MacPhail cites Tex offer as proof the Orioles will spend money

[Sports Guy]

You can't declare a ceiling like that in these types of negotiations, unless you have no interest in paying less than your ceiling.

I am not saying its a good strategy but AM certainly could have indicated that there was a certain level he was willing to go and if it goes higher than that, then the Orioles will have to bail out.

[Stotle]

I agree you have to be careful, but when you are in bidding with the "big boys" for a player, you can't put the lowest offer on the table and expect that player to take it.

And MacPhail certainly agrees with you (source: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_r...10?eref=sircrc)

"We have indicated before that we have flexibility," Orioles president Andy MacPhail said yesterday. "I don't think anyone expects [Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras] to lean over and accept the first proposal."

Or were you implying that AM actually thought the first offer would be accepted?

[Sports Guy]

And you also CANNOT do this -- negotiate against what you read in the press. You agree to keep your negotiations confidential and you operate only on what is said in those negotiations. Boras is going to leak stuff to the press for exactly the reason your posting above. Hope that someone makes it easy and starts negotiating against themself.

Your universe is the info on the table. Here is my offer and why I am making it. Here is my counter and why I am making it (i.e. where I think your offer is wrong). It isn't a public auction, it's a business negotiation based on valuation of an asset.

Oh come on..These guys know what is truly being offered...You don't think these guys talk or hear things "through the grapevine"? Of course they do.

AM knew what offers were out there...He just chose to not up his.

[Bradysburns]

Its an offer that wasn't going to be accepted because Tex had NO intentions of coming here, period. It was not because the offer was a "token" one or because it was low.

Had Tex really wanted to come to Baltimore, and had he gone to MacPhail and said, "I really want to play in Baltimore, but the Yanks just offered me $180 million. Can you EQUAL that?" I think MacPhail and Angelos would indeed have equalled that. MacPhail has said many times that the $140-$150 offer was the FIRST offer, and that he was not going to enter a bidding war or let the agent USE the Orioles to drive up the price. He stood pat at the original offer because he KNEW Tex did not want to play in Baltimore.

So by definition it was a token offer? If he KNEW Tex didn't want to play here.

That's even more irritating, because then it comes down to a simple, callous PR move to try to placate the fan base. I just think we got priced out. I think AM made a legitimate offer based on his evaluations, but the Yanks just overpaid and got him. Simple. I think Tex would have come to Baltimore if we would have matched the MFY's dollar for dollar. I really do.

However, I think AM did a great job in the Tex deal. He offered what he believe was reasonable. Then the bidding got out of hand, and he didn't continue thinking it was reasonable given his resources.

I have no problem with us losing out after putting $140 million on the table. That's a legit offer by any stretch. It's disappointing, but understandable.

However, I think where AM can make up ground is by overpaying for very good - but not "superstar" - players. Players like BJ Surhoff, Harold Baines. Those kinds of guys. Building blocks, character guys, and excellent players who, even if you overpay, you're not breaking your bank.

[Stotle]

I am not saying its a good strategy but AM certainly could have indicated that there was a certain level he was willing to go and if it goes higher than that, then the Orioles will have to bail out.

Not only is it not a good strategy, it's essentially the same as saying, "We will pay X and that is it. We don't want to pay less and we won't pay more."

If there is a GM running negotiations against Boras in that manner, he is in over his head -- and to be honest he probably should not be responsible for putting together a baseball team.

[Stotle]

Oh come on..These guys know what is truly being offered...You don't think these guys talk or hear things "through the grapevine"? Of course they do.

AM knew what offers were out there...He just chose to not up his.

I don't agree. I think teams are aware of what is rumored to be out there, but they don't gain anything by sharing info, and I can all but guarantee that Boras is giving out the specifics of other teams' offers.

[Frobby]

I agree, but you might be ignoring one thing, the idea of goals vs priorities. A goal is something you want, a priority is how badly you want/need it. If I'm at auction, I will likely bid higher on something indispensable that I consider a huge want/need. The more priority I place on that object, the higher I am willing to go.

I think the O's set Tex as a goal, but there was only so much priority they placed on winning the bidding. MacPhail wanted Tex, but not so badly that they were willing to pay whatever it took.

