Draft Roundup: Dykstra, Smoak, Alonso

it affects when his arbitration years come i believe, since it would place him on the 40 man roster

rebuilding- as a fellow O's fan, I can tell you that I was split when we initially took Matusz over Smoak, but have grown to like the move. Furthermore, I agree that signing Tex would be a silly move, given the state of the franchise and the big picture Andy Mac is working toward. However, I think it's a bit early- and optimistic- to think that we'll be landing Smoak next year. Also, with the depth and talent of the '09 class, I think we could do better!

I am surprised at just how pessimistic the tone of these articles have been. I realize that most of this is just posturing and it's probably no different than last year (when I was terrified the Birds would lose Wieters), but it does FEEL a little different. Like these kids are not willing to blink; like they're ALL about the money (I'm thinking of Alonso and Crow in particular, though Posey was a good example until he signed. Alvarez is another one). I don't know. I've got a sneaking suspicion we're going to be surprised come the deadline...with two, maybe even three or four guys holding out and heading back to school. It would be a shame, but it would also make next year's draft that much more interesting!