The Orioles, Angels and Rays have shown different levels of interest in Vladimir Guerrero, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles heard this week that the Halos weren’t talking to the DH, but a return to Anaheim remains possible for the longtime Angel.
A return to Texas is no longer a possibility, as Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the team is not pursuing Guerrero. Vlad, who turns 36 next month, hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers last year. He made his ninth All-Star team and earned his eighth Silver Slugger, finishing 11th in MVP balloting.
The Orioles would have to play Luke Scott in the outfield if they were to sign Guerrero. That would create a logjam with Scott, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold battling for one outfield spot (assuming Adam Jones and Nick Markakis play every day). The Angels would have to play Bobby Abreu or Juan Rivera in the outfield on a daily basis if they sign Guerrero instead of a player who can patrol the outfield. The Rays could offer Guerrero a full-time DH job and they appear to be a better fit than the O's or Angels.
BRILLIANT!! resign Vlad, Figgins may be available we learned the other day, the Mets probably don’t want K-Rod…I see what’s going on!!
you see nothing thats going on. No way the angels bring back all their studs from a few years back. If you think thats the case….then…….
THIS JUST IN: Braves bringing back Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux and Andruw Jones
K-rod is washed up in NY anyways…
correction K-rod is in jail in NY not washed up…
Correction To Your Correction: K-Rod is not in jail. He pleaded guilty to assault in December, so instead of facing jail time he will undergo 52 weeks of anger management. (Lame sentence but that’s the breaks!).
Correction To Your Correction: K-Rod is not in jail. He pleaded guilty to assault in December, so instead of facing jail time he will undergo 52 weeks of anger management. (Lame sentence but that’s the breaks!).
EVEN BETTER!! the mets are such a joke.
EVEN BETTER!! the mets are such a joke.
i think he was joking
i think he was joking
krod sucks
hated him on the team, still hate him..
SIGN VLAD O’S!
If they do, it’s the end for either Nolan Reimold or Felix Pie. Luke has to play somewhere.
Trade Pie. Send Reimold to the minors till his bat is kickin and Yes put Scott in LF.
Put Pie in package deal to acquire Garza. Cheers
Luke Scott likes Garza about as much as he likes Obama. Remember their war of scripture last year?
And I don’t imagine the Rays have any interest in trading Garza within the division (or Felix Pie for that matter)
Rays won’t trade Garza within the division unless it was FOR Luke Scott or his equivilant…
done and done
That’s ok..I’d rather have Garza..lol
actually the Rays have a known interest in Riemold – they asked for him in the Bartlett talks. makes sense, because LF is filled by Jennings. their problem position is 1B / DH. I dunno if they’d value Pie very much… I assume Jennings / Upton / Joyce start every day, and Zobrist / Rodriguez can both play the outfield too. Pie would be basically a 5th outfielder for them.
Trade Pie. Send Reimold to the minors till his bat is kickin and Yes put Scott in LF.
Put Pie in package deal to acquire Garza. Cheers
I will miss seeing Vlad in Dallas next season. He is always so much fun to watch and doesn’t strike out that much considering what a free swinger he is. I think Beltre will improve the defense, but even at his offensive best, he’s pretty much a wash in the lineup compared to Vlad.
wow…you apparently never saw vlad when he was an angel
Not sure what you mean, in terms of Beltre not approaching his offensive numbers or Vlad not striking out much, but he struck out 60 times last season, and never over 100 times in a season.
dont get me wrong he (vlad) had some great seasons as an angel, and total with the career strikeouts with the angels its only around 11 percent…but that doesnt factor in pop ups…ground outs etc…
trust me, ive been watching the guy for years…just looking at the strike out stat doesnt really portray the point i was trying to make I guess. I guess I meant he get outs very often. I realize the man had a great season in texas, but honestly dont you think maybe its because he had something to prove? getting let go by the angels and all for a new supposedly better DH like matsui? or maybe he knew that he had a one year contract and if he didnt show himself he wouldnt get much the following year, or even have a job for 2011? I like the guy, but there are other DH options…then again if he could reproduce a year like the one he had in texas, bring him to Anaheim..
