

At this point I think my preference is to basically keep what we have as a starting 5 and put resources into building the best bullpen you can put together.  By doing that you can make Hall your 5th starter and see what we got there.  I would also do the usual signing of a back of the rotation starter for added depth.

By doing this you are almost assured of not trading your top prospects for a 1 or 2 year rental.  Teams will give up a good bullpen arm for a top 10 positional prospect even if you have to throw a lottery ticket in.  When you shorten the game to 5 innings and have a dynamic offense you can win a lot of games.

[wildcard]

3 hours ago, Ripken said:

They need to add someone who would start a playoff game along with Bradish and GRod.  Obviously things can change but that's how you plan it now.  We don't know what Means, DK or anyone else might do this season but I hope there are three starters above them when the season starts.  Elias has done a great job but he needs to treat 2024 like it's championship time.

Bradish, GRod, Means and Wells are all playoff starters.  O's mgt just has to manage their innings so they are available for the playoffs.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Honestly, it's kind of absurd that this is the question our offseason may hinge upon when the simple, slam dunk answer should be "neither, let's just use our empty, wide open payroll ledger to sign a quality pitcher and keep both. Duh."

That said, I'm on Team Kjerstad. I believe in the power and think it's got the potential to be the most elite tool between the two. 

[Three Run Homer]

I am willing to trade either if that's what it takes to get a front-line starter with multiple years of team control remaining.  I would not say that about Holliday, Basallo or Mayo.

If I could choose, I would prefer to keep Kjerstad.  I have more confidence in his bat and I think his lefty power is a perfect fit for OPACY and for what the Orioles need in their lineup.  Gunnar, Adley and Holliday are going to be elite OBP guys, but the O's need someone who can hit 40 HR a year.  

Aside from needing trade bait to land a top starting pitcher, there is nothing forcing us to trade either one.  There is room for both Cowser and Kjerstad in the team's lineup going forward.  We should not hesitate to trade Mountcastle, Santander, and/or Hays for the right return, because Cowser, Kjerstad and Mayo are ready to take their at bats and produce.