MacPhail:"this week we would put the finishing touches on" the roster."

[Frobby]

Really?

Tell me Frobby, what is going to happen if Crede is signed?

Do you really think Scott will be on the bench 3-4 games a week?

Do you think they are going to sit Reimold a lot?

I've already said, several times, that I think the three OF spots plus DH can be handled in such a way that Pie, Reimold and Scott each get 400+ plate appearances. There should be about 1380 PA available to the three of them. Who between them gets the most will depend on performance.

I've simply never believed that Scott was going to get meaningful time at 1B. It may make sense to you and to me, but it has been obvious for months that the Orioles weren't buying it. So, adding a corner infielder doesn't change the picture insofar as Pie is concerned.

[Pedro Cerrano]

He hasn't let anybody see his medical records. Yet all these clubs are interested in him still.

I'm sure he will let clubs see them that are interested enough as the two sides move closer to a deal.

It's sending a guy, probably Lee MacPhail to LA a for a day. Are we too cheap to provide a plane ticket?

This is just silly and complaining for the sake of complaining. Maybe it's as simple as the team not having any interest in a guy who hasn't thrown a real, major-league pitch since September of 2008? Can you blame them? With the surplus of young arms we have maybe they feel their resources will be better spent on something other than a guy who has battled injuries his whole career and may or may not ever become a shell of his former self?

[Sports Guy]

I've already said, several times, that I think the three OF spots plus DH can be handled in such a way that Pie, Reimold and Scott each get 400+ plate appearances. There should be about 1380 PA available to the three of them. Who between them gets the most will depend on performance.

I've simply never believed that Scott was going to get meaningful time at 1B. It may make sense to you and to me, but it has been obvious for months that the Orioles weren't buying it. So, adding a corner infielder doesn't change the picture insofar as Pie is concerned.

First of all, Pie isn't going to DH.

Secondly, you are also assuming DT can pull this off and will pull this off...which is a HUGE assumption. You are going to have to rely on injuries.

And what is going to happen with Pie? He will play once a week and people will go back to crying about how poor he looks...while ignoring the sporadic at bats. And then we will have the uneducated opinions about him being thrown around here and within the media again.

[Arthur_Bryant]

As in Andrew MacPhail?

Atkins is a huge question mark, and it really makes one wonder why they wanted him so badly for 1B considering they could have had Adam LaRoche who would have been a better contributor at 1B for only a few million more.

It's not a mystery. The Orioles decided to ignore the numbers because they convinced themselves that they saw something in Atkins that they would be able to turn around--something that Atkins himself and the Rockies hadn't been able to do. Most likely the scouting department pushed hard for it; that's not taking the onus off MacPhail, but the whole organization is out on a limb with this one.

The might work out, but ignoring the numbers is usually a perilous undertaking.

The other attraction is that Atkins can play 1B, and AM likes flexibility. In this case, it's a false attraction, because there were better choices at 1B, and not so many at 3B.

[Moose Milligan]

The fact that they are even considering it is enough for me Tony.

That means they have sat down, had meetings, etc....and the conclusion is this is what is best for the team.

How on earth could they have even come up with that idea?

I hate jumping to conclusions, but I have to agree with this.

The ONLY thing I can think of is that if they really like Bell a lot they'll sign Crede due to the fact that he'll be cheaper, easier to demote or cut if Bell is making noise and forcing his way onto the roster in the middle of the season.

I gotta think Tejada will want more than just a year and cost a significant amount more. It'll be harder to look Tejada in the eye and tell him that he's getting demoted to the bench or traded.

Might not be the most plausible thing...just the only thing I can think of.

Anyway, my take on the offseason moves thus far:

Millwood: Not a great pitcher, but considering what we gave up for him I have to like it. He'll give us innings.

Gonzalez: Not thrilled about giving up the pick, but he should stabilize the bullpen and I have to like that. Moves everyone in the pen up a spot, gets JJ back to setting up which is where he seems most effective.

Atkins: Whatever. If he OPS's .725 that'll be a surprise. It sucks that he'll in all likelihood play first base when we could have let Scott play there, tried Reimold out or let Aubrey fill in until Snyder is ready. All of those options are cheaper or provide us more flexibility. But, whatever.

It's been unspectacular but if we sign Crede I'll be straight up pissed. I understand that his defense is nice and that'll help the staff but we need to score some runs. Izturis is already a hole in the lineup, Atkins will be too. Add Crede? Pffft, whatever.

6-9 of Atkins, Crede and Izturis? How the hell does anyone expect to turn that lineup over in a late inning?

[Sports Guy]

I hate jumping to conclusions, but I have to agree with this.

The ONLY thing I can think of is that if they really like Bell a lot they'll sign Crede due to the fact that he'll be cheaper, easier to demote or cut if Bell is making noise and forcing his way onto the roster in the middle of the season.

I gotta think Tejada will want more than just a year and cost a significant amount more. It'll be harder to look Tejada in the eye and tell him that he's getting demoted to the bench or traded.

Might not be the most plausible thing...just the only thing I can think of.

Anyway, my take on the offseason moves thus far:

Millwood: Not a great pitcher, but considering what we gave up for him I have to like it. He'll give us innings.

Gonzalez: Not thrilled about giving up the pick, but he should stabilize the bullpen and I have to like that. Moves everyone in the pen up a spot, gets JJ back to setting up which is where he seems most effective.

Atkins: Whatever. If he OPS's .725 that'll be a surprise. It sucks that he'll in all likelihood play first base when we could have let Scott play there, tried Reimold out or let Aubrey fill in until Snyder is ready. All of those options are cheaper or provide us more flexibility. But, whatever.

