Bring up Mayo already!!

[Matt Bennett]

49 minutes ago, Brooks The Great said:

The best and easiest way to clear the biggest logjam is to trade O'Hearn for a quality reliever or a prospect. It's a classic sell high move, and it's much easier to trade for a non-closer reliever than it is to trade for a starter. There are plenty of contending teams that need offensive help. And most importantly, it clears the DH slot for Kjerstad and Mayo. 

And Kjerstad shouldn't be sent down again. He's been mishandled enough by Elias and Hyde already, and he's a potential 40 HR bat with upside much higher than a few players who aren't part of the long-term future of this team and that he should already be taking at bats from, including Hays (even against LHP), Mullins (who's going to inevitably slump again and still has terrible offensive numbers despite a red hot 2+ weeks), and O'Hearn. 

1. I’m not so sure it is a sell high move. O’Hearn’s statcast numbers are great. He takes good at bats and hits the ball hard. Nothing about his improvement has been fluky. 

2. I’m not denying a trade could be beneficial. I’m just saying if the choice for playing time right now is between Kjerstad and Mayo, I’ll take Mayo because I think the Orioles are better with:

Mayo taking Urias/Mateo at bats than Kjerstad taking O’Hearn/Santander/Cowser/Mullins/Hays at bats. 

[orioles22]

Moving Urias so Mayo could play two days a week isn't the best choice for his overall progress. I'd rather he stay in Norfolk until he can play five days a week. I like seeing him putting up numbers there, knowing he is a regular for us next year or maybe after the trade deadline.

[Otter]

21 minutes ago, orioles22 said:

Moving Urias so Mayo could play two days a week isn't the best choice for his overall progress. I'd rather he stay in Norfolk until he can play five days a week. I like seeing him putting up numbers there, knowing he is a regular for us next year or maybe after the trade deadline.

Agreed.  Urias is mostly a utility guy who starts 1-2 times a week; moving Urias doesn't open a spot for Mayo to get at bats and it also creates a hole for a defense first utility guy.  Unless we have a serious injury or trade a veteran starter, Mayo won't be able to get regular ABs at the major league level this year.  It's unfortunate, because he's definitely major league ready but Elias has to create some room for him...

[Malike]

22 minutes ago, orioles22 said:

Moving Urias so Mayo could play two days a week isn't the best choice for his overall progress. I'd rather he stay in Norfolk until he can play five days a week. I like seeing him putting up numbers there, knowing he is a regular for us next year or maybe after the trade deadline.

Mateo is starting to swoon, he's not going to start every day if he's not hitting. I think we're more likely to see Westburg to 2B and Mayo getting a good look at 3B.

[bluedog]

28 minutes ago, orioles22 said:

Moving Urias so Mayo could play two days a week isn't the best choice for his overall progress. I'd rather he stay in Norfolk until he can play five days a week. I like seeing him putting up numbers there, knowing he is a regular for us next year or maybe after the trade deadline.

You move Urias and play Mayo every day by sitting Mateo in favor of Westburg at 2b.

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, bluedog said:

You move Urias and play Mayo every day by sitting Mateo in favor of Westburg at 2b.

Right.  Again, I know people get excited by the shiny object that Mateo is but he’s not an everyday player and shouldn’t be more than a spot starter, late inning defensive replacement and pinch runner.

He has a 66 wRC+ since June 1. 

[orioles22]

3 minutes ago, bluedog said:

You move Urias and play Mayo every day by sitting Mateo in favor of Westburg at 2b.

That would be a more reasonable solution. I don't think anything happens until the break though - 11 more games. Mayo be up to 25 homers and 70 RBI by then.

 

[Sports Guy]

It won’t be hard to trade Urias. Just move him for whatever and get Mayo up here.

[Il BuonO]

12 minutes ago, bluedog said:

You move Urias and play Mayo every day by sitting Mateo in favor of Westburg at 2b.

While I like the idea in theory I’m not sure Elias will want to move a solid veteran. Mateo definitely gives them the versatility that makes keeping Urias on the roster extraneous, but will they risk having questionable defense at 3B regularly if Mayo proves less than average? 

