Would the addition of Paxton and Stephenson make the Off-season shopping seem OK?

[Jim'sKid26]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/orioles-interested-in-james-paxton.html

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/orioles-interested-in-robert-stephenson.html

Let's say that the market for Stephenson didn't materialize at 4/$36 MM. If you could get him for 2/$20 with an option and an opt out and Paxton at 1/$13 with an option based on IP, would you be ok with that? You could always chase down Dylan Cease at the deadline.....

[interloper]

Kinda yeah. I think Paxton is much more palatable when paired with a concrete bullpen upgrade like Stephenson. 

[Sports Guy]

[interloper]

Wonder if the Os could sign Paxton as a reliever in an effort to limit his innings and keep him healthy. Probably not, but hey there's nothing else to talk about lol.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

It would be fine. Not great, not awful, but fine.

We should have just signed Sonny Gray honestly. He could have been our Verlander.

Oh well, at least I can rest easy knowing that John Angelos' bank account is well taken care of...

[Spy Fox]

I’d be left disappointed in the offseason overall, because I wanted to add more impact talent. But that would feel a good bit better than doing nothing. 

[Just Regular]

It would feel like growth insofar as a use of money to improve the 2024 team.

Extreme Angelos skeptics might argue Lyles, Gibson, Frazier and Kimbrel are scanty fig leaves to appease the MLBPA and manage Bradish, Grayson, Westburg, Hall and Cano's paths to more substantial early career earnings.

At the same I don't know that the tone of John Angelos and Mike Elias' communications right now is John going like, "Mike, why aren't you using this credit line I'm giving you", and Mike going like, "these players just aren't good enough".

[RZNJ]

Stephenson is a pipe dream.

[waroriole]

No it would be very underwhelming. 

[Matt Bennett]

Underwhelming, though it would make me feel better if Cole Irvin was the next guy up rather than penciled into the rotation. 

Paxton has some talent I'm definitely more interested in upside than durability. Quantity of SP options isn't really an issue IMO. Quality is shaky outside of current top 4. 

[Three Run Homer]

Paxton hasn't had a good season since 2019.   He's never healthy.  At best, he's a lottery ticket that a second-division team should sign and then flip at the deadline if by some miraacle he's having a good season.  

Stephenson would be fine, but they still need to add a starting pitcher who is likely to be better than Dean Kremer.  

[Roll Tide]

Paxton stinks ….more confirmation that Angelos is stealing all of the teams revenue 

[Frobby]

I’d say that would be a very good offseason.   Not as much help in the rotation as I hoped for, but more help n the bullpen than I expected.  We’d have a lot of flexibility on how to use Wells, Hall and Irvin in this scenario.   Start with Paxton but we’d have plans B, C and D sitting in our bullpen in case of injury to a starter or two, and enough bullpen depth to adjust.

[Satyr3206]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d say that would be a very good offseason.   Not as much help in the rotation as I hoped for, but more help n the bullpen than I expected.  We’d have a lot of flexibility on how to use Wells, Hall and Irvin in this scenario.   Start with Paxton but we’d have plans B, C and D sitting in our bullpen in case of injury to a starter or two, and enough bullpen depth to adjust.

That is pretty close to my outlook. A trade to get a Pitcher or two at AA or AAA would be nice.

[ScGO's]

I wonder what Hader market is.