If the Os sign Vlad, then I think out of Scott, Pie, and Reimold, it’s Scott who gets shipped out, probably for pitching.
The prospect of this is very intriguing for Os fans, I’m sure. If it happens, it would be the capper of a very thorough offseason overhaul to support their young core (i.e. Hardy, Reynolds, Derrek Lee, Gregg, Accardo, Uehara, and others).
If the O’s sign Vlad then it will be a battle in ST between Pie and Reimold for the 4th OF position and Luke will play LF (he is actually pretty good there). It gives the O’s an offensive upgrade at LF without diminishing their DH position and keeps Scott happy because he gets to play the field. Vlad also has a .330+ career avg at OPACY and the Orioles continue to improve. Vlad would be a fantastic get for them and wouldn’t cost a ton, maybe 5 mil with 2 mil in incentives?
I think you do trade off some defense with Scott in LF. I don’t think he’a bad fielder. I think he’s actually better than most people assume. MOst people think that he’s a DH because he’s a bad fielder, which is far from the truth. He’s there because out of Markakis, Jones, and Pie, he has the weakest arm, can’t play CF like Pie can, and slightly less range than him too.
Luke’s above average defensively. It’s not like he’s Manny Ramirez out there. I wouldn’t count out sending Reimold to AAA and have him work at first base. Pie’s more of the 4th OF type anyway.
Right now, Pie is a 4th OF. He fits that mold. That said, I think he has some real potential to blossom into much more.
Pie reminds me of BJ Upton. He has ALL the physical tools, just has no discipline and no idea how to use his tools.
Pie reminds me of BJ Upton. He has ALL the physical tools, just has no discipline and no idea how to use his tools.
Scott definitely has the most value, and I’d love to see the O’s get as much value as possible out of him before he regresses back to his normal inconsistency in 2011.
But I don’t know about going into 2011 with Pie/Reimold as the only left field options. That didn’t work out too well last year.
I think you’re plan sounds the most realistic if they get Vlad. That is:
• They go into ST with all of them
• Allow for some time for another team develops a need for a OF before the season starts which might facilitate a trade.
• Or, it turns out that one of Scott, Pie, or Reimold struggles greatly to warrant pushing one to AAA as depth for later in the year.
Personally last year was obviously a lost year for Reimold, but I think he is past his off field issues, which were hidden from the public well, that he really bounces back this season.
I would absolutely love for the Orioles to sign him and deal with the logjam later
Don’t the players have to be good to create a “logjam”?
Out of Scott/Pie/Reimold, Scott’s the only one who has proven that he can be a productive major league hitter. I’ll take Vlad and Scott in left over Scott and Pie/Reimold in left any day.
Sure, it’s another one year solution, but the better the O’s are in 2011, the better their chances will be to sign Prince Fielder next winter.
Personally I’d rather have the speed and defense of Pie. Putting Scott in LF hurts the D, not that he’s a bad fielder, but that he doesn’t have the same range or arm.
What about being a productive major league fielder? Which Scott isn’t. My seats are down the third base line, so I’m not talking out of turn here. He doesn’t have much speed and a lot of balls get past him and rattle around in the left field corner. So in that instance, I would take Pie and/or Reimold over Scott in left field any day.
He should be a DH. That’s really his strength.
Pie AND Reimold isn’t a bad idea…
Maybe the O’s could petition to play four outfielders since they really have no chance in that division anyway. Reimold could hug the line and Pie could play more left-center. Then, you can move AJ over a bit and essentially have two center fielders.
Brilliant!
Seriously though: Good points about defense, both of you.
He is a slight step down from Pie but Reimold is the very definition of a butcher. Anyone is better than him out there. Scott has generally been an average to slightly above average outfielder. He is a +8 by the fielding bible and +5.6 UZR for his career in left. I go to at least 50 games every season and can say that he gets decent jumps on balls, catches what he gets to and his arm isn’t bad.
