Fielder?

[JTrea81]

Until you factor in cost. At that point, he makes zero sense for us.

The Orioles can easily afford Fielder.

They have so many young and cheap guys on the roster that they have room for his salary.

Things might get tight in a few years but if they make it to the playoffs they can get more money to spend. And with a winning team comes increased attendance which leads to more revenue.

Just look at the Phillies.

[Sports Guy]

The Orioles can easily afford Fielder.

They have so many young and cheap guys on the roster that they have room for his salary.

Things might get tight in a few years but if they make it to the playoffs they can get more money to spend. And with a winning team comes increased attendance which leads to more revenue.

Just look at the Phillies.

25 million a year is a ton of money and when you look at it long term, when your young guys start making money through extensions and things like that, it gets even more.

I think the Orioles can afford a 90-100 million dollar payroll...but to give 1 player 25 million of that is pretty foolish, especially when that player is likely to be declining in years 6-8 of that deal.

[DrungoHazewood]

The Orioles can easily afford Fielder.

They have so many young and cheap guys on the roster that they have room for his salary.

Things might get tight in a few years but if they make it to the playoffs they can get more money to spend. And with a winning team comes increased attendance which leads to more revenue.

Just look at the Phillies.

Of course the problem is that the Orioles probably move farther from being a contender by trading multiple good, young, cost-controlled players for one expensive first baseman.

Not only that, but what does "afford" mean? I think it means they could choose to spend on someone like Fielder, but at the expense of other things the organization desperately needs. The Orioles will be far better off long term with all of their young players and spending $25M on scouting/drafting/international signings/infrastructure than on Fielder. They'd be so far better off with the latter that it's hard to imagine any scenario where a Fielder trade wouldn't look insane.

This is like a guy who lives in a decrepit old moblie home, but who has $50k in a bank account. He could "afford" a new BMW, but that's beside the point. There are a million other better things he could do with the money.

[JTrea81]

I think the Orioles can afford a 90-100 million dollar payroll...but to give 1 player 25 million of that is pretty foolish, especially when that player is likely to be declining in years 6-8 of that deal.

True but for years 1-5 he'll be one of the best and most valuable players in baseball.

The question is how badly do you want to win and how long are you willing to wait?

We can pass on Fielder and wait for Votto after 2013, that is if the Reds don't lock him up first.

But then you've still got to find a threat to put behind Markakis and a bat that will take the pressure off of the younger guys and that will be at peak performance from 2011-2013.

[DrungoHazewood]

True but for years 1-5 he'll be one of the best and most valuable players in baseball.

You sure about that? Because in 2010 he's something like the 27th most valuable position player in the National League, 56th in the majors. Just behind Kelly Johnson and Brandon Phillips. Last year he was 6th (11th in the majors), but in 2008 he was 57th in the National League.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "one of the best and most valuable". You could have meant "one of the top 100 or so position players in baseball", I guess.

[JTrea81]

I give up. After reading Tony's article. Fielder is a pipedream.

[RustyMcNail]

I give up. After reading Tony's article. Fielder is a pipedream.

And so was Texiera. Nice to see you're finally facing reality.