O's Interested In John McDonald

You're a tool. The playoffs are still going on, moron. McDonald would represent nothing more than a depth acquisition. This is assuming you can believe the reporting of a hometown newspaper. I have to question his source, considering that MacPhail is notoriously tight-lipped about team targets.

As a lifelong O's fan, I am not embarrassed (note the correct spelling) about Angelos' inaction. In fact, I am quite proud of the fact that we are one of the few teams not to spend insane amounts of money on marginal players or bid against themselves for free agents. Ask Toronto how well that worked out with BJ Ryan, Vernon Wells, and Alex Rios. Ask the Braves if they'd sign Derek Lowe to that contract again. Ask the Cubs how much they enjoyed paying Hasbro all that money.

I'm tired of people smashing the Orioles just because it's the "in" thing to do. Our ownership has deserved a lot of abuse over the past dozen years, but if you're going to pile it on, at least be intelligent about it. Your comment was just plain stupid.

i didnt think there depth in aaa was that bad what happened to scott moore? There is better options in free agency. The only thing getting him will do is save us some pocket change. why bother?

I wouldn't expect McDonald to be anything other than a solid, defensive backup. I really don't see the harm.

ha. My name is Bret (no "n"), and I just created a screen name yesterday. I have not criticized the Pirates trades this season, but since you mentioned it, I do think that that they got great value in Adlerson, but that and the other trades are going to take time to player out.

The trade I did recently criticize is Delmon Young for Garza and Bartlett. I do think that Minnisota made a bad deal there.

Actually, SEA, LAA, and DET have had higher and lower payrolls than the Orioles of the last decade. They are in the same range in terms of the franchises ability to spend (alot of those other teams are even less able to spend). Anyway, I listed 10 teams there. If they all dont fit the bill, I still the think the point is made that the Orioles are a badly managed franchise.

For the record, I am a Nats fan. I wish they had put the team in NOVA but we lost the fight. Anyway, I can walk, to the stadium from the Hill, so it has been nice to be so close to a team again. I havent been able to go to this many games since I moved out of NY. The irony is that I moved out of NY in 1991... so I know how bad a badly mananged franchise can be not fun to watch (while I call myself Nats fan, I still get to root for the Yankees having grew up there and having become a fan when Lee Gutterman was leading the team in wins).

I like John McDonald as a low cost candidate to start at SS for Seattle in 2010.

Jack Wilson's 8.4M option is ridiculous. I expect the M's to decline the option and attempt to resign him to a 1YR/5.4M deal (6M minus the 600K buyout).

If they can't retain Wilson or work out a trade for J.J. Hardy then I would expect Zduriencik to pursue McDonald at something like 1YR/4M.

Bretwk, if you are who you say you are then I really am sorry (even though I am still halfway convinced you were that guy from the Pit threads). My goal is not to be an jerk but I just get rubbed the wrong way when people bash on teams when they are down for no constructive reason, and I could care less about the O's.

BTW, you guys got a good one in Roy Clark a few days ago. I really hope it was our scouting department and not just Roy Clark that has made the Braves farm system one of the best these last few years.

DREW SILVA-

McDonald DID NOT post a +10.5 UZR on the season at shortstop, he posted that number in 8 games at second base. He posted an unimpressive, league-average 0.0 UZR for the season in 31 games at shortstop. So, actually there may be some questions about whether he's even good enough to keep an MLB job.

"If they can't retain Wilson or work out a trade for J.J. Hardy then I would expect Zduriencik to pursue McDonald at something like 1YR/4M."

I don't think that he'll cost that much, Orlando Cabrera was coming off a superior season last year with a much bigger name and he garnered a similar deal.

What Tim failed to mention is that in McDonald's 156 plate appearances, he managed to get ONE walk, an astonishing 0.7% walk rate.

I don't care how good you are defensively, you can't get away with that offensive production.

And again, I really think that Baltimore does not need to look at a player like this right now. There are other holes to be filled and unless McDonald is beating down there door, they should be focusing on filling them.

