FA Rich Hill Looking for a Ring

[tampajon]

I would much rather give Trevor Bauer a shot. 

[HowAboutThat]

2 hours ago, waroriole said:

Look at the records of the Yankees Dodgers and Phillies over that time frame. 

So? It is OK that the Os suck as long as everybody else sucks too? That ignores the fact that the Os have indeed been playing terribly.

We are not yet suffering the full consequences of our bad play, but to use that as a defense is wrong.

[Roll Tide]

“A person close to Hill told Murray that the veteran isn’t after the most money but rather just wants to compete and has a “will to win.”

[Explosivo]

3 hours ago, tampajon said:

I would much rather give Trevor Bauer a shot. 

Me too man. If we are going to the bottom of the barrel, at least get a guy who can still pitch.

[SteveA]

3 hours ago, HowAboutThat said:

Look at the teams play over the last two months or so. It’s not a championship team. We should be cruising towards 100 wins, and now we have to play .500 to hit 90, and we’re not even doing that.

Im not doom and gloom but it is impossible to ignore how badly the team is playing.

Decided to put that statement to a test.   We are 19-23 in our last 42 games since we first got 24 games over .500, which is our season peak.   That is pretty much the worst stretch of play we have had this year.

Let's look at some championship teams and see their worst 40+ game stretches of sub-.500 ball

• 2023 Rangers:  Had a 20-26 stretch (worse than our current stretch) between June 6 and July 30.   Had a 18-24 stretch (worse than our current stretch) from August 15 until the end of the season.
• 2022 Astros:   Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2021 Braves:  Had a 20-24 stretch (basically as bad as ours) from the start of the season until May 20;  41-44 from the start of the season until July 6 -- that's more than half a season of sub-.500 ball compared to our 42 games.
• 2020 Dodgers:  won't count 2020 because it was a 60 game mini-season; a 40+ game stretch of sub-.500 ball would pretty much kill a short season.
• 2019 Nationals:  had a 19-31 stretch (much worse than ours) from the start of the season until May 23
• 2018 Red Sox:  Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2017 Astros:   Had a 19-24 stretch (pretty much identical to ours) from all star break until August 30.
• 2016 Cubs:   Had 27-29 stretch (a longer sub-.500 stretch than ours by 14 games) from May 10 to July 9)

So I would say a stretch of slightly over 40 games playing a few games under .500 does not disqualify you from being a championship team, as 5 of the last 7 full season champions had such a streak or worse, and last year's champs had two such streaks.

Yeah, we are not playing well and need to start playing better.   But the claims that we are doomed based on the last 40 games just don't hold up.

 

 

[gamiliel]

19 hours ago, RVAOsFan said:

Hill is looking to sign with someone and pitch the rest of this season. Per the article it’s not about money, he wants a ring.

The O’s need someone to eat some innings and he is a lefty which plays well in Camden Yards.  Could it be a match?

I'm looking for a ring, too.

[LookitsPuck]

23 minutes ago, Explosivo said:

Me too man. If we are going to the bottom of the barrel, at least get a guy who can still pitch.

Ah, yes. The Mexican League. Here are some starters with similar numbers as Trevor Bauer as a starter:

• Zac Grotz (31) - 2.35 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, 4.26 SO/W
• Trevor Bauer (33) - 2.48 ERA, 1.044 WHIP, 5.71 SO/W
• David Reyes (34) - 2.49 ERA, 0.886 WHIP, 6.07 SO/W
• Erick Leal (29) - 2.91 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 3.96 SO/W

There are another dozen or so with an ERA under 3.5. 

I think folks need to realize that Bauer isn't a spring chicken nor is he pitching in an elite league. The Mexican League is compared to that of AAA or even worse according to some. 

Could he be effective in the majors? Sure. Do we want to bother? No. The guy is a whackjob, clubhouse cancer that shouldn't sniff a major league roster. 

[DEOriolesfan]

Hell no. No thanks

[Roll Tide]

13 minutes ago, LookitsPuck said:

Ah, yes. The Mexican League. Here are some starters with similar numbers as Trevor Bauer as a starter:

• Zac Grotz (31) - 2.35 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, 4.26 SO/W
• Trevor Bauer (33) - 2.48 ERA, 1.044 WHIP, 5.71 SO/W
• David Reyes (34) - 2.49 ERA, 0.886 WHIP, 6.07 SO/W
• Erick Leal (29) - 2.91 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 3.96 SO/W

There are another dozen or so with an ERA under 3.5. 

I think folks need to realize that Bauer isn't a spring chicken nor is he pitching in an elite league. The Mexican League is compared to that of AAA or even worse according to some. 

Could he be effective in the majors? Sure. Do we want to bother? No. The guy is a whackjob, clubhouse cancer that shouldn't sniff a major league roster. 

Bauer and Reyes are the to you’d take a shot with. 

[HowAboutThat]

49 minutes ago, SteveA said:

Decided to put that statement to a test.   We are 19-23 in our last 42 games since we first got 24 games over .500, which is our season peak.   That is pretty much the worst stretch of play we have had this year.

