Discoverer
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- Apr 11, 2012
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Yeah that clubhouse seems like an absolute mess.White Sox are a mess. Middleton the reliever that got traded to the Yankees stated pitchers were falling asleep during games, players were late often.
Yeah, he’s elite defensively and will probably be a 3 WAR guy as his floor and as high as 4-5 WAR. We may arguably have the two best CF’s in the A.L defensively in Kiermaier and Varsho. But I think both KK and Varsho are both more valuable in CF. He’s a bit less valuable in the corner imo as a defensive specialist if the offence isn’t playing. Especially if Merrifield and Schneider have an OPS of .750 +. It’s hard to want to play Varsho in LF when his OPS his 100 points lower then Whit and then you have Schneider taking more AB’s at 2B. So I’d have Whit at LF, Schneider at 2B and Varsho/KK splitting CF.I was actually surprised looking at Varsho's baseball reference page and seeing that he is a 2.1 WAR player. Astounding, shows you how good his defence is.
Oops. I meant to do the tweet at the bottom. I think both should received the same suspension. Both were at equal fault.
It seems the owner got angry because he talked about how the Orioles have sucked at playing at the Trop until this year. Talking about having thin skin and not be able to take any criticism especially when it wasn't at all harsh.Wait what? Am I missing something here?
The Orioles are at a real crossroads here. Obviously, the circumstances are much different but as soon as Mike Illitch passed away, the wheels completely came off the Tigers and they haven't recovered since. They've ushered in a new era of pretending to be a small market team and the ramifications of that will continue to poison them going forward even with Scott Harris trying to put the pieces back together.This is apparently at the feet of team COO John Angelos (son of the team's owner, Peter, who is also 94 and likely has little to do with anything anymore), who is well known for being an absolute asshat clown. he's apparently being sued by his own brother, who alleges that John manipulated his aging parents into giving him control of their assets and that he moved like $90 million of their money into shell corporations under his control.
He seems like a real winner.
The Orioles are at a real crossroads here. Obviously, the circumstances are much different but as soon as Mike Illitch passed away, the wheels completely came off the Tigers and they haven't recovered since. They've ushered in a new era of pretending to be a small market team and the ramifications of that will continue to poison them going forward even with Scott Harris trying to put the pieces back together.
Peter Angelos was no peach, but what if John is keen on keeping the payroll low and just coasting off the backs of their young talent's control years? Yeesh, young cores can come and go in the blink of an eye.
The Orioles are 28th in payroll this year according to Spotrac. They're 1st in the AL, have multiple prospect bullets, multiple questions marks at SP, and they let Verlander walk back to the Astros.
Tier 2: Players who will get anywhere from $80 million to $150 million
You could rank basically anyone in this tier in almost any order as there are a lot of similar pitchers in this class who should do well in free agency, with a small chance one or two of them clears $150 million. One or two will likely have to settle for one-year deals or something with an opt-out designed to be used early in the deal. The top players in the "others with a shot" category below also could clear $80 million.
2. Matt Chapman, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays(30)
Chapman should have a very active market because he and Cody Bellinger are the only two position players in the top 10, possibly the top 15.
As one of the best defensive players in the league who is also regularly 20% above league average at the plate and above average as a baserunner, Chapman will have broad appeal to all sorts of clubs. He'll easily get into nine figures with a high-water mark around Marcus Semien's seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers signed before the 2022 season.
2. Matt Chapman, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
Third basemen with this kind of power and defensive ability are hard to find. Chapman is on pace to clear the .200 ISO threshold for the sixth time in seven tries, and he could well win his fourth career Gold Glove Award. We'll grant that his swing-and-miss tendencies are concerning, and he's already on the wrong side of his 30th birthday. Some team is going to pony up anyway.
Chapman - probably just QO and let him walkEarly MLB free agency rankings: Shohei Ohtani and rest of top 10
Now that the trade deadline has passed, it's time to take a look at who could get paid big this offseason.www.espn.com.au
Crappy free agency. Jays have some decisions to make on Chapman, Kiermaier, Hicks, Belt and Whit.
Yeah I think you decline the option year with Whit. Try and get like a 2 year deal at like 12ish per. Maybe some kind of option on a 3rd year if that pushes it across the line.Chapman - probably just QO and let him walk
Kiermaier - probably just let him walk and move Varsho to CF
Hicks - tough call because they have a strong pen already - he probably walks too and goes somewhere that needs him more
Belt - I think you have to let him walk considering all the young, versatile guys having strong seasons in the minors
Merrifield - he's a complicated situation... as good as he's been, it's probably not worth picking up the option for next year. Maybe you can work out a 2-3 year deal at a cheaper rate or something.
If Whit, Belt, and Hicks leave they can be replaced within the system. However, it will be difficult to replace Chapman within the system. I wouldn't sign him unless he's willing to be signed on a shorter term deal, so that means the Jays will have to go out in the offseason and get a third baseman.Chapman - probably just QO and let him walk
Kiermaier - probably just let him walk and move Varsho to CF
Hicks - tough call because they have a strong pen already - he probably walks too and goes somewhere that needs him more
Belt - I think you have to let him walk considering all the young, versatile guys having strong seasons in the minors
Merrifield - he's a complicated situation... as good as he's been, it's probably not worth picking up the option for next year. Maybe you can work out a 2-3 year deal at a cheaper rate or something.
Chapman - probably just QO and let him walk
Kiermaier - probably just let him walk and move Varsho to CF
Hicks - tough call because they have a strong pen already - he probably walks too and goes somewhere that needs him more
Belt - I think you have to let him walk considering all the young, versatile guys having strong seasons in the minors
Merrifield - he's a complicated situation... as good as he's been, it's probably not worth picking up the option for next year. Maybe you can work out a 2-3 year deal at a cheaper rate or something.
I don't think Chapman is the guy you commit to on a 100+ million deal and with it being a weak free agent class this year his deal is going to be extremely large. Qualify him, take the draft pick and figure out what you are going to do at 3rd from there.I would like to keep all but will probably cost you $50M+.
Ideally you plug in Barger or Orelvis for Chapman, Varsho for KK, Horwitz for Belt, one or Cimber, Pearson, or Pop for Hicks and Schneider for Whit and not miss a beat.
But that’s a big risk for a team looking to contend. If Chapman is willing to take $20-25M a year for 4-6 years, I bite the bullet. That bat isn’t elite but it’s elite for a 3B with his defense. And if KK is willing to take another 1 year deal, I take it too. Maybe Whit too for OF.
Chappy and Kiermaier are priorities 1-2 for me.
I don't think Chapman is the guy you commit to on a 100+ million deal and with it being a weak free agent class this year his deal is going to be extremely large. Qualify him, take the draft pick and figure out what you are going to do at 3rd from there.
I think at a certain point you have to believe in your ability to develop major league talent....if the goal is to be a consistent contender. That isn't to say you don't go out and sign a short term safety net at 3rd for next year or make a trade for someone but I don't think committing to Chapman long term is the right move. I don't think he will age gracefully either.I’d give him $100-125M without issue and maybe go up to $150M because I value his defense that much.
But if your truly believe in Barger or Orelvis, then I would be fine with taking the pick.