MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I've got them in the top third yet. They do have a fairly solid 1-5 rotation. I do have some serious reservations about their future however. If only I knew what their plan was.... they aren't dropping salary to make room for a free agent class.. they aren't improving the team by leaps at any position either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I heard a rumor that Palmeiro will be signing back with the Orioles, possibly as soon as tomorrow. The interesting thing is that Vlad and Palmeiro have the same agent.. Why? He's a stopgap, and a reliable one at that. The Orioles have certainly improved their offense, but they're playing Melvin Mora at a run-production position, and that's a problem. Palmeiro's a lock for 35-40 homers and 110+ RBI, especially if the offensive talent around him is good. Getting him for a good price, especially if the O's can get him for one year plus an option, would be a good signing, IMO. But yes, the pitching still concerns me. Potential's nice, but what are they going to do THIS year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob E Dangerously 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I guess the Orioles aren't going back to Cuba Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 I just felt the O's needed a third baseman and pitching more than a first baseman. I like Palmerio but I don't understand it at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Mora is playing 3B as far as I know so they arent worried about that right now. I've heard the Os were interested in trying to get Eric Chavez next year but I doubt that will happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Cardinals sign Julian Tavarez to a two year contract. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Two new players have hit the market. Maels Rodriguez, age 24. A pitcher with electric stuff, but is an injury risk. Also 2B Yobal Dueñas, aged 31, a former stolen base champion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 (edited) Mo Vaughn officially announced that he has effectively "retired" from baseball, although hes going on the DL a la Albert Belle so the Mets can collect insurance on the contract. Oh yeah, the Orioles/Red Sox Opener has been moved up the first game of the year on ESPN (Sunday April 4, 8:05). I dont even remember if the Os were on ESPN at all last year so this is good news. Edited January 8, 2004 by MarvinisaLunatic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest OctoberBlood Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Cardinals sign Julian Tavarez to a two year contract. Overpaid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NYU 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Mo Vaughn officially announced that he has effectively "retired" from baseball, although hes going on the DL a la Albert Belle so the Mets can collect insurance on the contract. Why, I'm shocked. I thought for sure Mo would make a stirring comeback, like he vowed he would. End sarcasm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted January 8, 2004 Mo Vaughn officially announced that he has effectively "retired" from baseball, although hes going on the DL a la Albert Belle so the Mets can collect insurance on the contract. Oh yeah, the Orioles/Red Sox Opener has been moved up the first game of the year on ESPN (Sunday April 4, 8:05). I dont even remember if the Os were on ESPN at all last year so this is good news. Jason Giambi will be doing the same thing in 2 years. His knees will be worse than Mo's. ESPN News said Mo was out for 04 and doubtful for 05...didn't say he retired but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. The Boston & Baltimore feud continues between me and Marvin. We grabbed your first round draft pick in the up-coming NFL draft and are headed to the SuperBowl...now we're looking to start the 04 season on the right track by sending down the O's!. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big McLargeHuge 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Looks like Rich Aurillia is officially a Mariner, according to ESPN. Not gonna miss his lacking defense, but he was a Giant all the way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Looks like Rich Aurillia is officially a Mariner, according to ESPN. Not gonna miss his lacking defense, but he was a Giant all the way. and Carlos Guillen is now a Detroit Tiger. Defensively they should be strong up the middle now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Detroit actually looks decent now. It's extremely doubtful they'll contend, but they certainly won't lose 119 games again. Another puzzling move from Seattle. Rich Aurilia is not all that much better than Carlos Guillen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest drdrainoscott Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Mora is playing 3B as far as I know so they arent worried about that right now. I've heard the Os were interested in trying to get Eric Chavez next year but I doubt that will happen. They are apparently high on Larry Bigbie, and think he can be a star someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I thought Gillick was advising??!?!?!?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I thought Gillick was advising??!?!?!?! I heard he had retired after he resigned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Let's see trade Guillen who is four years younger who had a better OPS last year and is a much better fielder than Aurillia. Bill Bavisi is a GENIUS! Oh well at least Aurillia has more years left in him than Omar Vizquel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 We could also sign Raul Ibanez! Who else could we get at that price? Certainly not Juan Gonzalez! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Here's how Baseball Primer's transaction oracle sums up the Mariners move: Why would you want a league-average shortstop for $2.5 million when you can get an older league-average shortstop for a million more? When you're not Bill Bavasi, his father's son. Of course, you have to give kudos to Bavasi for his offseason - it must take a lot of dedication to put that much effort into something that combines inefficient spending with utter pointlessness so deliciously. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/154...926_rich01.html Seattle is reportably close to signing Rich Aurilia. Aurilia is 32, and has a .331 career OBP. Guillen is 28, and has a .335 career OBP. This is improvement? And if that's not enough, just check out this post from last week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Edit: Nevermind Continues to shake fist....IN INSANE AMOUNTS OF ANGER~! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FrigidSoul Report post Posted January 9, 2004 We could also sign Raul Ibanez! Who else could we get at that price? Certainly not Juan Gonzalez! Raul Ibanez is younger and can actually play a full season though unlike Juan-Gone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 He's only two years younger. The Mariners grossly overpaid for Ibanez. He hit 294/345/454 last season, while playing in the best hitting environment in the American League. Now he's moving to one of the worst. Meanwhile, good hitters are getting signed for half the money the Mariners gave Ibanez. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I think Ibanez is a good player but what I wondered about them going after him was why didn't they make hardly any effort to keep Mike Cameron? Now when you at just their straight up numbers Ibanez had the better year but when you look at OPS+, which takes in park factors, Cameron had a 106 and Ibanez only a 99. Then of course when you throw defense Cameron is arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game while Ibanez is just an average corner outfielder. On top of that Cameron is a year younger. The only reason to not have kept Cameron over going after Ibanez would be if Cameron told them he wouldn't re-sign but I don't know if that was the case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mik 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 ESPN is reporting that the Orioles are reportedly interested in Pudge again after he TURNED DOWN a 3 year- 28 million contract. Is he INSANE? I hope no one signs him. I love him for what he did this past year, but my lord. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Mora is playing 3B as far as I know so they arent worried about that right now. I've heard the Os were interested in trying to get Eric Chavez next year but I doubt that will happen. They are apparently high on Larry Bigbie, and think he can be a star someday. Uh... Bigbie is an outfielder. While I think he has the potential to be a good player, I doubt very much that it will be at 3rd base. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 (edited) ESPN is reporting that the Orioles are reportedly interested in Pudge again after he TURNED DOWN a 3 year- 28 million contract. Is he INSANE? I hope no one signs him. I love him for what he did this past year, but my lord. The basic deal is that the Os have pretty much made thier final offer to Vlad for 5 years/$65 million. Vlad happens to want a 7 year/$105 million contract which the Os are not willing to do because of his back. Since the O's are the only team that could offer a long term deal and he turns them down, he's probably gonna get a 2-3 year deal. In fact, thats what the Mets have reportedly offered (3 years/$30 million). A lot of people believe that Vlad doesn't want to play in baltimore period, and will try to take the best offer on the table from some other team. So the Os would still have money to spend, and they feel that Irod is the next best available player. They figure that they can take the difference in money from the Vlad offer and the Irod offer and sign an OF next year (Magglio Ordonez or Carlos Beltran). This year Gibbons stays in RF, they might sign Palmerio to play 1rst (or Lopez said he might play 1B although I dont know much about that). They'll end up with 2 catchers who can switch duties with one DH'ing. The thought is that Lopez and Irod won't wear down as fast if they split time behind the plate and so they'll put up good numbers at the plate. I would consider that the Os offense would be majorly upgraged although I dont know how Irod and Lopez would feel about splitting time (Lopez always got skipped when Maddox pitched so it shouldn't bother him too much..) Personally, while I think it sucks that the Os probably won't get Vlad, if he doesn't want to play in Baltimore then so be it. I wouldn't have a problem with them signing Irod but I know a lot of Os fans are going to be pissed if they don't sign Vlad. Edited January 9, 2004 by MarvinisaLunatic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NYU 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Mets May Swipe Slugger From Orioles Grasp ESPN.com news services The Mets reportedly have made an offer to Vladimir Guerrero, and now may have more than just a puncher's chance to snag the coveted free agent. The Mets offered Guerrero a three-year deal, according to several published reports. The deal is worth $30 million, and could be worth up to $40 million if Guerrero meets all the incentive clauses, according to Newsday. The Orioles have a standing offer of five years and $65 million, which is below what Guerrero expected to get on the open market. Since Baltimore has not upped its offer recently, the door may be more than slightly ajar for the Mets, even though they cannot match the Orioles in terms of money or years. According to The New York Times, Mets officials are "not very hopeful, but who knows?" Mets general manager Jim Duquette refused comment on Guerrero's status during a conference call on Thursday. The Mets did not intend to go after any "big ticket" free agents this winter, but their success in adding Kazuo Matsui and Mike Cameron may have changed their thinking on Guerrero. A source familiar with Guerrero told Newsday on Thursday that he has grown reluctant to sign with Baltimore. The Mets believe the lure of playing in New York -- and staying in the National League -- would appeal to Guerrero, but they are not willing to move beyond a three-year offer after getting burned by the Mo Vaughn trade before the 2002 season. Vaughn's career is currently in jeopardy, after announcing Thursday that he will miss the entire 2004 season due to severe knee problems. Both the Mets and Orioles have expressed some concern about the back problems Guerrero suffered last season. Guerrero missed close to two months last season because of a herniated disk but was terrific after returning, finishing the season with a .330 average, 25 home runs and 79 RBI for the Expos. ----------------------------------------------- Eh, as huge a Mets fan as I am, I doubt Guerrero will be signing with them. The offer's GOOD - but I don't think it's really what he's looking for. My prediction is he'll still sign with Baltimore. But if he WERE to sign with the Mets.....shit, this could actually be a pretty decent season afterall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I don't think it makes much sense. Not that it wouldn't work with two catchers, but it doesn't make sense to lock up two players long term at a single position. Besides, I think Vlad will end up with the Orioles. He's holding out for a better offer, but nothing's coming down the pike. No one's offering as much as the O's, or for as many years. I think he'll sign. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
