CBSSports: Hardy & Harris for Hoey & Jacobson a done deal

[scOtt]

Hah...maybe I'm just a glass half-empty kind of guy? Given Hardy's injury history (and the fact that it's been recent/persistent), I'd say that's something that needs to go right, rather than follow the status quo. Same thing goes for Reynolds...he doesn't need to maintain last year's performance...he needs to improve.

And then there's BRob needing to show he's healthy/back to his old self, Markakis and the question of his power (and whether run production will improve accordingly), Jones and his magical-disappearing-plate-discipline, Wieters and his magical disappearing prospect-luster...

...the more I think about it, the more the list goes on, actually. Can Pie stay heallthy (and is he a real solution), is Reimold v2009 coming back (or was v2010 what we're stuck with), does Luke regress to his "typical" season...

...stop making me think of this stuff on an otherwise nice night!

There are a lot of things that do need to go right, all that you said. I'm just very hopeful because we've done so much good for this team already. And we may not even be done. Good times!

[Arthur_Bryant]

C Wieters (400K)

LF Pie (400K)

CF Jones (2.5m)

Pitchers: 21.3m

Roster Total: 65.65 (including $8m for Lee: 73.65)

Buyouts:

Hendrickson (200K)

Atkins (500K)

2011 Projected Payroll: $66,350,000 (including $8m for Lee: $74,350,000)

2010 Actual Payroll: $73,812,500

Pie is eligible for arb (first year) and I think you may be a bit low on Jones.

I bet Lee gets more than $8MM, too. And I expect another RP signing or two.

[MrOrange82]

There are a lot of things that do need to go right, all that you said. I'm just very hopeful because we've done so much good for this team already. And we may not even be done. Good times!

Good times, indeed. Here's to possibly seeing throngs of disappointed out-of-towners (finally!) leaving Camden Yards next season.

[scOtt]

The only possible explanation for this, is that for whatever reason, the Orioles like Bartlett better than Hardy. I personally have no idea how that would be possible.

Or maybe that AM was playing the Twins and Rays against each other. The master puppeteer.

[mweb]

BTW, if AM had listened to the ferver on this board about being aggressive and getting things done ASAP he would have very likely given up more to get Reynolds and Hardy.

[MrOrange82]

BTW, if AM had listened to the ferver on this board about being aggressive and getting things done ASAP he would have very likely given up more to get Reynolds and Hardy.

And if he'd signed XYZ free agents before other teams, or in past years, he'd have heard less of it as well.

Not saying the preceding to undercut the quality of the moves he's made this winter, thus far, but to point out that your reasoning is suspect.

Hindsight is what it is...and regardless, we don't actually know what the start and end points of past/completed negotiations were.

[theobird]

BTW, if AM had listened to the ferver on this board about being aggressive and getting things done ASAP he would have very likely given up more to get Reynolds and Hardy.

No question about it. It is time to give AM his due. And I got a little frustrated myself. I was standing up, when I should have been shutting up. I stand corrected. Way to go Andy!

[scOtt]

And to borrow from our exalted leader...

Actions DO speak louder than words.

[Capn Vivi]

Pie is eligible for arb (first year) and I think you may be a bit low on Jones.

I bet Lee gets more than $8MM, too. And I expect another RP signing or two.

I think you're right, but I don't see Pie/Jones getting more than $4m between the two of them. You might call these conservative estimates. I think if we signed Lee to a 1 year deal, he'd get at least $10m, but if we get him at 2 years plus an option (which is what I think it would take), then I think he gets a lower annual salary.

Supposedly there's a 2-year offer for Gregg out there for about $5 annually, so assuming that's picked up, our payroll should enter $80m+ territory.

[Capn Vivi]

BTW, if AM had listened to the ferver on this board about being aggressive and getting things done ASAP he would have very likely given up more to get Reynolds and Hardy.

Fortunately, MacPhail doesn't check this site nearly as frequently as any of us do.

[Frobby]

I had a brain fart and thought we'd traded our no. 3 prospect for a minute.

Great trade, and now we see why MacPhail is always adding power arms to his "inventory, as he likes to say. There's always a market for big guys who throw 93+

So, what can we get for McCrory?

[JohnD]

This is why you don't trade Nolan Reimold for Jason Bartlett. Great trade.

[tvdoc]

Credit to AM. It is tough to build through trades, but he is doing it. This is very impressive stuff. The guy is just so cool under fire.

I take back everything bad I have said about Mr. Andy MacPhail. :clap3:

[BrunoCherrytown]

I think we need to have a bit of perspective.

MacPhail did two excellent trades in relation to what we received.

Reynolds against weaker pitching hits tons of homers and strikes out a million times. I think we won the trade but he's not a game changer for us.

We got Hardy for nothing. This is great. He could be brittle and a modest performer and still be an upgrade over Izzy.

But we didn't just change the AL East dynamics here.

The Red Sox got massively better. Sure they lost Beltre and VMart but they went and got two players that are much better than both of them.

You think the Yankees will now let Cliff Lee go anywhere else. Just adding him is a better offseason than we'll have.

So MacPhail pulled off two winning trades and the team got better. But these weren't leaps and bounds. We need that. We won 66 games last year.

Derrek Lee isn't doing that for us. Prince Fielder does.

We get him plus extension for a Britton led package and this is an offseason where we have a shot at making waves in the actual season.

[Roll Tide]

Just a fantastic trade. Now extend him!

Kudos to MacPhail. I think the targets were fairly obvious, but I had my doubts that he could get his guys. These were both solid trades.

I don't think anyone can rag on AM's trade history with the club. Nothing terribly creative, but almost always solid targets and almost always good value.

Now let's see if he can lure Lee or LaRoche here on a reasonable contract.

I agree they need to extend Hardy.

and get Laroche!