Andy MacPhail - Disappointing GM

[Sports Guy]

Okay fine, I wasn't talking trades just straight FA.

But what do you say about Detroit. I could see them going into a major firesale in the next couple of years.

So what? They went to the WS a few years ago and look to be a playoff team this year...They have a ton of good young pitching, MCab and are in the AL Central...so I do not think they will see a big dropoff unless they have injuries.

Besides, I think you are wrong anyway..Over the next few years, they lose the contracts of Huff, Washburn, Maggs, Guillen, Willis, Bonderman, Polanco, Robertson, Inge and Lyon...if anything, Detroit is going to be a very dangerous team in the next several years.

They spend on the draft...They have one of the best players in the game and a lot of young pitching that is established in the majors.

[hatepaste]

How bad would the Phillies have to be next season, if at all, to considering parting with Howard? He's in for $19M next year and $20M in 2011. Don't know what their payroll situation looks like but this is a serious increase over his $10M this season.

Ryan Howard is making 15 million this year. Prior to this season he signed a 3 year deal to buy out his arbitration years.

Brett Myers is making something like 8-10 mil and is a free agent after this year. Jimmy Rollins is a free agent after next year, and the same with Moyer.

Phillies added a lot of payroll this year, over last year. They had a lot of guys arbitration eligible. I think they added like 20-30 million in payroll. They did pick up some more payroll in Cliff Lee, but they have some names coming off the books.

Heck, I think they're even paying Goeff Jenkins and Tom Gordon some money this year.

[zff4]

I wish to heck I knew where Moose was, I'd buy him a beer.

[Crazysilver03]

LOL...That's only because you aren't reading. Reimold to DH, Rios to LF and Pie to LF...If you want to know Scott, then you put him at first...If you DFA Mora, Huff goes to third while you wait to trade him.

I am the one not reading? You can't even proof-read your own post. How do you put Rios and Pie in LF? This isnt softball.

[Fan4Life]

Ryan Howard is making 15 million this year. Prior to this season he signed a 3 year deal to buy out his arbitration years.

Brett Myers is making something like 8-10 mil and is a free agent after this year. Jimmy Rollins is a free agent after next year, and the same with Moyer.

Phillies added a lot of payroll this year, over last year. They had a lot of guys arbitration eligible. I think they added like 20-30 million in payroll. They did pick up some more payroll in Cliff Lee, but they have some names coming off the books.

Heck, I think they're even paying Goeff Jenkins and Tom Gordon some money this year.

Thanks. The options do seem bleak, at least until 2011.

[hatepaste]

Thanks. The options do seem bleak, at least until 2011.

The worst part is when Howard is a free agent, he's going to be something like 31 or 32. He didn't hit the bigs until he was 26. Not a lot of people going to want to put a ton of money on a big old 32 year old first basemen who can't play the field. Not sure what his idea on DH'ing is.

If Howard takes a plunge in the fielding department, that could possibly get him traded.

[Satyr3206]

This has turned into a slugfest.

[Mark Carver]

This has turned into a slugfest.

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[SilentJames]

So what? They went to the WS a few years ago and look to be a playoff team this year...They have a ton of good young pitching, MCab and are in the AL Central...so I do not think they will see a big dropoff unless they have injuries.

Besides, I think you are wrong anyway..Over the next few years, they lose the contracts of Huff, Washburn, Maggs, Guillen, Willis, Bonderman, Polanco, Robertson, Inge and Lyon...if anything, Detroit is going to be a very dangerous team in the next several years.

They spend on the draft...They have one of the best players in the game and a lot of young pitching that is established in the majors.

You don't think that the economic situation in the area could effect them?

[Sports Guy]

You don't think that the economic situation in the area could effect them?

Its possible but so what? What does that have to do with anything?

The economic situation blows big time there and they have added, not subtracted, payroll this season...They also ate the Sheffield contract.

[MemorialStadKid]

Question for you. How does he "go after FA talent on the level that Cashman or Epstein" when he doesn't have a budget on the level of Cashman and Epstein to do it with?

I answered this question earlier:

First off, we don't know what the Orioles operating budget can be in relation to revenue. That information is not known therefore we can't say that the Orioles can't spend money to be competitive.

