Questions that need to be answered during the 2024 season

[OriolesMagic83]

12 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

With plus defense.

And 30+ HR power

[Jagwar]

27 minutes ago, wildcard said:

The O's may be able to offer Santander a Quality Offer and get a draft choice for him.   I don't see that as possible for Mullins.   Elias is going to have to decide this off season to extend Mullins or keep him and let him go FA with no compensation.

Have to think that if the O's offer Santander a QO he is going to jump out of his shoes to accept it. 

[RZNJ]

44 minutes ago, wildcard said:

The O's may be able to offer Santander a Quality Offer and get a draft choice for him.   I don't see that as possible for Mullins.   Elias is going to have to decide this off season to extend Mullins or keep him and let him go FA with no compensation.

You don’t think it’s possible that Mullins will enter his FA year as a sought after FA.  Oh, how I wish I could see into the future like you.  LOL

 

 

Edited April 6 by RZNJ

[Roll Tide]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

Based on what?

My …….Magic 8 Ball

 

[Roll Tide]

2 hours ago, Safelykept said:

Above average? Thats Monty. Even if he could play average 1B thers already 2 at 1B / DH. Mayo needs an injury or 2 to get called up.

Who cares ….. Mountcastle is borderline horrible when he’s slumping. You’re not going to pay him at contract time. And an average defensive 1B would be enough anyway. Trade him for value and bring up one of the guys who will be better IMO from AAA. 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, wildcard said:

Mullins is interesting.   His defense is  his best feature.   His offense shows back to back 721 OPS season.  Well below what is desirable for a starter.    His leg injuries are concerning for a guy who makes his living with his legs.   er this season IMO.  

I wouldn’t lump 2022 and 2023 together.  2022 was a down year for offense around the league.  The average OPS league wide was .707 and for CF it was .688.  So, Mullins’ .721 that year was good for a 107 OPS+, 111 sOPS+.

By contrast, 2023 was a better offensive year league-wide, and even though Mullins’ .721 was identical to the year before, the average league-wide was .734 and for CF it was .730.  Mullins had an OPS+ of 102 and sOPS+ of 97.

The years also were different in that Mullins was healthy in 2022, whereas in 2023 he missed a lot of time and his injuries came at a time when he was hitting well and disrupted him.   

So, long story short, I don’t know what’s in store for Mullins in 2024.  I’m certainly not ready to say he “has trouble staying healthy” just because he had some nagging injuries last year.  Maybe it’s a trend and maybe it’s not.  (And yes, I know he missed a bit of spring training with a hamstring strain.  I don’t care about that.)  I wouldn’t be surprised if Mullins had the 2nd best season of his career, nor would it surprise me if he declined for the 3rd straight season.  We’ll see how it goes.  
 

[Jim'sKid26]

31 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I wouldn’t lump 2022 and 2023 together.  2022 was a down year for offense around the league.  The average OPS league wide was .707 and for CF it was .688.  So, Mullins’ .721 that year was good for a 107 OPS+, 111 sOPS+.

By contrast, 2023 was a better offensive year league-wide, and even though Mullins’ .721 was identical to the year before, the average league-wide was .734 and for CF it was .730.  Mullins had an OPS+ of 102 and sOPS+ of 97.

The years also were different in that Mullins was healthy in 2022, whereas in 2023 he missed a lot of time and his injuries came at a time when he was hitting well and disrupted him.   

So, long story short, I don’t know what’s in store for Mullins in 2024.  I’m certainly not ready to say he “has trouble staying healthy” just because he had some nagging injuries last year.  Maybe it’s a trend and maybe it’s not.  (And yes, I know he missed a bit of spring training with a hamstring strain.  I don’t care about that.)  I wouldn’t be surprised if Mullins had the 2nd best season of his career, nor would it surprise me if he declined for the 3rd straight season.  We’ll see how it goes.  
 

A couple of questions along that line of thinking:

1) Is there anyone on the team currently who you would feel comfortable giving the majority of the CF job to if you had a decent trade offer for Mullins?

2) Is Mullins still a threat to steal bases and how many do you see him producing in 2024?

3) Same question as #2 but for HRs?

4) What do you need to see from EBJ in the minors to trade Mullins at the break?

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

A couple of questions along that line of thinking:

1) Is there anyone on the team currently who you would feel comfortable giving the majority of the CF job to if you had a decent trade offer for Mullins?

2) Is Mullins still a threat to steal bases and how many do you see him producing in 2024?

3) Same question as #2 but for HRs?

4) What do you need to see from EBJ in the minors to trade Mullins at the break?

There’s pretty much nothing EBJ could do to convince me to trade Mullins this year.  

Cowser, on the other hand, could convince me.  Let’s say he plays decent CF defense when he gets the opportunity and has a .270/.350/.425 line or so.  I might buy into that, even knowing that Mullins is the better defender.  

I think Mullins, if healthy, is still a good threat for 20+ homers, 25+ SB.  I’m more focused on his OBP than anything else.   He needs that to head north from last year.  

 

[Say O!]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

There’s pretty much nothing EBJ could do to convince me to trade Mullins this year.  

Cowser, on the other hand, could convince me.  Let’s say he plays decent CF defense when he gets the opportunity and has a .270/.350/.425 line or so.  I might buy into that, even knowing that Mullins is the better defender.  

I think Mullins, if healthy, is still a good threat for 20+ homers, 25+ SB.  I’m more focused on his OBP than anything else.   He needs that to head north from last year.  

 

Concur with all of this. 

Edited April 6 by Say O!

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

There’s pretty much nothing EBJ could do to convince me to trade Mullins this year.  

Cowser, on the other hand, could convince me.  Let’s say he plays decent CF defense when he gets the opportunity and has a .270/.350/.425 line or so.  I might buy into that, even knowing that Mullins is the better defender.  

I think Mullins, if healthy, is still a good threat for 20+ homers, 25+ SB.  I’m more focused on his OBP than anything else.   He needs that to head north from last year.  

 

Kind of interesting that some think the 721 OPS is a good performance for a CFer but you think that a 775 OPS might be something you buy into for Cowser as a CFer.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Kind of interesting that some think the 721 OPS is a good performance for a CFer but you think that a 775 OPS might be something you buy into for Cowser as a CFer.

.721 with above average defense and some stolen bases is fine.  I’m expecting Cowser to be a defensive downgrade and an infrequent base stealer, so he needs to hit a little better than Mullins for a Mullins trade to make sense.   

[Hank Scorpio]

6 hours ago, Roll Tide said:

I’m confident Mayo can play above average defense at 1B

Sort of a waste of his 80 arm…

[Frobby]

5 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Sort of a waste of his 80 arm…

I’ve seen 70, but no 80’s.  In any event, I don’t care how strong his arm is if he can’t throw accurately.   

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’ve seen 70, but no 80’s.  In any event, I don’t care how strong his arm is if he can’t throw accurately.   

An 80 arm without accuracy is like 80 power that only shows up in batting practice.

 

[Billy F-Face3]

That's like in football... I'd rather have a QB that was pin-point accurate with moderate arm strength than a QB who had a rocket arm but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if his life depended on it.