I’d take average D and a near lock for a mid .800s OPS (with a ceiling of .900) over slightly better D and a ceiling of a mid .700s OPS in left.
wasn’t he playing on one leg last year? He had an achilles issue.
He wasn’t hurt for most of 2009, where he was also very very bad.
I am not going to argue that Reimold is a great defender, but he’s the only guy out of this crop with a great arm. He played RF in the minors for a reason. I am not sure where you are getting your notions from but he was actually always noted for solid defense in the field and a gun as a minorleaguer. Personally I don’t feel like we’ve really seen him play enough in the field as a majorleaguer to form any opinion.
No, he was held back from the majors originally because they didn’t think he was ready defensively. Scouts have always maintained his athletic tools left room for improvement but his routes were questionable and he was a below average fielder.
My notions come from watching him play for a long time at Bowie and in Baltimore along with a -12 UZR for his career in left and a -2 according to the fielding bible.
I won’t argue the arm, the dude can definitely throw but his routes are awesomely bad and he makes routine plays look very difficult.
yeah i would say if we get Vlad, youd glady trade pie/reimolds defense and offensive upside over scotts lack of range and defense…and thats even if he can repeat his offensive output from last year…which i doubt. Thats not even considering the bonehead comments he made this offseason that caused the orioles to send out a press release denying any agreement with his political points of view. Ship him for a left-handed bullpen arm or package him for a starter. They should sign Vlad for 2 years because based on the market value for DH’s, which is going down considerably this offseason, he would probably take the security of a multi-year contract over a higher annual salary. Ive wanted Vlad on the orioles ever since i was a kid and he was playing for the expos…id love to see this happen.
Scott will hit 30 HR this year while hitting .280 and slugging over .500 and playing +UZR defense. Not many LF can do that…
Scott + Vlad > Pie/Reimold + Vlad + Bargain Bin Starter
I guess I just think the Orioles haven’t addressed replacing Millwood’s innings yet. They can certainly go into ’11 with the young rotation, as is, but it might get ugly, and if it does, there’s no insurance or net to save them from blowing out an arm or two in the process.
i guarantee scott wont hit 30 home runs this year or hit .280 nor play average defense. I do feel last year was him peaking offensively and i dont see him returning to the same form. he has had a couple of decent years and pitchers didnt respect him…one good year and i think they get where to pitch him. But i will say if they get Vlad, the protection he would get in that line-up would supplant any offensive inabilities he may have because he would see better pitches…so maybe there is something to that. But im not giving up on reimold…i feel he has a lot more to offer. with him and pie platooning, if they stay healthy they most certainly can hit around .280 with 30 HR..plus they both play better defense and are faster. I just feel they are way more versatile and thats what buck has been preaching…fundamentals and versatility. But can they stay healthy? Still feel like its a game worth taking if you can get a starter ut of it or a productive lefty reliever…or bench help.
gamble…sorry…droid.
Pie may play better defense but I don’t know who you have been watching with respect to Reimold. That dude shouldn’t even be allowed to own an outfielders glove.
I see him going to the Rays. Something like 1 year, $4-5 Million
Orioles will outbid that. They are sitting at around 75 mil with 15-20 more to spend comfortably including arbitration raises…
They don’t need him though. It’s a waste
Another right-handed veteran power hitter in a young, inexperienced lineup that leans to the left?
How is that a waste?
Bad choice of words. Not a waste, but why would he go somewhere if there are so many guys fighting for a spot. And the O’s aren’t necessarily a contender, so that will have something to do with it.
The Os need as many right-handed power as possible. The division is brutal for lefties, by being filled with Lefty Ace types.
Not a waste if it keeps him from going to a division Rival….I’m a Rays fan and if they (the Rays) signed Vlad and he put up similar #’s to last yr. it would put them back in the thick of competing for a wild card. Right now I see the Rays, O’s and Jays all finishing over .500 but also all finishing behind the Red Sox and Yankees.