I agree with what you say here, but then, there should almost never be a player who you want so badly that you are "willing to pay whatever it took." The team has finite resources, and you reach a point where no matter how badly you want the player, it simply no longer makes sense because the money can be deployed better elsewhere, either then or in the future.

[TonySoprano]

How it impacts free agency is going to be a function of how the market evolves over the next month or two," MacPhail said. "You can only influence half that equation. Plus, what other clubs are interested in the same thing you are and what flexibility do they have?

"There are a lot of variables that go into the equation and you don't know how these things will fall. Generally, a couple of big dominoes will sign somewhere and other pieces fall in place."

Haven't we heard this before? Why yes...

"There might be things that are going to come up that people are not going to anticipate," he said. "There could be a domino effect of other moves that make other guys available. Our goal over the last month or so is to make sure we have all the information collected that we can possibly collect so that, when the off-season opens and the opportunities come there, we're prepared to move. It could come through a trade, it could come through free agency. Areas where we have concerns, we do have some inventory in our minor leagues that could potentially help. At what timetable is not known at this time, but that's helpful, as well."

Source - Roch, September 24

We'll have to see if Andy delivers as well as these guys;)

<img src=http://www.freewebs.com/cheesesandwiches/dominos1.jpg></img>

[RShack]

Well, judging from this thread, it's obviously time for the Cold Stove League.

Re: Tex (I can't believe we're still arguing about this), it pretty much comes down to whether you think AM is a Truthful Whitefoot or a Lying Blackfoot. Personally, I believe the guy and I think how he handled it was perfectly appropriate.

As for alternate possible scenarios, if you want JTrea managing your resources for you, please raise your hand.

[Bradysburns]

I still think this is true. And even if the O's matched the Yankees offer or even paid more I don't think it'd get the job done.

Let's face it, NY has so much more to offer a player than Baltimore does. People act like its all about the dollars and I think to a degree it is but when you take everything else into account outside of the money Baltimore almost always falls short.

Oh come on. We have Ruth's Chris! And the Bromo Tower.

But seriously, if ANY player was going to favor Baltimore for the intangibles, it would have been Tex. I guess we should give up on telling people how great the crab cakes are - even if they are really good.

[El Gordo]

Tex was going where the money was...plain and simple..Anyone who believes differently is fooling themselves.

If this were true why didn't he sign with the Gnats. Apparently they had the highest offer.

[Singleton]

I don't agree. I think teams are aware of what is rumored to be out there, but they don't gain anything by sharing info, and I can all but guarantee that Boras is giving out the specifics of other teams' offers.

Totally agree. Neither the teams nor the agents have an interest in knowing bid limits and misinfo is often out there. Teams want to get the player for as little as possible. They'd rather get the player for $90 even if their bid limit is $100. On the agent side, they want teams to go to their max and then some and that is not likely if everyone knows who will go the highest from the start. As an example, Boras has claimed in the past a whopping offer is on the table for a player who eventually signs for less. There is some accurate public info and some inaccurate public info and teams can't be sure what is what.

[Moose Milligan]

Oh come on. We have Ruth's Chris! And the Bromo Tower.

But seriously, if ANY player was going to favor Baltimore for the intangibles, it would have been Tex. I guess we should give up on telling people how great the crab cakes are - even if they are really good.

Exactly.

It's not a wonder why Baltimoreans carry a (sometimes self admitted) chip on their shoulder.

[tutka]

McPhail is off base, and the fans are correct in their thinking. For example, If my wife thinks I'm cheap and I want to prove her wrong would I offer 500,000 dollars on a house that is clearly worth 1 million and turn around and say "see I'm not cheap I offered 500K, they just never accepted my offer". I knowingly underbid the worth of the house to prove a point. This whole we tried attitude for the franchise make me sick.

[SoBo]

Tex wanted to go to the Yankees, plain and simple. And once the Red Sox made their largest offer, Boras took it to the Yankees and they topped it. He wanted to be a Yankee and I think AM knew it and wasn't willing to be leverage. The Sox took care of that. The day that we cry poor and don't extend our own players is the day that I cry fowl.