The Orioles have given multiple executives the impression that they are unwilling to deal any of their best young pitching prospects to add to the MLB roster, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman lists Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, and Hunter Harvey as the prospects that the team seems uninterested in dealing.
MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli reported last night that Baltimore was as hesitant as ever to move those types of arms, though there had been plenty of interest. “We are looking for pitching depth,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told Sherman. “We are going to try to supplement our team.” As Duqutte’s words seem to indicate, a less costly arm appears to be the more likely outcome for Baltimore.
Additionally, a source tells Sherman that the team is not in on Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki, though catcher remains another area that the Orioles are looking into. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also just reported (on Twitter) that the club is not going after Suzuki. Baltimore had appeared one of the few good matches for Suzuki, who seems to have a fairly small market but remains perhaps the most attractive available backstop.
This would seem to remove the Orioles from any Lester conversations
They were never really in it to begin with really. There was no way the Os would trade one of their possible future Aces for two months of Lester, and then maybe have to face Gausman or Bundy for their best years if not whole career.
Can’t remember the last time the Os did any trade with the Sox, and that’s counting 30+ yrs? not saying it never happened! but just can’t remember when. If it were to happen with Lester, he might have been the most significant name ever exchanged?
I don’t think Baltimore will make any moves at the deadline. If they aren’t in on any of the elite arms all the other guys available are just as good as what we already have.
Exactly. It only makes sense to make a big trade for a clear upgrade, the Orioles don’t benefit by adding another number 3 to a rotation already crowded with them.
I’m not saying it as a complaint, but we all knew Gausman, Bundy, or Harvey weren’t getting dealt. And, if those guys weren’t being dealt, they weren’t going to receive top arms. This is the same Catch-22 we all know too well. It would be a different story if we already had a bonafide Ace and/or #2 SPs anchoring the rotation.
Yep 100% agree. The only scenario I can see where one of those three are moved is if we trade for Hammels and the Phillies throw in cash. But his asking price is ludicrous and the Phills won’t throw in cash…. so I’m cool with hoping Jimenez finds his form.
Hamels is actually the prototypical pitcher who’d do well, by Duquette’s calculation, at Camden Yards. That is, I’m gathering that based on the system-wide emphasis on the changeup, and move away from cutters. Change of pace approach as a central developmental policy, as opposed to change-of-plane pitches. I think, when done effectively, it’s the approach that takes advantage of over-aggressiveness and throttles power swings.
I don’t consider this a catch22. This is a good problem to have. We’re not ready to win the World Series this year but we are ready to win the East and then let’s see what happens. With these pitchers in the farm system, we are talking about a rotation that could resemble the Braves of the early 90’s. Not saying they would turn out that way but this is the same path Glavin, Smoltz and Maddux were on at this stage in their careers. Don’t forget about Eduardo Rodriguez as well. If they can somehow deal someone like Lough, Flaherty, Clevenger for someone like Jimmy Rollins, Koji or Suzuki, I’d be all for it. DO NOT TRADE ANY OF THE FUTURE STUD PITCHERS!
It is a Catch 22:
We want to add an Ace but the cost is our top prospects. We don’t want to lose our top prospects, so we pass on the Ace. Happens every year. It’s like an oriole tradition now.
I like your plan, and I think Duquette does too. Like you said. We just develop these top prospects, and maybe we get an Ace from one of them? (When I think of all that often goes wrong with a young pitcher, even assuming great talent is great, I don’t think the 90s Braves is realistic, but if it happens, I’ll take it. And you can dream if you want) 😉
I get the sentiment of standing pat on not dealing any of our top young arms. But at some point we need to put one of them in the basket for a top of the rotation guy. With that said, ERodriguez for Millone or Kuechel is probably the best we can hope for, which will in turn continue to be just depth and no real impact.
Kuechel has a great FIP but do you really believe in the HR/FB%? The Astros will be asking for a lot and I’d love to see him in an O’s uniform, but I doubt it makes a ton of sense for the Orioles, especially when you consider that the Astros likely want positional prospects, and outside of Schoop and Walker, who do the Orioles really have in that category?
The A’s will ask for too much for Milone, too. And I think he’s better than Hammel, so we’ll see how long he gets yanked around.