Who cares about outbid?? This late in his career he probably wants to win
Rays give him the best opportunity to do that of all the teams that are interested
YEah, Orioles would easily outbid that. That said, Vlad just might take the lower offer anyways just to compete.
I’m not so sure the Rays offer a better chance of contention than the O’s this year. They have more established pitching but outside of Longoria they have very little offense and their bullpen is a mess.
The Rays’ bullpen isn’t good, but there is still time to get it better. Plus, their starting pitching is phenomenal, so it kind of makes up for it
Not too mention, outside of Soriano. Their bullpen going in to 2010 was viewed as their weakness. but tampa continues to find bargains and misfits and put them together to make a formidable bullpen.. this year should be no different.
Add Vladdy to the middle of the rays lineup, if Jennings adjusts quickly, they can be just as good as last year.
phenomenal starting pitching didn’t get them in the playoffs… and that was with carl crawford, carlos pena, and rafael soriano.
They won 96 games last yr., the American League East title and the WERE in the playoffs…They lost to the Rangers in 5 games..where were you???
are you serious dude?
It was a 95 win team last year, with many holes.. Okay so they lost their 1B ( who had a down year) the lost their all star closer and lf…. but they have one of the best farms in the game to draw upon and a rotation that could carry the team (again, their offense wasn’t that good last year) to 85-95 wins again..
You are out of your mind if you think the O’s are anywhere close to that this year.
if the rays make it to 80 wins based on the team they have now, ill eat my left foot. If you think they are capable of 95 wins right now, then please also help me decorate the pirates 2011 world series parade float later tonight. Not a chance. Remember when JP howell had to save games for them? how horrible he was? he is their late inning option right now. Dan johnson at first? offensively and defensively worse than pena. No crawford? I mean i love their players…longoria, zobrist, brignac, upton, jennings, price, garza, shields, hellickson…but even with the all star closer and first baseman and left fielder and bullpen, some of those guys struggled. I love the team but i dont see them competing this year. You cant give up THAT much and get nothing back and all of a sudden put together a 95 win season. its impossible. Unless they make some trades or signings, they are the cellar dwellers this year… albeit the best last place team in baseball. I think the orioles and blue jays have made some significant additions…though i see the jays having the same win total. The orioles should hopefully finish third with the addition of a starter and another bullpen arm. I dont see how thats crazy to envision. We had one of the best records in baseball after buck took over and that was just as much a product of everyone being healthy finally as it was his stabilizing the team.
This sounds like leaf talk to me. your out to lunch
This sounds like leaf talk to me. your out to lunch
Oh lord, the ‘strong finish to the season’ theory…. I don’t know how many years I watched the Jays be the best team in September and October, only for the same crap to begin once a new season started. It means absolutely nothing. Its a lot easier to play when there is no pressure as your already 18 games behind the wildcard at the beginning of August.
Rays Lost Pena 1.0 WAR-2010, Crawford 6.9 WAR-2010, and Soriano 1.6 WAR-2010… Thats approximately 10 Wins they lost IF they replace them with 0.0 WAR players. . . Thats an 85 win team, obviously some of their players could end up with negative WARs, but at the same time it would be foolish to over look improvements from the rotation. Hellickson only made a few starts last year, their rotation is strong and deep and has already shown it can carry a team.
The Buck theory is popular among us Orioles fan’s b/c he is the first legitimate manager the Orioles have had since Davey Johnson or Mike Hargrove… and i dont think Hargrove was that great.
The Orioles certainly make thier prospects seem better then they are every year but scouts tend to agree and rank them real high, there just has not been a capable manager in over 10 years to either place them in the right position, challenge them properly, motivate them, or give them a real direction.
Other then Brian Roberts, Markakis, and Mora when he was here i havent seen an orioles hitter ( especially the home grown prospects) take a decent approach to every at bat. Jones and Wieters never seemed to have a plan until Buck got there, and the pitchers started developing better game plans when Buck took over. This was the first season in a long time where the O’s didn’t seem to have an epic August/September collapse that takes them from 12-15 games back of a wildcard spot to 25-30.
