Jon Morosi: Orioles agree with Kevin Gregg

[DrungoHazewood]

I just think that paying that much for an average reliever is a bit much.

Right. Your mid-case projection here has to be paying $10M for 1, 1.5 wins, or $5-8M in value.

If they go 5 million per for this guy, I'm going to scream. Brandon Webb just signed for 3 million. This would be a horrendous waste of money, IMO. Could be wrong. I've just seen us urinate away so much cash through the years on exactly this type of pitcher - a good but not great reliever. No thankee.

Not sure what Webb has to do with this. Webb is a starter with an arm held on by duct tape and bailing wire. A Chevy Volt could be had for $40k, and is probably as relevant to the 2011 Orioles pen.

Basically traded a few extra million signing Gregg to keep the 2nd round pick. Guess we'll see ... in a few years ... if it was a smart move.

Yes, of course it's a smart move, because draft picks are a probabilistic exercise. The more you have the better chance of one really paying off. Giving up a chance for anything less than a big-time player is usually stupid.

With all due respect, why do so many people on here sweat a $4 mill swing over two years so much?? I don't see how that prevents them from doing anything and everything else they need to do during that time period. We don't have an expensive roster. It's the personal equivalent of buying something you need for $20 at Target and seeing it 10 days later at Walmart for $17.99. No biggie, you slightly overpaid.

Probably because of the many times we've seen the O's gnash teeth and wring hands and cry poor over similar amounts of money for players with vastly higher upside. What did Sano sign for again? What did Chapman sign for? If $4M is a rounding error no one should care about, then why can't the O's lump together a handful of rounding errors and sign a 20-year-old kid from Cuba that throws 102? If $4M doesn't matter, why do the O's always go right to the deadline on draft picks trying to save a few hundred $K? Or why do they risk losing all compensation by playing arb games with a guy like Koji over $2M?

[NCRaven]

Money spend on Gregg is money that can't be spent somewhere else. Simple as that.

Well, that's true of any dollar spent on anything. It's only important if we've hit the limit of what was available to spend on the assets available to be bought. Is there any player out there that you want that the Orioles won't have the money to get because of the Gregg contract? Just don't see it as an issue, in this case. It's not like they just gave Jason Werth a contract worthy of Albert Pujols or A-Rod $25mil when the next best offer was around $17mil. Those were bad, not this.

[LookinUp]

If $4M is a rounding error no one should care about, then why can't the O's lump together a handful of rounding errors and sign a 20-year-old kid from Cuba that throws 102? If $4M doesn't matter, why do the O's always go right to the deadline on draft picks trying to save a few hundred $K? Or why do they risk losing all compensation by playing arb games with a guy like Koji over $2M?

So we can fill out our bullpen, apparently.

[VAB2110]

Isn't this about the 18th report that this guy is signing? What's the deal here?

[weams]

The Orioles do not get to spend Peter Angelos' personal fortune. Or Masn profits. They are a self contained business entity. Peter spent money to buy the Orioles at a bankruptcy auction. Maybe he and some of his minority investors spent a few million on the team back in the day. For the most part, MLB baseball teams are profitable investments.

[Going Underground]

Don't we have to overpay players because we are the Orioles?

[Guest Hayden2004]

danconnollysun Dan Connolly

#Orioles contract with RHP Kevin Gregg is 2 years, $10 million. But there is a vesting option for a third year as well

[Sports Guy]

Probably because of the many times we've seen the O's gnash teeth and wring hands and cry poor over similar amounts of money for players with vastly higher upside. What did Sano sign for again? What did Chapman sign for? If $4M is a rounding error no one should care about, then why can't the O's lump together a handful of rounding errors and sign a 20-year-old kid from Cuba that throws 102? If $4M doesn't matter, why do the O's always go right to the deadline on draft picks trying to save a few hundred $K? Or why do they risk losing all compensation by playing arb games with a guy like Koji over $2M?

