Current team/payroll figures

[Sports Guy]

We know the team has the resources for more, but at the current time, it is not "necessary."

People don't understand that we have a very cheap core right now and they won't be cheap any more beginning in two years.

Yep...I think there are some people that would rather spend 15 million for production we may be getting for 400K(example: BMat) just so they can say the money is being spent and feel better about it.

[MatthewW]

C- Wieters: 400K

1st- Lee: 7.25M

2nd- BRob: 10M

SS- Hardy: 7M(approx)

3rd- Reynolds: 5M

LF- Pie: 420K

CF- Jones: 2M(approx)

RF- Nick: 10.25M

DH- Scott: 6.5M(approx)

Bench/bench candidates:

Izzy- 1.5M

Reimold- 400K

Harris- 1.75

Andino- 400K

Fox- 400K

Tatum- 400K

Rotation:

Guthrie- 5M(approx)

Matusz- 400K

Tillman- 400K

Arrieta- 400K

BB- 400K

Pen:

Koji- 3M

Gregg- 5M

Gonzo- 6M

Accardo- 1.08M

JJ- 1.5M(approx)

Berken- 400K

VDH- 400K

I fully expect a lefty to be signed and added to that group, with VDH likely joining the rotation in AAA or Berken/Accardo to start season on DL.

That puts the current payroll at about 78 million. As I said, I feel they add one more lefty to the pen and one more bench player...I also think they will foolishly add a starter, likely trying to include Harris in the deal to help offset some salary.

I figure the final payroll will be around 85M or so.

Just a couple nitpick things...

1.) Felix Pie is in his first year of arbitration and will make more than $440K

2,) We receive $500K in the Hardy/Harris deal.

3.) J.J. Hardy gets a $2m raise in a down/injured year... maybe, but that seems pretty high

4.) Will Jim Johnson get bumped from $440K to $1.5M?

5.) Matusz is actually due $550K, while virtually all the others will be at $420-$440...

I can't argue though, because when all is said and done... I am right around $78M also.

Question is... where do you see that $7M being spent???

[El Gordo]

Just a couple nitpick things...

1.) Felix Pie is in his first year of arbitration and will make more than $440K

2,) We receive $500K in the Hardy/Harris deal.

3.) J.J. Hardy gets a $2m raise in a down/injured year... maybe, but that seems pretty high

4.) Will Jim Johnson get bumped from $440K to $1.5M?

5.) Matusz is actually due $550K, while virtually all the others will be at $420-$440...

I can't argue though, because when all is said and done... I am right around $78M also.

Question is... where do you see that $7M being spent???

SP MiL contract, LOOGY 1.5 MM, Vlad 5.5MM?

[Rclynch82]

Agree, If our young core of wieters, jones, the entire staff, ect., were making $$$ comparable to what their counterparts make we would be well over $100M.

[wildcard]

Just a couple nitpick things...

1.) Felix Pie is in his first year of arbitration and will make more than $440K

2,) We receive $500K in the Hardy/Harris deal.

3.) J.J. Hardy gets a $2m raise in a down/injured year... maybe, but that seems pretty high

4.) Will Jim Johnson get bumped from $440K to $1.5M?

5.) Matusz is actually due $550K, while virtually all the others will be at $420-$440...

I can't argue though, because when all is said and done... I am right around $78M also.

Question is... where do you see that $7M being spent???

Nice list Matt. I would add that Jones probably gets between 3-4M.

Pie and JJ about 800K each because they only played part of the year.

Cots Contract seem to indicate that Matusz is due more then just salary. It reports 550K in salary but the chart of team salaries shows him getting 1.45M.

[flashjordnk]

Not a big fan of the BRob contract...Never have been. Not saying it is hurting us and he likely isn't a middling player in 2011 but I think he will be in 2012 and 2013.

Gregg and Gonzo are bad contracts.

I gotta agree that this doesn't seem 'crippling' to me. The team wouldn't have spent it anywhere else otherwise. And while they may be overpaying them, at least none of these guys are blocking anyone yet.

Your sentiments may ring true on BRob, but I think the sentiments would be different towards him without the recent injuries. Let's see how he bounces back this year.

But there is nothing to say that he isn't tradeable or replaceable in the next few years. We've got some talent coming up at the 2b position. If he's not our best option it's worthwhile to hammer the team for starting him because of his contract, but it doesn't seem fair to me to do that before the fact.

95 million for Beltre. Now that's a crippling contract. Oy.

[Ruzious]

I'm a little puzzled as to why they're having a hard time meeting Vlad's asking price, considering the O's offered close to $50 million for VMart and Dunn.

I'm amazed there's so much talk on this board from people wanting Vlad. He's had a great career, but he's a 36 year old DH with a bad back. And I'd be shocked if he joined the O's and had a better than .800 OPS - based on his stats the last few years and his age and back issues. People were writing him off a couple years ago.

