Zrebiec: At impasse with LaRoche; turning attention to Lee

[raypetty]

I think Laroche isn't going to get a better offer and will sign with us sometime today or tomorrow.

[El Gordo]

It really doesn't have to be any more complicated than this. IIRC Vlad in 2003 let the O's offer sit for several weeks before LAA unexpectedly stepped up. I'm skeptical that the O's and Nats are the only possible destinations so it's in their best interest to let the market develop a little while longer.. Lee really doesn't need to go for the biggest payday either.

Possible destinations: Rays- looking for cheap DH, Jays- looking for DH/1b to split time with Lind at 1B, Texas- looking for DH/1B to split time with Mooreland, if they don't sign Vlad, Pads- looking for cheap stop gap 1B until Blanks is ready. Twins need a DH. These plus the O's and Gnats are pretty much it. Only Texas would be offering more than 3-5 MM. These are destinations for the likes of Johnson, Cantu, Thome, Giambi, Branyon etc.

[El Gordo]

I thought Lee or LaRoche would be done by last night... I was wrong... I still think one or the other will be signed by the O's.

Could be as early as today.. could be as late as mid-Jan.

I still think it depends on Vlad. Texas would be a good fit for Lee. In some ways better than Vlad because he plays a good 1B, and Vlad's number's fell sharply the second half...:scratchchinhmm:

[UMDTerrapins]

I thought Lee or LaRoche would be done by last night... I was wrong... I still think one or the other will be signed by the O's.

Could be as early as today.. could be as late as mid-Jan.

I predicted early January in an old thread. My reasoning was that this past offseason he signed with Arizona on January 13th. Granted, there were different circumstances for him last year, but it showed me that he's not averse to playing the waiting game and isn't one of those guys who needs a destination before the holidays. I'm also a big believer in listening to history.

Note: I also predicted in that old thread that Lee would sign with the Rangers, so my track record admittedly blows

[Peace21]

I thought Lee or LaRoche would be done by last night... I was wrong... I still think one or the other will be signed by the O's.

Could be as early as today.. could be as late as mid-Jan.

Why do you say you thought it would be done? Were you hearing things were close?

[sakata_catching]

LaRoche was pretty good for the Pirates, so I don't know what that guys' problem with him was. Of course, Lee generally has been better.

Both LaRoche brothers were treated harshly in Pittsburgh. With Andy, it was understandable, as he was a key return in the Jason Bay trade and failed miserably.

In two of his 2.5 years in Pittsburgh, Adam got off to grindingly slow starts (April OPSs of .520 and .505 in 2007 and 2008 respectively) that took Pujols-like streaks in July and/or August to balance out, by which time the team would be 20 games out of first. A lot of Pirates fans weren't particularly sad to see him go, even though he was probably their best 1b since Jason Thompson.

[TheBee]

I can't tell you the number of times I've kicked myself for ignoring the advice of strangers at gas stations. I mean...what if Sally really did possess the key to a good time? What if...

Hilarious.

Don't worry, though. I can put your mind at ease. I called Sally. Turns out she is a Yankee fan who (oddly) resembles Don Zimmer.

[Dipper9]

Hilarious.

Don't worry, though. I can put your mind at ease. I called Sally. Turns out she is a Yankee fan who (oddly) resembles Don Zimmer.

Wait, so you're saying Sally is actually BikiniArmstrong? :eektf:

[TonySoprano]

MLBTradeRumors has a new post summarizing Olney's latest insider article.

O's stuff:

Here's what Olney said

The Orioles have also been talking with Derrek Lee, for a deal somewhere in the range of $8 million. If that feels too pricey, here's an imperfect and much cheaper alternative -- but a combination that could result in good production. The Orioles could consider a platoon of sluggers at first base: Troy Glaus from the right side, and Russell Branyan or Jason Giambi from the left side.

This might cost the Orioles a total of $4 million or so. And consider:

• Glaus' numbers against left-handed pitchers last year: A .371 on-base percentage, with five homers in 129 at-bats.

• Giambi's numbers against right-handed pitchers last season: A .374 on-base percentage (and .390 against left-handed pitchers).

• Branyan's numbers against right-handed pitchers: A .352 on-base percentage, with 19 homers and a .522 slugging percentage in 276 at-bats.

None of them is very good defensively, of course, but perhaps the Orioles could plan on finishing games with a utility player taking over the position; maybe they insert Cesar Izturis at third base in the late innings, with Reynolds moving to first.

The bottom line is this: If the Orioles aren't that excited about LaRoche -- if they feel they are settling for a third option after missing out on Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn -- then they shouldn't get locked into a three-year deal. They save money and spend the surplus on draft picks next summer.

[clapdiddy]

Here's what Olney said

It's really hard to argue with Olney on this, although I can't imagine an Orioles team with Glaus, Giambi/Branyan, AND Scott on it.

[El Gordo]

Listening to Buck on XM today. He said, among other things, that the report about the 3/21 offer to LaRoche, was untrue. IMO if Lee signs with either Texas or the Pads, then LaRoche thinks he can play the Gnats against the O's and get his 3/30. Lee is hoping the Pads can up their offer to closer to the 8 MM he wants, or Texas desides against signing Vlad.

[El Gordo]

It's really hard to argue with Olney on this, although I can't imagine an Orioles team with Glaus, Giambi/Branyan, AND Scott on it.

Would Scott at 1B be any worse than Branyon, Giambi, or Glaus?

[Mad Mark]

The longer this drags on, the stronger I am in my support for having Scott play 1B and making a strong offer to Vlad to DH.

[UMDTerrapins]

Listening to Buck on XM today. He said, among other things, that the report about the 3/21 offer to LaRoche, was untrue. IMO if Lee signs with either Texas or the Pads, then LaRoche thinks he can play the Gnats against the O's and get his 3/30. Lee is hoping the Pads can up their offer to closer to the 8 MM he wants, or Texas desides against signing Vlad.

Interesting.

First off, let's just give Lee the $8M one year deal and be done with LaRoche. We can all agree or disagree about which is better for the O's, but neither is ideal (though I really do think Lee is a good fit). Getting a hitter like Lee on a one year deal is a gift. It keeps us flexible. The fact Lee is ok with a one year deal tells me he thinks he has a lot of productivity ahead of him.

Second, refuting the 3/21 offer to LaRoche makes me wonder if the O's are a little irked that "someone" is leaking inaccurate info about the details of their talks. Whatever the details, I hadn't given much consideration to the idea that the O's might be tiring of the LaRoche negotiation as much as LaRoche is either slow-playing the market for the best off or not particularly wanting to play in Baltimore.

[Dipper9]

Interesting.

First off, let's just give Lee the $8M one year deal and be done with LaRoche. We can all agree or disagree about which is better for the O's, but neither is ideal (though I really do think Lee is a good fit). Getting a hitter like Lee on a one year deal is a gift. It keeps us flexible. The fact Lee is ok with a one year deal tells me he thinks he has a lot of productivity ahead of him.

Second, refuting the 3/21 offer to LaRoche makes me wonder if the O's are a little irked that "someone" is leaking inaccurate info about the details of their talks. Whatever the details, I hadn't given much consideration to the idea that the O's might be tiring of the LaRoche negotiation as much as LaRoche is either slow-playing the market for the best off or not particularly wanting to play in Baltimore.

But wait, I thought Jen gets it? :scratchchinhmm: