Blame MacPhail

[Sports Guy]

Pie can't stay on the field

Yes, this has been an issue for the short time he has been here..Doesn't mean it will always be the issue.

Reimold could have lingering issues.

Based on what?

Our OF is not solid by any means.

Sure it is...Even an OF of Jones, Nick and Scott is very solid...That is obviously a championship caliber OF..To say its not is just stupidity..The IF is what sucks.

If you go after a player like Holliday you have to be committed to win now. As I said not pursuing that talent seriously shows me that MacPhail has not yet totally committed to winning now.

That's fine..You are allowed to be as irrational as you choose to be.

You may not call a player like him premium talent, but he has three Silver Sluggers and multiple AS appearances and a career .933 OPS. If he's not the definition of premium talent, he's the closest you are going to find without paying Teixeira type money.

You do know that you aren't signing him for what he already has done...You are signing him with a good prediction of what he will do.

He would have made sense for 4-5 years at 18 million a year or so...That would have been a sensible contract. If you had to overpay to get him at 6/108, that could have been ok.

But to have to go 7/140, at the very least, would have been a poor contract and YET AGAIN, its a contract YOU have said you would NOT have given him.

[LookinUp]

I have now read this entire thread and come to the following conclusion...

I too wish that the Orioles had signed a big name free agent or two to solidify this lineup, but there's only one guy that I'd still want after seeing the contract. That's Teixeira.

It would have been beyond stupid to sign Holliday at 7/140. It would have been incredibly risky to sign Lackey for $90 million, given his recent year injuries. Bay? Nope. Beltre doesn't qualify. Ditto Figgins, who's good but older and over rated, IMO.

What did MacPhail NOT do that I wanted him to do? Sign Sano.

Could he pull off a trade for a top bat? Possibly, but at the rumored prices I'm not interested.

So, I shudder to ask, but what specifically would Trea/MSK/others have wanted MacPhail to do to acquire this premium talent? By specific, I mean more than "sign Holliday." I'd like to see years and $$.

Then I think most of the board will remember why it was still smarter to wait.

[JTrea81]

I have now read this entire thread and come to the following conclusion...

I too wish that the Orioles had signed a big name free agent or two to solidify this lineup, but there's only one guy that I'd still want after seeing the contract. That's Teixeira.

It would have been beyond stupid to sign Holliday at 7/140. It would have been incredibly risky to sign Lackey for $90 million, given his recent year injuries. Bay? Nope. Beltre doesn't qualify. Ditto Figgins, who's good but older and over rated, IMO.

What did MacPhail NOT do that I wanted him to do? Sign Sano.

Could he pull off a trade for a top bat? Possibly, but at the rumored prices I'm not interested.

So, I shudder to ask, but what specifically would Trea/MSK/others have wanted MacPhail to do to acquire this premium talent? By specific, I mean more than "sign Holliday." I'd like to see years and $$.

Then I think most of the board will remember why it was still smarter to wait.

If you really want to know I would have tried to sign Holliday.

Considering he took 7/120 with St. Louis with 2 million deferred annually reducing the present worth of that contract considerably, I think 6/119 frontloaded with an option for $17 million for a package of 7/133 with no deferred money could have got him.

Then I would have traded Tillman, Arrieta, Joseph and possibly Snyder or another prospect to SD for Adrian Gonzalez and worried about the extension later.

And yes I would have signed Lackey to a 5/90 contract.

For 3B I probably would have gone the stopgap route, so we can say Tejada for now

So to recap:

2B Roberts/Aviles

RF Markakis

LF Holliday

1B Gonzalez

CF Jones

C Wieters

DH Reimold

3B Tejada

SS Izturis

Rotation:

Lackey

Millwood

Guthrie

Matusz

Bergesen

That's how I would have approached last offseason. And that is a team that has an outside chance at competiting in 2010 and sets up a great foundation for 2011. After the 2010 season I look to extend Gonzalez to a 7/154 contract ripping up the last year of his deal.

Given the injury to Roberts, I approach KC and deal for Mike Aviles to man 2B.

That's how you build a team to win.

[Hank Scorpio]

:laughlol:

[LookinUp]

If you really want to know I would have tried to sign Holliday.

Considering he took 7/120 with St. Louis with 2 million deferred annually reducing the present worth of that contract considerably, I think 6/119 frontloaded with an option for $17 million for a package of 7/133 with no deferred money could have got him.

Then I would have traded Tillman, Arrieta, Joseph and possibly Snyder or another prospect to SD for Adrian Gonzalez and worried about the extension later.

And yes I would have signed Lackey to a 5/90 contract.

For 3B I probably would have gone the stopgap route, so we can say Tejada for now

So to recap:

2B Roberts/Aviles

RF Markakis

LF Holliday

1B Gonzalez

CF Jones

C Wieters

DH Reimold

3B Tejada

SS Izturis

Rotation:

Lackey

Millwood

Guthrie

Matusz

Bergesen

That's how I would have approached last offseason. And that is a team that has an outside chance at competiting in 2010 and sets up a great foundation for 2011. After the 2010 season I look to extend Gonzalez to a 7/154 contract ripping up the last year of his deal.

Given the injury to Roberts, I approach KC and deal for Mike Aviles to man 2B.

That's how you build a team to win.

There you have it.

7/133 for a 30 y.o. outfielder.

Two top pitching prospects, and two other legit prospects for Adrian Gonzalez, w/o an extension.

Five years and 90 million dollars for a 31 y.o. pitcher.

I don't mean this to belittle you, but you are willing to accept a huge amount of risk to players who would historically not age well during their contract, and a third who isn't signed. I'd like that team for 2010 though.

[Moose Milligan]

There you have it.

7/133 for a 30 y.o. outfielder.

Two top pitching prospects, and two other legit prospects for Adrian Gonzalez, w/o an extension.

Five years and 90 million dollars for a 31 y.o. pitcher.

I don't mean this to belittle you, but you are willing to accept a huge amount of risk to players who would historically not age well during their contract, and a third who isn't signed. I'd like that team for 2010 though.

Yeah, cause the Orioles have 37 million extra just laying around.

[Lucky Jim]

Five years and 90 million dollars for a 31 y.o. pitcher.

SPLITS	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	P/GS	WHIP	BAA	ERASeason	3	3	0	0	16.0	19	10	10	1	7	8	1	1	68.7	1.63	.306	5.63

[tvz1997]

Yeah, cause the Orioles have 37 million extra just laying around.

MA$N. Duh.

[Sports Guy]

SPLITS	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	P/GS	WHIP	BAA	ERASeason	3	3	0	0	16.0	19	10	10	1	7	8	1	1	68.7	1.63	.306	5.63

He had a terrible start today but pitched very well in ST and his first 2 starts this year.

He wouldn't have come here for 5/90...And Holliday wouldn't have come here for less guaranteed money than he got from a true contender.

[glorydays]

Doesn't Brian Roberts prove the risk that you take when you sign a 30 something year old proven all star ball caliber player to a long term contract??