Josh Hamilton Offer from the Orioles

[TrueYankee]

Latest reports are he is too expensive and O's are looking to trade for a big bat. In my opinion, this team needs starting pitching.

[Tone091]

Latest reports are he is too expensive and O's are looking to trade for a big bat. In my opinion, this team needs starting pitching.

Your right, they do need pitching, but who is out there? Greinke I think is going to be seriously overpaid, and there is just not anybody else available, and I dont see the Rays trading in the division.

[leafswin2011]

Quick question to everyone jumping on the Jays bandwagon and so quick to bash the Os.....

I thought Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson & Mark Buehrle were supposed to make the Marlins the favorite in a weaker league? So if they couldnt do that, along with Sanchez, Bell, Stanton, Bonifacio, Ramirez.....whyyyyy are they all the sudden primed to do it this year?

since i bet on the world series before the season started last year i can assure you miami was not the favorite in that division...

[Halladay]

Your right, they do need pitching, but who is out there? Greinke I think is going to be seriously overpaid, and there is just not anybody else available, and I dont see the Rays trading in the division.

There are plenty of guys on the free agent market just not guys on the same level as Greinke. Guys like Sanchez,Marcum etc are solid mid-rotations guys. The O's need a bat and pitching but in this division...pitching has always got to be a priority.

[terp12354]

So not trying to add fuel to the fire, but I think what a lot of Orioles fans are trying to say is that yes, this team was very lucky in the first half of the season, but around mid july things clicked and they started turning a corner. Look at their run differential:

July 17= -55
End of the year=+7

So they were a +66 team in the second half of the year. if they had played like that all season their +132 would have been right there with the yankees. Obviously a big if but it shows improvement. Also, the all time records in 1 and 2 run games are obviously not sustainable. However they actually played WORSE in those type of games over the second half of the season.

22-11= .667 not absurdly higher than their .574 win percentage overall.

Also, the rotation underwent a compelte overhaual the second half of the year. The main guys to get those starts had the following era's in the second half of the year.

Hammel= 3.1
Chen= 2.15
Tillman=2.83
Gonzalez=2.602
Johnson=4.21
Saunders=2.765

That is a huge improvement over the opening day rotation of Arrietta, Matusz, Hunter, Hammel and Chen to start the year.

This doesnt even take into account things like the defense improving when Mclouth and Machado were called up and Reynolds moved to 1st (mid season). Or that their starting second basemen and #2 started missed the entire season, while their starting left fielder missed 147 games and their number one pitcher missed about 90 days.

Point being is the orioles obviously have some holes, I think orioles fans are just optimistic because the second half of the season they went from a lucky team to a team that was playing good baseball due to bringing up better defensive personal and better starters. If they play like that all year they are a 93 win team. Now do they have holes? of course. Left field, second base and a lefit number 1 starter are all huge. But so do the yankees. Left field, right field, even center field and dh as well as the simple fact thar their core is getting old. Hope this helps explain some of the orioles fans rational in here.

[WolvesJagsOs]

We seem dead set on a middle of the lineup bat. Really thinking Hosmer and Butler are the 2 main targets from everything i'm reading.

[mtf]

We seem dead set on a middle of the lineup bat. Really thinking Hosmer and Butler are the 2 main targets from everything i'm reading.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, but who would the Orioles even have to get them? Isn't their farm system pretty shallow after Machado and Bundy, who aren't likely to be moved anyway.

[bal_ravens]

^ Yeah, its pretty weak right now. But Matusz was a stud in the bullpen this year, Gonzalez, pitcher we just drafted, Arrieta, Tillman, Strop and some other have all been brought up in the rumors.


And I agree that the beginning of the year had a lot of luck in the wins, but that bull pen involved way more than just luck in winning games. Jim Johnson was a beast and Matusz played lights out for stretches.

I personally don't see them winning that many games this year, but to blow them off is crazy.

As for Hamilton, I still don't see him coming here as i've said all along. Although he should come considering his 4 home run game last season.

[WolvesJagsOs]

I'm not trying to be confrontational, but who would the Orioles even have to get them? Isn't their farm system pretty shallow after Machado and Bundy, who aren't likely to be moved anyway.

Arrieta, Matusz, Britton, and Tillman all have pretty good value from around the league from what i've heard. I guess we were in talks for Headley last year with Arrieta as the main piece but we like his potential to much (which I honestly don't understand. Not a fan personally).

Lot of buzz around Tillman for Hosmer, or at least those 2 as the main pieces. No one can take that too seriously yet.