Exactly...This also continues to prove that the Orioles still struggle with the concept that these mid range contracts rarely work out in your favor...That you can get similar or better production for far less.

Milwaukee getting Saito for 1/2 makes this contract look much much worse.

[Stotle]

Yes, of course it's a smart move, because draft picks are a probabilistic exercise. The more you have the better chance of one really paying off. Giving up a chance for anything less than a big-time player is usually stupid.

Probably because of the many times we've seen the O's gnash teeth and wring hands and cry poor over similar amounts of money for players with vastly higher upside. What did Sano sign for again? What did Chapman sign for? If $4M is a rounding error no one should care about, then why can't the O's lump together a handful of rounding errors and sign a 20-year-old kid from Cuba that throws 102? If $4M doesn't matter, why do the O's always go right to the deadline on draft picks trying to save a few hundred $K? Or why do they risk losing all compensation by playing arb games with a guy like Koji over $2M?

This. If $4M isn't a huge deal BAL should be spending an additional $4M each year between the draft and int'l signings, regardless of if they are safe or low probability. I'd rather gamble $4M there with zero info on the player than throw it away for no reason on ML role players.

[DrungoHazewood]

So a guy whose net worth was estimated at 1.2 BILLION last year is not going to be able to spend money elsewhere if we spent an extra 2 or 3 million on a reliever? I don't get it.

Because in the real world Major League Baseball teams almost always pay for payroll out of team revenues, not out of owner bank accounts.

Sometimes I think fans really do envision Angelos as sitting on a big pile of cash and gold like Scrooge McDuck, and peeling off $1M bills when Andy asks him for a new reliever.

"They" are saying maybe 2/10 or so for Gregg. That is probably a few million over market value. But we got a solid BP arm, and save a draft pick. And it will take a few years before we would know if that draft pick is potentially any good.

We know right now that it's a good thing to have more chips in the draft. Saying it'll take a few years to know if the draft pick will be any good is like asking if you'd rather have 5 raffle tickets or four. Of course you're better off with five.

[Sports Guy]

Don't we have to overpay players because we are the Orioles?

You should only overpay players that are actually good and that are true difference makers.

Ughhh, a vesting option too? That makes this even worse IMO.

[ADZ23]

Smells like a Showalter driven signing.

[NCRaven]

Probably because of the many times we've seen the O's gnash teeth and wring hands and cry poor over similar amounts of money for players with vastly higher upside. What did Sano sign for again? What did Chapman sign for? If $4M is a rounding error no one should care about, then why can't the O's lump together a handful of rounding errors and sign a 20-year-old kid from Cuba that throws 102? If $4M doesn't matter, why do the O's always go right to the deadline on draft picks trying to save a few hundred $K? Or why do they risk losing all compensation by playing arb games with a guy like Koji over $2M?

Chapman's the only one in this group that really hurts. AM was right on Koji and just about everyone else that he's ever non-tendered. Our draft picks get signed, even tough ones like Wieters, and to very large contracts for Machado and a number of overslots over the past several years. I haven't lost any sleep over Sano. But, Chapman hurts. Having him in the bullpen would be incredible. The rotation, even better if he could hold up physically.

[Going Underground]

danconnollysun Dan Connolly

#Orioles contract with RHP Kevin Gregg is 2 years, $10 million. But there is a vesting option for a third year as well

So comes to around 2/11 with the buyout.

[PlumOriole]

I understand people thinking we paid too much for Gregg and maybe Rauch etc. "possibly" could have been had for less but...

1. You don't know what other relievers/agents are saying about coming here.

2. A two year deal does not cripple this team.

3. You don't know Showalter's influence on getting players that HE thinks "fit" this team.

4. We are going to have to over pay for players because of the last decade + of losing.

5. Relievers can help this team without crippling our budget by overpaying.

This team needs to get respectable before quality free-agents are going to come here. I honestly think this team is capable of getting to that level this year.