Anyone Have Any Idea Why AM Won't Add the Desperately Needed Big Bat?

[BlackWillow]

I can't say that I completely agree w/ this.

You probably will by May 1st.

[jmmarvel]

You probably will by May 1st.

Took me like 5 min to even figure out what this was about...

You really think that we aren't going to be competitive against these other clubs? Didn't we sweep the Phillies last year?

[El Gordo]

Truth is, there aren't any really great bats on next year's FA list, outside of Mauer who we won't pursue because we have his position covered. You have Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Victor Martinez (who we also won't pursue) and Jason Werth. Oh yeah, and some guy named Jeter.

Martinez would make a great DH/1B and back up C. Don't you think if these guys were available this year, we would be after them?

[waroriole]

Truth is, there aren't any really great bats on next year's FA list, outside of Mauer who we won't pursue because we have his position covered. You have Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Victor Martinez (who we also won't pursue) and Jason Werth. Oh yeah, and some guy named Jeter.

Those first two guys are the kind of big bat I think we should be looking for in FA. We won't have to give them more than a 3-4 year deal (in all likelihood, and possibly just 2 for Lee) and they should not be a burden at the end of their deals. Also, like El Gordo said, I could see us going after Martinez as a 1B/DH/Backup C. He would be ideal for that role given that we will need to see Wieters in the DH spot more often than most teams' catchers.

[theobird]

Those first two guys are the kind of big bat I think we should be looking for in FA. We won't have to give them more than a 3-4 year deal (in all likelihood, and possibly just 2 for Lee) and they should not be a burden at the end of their deals. Also, like El Gordo said, I could see us going after Martinez as a 1B/DH/Backup C. He would be ideal for that role given that we will need to see Wieters in the DH spot more often than most teams' catchers.

If we get into next offseason and Brandon Snyder has not shown that he is our first baseman of the present and future....Victor Martinez should be our #1 priority. That guy would fit our needs to a "T", and allow us to not carry a no hit veteran Catcher. Martinez would look great in an Oriole uniform as our starting first baseman, and have him catch 40 games a year behind Wieters. Wow, that would be a great signing.

[ScottieBaseball]

So you think Atkins as a cleanup hitter is a viable alternative? Give me Vlad or Delgado any day. I expect a Glenn Davis type year from Atkins. All fluff and no stuff. Almost as bad as signing Marty Cordova. Bedard would be a risk but also could be great insurance when one of our starters inevitably either falters or goes on the DL.

I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth. I'll take Nolan Reimold or Luke Scott in the cleanup spot right now over Vlad or Delgado at this point. As far as Bedard is concerned...you'd be insuring the health/performance of the Orioles rotation with a guy who's got a spotty health record. That's a foolish bet no matter the odds.

[Old#5fan]

I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth. I'll take Nolan Reimold or Luke Scott in the cleanup spot right now over Vlad or Delgado at this point. As far as Bedard is concerned...you'd be insuring the health/performance of the Orioles rotation with a guy who's got a spotty health record. That's a foolish bet no matter the odds.

Sometimes in life you gotta take chances. If you never risk anything than you are unlikely to ever gain anything either. Sometimes I cannot believe this shoestring budget philosphy that has been adopted as the norm here by many.

[waroriole]

As far as Bedard is concerned...you'd be insuring the health/performance of the Orioles rotation with a guy who's got a spotty health record. That's a foolish bet no matter the odds.

I actually agree with OldFan on this point. Bedard would be a great low risk/high reward signing. If he can't go and we need a SP due to injury/ineffectiveness then we still have Arrieta and Koji, as well as Hernandez and Berken. So Bedard isn't really insurance, he's a possible high reward pick.

[ScottieBaseball]

Sometimes in life you gotta take chances. If you never risk anything than you are unlikely to ever gain anything either. Sometimes I cannot believe this shoestring budget philosphy that has been adopted as the norm here by many.

I wholeheartedly agree that sometimes you gotta take chances. They should, however, be calculated. In the case of Delgado and Vlad, they should be clear upgrades if signed. It's the belief of many that neither player really presented an improvement to the O's lineup when compared to the in-house alternatives. I tend to agree with that sentiment.

I actually agree with OldFan on this point. Bedard would be a great low risk/high reward signing. If he can't go and we need a SP due to injury/ineffectiveness then we still have Arrieta and Koji, as well as Hernandez and Berken. So Bedard isn't really insurance, he's a possible high reward pick.

We'll have to agree to disagree. Even when he was healthy Bedard couldn't work deep into games on a regular basis and that's the exact opposite of what the O's should be working toward with respect to their rotation. Add to that the fact that he's another year older and coming off another injury and the most significant of his career and I just don't think the O's are the type of team that would benefit from this type of risk/reward acquisition unless the best-case scenario panned out (Bedard returns to his '06-'07 form). Otherwise I'd rather see a younger arm get those innings and hopefully avoid taxing an habitually overworked bullpen.