Rosenthal: Orioles Join Holliday Bidding

[pacman59]

Atkins used to reside in Irvine, California during the off-season, before moving to the Denver area after the 2006 season. For the past four seasons, he has lived with teammate Matt Holliday and family during spring training, even serving as babysitter to Holliday's two young sons.

[ChaosLex]

Why not offer 6/110 and see what he says

Agreed.

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[mcgraw238]

http://www.fangraphs.com/

Enjoy.

The 2008 value for Adam Eaton tells me all I need to know about using this metric as a guide. Sorry, but call me skeptical.

[tywright]

The 2008 value for Adam Eaton tells me all I need to know about using this metric as a guide. Sorry, but call me skeptical.

He "earned" $1.7MM based on his performance in 2008 so he was drastically overpaid

[mcgraw238]

He "earned" $1.7MM based on his performance in 2008 so he was drastically overpaid

Okay, obviously I need to look at this a little closer. It strikes me as a metric that is heavily tilted to the large market teams. $28.9M for Holliday sounds unreasonable to me.

[Great 2BA FL Gator]

Alright so I just read that the Cards are offering a 5 year 82.5 million dollar deal to Holliday.. Can we please get serious about this guy?

I don't think we will, and I can't say I'll be super disappointed if we don't but I thought I had seen somewhere the he was getting offered way more than 5 years and 82.5 mill..?

I guess now that I think about it, the point people have been making is that we would have to offer that extra year to land him because his preference would be to play with the Cards.

I guess there's no chance we could sneak in there and offer him 5 year 90 mill? Would that not be enough of an improvement on the Cards offer?

[clapdiddy]

Alright so I just read that the Cards are offering a 5 year 82.5 million dollar deal to Holliday.. Can we please get serious about this guy?

I don't think we will, and I can't say I'll be super disappointed if we don't but I thought I had seen somewhere the he was getting offered way more than 5 years and 82.5 mill..?

I guess now that I think about it, the point people have been making is that we would have to offer that extra year to land him because his preference would be to play with the Cards.

I guess there's no chance we could sneak in there and offer him 5 year 90 mill? Would that not be enough of an improvement on the Cards offer?

We can't because he's an outfielder, and we can't trade any of our current outfielders.

[jerios55]

Okay, obviously I need to look at this a little closer. It strikes me as a metric that is heavily tilted to the large market teams. $28.9M for Holliday sounds unreasonable to me.

It's just a value based on production. If Holliday is signed at 20 million, you are getting a bargain, based on ficticious value numbers. It hasn't nothing to do with what players get paid or should get paid.

[alexei606]

Red Sox are out - Yankees could still be in stealth mode but they are also looking for pitching. A top offer of $16.5 million per year for five years seems quite beatable for the Orioles (Cards and Red Sox offers) and not break the bank. Jason Bay is at the same level for four years and $15 million for five from the Mets. Bay lost another potential resting spot when the Mariners traded for Bradley - his options are dwindling fast. Bay will probably take the Mets offer and the Mets will be out of the running for Holliday. Holliday is better mainly due to his defense, but not dramatically better. The Orioles have a great shot at signing Holliday if they so choose and at the minimum, driving up the Yankees price if they jump in. The Cards can't go too much higher - they have Pujols and Wainwright to worry about. They can't wait much longer, DeRosa is getting antsy (and for good reason, I'm sure he doesn't want to be the next Abreu) and he may go to the Yankees as their LF.

A Holliday signing like Clapdaddy stated, provides the big bat and flexibility in trades. My choice in trading has always been Adam Jones - much more trade value than either Reimold or Pie and can bring that 1B - A. Gonzalez or TOR pitcher - Josh Johnson. Pie can play CF and at worst, have platoon mate such as Crisp or Amezaga. I lean more for Johnson because I think he can be extended more easily and the Orioles need that TOR now (Millwood is not one, but would be a solid #3). With these moves coupled with Bedard signing, the Orioles are in the mix (still most likely short of Boston and the Yankees, but not by much - mainly due to development needed for young players and pitchers). Still some decent 1B stop gaps on the market if the Orioles should go for Johnson. Obviously, this is all my speculation and McPhail has his own scenario(s) to play out. I just hope that a stop gap 1B is not the big bat.

[Great 2BA FL Gator]

A Holliday signing like Clapdaddy stated, provides the big bat and flexibility in trades. My choice in trading has always been Adam Jones - much more trade value than either Reimold or Pie and can bring that 1B - A. Gonzalez or TOR pitcher - Josh Johnson.

My view on this: I don't want to trade Adam Jones. He's a player that wants to help us get back to contention (from comments he's made, he seems pretty loyal to Baltimore) and he has the potential to be the next Torii Hunter roaming Center field.

If we sign Holliday, I'd prefer Nolan to DH and trade Pie and Scott, most likely in separate deals, to get whatever necessary. I think if we sign Holliday, there is not as much pressure to trade for someone like A-Gon.

We will have above average performers at C and CF and our #4 hitter in LF, therefore making up for the shortcomings at 1B, at least for this next season..

That being said, Holliday or no Holliday, I am content with the direction we are going.. I think this season will provide a ton of clarity for what we have going forward. Is Nick more like the guy in 2008 or 2009? Can Adam Jones be an .850 OPS guy/does he continue to make strides?

What strides do Reimold/Wieters make? Can Tillman find some consistency? Will Bergy get "figured out" or does he have what it takes to maintain a 4 ERA in the AL east? Is Matusz as polished as we think? Is Guts more of what he was last year or in 2007 & 2008?

Honestly there are so many unknowns RIGHT NOW, and I know you can't make judgements based on one season, but I think we will find out a lot in this one season.

P.S. Just call me the Giant thread killer!

[MarylandTerp08]

$50 million dollar payroll. Enough said.

[Mackus]

Okay, obviously I need to look at this a little closer. It strikes me as a metric that is heavily tilted to the large market teams. $28.9M for Holliday sounds unreasonable to me.

Interpret the fangraphs value statistic as "the amount of money a team would have to pay a free agent to provide the same amount of value".

[OrioleFanatic2008]

My view on this: I don't want to trade Adam Jones. He's a player that wants to help us get back to contention (from comments he's made, he seems pretty loyal to Baltimore) and he has the potential to be the next Torii Hunter roaming Center field.

If we sign Holliday, I'd prefer Nolan to DH and trade Pie and Scott, most likely in separate deals, to get whatever necessary. I think if we sign Holliday, there is not as much pressure to trade for someone like A-Gon.

Pie and Scott being shopped in separate deals doesn't bring back the same value as shopping Jones for a Josh Johnson or A-gon.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....Adam Jones has SIGNIFICANTLY more trade value than he has value to the O's. It's not very often that happens with a player and that's why I'm emphatic that if we were to bring a guy like Holliday in, Jones should be the guy to go.

[MarylandTerp08]

Interesting little nugget from St. Louis Post Dispatch:

MLB.com - The Cardinals appear to finally have competition for free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday.

FOX Sports reported on Thursday that the Orioles have entered the race for Holliday.

A source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch earlier this week that Holliday would prefer to remain with the Cardinals, but Baltimore has the kind of money that Holliday and agent Scott Boras are looking for in a contract.

As negotiations continue, with Baltimore reportedly entering the mix, Holliday is unlikely to sign before Christmas.

So, we have the money they're looking for? Just not willing to give it up I guess

[clapdiddy]

Interesting little nugget from St. Louis Post Dispatch:

So, we have the money they're looking for? Just not willing to give it up I guess

When I read stuff like this, it sounds like Mr. Boras working his magic. However, we have worked with him this off season, so it's really tough to say.