They can always go back to Mateo at 2B and Westburg at third.

[Malike]

7 minutes ago, Il BuonO said:

While I like the idea in theory I’m not sure Elias will want to move a solid veteran. Mateo definitely gives them the versatility that makes keeping Urias on the roster extraneous, but will they risk having questionable defense at 3B regularly if Mayo proves less than average? 

They can always go back to Mateo at 2B and Westburg at third.

Then they likely go back to Westy at 3B and Mateo at 2B I would think. Perhaps giving Norby or Holliday some time at 2B as well.

[Il BuonO]

2 minutes ago, Malike said:

Then they likely go back to Westy at 3B and Mateo at 2B I would think. Perhaps giving Norby or Holliday some time at 2B as well.

Is Norby that limited defensively? I like his hitting approach, but didn’t really see enough of him at 2B to assess. He’s also limited by only being able to play second as well, correct?

[Malike]

2 minutes ago, Il BuonO said:

Is Norby that limited defensively? I like his hitting approach, but didn’t really see enough of him at 2B to assess. He’s also limited by only being able to play second as well, correct?

He didn't appear very "rangey" when he was up but he made the plays he should have in a small sample. There were several balls he didn't get to that I thought Mateo would have. I think Norby has been playing LF in AAA.

Edited Wednesday at 16:58 by Malike

[sportsfan8703]

1 hour ago, orioles22 said:

Moving Urias so Mayo could play two days a week isn't the best choice for his overall progress. I'd rather he stay in Norfolk until he can play five days a week. I like seeing him putting up numbers there, knowing he is a regular for us next year or maybe after the trade deadline.

I'd argue that Mayo as the chance to make us even more elite offensively.  If Mayo were to fail, then Holliday could at least hold down the defensive replacment role that Urias has.  That role being to man wither 2B or 3B if/when Mateo gets pinch hit for in a playoff game.  Heck, there's plenty of all glove IF defenders out there.  We could even swing a minor trade for AAA depth for the role Urias offers.  

[Il BuonO]

13 minutes ago, Malike said:

He didn't appear very "rangey" when he was up but he made the plays he should have in a small sample. There were several balls he didn't get to that I thought Mateo would have. I think Norby has been playing LF in AAA.

I remember that now. I actually watched the Tides when he was out there one day. That will give him more opportunities for sure as long as he isn’t a liability in the OF.

[e16bball]

2 hours ago, Brooks The Great said:

The best and easiest way to clear the biggest logjam is to trade O'Hearn for a quality reliever or a prospect. It's a classic sell high move, and it's much easier to trade for a non-closer reliever than it is to trade for a starter. There are plenty of contending teams that need offensive help. And most importantly, it clears the DH slot for Kjerstad and Mayo. 

Which contending teams do you feel are in a position to trade a “quality” reliever for a mostly-platoon 1B/DH? The overwhelming majority of contenders are looking to bolster their bullpen at this time of year — not weaken it. Whose bullpen is deep enough that they’d be willing to subtract from it during a pennant chase?

As best I can tell, your options are basically Cleveland or…no one.

If you want to sell O’Hearn for prospects in the offseason, I could get on board with that. In the middle of July, when you’re currently the best team in the American League? Moving a guy with a 124 wRC+ over the last 1.5 seasons seems foolhardy.

I doubt there’s a lot of noise about trying to dump guys like Pete Alonso (125), Luis Arraez (124), Kyle Schwarber (124), Austin Riley (123), etc. — which is because their teams are focused on winning right now. Not on maximizing trade value. Not on forcing opportunities for prospects. WS contenders are not dumping high-end bats to gamble that some kids are ready. 

Moving a guy to clear up a logjam and create space in-season to gamble on these kids’ high ceilings is an approach you might reasonably take with guys like Mateo, Urias, Hays, etc. Guys who are on the fringes of the roster, part-time players. But I don’t think it’s what you do with a guy you’ll slot into the 3 hole against the dozen or more good RH SPs in the AL that we may have to face come October.