I believe (to keep my sanity as an O’s fan)the strong finish was not a result of lack of pressure but actual change in health (Brian Robert’s return) and team direction.
this sounds like maple leaf logic to me. (thats not a good thing)
I look forward to you eating your left foot.
So second half record has no bearing on a potential upswing the next year? The argument could be made either way. The orioles havent had ANY pressure in the past 3 years…so ill take the positive end to the season and buy into it. I love tampas rotation but their bullpen is not good. How long before price has a sub 3.00 ERA but only 10 wins bc his team cant keep a lead or get one to start with and starts to want out of tampa. Due to their lack of fan base and dropping in payroll, his arbitration years are going to become mighty “pricey” (see what i did there…genius) and trading him is going to be their only option. But thats the future…as for this year, the WAR rating is going to be deceiving bc yes, some of their players are going to regress and some will have negative figures. Rodriguez is not the answer at second base…zobrist did nothing to show he can repeat his form of 2 years ago…Upton is extremely hit or miss…and Longoria was hampered by a bad offense around him and injuries towards the end of the season. This team has potential but with rookie pitch counts, a revolving door closer situation, and unproven bats, you cannot claim consistency will lead them to a 95 win season. Ill give you 80…and if all the parts are clicking i can see 85…but 95 is asking a lot of a team that isnt established enough to do that. And the same can be said for the orioles…except they have increased payroll and made additions rather than subtractions. Give them some credit. Its a whole different ball game when you have an offense and confidence.
And to be honest, my right foot probably tastes a lot better than my left but thats just my opinion…i dont really have any proof to back that up…gut feeling though.
its dangerous to make predictions based on the end of the season especially since they were on the showalter honeymoon. fans and players alike will soon see both the good and the bad with showalter
if they really click, the O’s could win 80-85, still probably 5-10 games out of the playoffs. but that will depend on the unlikely event of a healthy brian roberts, a derek lee renaissance, a solid mark reynolds season and on a young rotation where there are simply no sure things
I agree with the unliklihood of Lee returning to the old Derrek Lee, and, Reynolds of reducing the Ks, but why is a healthy brian roberts so unlikely? Before last year he was extremely durable.
probably shouldnt have said it was unlikely, but i doubt his back is going to get better with age. its generally a recurring injury
Let us not forget that some of the offense that was lost will be made up for by the fact that Brignac should put up better #’s than Bartlett both offensively and defensively. Sean Rodriguez, if playing everyday has potential to hit 20-25 HR’s and plays gold glove defense. I doubt Zobrist has another second half collapse and John Jaso will be playing everyday. Jennings, no one knows for sure but hopefully he’ll hit .270 and steal 30-40 bases and play solid defense. Honestly, I see this team somewhere around 84-88 wins. If they sign Vlad and maybe Lasting Milledge 86-90 and if they get an above average closer..92-95 wins..That to me isn’t out of the question if they’ll spend another 10 million, which they’d still be under $45 mill this season.
95 wins might be overstating them a bit, partially because of the division they are in, but less than 80 wins is certainly understating them by a lot. I could see them as a ≈90 win team.
people said the same thing last year about Seattle. the fact is that you stack this team up with the other 4 teams in the division. position by position they fall well short. Its true that they added some better players then last year for positions like 1b 3b, SS. But they had terrible to bad players at those positions. Now you have added mediocre to good players is an upgrade but does not really make you a better team when compared to the teams in the position. the blue jays won 85 games last year but where 4rth place team so now that the Baltimore is a 75-80 win team will still be in the hunt for last place. so my thinking is whats the point. AA says it best that you NEED all-stars at every position to win in the AL east. To me this is more of shuffling the deck chairs on the titanic. No real benefit.
95 wins might be overstating them a bit, partially because of the division they are in, but less than 80 wins is certainly understating them by a lot. I could see them as a ≈90 win team.
I think that the rangers should keep to vladimir like an extra fielder because the season is long and for their hitting.
