Roch Article-Wieters

[Ripken23]

Here’s what we don’t know: Whether the Orioles will get a deal done with first-round pick Matt Wieters. Reports that they have one in place and are ready to make an announcement appear to be false. Really, really false. Talks continue. And time is running out - along with my optimism.

No knock on Andy MacPhail, but I’d feel better about the Orioles securing the Georgia Tech catcher if someone else was handling the negotiations.

MacPhail, for better or worse, is not going to be overly generous when it comes to signing bonuses. The commissioner’s office wants to keep them down, and MacPhail’s not going to fight it. Not with his background.

He’ll be fair, but I’m not sure fair gets it done. Stay tuned.

I am a little nervous about this getting done now. I pray that Peace's source is right and this deal gets done. Otherwise, it will show that our FO is still not ready to get this organization on the right track and we should not have drafted this guy withouth knowing what it will take to sign him.

[Mackus]

It will be completely unacceptable to not sign Weiters. He has to be signed. There is no signing bonus that could be construed to be "too much" for Weiters. Get it done.

[DuffMan]

Agreed, this orginazation has taken so much heat lately they have to have him signed.

[orioles119]

Devil's Advocate question...

Would it be the fault of the front office or Scott Boras? I know they picked him knowing full well that he was a Boras client, but why lay all the blame on the FO if it's in fact Boras being well, Boras?

[billyc123]

He’ll be fair, but I’m not sure fair gets it done. Stay tuned.

The article made it clear that we'd have to go well outside slot [$2.25 million?] to get it accomplished b/c Wieters was by all accounts (and if not by all accounts, then definitely according to Boras) the best player in the draft. It was only his sign-ability that led him to fall to us. For anyone out there who knows, does a deal like Loewen's, which would require Wieters to be on ML roster/in the bigs thereby starting his service clock, help to keep that bonus more in line???

[Sports Guy]

When is the actual deadline? Is it midnight on Wed morning? Does it extend into Wednesday???

[clapdiddy]

Well, if they don't get him signed, it just goes to show how inept this team is. Why do you even bother drafting him if you aren't going to sign him? I would rather they had passed him by than not sign him. There was plenty of other talent available. This would be utterly disgraceful and will come back to haunt us for years.

[Sports Guy]

Devil's Advocate question...

Would it be the fault of the front office or Scott Boras? I know they picked him knowing full well that he was a Boras client, but why lay all the blame on the FO if it's in fact Boras being well, Boras?

For what i have heard, this will be at the fault of MacPhail.

[orioles119]

The article made it clear that we'd have to go well outside slot [$2.25 million?] to get it accomplished b/c Wieters was by all accounts (and if not by all accounts, then definitely according to Boras) the best player in the draft. It was only his sign-ability that led him to fall to us. For anyone out there who knows, does a deal like Loewen's, which would require Wieters to be on ML roster/in the bigs thereby starting his service clock, help to keep that bonus more in line???

I would think it would... aren't MLB contracts more gauranteed than minor league deals?

Come on O's FO... you gave $2 million to freakin' Bryan Bass.

[JTrea81]

Roch is having smoke blown up his you know what. Since when did the MacPhail led FO let the media know what's up? MacPhail and Boras are keeping it hush hush not to influence other deals. I trust the Hangout insiders more than I do Roch...

[Mackus]

For what i have heard, this will be at the fault of MacPhail.

Yeah if they don't sign him I'll place all the blame on MacPhail. Short of winning the World Series in 2008, there isn't anything MacPhail will ever be able to do to make up for not signing Weiters if that is what happens.

[orioles119]

When is the actual deadline? Is it midnight on Wed morning? Does it extend into Wednesday???

Source - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070813&content_id=2146282&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Here's how the new rule works: Teams have until midnight ET on Wednesday to sign their draftees. If a drafted player does not sign by Wednesday night -- and that includes having all the I's dotted and T's crossed, including physicals by that time -- they re-enter the Draft pool. If it's a college junior or a player headed to junior college, that means they will be eligible in 2008. For high schoolers who decide to attend a four-year college, they will have to wait until 2010 to enter the Draft odyssey once again.

[Sports Guy]

Roch is having smoke blown up his you know what. Since when did the MacPhail led FO let the media know what's up? MacPhail and Boras are keeping it hush hush not to influence other deals. I trust the Hangout insiders more than I do Roch...

Well BB has told you that his guy isn't optimistic.

Only Peace's guy said it was done and BBs guy is much more reliable.

I have also been told that things aren't looking good.

[Jagwar]

It will be completely unacceptable to not sign Weiters. He has to be signed. There is no signing bonus that could be construed to be "too much" for Weiters. Get it done.

Good organizations get these types of deals done. If the Orioles want to reverse a decade of futility, and change the perception that they are an organization in disarray, this is absolutely the type of signing that has to take place.

[Moose Milligan]

<img src="http://www.muscatine.k12.ia.us/was/History/pearlbuttons/images/rakes.jpg">

Break 'em out, break 'em out.

Unbelievable if they don't get this done.

Just when you thought it was safe to have a bit of optimisim about this franchise, just when you thought they were going to get it together, this comes up.

Unreal. Just give him what he wants, get it over with. If he turns into the player he's projected to be, it'll be money well spent.

Also it just sets the tone for the way this organization does business. Is this how the O's want to present themselves to Wieters the first time a contract comes up?