Let's look at some championship teams and see their worst 40+ game stretches of sub-.500 ball

• 2023 Rangers:  Had a 20-26 stretch (worse than our current stretch) between June 6 and July 30.   Had a 18-24 stretch (worse than our current stretch) from August 15 until the end of the season.
• 2022 Astros:   Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2021 Braves:  Had a 20-24 stretch (basically as bad as ours) from the start of the season until May 20;  41-44 from the start of the season until July 6 -- that's more than half a season of sub-.500 ball compared to our 42 games.
• 2020 Dodgers:  won't count 2020 because it was a 60 game mini-season; a 40+ game stretch of sub-.500 ball would pretty much kill a short season.
• 2019 Nationals:  had a 19-31 stretch (much worse than ours) from the start of the season until May 23
• 2018 Red Sox:  Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2017 Astros:   Had a 19-24 stretch (pretty much identical to ours) from all star break until August 30.
• 2016 Cubs:   Had 27-29 stretch (a longer sub-.500 stretch than ours by 14 games) from May 10 to July 9)

So I would say a stretch of slightly over 40 games playing a few games under .500 does not disqualify you from being a championship team, as 5 of the last 7 full season champions had such a streak or worse, and last year's champs had two such streaks.

Yeah, we are not playing well and need to start playing better.   But the claims that we are doomed based on the last 40 games just don't hold up.

 

 

I appreciate the excellent comment, and I agree, to an extent. After all, despite terrible playing, Bmore is only four games under 500 over our last 43, including last night’s debacle.

Let me push back just a little though. The bad playing is so incredibly sloppy that extreme concern is warranted.

It’s one thing to play a good game and lose anyway, but we are playing wretchedly and losing deservedly, giving away games with bad defense, bad pitching, bad relieving and periodic offense marred by terrible ABs and questionable pinch hitting decisions.

Without a very deep dive, it’s difficult to know whether the teams you mentioned were playing as universally badly as the Orioles are, or just suffering a problem in one category. For instance, perhaps the pitching for the Rangers last year was bad but everything else remained good, or many another possibility. And them they added Evan Carter late in the season who was a major spark.

The Orioles are playing badly in all facets of the games, and the change was to add two guys who are admittedly bad on defense, hoping their offense will compensate, and to subtract two guys who were very valuable on defense and offense.

The subtractions were both because of injuries, but the result remains a net loss, especially on defense.

So the team is worse now than it was before the malaise began.

So even though your comment is not wrong, my comment isn’t wrong either.

[tntoriole]

No to Hill, no to Bauer.  It is what it is. Elias made choices not to upgrade enough at deadline or offseason and has no real minore league drafted help available.  You just have to go with these guys, hope GRod, Westburg, Coulombe , Mateo get back and see how it plays out

This team , even as is, is certainly capable of much better 

Edited August 9 by tntoriole

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

Decided to put that statement to a test.   We are 19-23 in our last 42 games since we first got 24 games over .500, which is our season peak.   That is pretty much the worst stretch of play we have had this year.

Let's look at some championship teams and see their worst 40+ game stretches of sub-.500 ball

• 2023 Rangers:  Had a 20-26 stretch (worse than our current stretch) between June 6 and July 30.   Had a 18-24 stretch (worse than our current stretch) from August 15 until the end of the season.
• 2022 Astros:   Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2021 Braves:  Had a 20-24 stretch (basically as bad as ours) from the start of the season until May 20;  41-44 from the start of the season until July 6 -- that's more than half a season of sub-.500 ball compared to our 42 games.
• 2020 Dodgers:  won't count 2020 because it was a 60 game mini-season; a 40+ game stretch of sub-.500 ball would pretty much kill a short season.
• 2019 Nationals:  had a 19-31 stretch (much worse than ours) from the start of the season until May 23
• 2018 Red Sox:  Never had a long sub-.500 stretch
• 2017 Astros:   Had a 19-24 stretch (pretty much identical to ours) from all star break until August 30.
• 2016 Cubs:   Had 27-29 stretch (a longer sub-.500 stretch than ours by 14 games) from May 10 to July 9)

So I would say a stretch of slightly over 40 games playing a few games under .500 does not disqualify you from being a championship team, as 5 of the last 7 full season champions had such a streak or worse, and last year's champs had two such streaks.

Yeah, we are not playing well and need to start playing better.   But the claims that we are doomed based on the last 40 games just don't hold up.

 

 

PS. Except for the ‘23 Rangers and the ‘17 Astros, all those bad stretches happened at or near the start of the season, certainly in the first 80 games. 
The Rangers added Scherzer, Montgomery, Chapman, all of whom were productive, while the Os didn’t add pitchers who are clear improvements.

The Astros added trash cans.

So for those teams, the trend was start bad and get better, while the Os are doing the opposite, starting well and getting worse, adding players who, despite future potential, are currently net negatives, or pitchers who, Eflin possibly excepted, are change-of-scenery gambles.

Edited August 9 by HowAboutThat

[HowAboutThat]

21 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

No to Hill, no to Bauer.  It is what it is. Elias made choices not to upgrade enough at deadline or offseason and has no real minore league drafted help available.  You just have to go with these guys, hope GRod, Westburg, Coulombe , Mateo get back and see how it plays out

This team , even as is, is certainly capable of much better 

If the Os were playing clean defense, they would arguably have >four additional wins in the last ~40 games

[SteveA]

1 minute ago, HowAboutThat said:

PS. Except for the ‘23 Rangers and the ‘17 Astros, all those bad stretches happened at or near the start of the season, certainly in the first 80 games. 
The Rangers added Scherzer, Montgomery, Chapman, all of whom were productive, while the Os didn’t add pitchers who are clear improvements.

The Astros added trash cans.

So for those teams, the trend was start bad and get better, while the Os are doing the opposite, adding players who, despite future potential, are currently net negatives, or pitchers who, Eflin possibly excepted, are change-of-scenery gambles.

Obviously the Rodriguez injury hurts a TON.

But we have added Holliday, Mayo, Eflin, and Dominguez, and I think 3 of those 4 have already helped us and improved us.

Obviously, we have to start playing better.   And I think we will.   I think we have more talent than a .500 team so we will play over .500 the rest of the way.   

[catjuggler]

Is Jamie Moyer available?