I’m a Luke Scott fan, but I kind of like the idea of signing Vlad and seeing what kind of return Scott can get them in a trade for a pitcher. Scott has proven power, can play the field passably and has a very affordable contract. He might have some value.
Thats why Luke can play LF for the Os in 2011. He wouldn’t be traded if they sign Vlad, just moved to LF. He is cheap and has excellent production for a starting LF.
Luke’s not that bad in the field. I’d keep him unless we are blown away by an offer. I mean, if we can get a #3 guy for Luke and irrelevant prospects, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I really hope the Orioles sign Vlad and keep Soctt in LF. Trade Reimold for a LHP for the bullpen. Scott could hit 35 homers with more ABs, we have to keep Scott though. If signing Vlad means getting rid of Scott I say no to this deal.
The Os can sign Ohman and get similar production from a LOOGY. No need to give up Reimold (NO WAY he goes for a LHRP he got pulled off the table for a starting SS in Bartlett). Scott will shift to LF and Reimold/Pie will battle for the 4th OF position in ST. It isn’t that hard to figure out.
The problem comes in terms of their service time. The clocks have started. It basically comes down to the fact that at some point, either Reimold or Pie might end up getting DFAed at some point for nothing, or, dealt at a low. They’ve both proven that they’re productive majorleaguers. The issue is if they are starters. If they did try to keep everyone, I think of it as another example of short-sighted management of thinking only the upcoming year, that you’d never see from a longterm-strategy thinking club, like, say, the Rays, who have no problem dealing away value if its timing is wrong for them.
I think this means someone is getting traded if the O’s sign Vlad. idk who but it sets them up very well.
How I see it, I think the O’s would be the last team I’d expect to sign Vlad.
Hmmm… smallest park and most money? Makes sense to me…
Eventually people have to realize that the Os lineup looks pretty damn good for 2011. I mean look at the improvements they’ve made.
Yeah, they field a formidable lineup every year and where has it gotten them?
Score 7 runs allow 9 runs. Thats not going to cut it in the A.L. East.
Which years were they a formidable lineup? Was it when Millar was the cleanup hitter?
Last year was a prime example
Last year that lineup included Ty Wigginton and Josh Bell at 1st and 3rd with Cesar freaking Izturis as a black hole at SS offensively. Now they have Lee and Reynolds and Hardy. As far as pitching look at their bullpen… (Uehara, Gonzalez, Gregg, etc.) looks pretty good. And that young pitching performed extremely well under Buck… 3.16 ERA!
Last year that lineup included Ty Wigginton and Josh Bell at 1st and 3rd with Cesar freaking Izturis as a black hole at SS offensively. Now they have Lee and Reynolds and Hardy. As far as pitching look at their bullpen… (Uehara, Gonzalez, Gregg, etc.) looks pretty good. And that young pitching performed extremely well under Buck… 3.16 ERA!
I think you’re kidding right? Last year featured several players hitting below .250. Probably the worst lineup in Baltimore in a long long time.
enough already…
who cares about baltimore 🙂
A lot of people actually. They suck right now, and this fanbase has been suppressed a while now, but if they’re given a reason to cheer, it’s a fanbase like St Louis is a baseball town.
Miguel Tejada (.269/.308/.362) was the opening day cleanup hitter. Corey Patterson (.315 OBP) was the leadoff hitter for 54 games. Cesar Izturis was the worst hitting player to qualify for the batting title in all of baseball, by a large margin. etc.
The Orioles scored the second fewest runs in the AL last year, behind only the historically bad Seattle Mariners. Google is your friend.
Garrett Atkins should have made the All-Star team.
Yes, I agree 100%!!!*
*By “All-Star” it is a codeword for “McDonald’s Drive-Thru”
Last year was a prime example
I think he ment the Conine years
Which years were they a formidable lineup? Was it when Millar was the cleanup hitter?
Didn’t people say the same about the Rangers last year? Remember, that at this time last year, they were in full-on rebuild mode under a relatively new pres in Nolan Ryan. No one was thinking they’d get to the WS.
