1B'man Rhyne Hughes is the PTBNL in the Zaun deal.

[hatepaste]

Nice pickup. Better than I thought we would get. http://www.examiner.com/x-923-Tampa-Bay-Rays-Examiner~y2008m11d30-Tampa-Bay-Rays-2009-prospect-report-Rhyne-Hughes

I like the trade. Much more than I thought we'd get for a backup catcher.

[VeveJones007]

Aubrey's OPS is .100 less than Hughes, so he should be no where near the competition.

MacPhail said that Snyder will be the 1B in 2010 so it seems like Huff is gone.

Whoa! Where did you hear that?

[Dr. FLK]

Anyone who thought Zaun was worth much more than this type of player was only fooling themselves.

I didn't think he was. That's why I was in favor of keeping him, finally having a solid backup C, and not dealing him for a guy who will most likely never contribute at the ML level. But maybe he'll surprise us and serve as a stop gap.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Looks like a AAAA guy. He's 25, which makes him a little old for prospect status, though it's not unheard of for someone like this to make it. He has good power in the minors. Until we actually see him play in the majors, this is nothing to get excited about, for or against.

You really can't be a AAAA guy until you get your major-league shot.

He's basically advanced one level a year until this season when he started by repeating AA. Unless you think Nolan Reimold is a AAAA player, since they have had similar career paths.

[Boston Dave]

I guess I do not care either way. This looks like fluff to me. He wasn't even a top 30 prospect coming into this season and he is 25 years old. If we could only get $25k back in return then I would rather take a player. Kind of ho-hum for me though.

Really- for Greg Zaun? What did you think we'd get? I was really pleasantly surprised we got someone with this much upside.

[TheOtherRipken]

This guy is not a prospect, he's no answer to anything. Yes I'd rather have cash and spend it on the draft or international signings and get some real prospects.

So basically if they trade a player for cash you whine and if they trade a player for a younger, better player you whine. Some fans just don't have any perspective.

Oh and your logic is very faulty. You don't know anything about the Orioles economics (and I don't either). Money received from a trade doesn't suddenly allow us to go and sign prospects. There is really just about no connection there. Plus how much money do you really think Greg Zaun is worth.

Sheesh some people.

[Dr. FLK]

So basically if they trade a player for cash you whine and if they trade a player for a younger, better player you whine. Some fans just don't have any perspective.

Oh and your logic is very faulty. You don't know anything about the Orioles economics (and I don't either). Money received from a trade doesn't suddenly allow us to go and sign prospects. There is really just about no connection there. Plus how much money do you really think Greg Zaun is worth.

Sheesh some people.

Younger and better is kind of meaningless if you aren't good enough to make it to the big leagues. We don't know that to be the case with this guy, but he doesn't appear to have ever popped up on any prospect lists.

[Dr. FLK]

He said in unofficial comments that you'll "see" Snyder in 2010. You 'see' Robert Andino and Chad Moeller in 2009. Just 'seeing' them doesnt mean they will be THE players at the position. And who knows when you will'see' Snyder.

I think alot of decisons have yet to be made. Clearly though Macphail thinks alot of him, and wants the press to think alot of him too.

If Snyder is on the roster, I think it's safe to assume he'll have a bigger role than Andino. Don't you? I don't think they have plans of making him a bench player (unless he proves he can't handle starting).

[sector7g]

So basically if they trade a player for cash you whine and if they trade a player for a younger, better player you whine. Some fans just don't have any perspective.

Oh and your logic is very faulty. You don't know anything about the Orioles economics (and I don't either). Money received from a trade doesn't suddenly allow us to go and sign prospects. There is really just about no connection there. Plus how much money do you really think Greg Zaun is worth.

Sheesh some people.

May I ask why not?

[BaltimoreTerp]

May I ask why not?

No, but you may answer the question, "How much money would we get for Greg Zaun?"

[mall-O-cup]

Oscar Salazar 2?

[GoldGlove21]

May I ask why not?

I kind of agree with your point. If you allocated $69 Million for your team and the team finishes with a payroll of $65 Million, then why wouldn't $2 Million be available that wasn't there before?

[TheOtherRipken]

Younger and better is kind of meaningless if you aren't good enough to make it to the big leagues. We don't know that to be the case with this guy, but he doesn't appear to have ever popped up on any prospect lists.

I didn't see Waring or Turner on a lot of lists. Lots of guys go under the radar. To go a step further some players do better in different environments under different coaches. Do I think John Rhyne Hughes is our future first baseman? No. Do I think he's a good haul for 38 year old Greg Zaun. No . . .

I think he's a great haul. Talent begets talent. The more talent we put in the minors the better.

What irritates me about fans who have what I call 'no perspective' is that winning doesn't begin at the Major League level. You create that attitude and lifestyle of winning throughout the minors so it seeps its way down to the majors. You put talent at every level of your minor leagues. You don't want players at any position at any team who are there just because we don't have anyone else. Every position starts to become a position of talent that either makes it to the majors or pushes other talent.

This guy could have a major league future, he may not, but regardless I can not understand fans who aren't optimistic about a move like this.

[TheOtherRipken]

May I ask why not?

No because, and again my knowledge of Orioles economics is as good as yours, but it seems very unlikely that the Orioles with their deflating payroll is a team that is really concerned with raising money to 'afford' the draft. You make it seem like if we don't get cash for Zaun, then someone won't be signed, which in preposterous.

[brvn52]

Does anyone know why Hughes started this year in AAA? Seems like he should've started the season in AAA after a solid year last year in AA.

Either way has has a OPS of nearly .900 in AAA so far. Seems like a solid bat. It's also nice that he's LH. I could definitely see Hughes, Snyder, and Scott splitting ABs between 1B and DH. He gives the O's an option to rest Snyder against tough RHP, similar to what the O's did with Jones last year.