[Young2Kinsler]

Latest rumor is Texas are now the ones looking at Hamilton heavily. Probably reactionary rumors to Napoki leaving. I cant see Texas going more than 3-4 years

[rkelly7]

If Hamilton goes to Baltimore, i predict him being like Sammy Sosa in his days in Baltimore.

but if he went to Boston, he would hit like Babe Ruth, right? lol

[rkelly7]

Every aspect of their season is 100 % unsustainable. They have a good core, hitting wise. But no team can be structured to win games the way the orioles won games last season. It just wont happen again

That is what everyone was saying about the O's last May. And June. Anmd how they'd implode in july. And Auguest. And then September.

I'm not saying the O's will win 93 games again, but they aren;t a 70 win team either. Yes, they played historically well in one run games, but the startuing 5 was patched together all season and many pitchers had flashes of greatness. The bullpen pitched very well, but they starters were inconsistent and we STILL won 93 games. I think the rotation will be better and the bullpen will be worse than last year. I still thnik they will definitely be a .500 team barring injuries.

Nobody in the aL East has an amazing team. There are 3.5 very competent teams in the division.

Yanks
O's
Rays
Blue Jays (they are the half, since they have more to prove than anyone)

Sorry Red Sox, I don't see you doing much unless Lester and Bucholz take 1-2in the Cy Young voting and you get Hamilton.

The division is up for grabs and any of those 3.5 teams could win 70 games or win 110 games. who knows?

[koreancabbage]

That is what everyone was saying about the O's last May. And June. Anmd how they'd implode in july. And Auguest. And then September.

I'm not saying the O's will win 93 games again, but they aren;t a 70 win team either. Yes, they played historically well in one run games, but the startuing 5 was patched together all season and many pitchers had flashes of greatness. The bullpen pitched very well, but they starters were inconsistent and we STILL won 93 games. I think the rotation will be better and the bullpen will be worse than last year. I still thnik they will definitely be a .500 team barring injuries.

Nobody in the aL East has an amazing team. There are 3.5 very competent teams in the division.

Yanks
O's
Rays
Blue Jays (they are the half, since they have more to prove than anyone)

Sorry Red Sox, I don't see you doing much unless Lester and Bucholz take 1-2in the Cy Young voting and you get Hamilton.

The division is up for grabs and any of those 3.5 teams could win 70 games or win 110 games. who knows?

book it Orioles won't produce the same results this following year. It's as fluky as our entire starting rotation and closer and our best hitter being out for most of the year. You realize we have a full complement of a starting rotation once again and a restocked bullpen and having our MVP-esque player in Bautista back in the lineup with a real lead off hitter and a real left fielder.

not sayin the Orioles won't do good but to put the Jays as "0.5" of a team when you're gloating about the Orioles is ridiculous. On paper, the Jays blow the Orioles out of the sky. Not saying that it matters much right now but almost everyone would take that Jays lineup over the Orioles anyday. Hence the odds of the Jays went up to 14/1 and the Orioles 28/1. Again i'm not saying this means much again but to keep saying the Jays are "0.5" of a team is rediculous.

[rkelly7]

book it Orioles won't produce the same results this following year. It's as fluky as our entire starting rotation and closer and our best hitter being out for most of the year. You realize we have a full complement of a starting rotation once again and a restocked bullpen and having our MVP-esque player in Bautista back in the lineup with a real lead off hitter and a real left fielder.

not sayin the Orioles won't do good but to put the Jays as "0.5" of a team when you're gloating about the Orioles is ridiculous. On paper, the Jays blow the Orioles out of the sky. Not saying that it matters much right now but almost everyone would take that Jays lineup over the Orioles anyday. Hence the odds of the Jays went up to 14/1 and the Orioles 28/1. Again i'm not saying this means much again but to keep saying the Jays are "0.5" of a team is rediculous.

And 4/5 of them probably will not reach teh 200 inning plateau. Outside of Buehrle, you have no stability there. Not saying the O's don't have question marks either. Every team in the AL East does, but your rotation is in no way, shape or form stable and healthy.

[rkelly7]

book it Orioles won't produce the same results this following year. It's as fluky as our entire starting rotation and closer and our best hitter being out for most of the year. You realize we have a full complement of a starting rotation once again and a restocked bullpen and having our MVP-esque player in Bautista back in the lineup with a real lead off hitter and a real left fielder.

not sayin the Orioles won't do good but to put the Jays as "0.5" of a team when you're gloating about the Orioles is ridiculous. On paper, the Jays blow the Orioles out of the sky. Not saying that it matters much right now but almost everyone would take that Jays lineup over the Orioles anyday. Hence the odds of the Jays went up to 14/1 and the Orioles 28/1. Again i'm not saying this means much again but to keep saying the Jays are "0.5" of a team is rediculous.

not saying they are half of a team. Saying they are half of a copntending team. They would need 32 starts and 200 innings out of buehrle, johnson, morrow, and romero for them to have ashot at the division IMO. I'm not in Vegas, but i wouldn;t puit the chances of that higher than 100-1