I was just going off the last couple seasons where they added Saunders, Feldman and Norris. All middle rotation guys that just add depth. At some point we need to deal at least one top young arm preferably a Harvey package for a top rotation arm. It will never happen, and that’s what’s keeping us as a playoff team, rather than an actual contender in the playoffs.
Starting pitchers are the most inefficient to develop, and, scarce position to find. So we’ve been mired in this predicament for a very long time. We have a handful of special arms like that right now. They’re just young and need time. It would be a big blow to deal them, and then see them become the next Strasburg or Kershaws of the league elsewhere.
Disagree. You may be talking about dealing one of those top guns you’re referring to. Saunders and Feldman were rentals. No guarantee that any of these moves would not be the same. If given the chance would you take Arietta back since we no longer have Feldman to show for him? No more rentals!
Well, no, we don’t have to deal them at all. The other option is that one or more of those guys becomes our top arms that anchors the rotation, thereby nullifying this ongoing need for a Ace.
There ya go! Exactly how I feel!
Duquette is far too smart to move any of these three for anything other than a long-term controlled star. Not only are they all now blue-chippers, but they are either close to or currently major league ready.
As for Suzuki, he would be an upgrade over Hundley/Joseph offensively even if he regresses, I suppose, but catching is not necessarily a plug-and-play position, and I certainly don’t see Suzuki being worth the cost.
The only possible/worthwhile upgrade I see for the Orioles at this point is perhaps a new LOOGY or a left-handed bat. Otherwise, I think the O’s go into the playoffs as is.
The O’s will make a move, and it won’t blow you out of the park either. The last 2 years Dan Duquette has made moves to improve the team at the deadline and it will happen and you won’t have even expected the guy to become an Oriole until it leaks about 2 hours before it happens. A RP seems inevitable at this time, especially if the player has options. Too many teams out there will end up selling by Thursday, and even if it doesn’t happen by then, the entire month of August is full of the low-key trades that Duquette is known to make.
This isn’t news. Orioles have been unwilling to unload top prospects for the past couple of years just for rentals.
I’m one of the few people that believes they should leave the catching as is. Hundley provides a bat off the bench that can catch and Joseph has been stellar with his defense. Sometimes a player’s defensive acumen outweighs their usefulness at the plate. Same with Schoop. As for giving up prospects for a starting pitcher, I agree that it doesn’t make sense to have to give up a top prospect for a rental. I want to see the Orioles win the World Series but I also want them to continue to contend as well.
Unfortunately continuing to contend doesn’t mean World Series. Until they make an impact change to the rotation, we won’t be there.
I do agree with your catcher sentiment, just looking at the leagues backstops only 3-4 make an actual difference for the team at the dish. Defense and game managing is where catchers should matter most.
Disagree! Continuing to contend DOES mean World Series…eventually. Contending this year by giving up prospects DOES NOT mean “continuing” to contend. Cannot trade these prospects right now!
It sucks that the market for Suzuki is apparently never going to develop. Leaves the Twins in a bad position.
A lot can happen between now and the deadline. Once the Twins have a pulse for what the market holds for Sizuki, the Twins might be forced to move him. They’re going to lose him soon, so they need to act now.
The Twins should have struck as soon as Molina went down or the first decent offer came in. Beyond Baltimore and St. Louis there really weren’t any other contenders in the market for a catcher.
Thing is, I don’t think there have been much, if any, “decent offers” for Suzuki, or even any offers all together for that matter. Not much of a market out there and when the Cardinals would rather just sign A.J. Pierzynski than trade for Suzuki, what are you going to do?
If the Os were to have dealt any of those guys to Boston for TWO MONTHs of Lester, the net result would be:
1. Lester would likely return to Boston as a free agent.
2. Perhaps a decade or so of facing Gausman/Bundy in a RedSox uniform. Perhaps as their Ace featuring dominating starts (eg in Gausman’s case stuff reminiscent of peak years Verlander carrying an upper-90s heavy fastball)
3. Due to #1 and #2, we’d enjoy whatever results we’d get from this 2014 playoff push, but it might have to be a World Series win to justify the net cost.
ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY! Well said and 100% agree.
I don’t think you have anything to worry about regarding deals within the AL East — especially those involving any of the O’s future studs.
so glad we didn’t deal a top prospect for lester. red sox get cespedes and the A’s get a 2 month rental. talk about going all in…