The need a veteran starting pitcher who can help stabilize the rotation. They need a 3B that can be credible for a season (with the glove as well as the stick). Also, while Luke Scott is one of their best players the should be looking at moving him (if not now then in July). You might get Jo Jo Reyes and Jordan Shafer from ATL (who is desperate for OFs).

McDonald is one of those guys that should straddle the majors and AAA for a team that is contending. And he should not make more than $1.5m doing it. He is very solid defensively, but he is a worse hitter than Cesar Izturis and really serves very little purpose. In addition, for the intended purpose of playing 3B, McDonald has a career URZ of -5.9 there. That is not good.

Baltimore is better off searching the scrapheap of former prospects, to see if someone clicks when give the job. (like Casey Blake and Casey McGee) Is Scott Moore still in the O's system. He had shown some promise in the past. Give him 200 abs to start the year and see where he goes. What about Dallas McPherson? I think he is a free agent, and assuming his can lift a bat, he might still have that awesome power we all loves. He would fit the mold of the Branyan/Carlos Pena sort of guy who floats around eventually getting a shot and then bam!

Summarizing. The idea of a defense first 3B is not horrible to help the young pitchers, but McDonald's track record at 3B implies that he is the wrong guy.

Thanks Scribble for posting. I was just on Fangraphs checking out McDonald's numbers as well.

The guy is a cipher. He's not worth a darn thing. Maybe, and just maybe, a late inning defensive replacement if you have a total hack at SS. I can't imagine what else though.

Well that makes more sense, but the original post implied that he was being brought in since Mora is out.

I agree that the plan is to go with Wiggy at 3B, but watching him hit last year was pretty ugly. And since over his career he is a horrible 3B (-16 URZ/150), I dont think he is very helpful to what they are doing.

I would prefer to see the team take a chance on a player who costs almost nothing and has potential to be worth something (either as a keepers or as trade bait). Also remember that while Bell looks like a great prospect, we have seen them flop before so nothing is certain.

Maybe a platoon with Wiggington and Scott Moore is the answer. Wiggy hitting lefties and Moore hitting righties.

At 1B, Snyder probably needs a little more time in AAA, but you have to love what he did in AA last year. I would give the job to Aubrey and see if he can become a Lyle Overbay type player.

Aubrey and Moore are both lefties so that should level either platoon for Wiggy.

On the trade front, I would try to cash in Scott for now, but I am not sure that Pie really has much trade value (although his strong finish was promising).

Bretwk- I'm amazed how much interest you have on this topic considering you defected to the Nats.

I guess it kinda sucks that you jumped from one losing team to another, have an absolute eyesore of a ball park compared to Camden Yards, and your team continues to lose more games than the O's each season.

Enjoy your first round pick.

I hope JMac gets a chance to play everyday somewhere. His defense was a bit down this year, but I think it came from lack of playing time.

I don't think there's a better defensive SS in the league.

As I said, I was (and still am) an Yankee fan. I grew up not far from Yankee stadium so that is easy. I like in the DC area now, so I tried for years to like the O's. I gave up when the Expos moved to DC. Lastly, the Nats do suck and the Bowden (in his later years)

So that is a couple of points about me since comments are being directed to me.

Recently, the O's seem to be making smarter decisions and I am aware of the POTENTIAL pitching that exists in the minors. That being said, they have a long way to go to become good and moved like signing McDonald would do noting to move that effort foward.

This topic is absolutely crazy for a guy I hadn't even heard of before yesterday.

Bretwk, you chose the wrong new team. The new ballpark lacks any defining character and smells bad being right next to the Anacostia. The service and the food is terrible too. I'd rather drive 45 minutes and deal with parking and traffic to get to Camden Yards than use the convenient metro metro to have a shite time at Nationals Park.

The Nationals have absolutely nothing going for them. It really astounds me, because the Expos were a half decent team when they came to DC. But Bowden traded away all their talent for Soriano and signed second rate veterans. They're like the Orioles of about 5 years ago, but without any kind of a fanbase.

The O's deserve their credit for what's happened in the past two years. And hey, we should get the number two pick too. That's another Matt Wieters or Matusz player in the system. A system which has produced or developed Wieters, Matusz, Tillman, Brandon Erbe, Jake Arrieta, Choryee Spoone, Brandon Snyder, Josh Bell, Nolan Reimold, and Hobgood.