Not saying that the Os will go to the WS. Just saying that, in retrospect, it looks like Vlad signed onto a team with contender ambitions, but he didn’t. He was just trying to sign on with any majorleague team as a DH.
But with the rays, he’d be guaranteed a full time DH role with a contender
Are the Rays really still a contender after this off season?
But with the rays, he’d be guaranteed a full time DH role with a contender
Difference is that the rangers walked through their division last year as the AL west turned in to an unexpected joke.
Again. I’m not arguing standings. I am not saying that the Os will go to the world series.
I was replying to someone else who suggested that Vlad’s interested only in signing with contenders. That’s not to say that he isn’t interested in contention, but, I was just pointing out that just last year he signed with a non-contender (who just happened to contend as the season went on). This time last year, the Rangers were in full rebuild mode, not positiong for a shot at the WS.
Difference is that the rangers walked through their division last year as the AL west turned in to an unexpected joke.
As much as I like vlad and knowing A’s won’t get him. I would rather see him going somewhere else besides AL west. Seems like A’s Aren’t interested in another bat, and I just heard a rumor about them making a offer for soriano.
As much as I like vlad and knowing A’s won’t get him. I would rather see him going somewhere else besides AL west. Seems like A’s Aren’t interested in another bat, and I just heard a rumor about them making a offer for soriano.
The O’s should get him and ditch Luke Scott who is way too streaky to be a good fit for the American league east. He is good for a highlight reel for three weeks a year and that’s about all. Scott would be a better fit on a national league team looking for a mediocre outfielder.
3 weeks a year? try 4 months a year. here are his OPS splits from last season
May: 1.024
June: .914
July: 1.019
August: .997
no doubt he’s streaky, but he’s still a really good hitter for the majority of the year. it’s not a week-by-week thing for him.
I didin’t realize Vlads numbers were what they were, the rangers probably won’t get this kinda production out of Beltre, close but not quite. They upgrade third but retain a hugely overpaid not so DH, DH all for an extreme contract at third while not really gaining any production value and still running with their weak rotation, seems like a good deal to me. I don’t think real baseball fans of the Rangers should get to excited over this situation, it may bite back…
I’m not too excited, just from the standpoint that Beltre is not going to be much, if any, of an offensive upgrade over Vlad. Could end up being worse.
The advantage of Beltre is that their defense improves at third, and they can make use of Young’s versatility. He can play against lefties at first, he can fill in at second when Kinsler eventually gets injured, and then he can DH when needed. That’s what I like the most about the deal. Now if we can just get another established starter…
I didin’t realize Vlads numbers were what they were, the rangers probably won’t get this kinda production out of Beltre, close but not quite. They upgrade third but retain a hugely overpaid not so DH, DH all for an extreme contract at third while not really gaining any production value and still running with their weak rotation, seems like a good deal to me. I don’t think real baseball fans of the Rangers should get to excited over this situation, it may bite back…
I’d love the Orioles lineup with Vlad. Geez, that middle of the order would be something.
Roberts
Markakis
Jones
Vlad
Scott
Reynolds
Lee
Wieters
Hardy
Sign Vlad and Pavano and you give Buck a chance at the division!
Unless Pavano takes a discount, no. I would appreciate the irony of Pavano beating the Yankees though.
Wow the Orioles are having a nice offseason. Adding Hardy, Reynolds and Lee really give this lineup some thunder. Problem is, all three guys are low average hitters on the decline but the biggest problem for the O’s is their starting rotation. That starting 5 just won’t cut it!
I would argue all 3 are rebounding from injury but aren’t on the decline, they were just hurt last year! Reynolds had multiple injuries which he admitted impeded his swing and confidence. Hardy had a wrist injury that is now healed, and Lee had a thumb which impacted his swing. They are healthy now, all passed physicals.
Even during injury plagued years Reynolds hit 32HR, Lee hit 19, and Hardy hit 6 during a half season. There is big time potential for all 3 coming into 2011 in that park in Baltimore.
And that starting rotation pitched to a 3.16 ERA since Buck took over.