It's been unspectacular but if we sign Crede I'll be straight up pissed. I understand that his defense is nice and that'll help the staff but we need to score some runs. Izturis is already a hole in the lineup, Atkins will be too. Add Crede? Pffft, whatever.

6-9 of Atkins, Crede and Izturis? How the hell does anyone expect to turn that lineup over in a late inning?

For someone that just made a thread about a poor theory on here, this is surprising.

They already have options that they could cast aside for Bell...Why on earth do they need to bring in another one?

And if you sign Crede, that basically means you are never going to see Wigginton...How is he going to raise his value if he barely plays?

[TyCobb]

For someone that just made a thread about a poor theory on here, this is surprising.

They already have options that they could cast aside for Bell...Why on earth do they need to bring in another one?

And if you sign Crede, that basically means you are never going to see Wigginton...How is he going to raise his value if he barely plays?

Wiggy can play 3rd against LHP.

Chances Wiggy's value increase enough to get anything significant back is small.

[Hank Scorpio]

I hate jumping to conclusions, but I have to agree with this.

The ONLY thing I can think of is that if they really like Bell a lot they'll sign Crede due to the fact that he'll be cheaper, easier to demote or cut if Bell is making noise and forcing his way onto the roster in the middle of the season.

I gotta think Tejada will want more than just a year and cost a significant amount more. It'll be harder to look Tejada in the eye and tell him that he's getting demoted to the bench or traded.

Might not be the most plausible thing...just the only thing I can think of.

Anyway, my take on the offseason moves thus far:

Millwood: Not a great pitcher, but considering what we gave up for him I have to like it. He'll give us innings.

Gonzalez: Not thrilled about giving up the pick, but he should stabilize the bullpen and I have to like that. Moves everyone in the pen up a spot, gets JJ back to setting up which is where he seems most effective.

Atkins: Whatever. If he OPS's .725 that'll be a surprise. It sucks that he'll in all likelihood play first base when we could have let Scott play there, tried Reimold out or let Aubrey fill in until Snyder is ready. All of those options are cheaper or provide us more flexibility. But, whatever.

It's been unspectacular but if we sign Crede I'll be straight up pissed. I understand that his defense is nice and that'll help the staff but we need to score some runs. Izturis is already a hole in the lineup, Atkins will be too. Add Crede? Pffft, whatever.

6-9 of Atkins, Crede and Izturis? How the hell does anyone expect to turn that lineup over in a late inning?

If Atkins puts up a .725 OPS, that would be an extreme disappointment. That'd certainly be a failure. You could get that from Snyder.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1790&position=3B

Given his age and past, it's not unreasonable to expect some rebound from him. His pitch recognition isn't bad and he has historically made contact consistently. Last year was saddled with a .247 BABIP and a situation where Colorado jerked him around a bit.

It's not a long term solution, and it's fair to say they could have done better if they wanted one via free agency.

[Sports Guy]

Wiggy can play 3rd against LHP.

Chances Wiggy's value increase enough to get anything significant back is small.

Not if Crede is healthy.

[TyCobb]

Not if Crede is healthy.

Why not? Crede has been terrible against LHP the past 3 seasons.

An easy way to rest Crede and get Ty some ABs.

[Sports Guy]

Why not? Crede has been terrible against LHP the past 3 seasons.

An easy way to rest Crede and get Ty some ABs.

Because if Crede is signed and he is healthy, he is going to play almost everyday because DT loves defense.

I am not saying your idea is wrong, i am saying it won't happen as long as Crede is healthy.

Now, they may choose to sit Crede 1-2 games a week to try and keep him healthy and if they do, maybe they will be smart enough to do it vs lefties but I do not have any confidence that DT will do that.

[NewMarketSean]

Why not? Crede has been terrible against LHP the past 3 seasons.

An easy way to rest Crede and get Ty some ABs.

Why do we even need Crede or Tejada? Just stick Wigginton there until Bell comes up. He's signed for 1 year and won't need to be released if Bell is ready to take over. Plus he could probably out-perform both of these guys offensively.

[Trinidad]

BUZZZ::

Thanks for playing but wrong again. The Mets saw his medical records in November and "shied away". So when the Orioles asked for the medical records in December and they were not produced the Orioles are obviously not going to be interested.

Thanks for playing though.

http://metsfever.blogspot.com/2009/11/mets-interested-in-ben-sheets.html

Actually, to be fair, that article says that the Mets saw his medical records LAST offseason, not November of '09, as in 2008-2009, before he missed 2009 with the injury.

[Going Underground]

The Orioles are not crazy about Wiggington's defense.I think they like Crede over Tejeda's defense. I know Crede said he would not mind coming here and if his medical records check out I think he will be signed. I think it is between these two unless Uggla has a change of heart about third base. Also Bedard is not a slam dunk as everyone thinks. The market still has alot of pitchers with not as much health risks and if any of their prices come down we might be in on some of them.

[TyCobb]

Why do we even need Crede or Tejada? Just stick Wigginton there until Bell comes up. He's signed for 1 year and won't need to be released if Bell is ready to take over. Plus he could probably out-perform both of these guys offensively.

We need Crede, not Tejada because Wiggy isn't as good as Crede IMO.

Our payroll is so low that the price of Crede doesn't matter really matter (is going to be extremely low). Crede is a guy I wanted to play 3rd all along and I said it would be a very cheap deal last season.

Guy is one of the best fielding 3rd baseman. He was worth 1.9 WAR last season while being 6.6 runs below average with the bat.

Crede/Wiggy platoon at 3b is a fine stop gate until Bell or Synder is ready.