196 replies to this topic

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Okay, but you trade Mateo...  you've got Henderson available in-house for SS, Urias at 3rd, and Westburg for 2nd. 

Why do you need Frazier and at that price? 

Exactly. I see literally zero reason to sign this guy let alone for $8M. He isn't going to help us contend over what we already have. If you want Westburg to spend a bit more time in AAA the go sign some bargain basement rental for 2 months. What a joke.

[BaltBird 24]

Why? Rather keep Urias/Mateo or hand it to Westburg, Ortiz, Norby, etc.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Lol some of you are too much

[BaltBird 24]

On the list of needs the Orioles have for 2023, I'd say 2B was about 9th on the list. Middle infield is our deepest position in the system.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Lol some of you are too much

You think this is a "good signing"? If so please explain the rationale.

[You Play to Win the Game]

You think this is a "good signing"? If so please explain the rationale.

Mike Elias executed the contract. That’s the rationale.

[mweb08]

The price isn't an issue. This contract shouldn't prevent them from doing anything else and at this point there's not all that much left in free agency anyway.

That he was targeted in the first place is an issue though.

This is the type of move they should have been making in years past. While they had very little talent on the roster they should have been signing decent vets with upside rather than the Odor's of the world.

Now however they have a plethora of decent or better players with upside but also volatility; therefore, what is scarce is actually roster spots, while money shouldn't be all that scarce at all.

The obvious solution is to spend significant money on just a few dependable guys that are a clear level or two or three above the players they'd be pushing aside. This would raise both the floor and ceiling of the team in a meaningful way.

Instead, what they're doing so far is replacing Lyles with maybe a slight upgrade and adding an infielder that doesn't elevate above the several infielders that are already in the mix.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Exactly. I see literally zero reason to sign this guy let alone for $8M. 

 

Especially when your owner has you operating as a Bottom 5 payroll team. I hate all this unnecessary penny-pinching, but if that $8M was truly burning a hole in Elias' pocket, I could think of better uses.

[BobPhelan]

Okay, but you trade Mateo... you've got Henderson available in-house for SS, Urias at 3rd, and Westburg for 2nd.
Why do you need Frazier and at that price?

Westburg could be used as a big piece in a trade also. Or start the season splitting second with Frazier. Frazier can shift to a bench/utility role in the second half of the season if/when a Westburg, Norby, Ortiz breaks out.

[mdrunning]

They signed someone, so I guess that's good, but Frazier seems like a guy you could add right before spring training.

[BobPhelan]

Going into the offseason I expected us to look at acquiring 2 SP, a backup C, a OF/DH type likely LH, a 2B, and maybe a reliever. Still on track/have a chance to do so.

Are Gibson and Frazier my ideal start to doing that? No but I do see the appeal. If they end up signing an Eovaldi, Jorge Alfaro, and Michael Brantley I’d be satisfied.

[Mashed Potatoes]

8 million could've bought us two young blue chip lottery tickets from Latin America.

[Pedro Cerrano]

$8 million worth of pudding

[You Play to Win the Game]

Elias isn’t giving up a comp pick for Eovaldi, and he’s not a 1-3 starter anyway.

[bmore_ken]

Wow we actually signed someone and no posts the last 30 minutes

Are you excited by this signing that seems unnecessary?

[BobPhelan]

Elias isn’t giving up a comp pick for Eovaldi, and he’s not a 1-3 starter anyway.

I think he’s mid-rotation if healthy. But perhaps he wouldn’t. Let’s say trade for someone then.

[You Play to Win the Game]

There are still some avenues for this off-season to be salvageable. But if you take Elias at his word that he isn’t sacrificing 2024-2027 for 2023, then I’m thinking we’re just about done outside of adding a backup C. Maybe another mediocre OF’er too. I don’t see them trading away prospects. Or signing anyone who would cost a draft pick or take multiple years.

[makoman]

I can understand I guess if you say Ortiz and Norby aren't ready so don't try holding spots for them. Both were successful, but Ortiz only had 115 PAs at AAA, Norby had 42 PAs. Give them a couple more months to see where they are, so a one year deal for a MI isn't so bad.

 

Westburg on the other hand had 413 PAs in AAA with a .869 OPS, 129 wRC+. Way more PAs than Adley, way more than Gunnar. Nothing more to do, he should be on the opening day roster and probably starting at 2B, unless perhaps he totally bombs in the spring. And not to be the short part of a platoon.

 

I was fine signing one of the SS cause it would clearly be a talent upgrade, then just figure out the other guys later. I don't get signing a guy who is a good fielder and you hope will be a league average hitter--you have that in Urias. He can't even play short. Oh but he can play some LF...well we have Stowers and Mullins and Santander who are lefty/switch OFs with Cowser coming soon hopefully. He's basically a better defensive Vavra I guess, which means Vavra won't have a spot and that isn't worth another $7M imo.

 

If there's not a trade coming I don't get it. 

[BSLRoseKatz]

Among other things, this move isn't exactly a vote of confidence in Terrin Vavra to keep a bench spot 

[BobPhelan]

Among other things, this move isn't exactly a vote of confidence in Terrin Vavra to keep a bench spot

I think the way they used him last year says they don’t really see him as a ML caliber second baseman defensively.