[Sports Guy]

I gotta agree that this doesn't seem 'crippling' to me. The team wouldn't have spent it anywhere else otherwise. And while they may be overpaying them, at least none of these guys are blocking anyone yet.

Your sentiments may ring true on BRob, but I think the sentiments would be different towards him without the recent injuries. Let's see how he bounces back this year.

But there is nothing to say that he isn't tradeable or replaceable in the next few years. We've got some talent coming up at the 2b position. If he's not our best option it's worthwhile to hammer the team for starting him because of his contract, but it doesn't seem fair to me to do that before the fact.

95 million for Beltre. Now that's a crippling contract. Oy.

Umm, no...That was my sentiment before he signed the contract.

[Frobby]

Thinking longer term, we have to remember that without any further acquisitions, in 2012 we have $4.2 mm additional to pay Markakis and Reynolds, and Scott, Guthrie, Jones, Pie and Bergesen all in arbitration probably getting nice raises. Those 7 players probably cost a total of $14-15 mm more in 2012 than in 2011.

[Enjoy Terror]

It's one thing if the mindset is "Pull all funding from the Domincan Budget... we're all in on Gregg!" but it's not. The Orioles seem to be ignorant to improving scouting and development as opposed to the popular belief that their free agency budget is what is crippling them from doing so.

Since this is the case, the Gregg and Gonzalez contracts are not bad at all; the money we gave them ($5M per year) is a very paltry amount over a small period of time. Gonzalez, outside of his early injuries, was a very solid reliever for us.

22.2IP after the ASG, 2.78ERA and a 1.015WHIP. If you're of the opinion his early struggles in the first three games was directly related to his injury, then I think we got a fantastic pitcher who, according to FanGraphs, is extremely valuable and dependable in high leverage situations.

I'm not as high on Gregg as I am on Gonzo, but I have a feeling that Gregg would give us better production than a guy like Albers, Hendrickson, Patton or VandenHurk. You have a case for the inefficiency of the money spent to the production of a reliever, but I guess if I thought the money was hampering the Orioles budget somehow, my attitude would be different.

[Crazysilver03]

Nice list Matt. I would add that Jones probably gets between 3-4M.

Pie and JJ about 800K each because they only played part of the year.

Cots Contract seem to indicate that Matusz is due more then just salary. It reports 550K in salary but the chart of team salaries shows him getting 1.45M.

Regarding Matusz, the signing bonus was all paid when he signed but for luxury tax purposes it is evenly split across his contract.

[wildcard]

Regarding Matusz, the signing bonus was all paid when he signed but for luxury tax purposes it is evenly split across his contract.

Sounds like rigging the books.

[TradeAngelos]

LMAO at "resources have been wasted" over the years.

Are you kidding me?

On WHO?? On WHAT? Have I missed something?

You act like we have been playing with $120 million in payroll the last few years.

2008 - $67 million

2009 - $68 million

2010 - $81 million

Looks to me like someone pocketed about $30 million IF you buy into the fact we can only afford $80 million. (Which is ridiculous)

Oh yeah we have that albatross of a 4 year 40 million hanging over our heads on Roberts. What will we ever do?

Unreal.

And Drungo, why would such a sophisticated man like your self use an overly simplistic argument like "we are worth this much so that is what our payroll should be"??

Fact is this team hasn't spent SQUAT on anything except extending Markakis and Roberts in the past 7 years, and even those two contracts only add up to what $110 million?

It amazes me the things I read on here sometime. Darn entertaining though, that is for sure.

Pete LOVES fans like you, falling right in line.

[JimDH]

Sounds like rigging the books.

I think NFL teams spread the bonus over the life of the contract for CAP purposes also. Same sort of idea.

[Crazysilver03]

LMAO at "resources have been wasted" over the years.

Are you kidding me?

On WHO?? On WHAT? Have I missed something?

You act like we have been playing with $120 million in payroll the last few years.

2008 - $67 million

2009 - $68 million

2010 - $81 million

Looks to me like someone pocketed about $30 million IF you buy into the fact we can only afford $80 million. (Which is ridiculous)

Oh yeah we have that albatross of a 4 year 40 million hanging over our heads on Roberts. What will we ever do?

Unreal.

And Drungo, why would such a sophisticated man like your self use an overly simplistic argument like "we are worth this much so that is what our payroll should be"??

Fact is this team hasn't spent SQUAT on anything except extending Markakis and Roberts in the past 7 years, and even those two contracts only add up to what $110 million?

It amazes me the things I read on here sometime. Darn entertaining though, that is for sure.

Pete LOVES fans like you, falling right in line.

So what point are you trying to make?