You gotta give MacPhail credit for taking the hard approach, rather than attempting to piece together a starting team from veterns like Burnitz or Sosa. Give the team another year, and a big right hand bat and another ace pitcher, I think we'll be the Detroit Tigers of 2005 or the Rays of last year.

tamcgath - all those players that you listed have really not accomplished much yet except being really good in the minors. It is great that they are in the system now (Bell of course was not produced by the O's system) but there is a big difference between minor league talent and major league success. That being said, they have (very recently) acquired and drafted some talent.

Also, you say you need another big bat and an ace for this year, but they are not rumored to be after a bat or an ace this offseason. That was my point with my original post here... signing McDonald is fine, but really a just a distraction from what they need to be doing. Also, I have conceeded earlier that Bowden sucked as GM.

Davey - I am not sure why I am the "delusional" one when I said, "Recently, the O's seem to be making smarter decisions" in my last post and you criticized me for saying the opposite. As I have maintained all along, I specifically believe that very recently, the O's have made better decisions. Again, my point was that McDonald would be a wasted spot on the roster and therefore was a bad move.

Responding to both of you about the stadium, I am sorry but I do not choose my team based on the stadium. Frankly, I like the new stadium fine. As for the phamtom smell that tamcgath smells, maybe you should check your pants before you make your subtle racist remarks about Anacostia.

And you actually like their stadium? You are in the extreme minority. That stadium is right up there with FedEx field for mediocrity.

I live in DC Brett. I know I'm a horrible person for choosing to root for the team that I've been rooting for for about 26 years over the "hometown" team that wasn't even in my "hometown" until a few years ago, but that's just the way it is. I'd estimate that about 50% of Nationals fans are former Orioles fans who are just too lazy to commute to Baltimore to watch baseball, cause DC used to be one of the Orioles biggest markets until the Nationals came. I'm sorry but I cannot call the Nationals my hometown team when the Orioles are close by and they've been around a lot longer than the Nationals. Your ballpark actually isn't half bad, there's just nothing special about it, kind of like FedEx Field.

And I like the Orioles for more than their nice stadium haha. Yes Camden Yards is beautiful, but I love the Orioles because they're my team and they have been since 1983. Blame my dad for taking me to O's games back then if you want to, but I refuse to give up on my team. It's called being a diehard fan. I know that's something you'll probably never understand.

So give me one reason why the Orioles shouldn't give a minor league deal to McDonald. If he makes the major league club, great. If not, no harm done.

Of course I realize that the Orioles need other things. I know that they need a first baseman, third baseman, probably a starter or two, and some relievers. That doesn't mean that the Orioles shouldn't go after McDonald. I am well aware that he isn't going to be the signing that will define our offseason, but why not? He's a great utility guy. Great glove, decent bat, smart baserunner. Plus Cesar Izturis has a history of injuries, so please tell me why it would be stupid to sign McDonald? Granted, I'm not going to be leaping for joy if we sign him, but I think that he'd fit well with the Orioles.

How does your first move in the offseason determine your offseason? Was the Yankees offseason last year defined by signing a bunch of minor league free agents? No, it was defined by signing three top-tier free agents. My point is, just because the Orioles sign McDonald, that doesn't mean we're not going to do anything else.

P.S.

hey stupid... I didnt criticize your for who you root for. You criticized me. So that sarcasm in your opening sentence and the first half of your post is really just you talking to yourself.

As for signing McDonald, it is a bad move for a bad team. That is it. There is no other way to say it.

You say he is a "decent bat" but he has a career OPS of .593.

You say he has a "great glove" but he has a URZ/150 of 3.8 over his career at SS and a -5.9 at 3B. Hardly "great" numbers.

It makes no sense, but you can sign him and come in last place again. Then we will all have to listen to you somehow blame the Yankees and Red Sox for the fact that you cant finish ahead of the Rays and Blue Jays.

Enjoy your 45 minute ride to your pretty staduim. I will enjoy my 15 minute walk to mine.