Wow the Orioles are having a nice offseason. Adding Hardy, Reynolds and Lee really give this lineup some thunder. Problem is, all three guys are low average hitters on the decline but the biggest problem for the O’s is their starting rotation. That starting 5 just won’t cut it!
I think Vlad is cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey, and I’m still upset with him for turning down more money to sign with Anaheim in the first place. I don’t see that he has a place with the O’s, and I wonder if it’s his agent who is leaking this information about the O’s being interested in him.
No MacPhail confirmed interest on the radio. He makes sense for the team.
They are still looking to sign a LHRP and possibly a 5th starter (I say let Tillman have the spot until Britton gets here) and maybe a DH is on the horizon…
The only reason he would make sense is if the team has NO confidence in Pie or Reimold to produce. If they had no confidence in Reimold, then why didn’t they make the Bartlett deal? If they had no confidence in Pie, then why didn’t he get moved to KC while they were still interested? I don’t get it, really I don’t.
I think the LHP will be either Ohman or Beimel, and I wouldn’t mind them signing John Maine to an injury-recovery contract.
I love all of this O’s talk going on. I can’t believe anyone would want to trade Scott right now. He is inexpensive and has improved offensively every year. His defense continues to get better and he plays hard.
Pie should be 4th outfielder with Reimold starting in AAA. Make Reimold force his
way up like you have to do on good teams.
Vlad would be a great pick up for the O’s and I would love to see him hit every day.
Agreed. Luke Scott’s production would be extremely difficult to replace and he is under team control for two more seasons for relatively cheap. Only six players in the AL finished 2010 with an OPS higher than Luke Scott. Players with .900+ OPS dont grow on trees.
I wouldn’t mind picking up Maine for an incentive laden deal. I also would like to see Hendrickson come back for another year as the long reliever. I think he could split that with Koji and have Gonzalez and Gregg for 8 and 9
Maine’s an interesting possibility. Heck no on Hendrickson. I like Vandenhurk more, plus he’s cheaper. Berken can split it with Vandenhurk should the need arise. I still like Koji as the closer, but Gregg and Koji should fight it out in Spring Training. Loser probably does 7th inning work, JJ’s proven that he’s only effective when used as a setup man.
Great points, I liked the thought of bringing back Hendrickson because his ability to be a spot starter. Our rotation could fall apart quick after Matusz and Guthrie. What about getting Millwood back? I have heard he wouldn’t come back to the tough AL East but I don’t believe that, especially now since we have improved significantally. He seems like he might be a great #4 on this team.
Really just don’t want to trade any good players (Scott) away for a mediocre pitcher (Garza). Would rather risk Millwood again or overpay (3/30) for Pavano.
Vandenhurk could do that as well. Basically, Vandenhurk is a far cheaper Hendrickson. I’d rather see us get Ohman again. Maybe Rauch.
If Millwood was willing to take a huge paycut, then yes I’d bring him back. I’d give our old friend John Maine a call, or see who’s on the trade market. Something about Brad Bergesen as our #4 starter makes me cringe.
Scott = overrated and if you are looking at stats to judge his defense you are totally in the dark as to how awful he is. He’s a part time player without a position. 29 doubles 27 hrs and only 72 rbi…ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
His 72 rbis was because of the lack of guys getting on base last year. Our lineup was horrible last year. On a normal team he woulda gotten 100 rbis.
Baloney. His situational hitting was poor.
Hard to get RBIs when nobody gets on base. And he OPS’d over .900 for crying out loud. I don’t care who you are, that’s impressive.
When did an .900+ OPS w/27 HR become peanuts?
Maybe the O’s should give Jeff Francis a call, as far as pitching is concerned?
Unless he accepts a minor league deal, no. Francis would just be a worse version of Millwood. If a guys going to eat innings, I want him to at least look respectable doing so.
how about the O’s sign vladdy and send Scott to the Halos for Kazmir? O’s need a starter, and money would probably be involved as well
Kazmir is horrible, so no. I would personally slap Andy MacPhail in the face if he traded our best hitter last year for Kazmir.