We don't need to OUTSPEND the Yanks and Red Sox each season, we need to spend money WISELY when elite-level FAs become available every few years. The question is WILL WE spend when the "time comes" to get us to the place we need to be? I am not so sure and that is one of the main points of this thread.

The Yanks and Red Sox do spend money like water, but they also offer a lot more than we can just by the virtue of being NYC and Boston to entice an elite-level FA to come to their teams:

a) A chance at the playoffs every year.

b) Increased media exposure for your playing career that can turn into endorsements and other ancillary revenue steams.

c) Large exciting cities with incredible culture and nightlife.

With that said, a mid-market team like Baltimore has to go above and beyond the typical call of duty in order to snag an EL-FA (elite level free agent). If we played in the AL West, we would only have to deal with the Angels and sometimes the Rangers. Out here, we have the Red Sox, Yanks and sometimes Toronto willing to spend some serious money.

The "small market" argument is just a load of crap. We have the money, its finally being spent on infrastructure. And whatever is left -- and it should be considerable -- can go to an EL-FA if we aggressively pursue him. Dangling the money out there just isn't enough.

MSK

[hatepaste]

I answered this question earlier:

The Yanks and Red Sox do spend money like water, but they also offer a lot more than we can just by the virtue of being NYC and Boston to entice an elite-level FA to come to their teams:

a) A chance at the playoffs every year.

b) Increased media exposure for your playing career than can turn into endorsements and other ancillary revenue steams.

c) Large exciting cities with incredible culture and nightlife.

With that said, a mid-market team like Baltimore has to go above and beyond the typical call of duty in order to snag an EL-FA (elite level free agent). If we played in the AL West, we would only have to deal with the Angels and sometimes the Rangers. Out here, we have the Red Sox, Yanks and sometimes Toronto willing to spend some serious money.

The "small market" argument is just a load of crap. We have the money, its finally being spent on infrastructure. And whatever is left -- and it should be considerable -- can go to an EL-FA if we aggressively pursue him. Dangling the money out there just isn't enough.

MSK

I agree with the first part. But then you're just guessing that they don't go "above and beyond" the typical call of duty to get a free agent.

What does that mean? Does that mean offer more money? Cause we've done that?

Does that mean taking them out to dinner and breakfast the next morning?

That means nothing because we know NOTHING about how the Orioles as an organization try to lure players here compared to other organizations.

[Mackus]

I answered this question earlier:

The Yanks and Red Sox do spend money like water, but they also offer a lot more than we can just by the virtue of being NYC and Boston to entice an elite-level FA to come to their teams:

a) A chance at the playoffs every year.

b) Increased media exposure for your playing career that can turn into endorsements and other ancillary revenue steams.

c) Large exciting cities with incredible culture and nightlife.

With that said, a mid-market team like Baltimore has to go above and beyond the typical call of duty in order to snag an EL-FA (elite level free agent). If we played in the AL West, we would only have to deal with the Angels and sometimes the Rangers. Out here, we have the Red Sox, Yanks and sometimes Toronto willing to spend some serious money.

The "small market" argument is just a load of crap. We have the money, its finally being spent on infrastructure. And whatever is left -- and it should be considerable -- can go to an EL-FA if we aggressively pursue him. Dangling the money out there just isn't enough.

MSK

The only thing we can offer is more money right now. And fortunately that is the most important thing to every free agent and the only important thing to 80% of free agents.

Its going to be damn near impossible to outbid the Yankees for a player they strongly covet, but we can outbid them for a player they just have interest strong in, and we can outbid the Red Sox on any one player even though we can't match their overall payroll.

This "above and beyond" nonsense is silly. A player isn't going to decide to come to a city just because the owner flies him in on a private jet and has a super fancy dinner with him. That stuff can't hurt, and it might help a tiny in some cases, but the ultimate deciding thing is the money.

We need to bid for free agents like you play poker at a loose table. Play very tight, but when you have the big hand (right player comes along) be very, very aggressive (spend a lot to get him).

[MemorialStadKid]

That means nothing because we know NOTHING about how the Orioles as an organization try to lure players here compared to other organizations.

What we DO know is that nothing they have tried thus far has worked.

MSK

[Satyr3206]

What we DO know is that nothing they have tried thus far has worked.

MSK

Your right. The Orioles have never signed any FA's. Except Belle, and Alomar, and Palmiero, and on and on and on.