Ranma wrote:
Hitting into shifts?
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Quake Griffin wrote:[Hitting into shifts?
Quake Griffin wrote:I'm not sure the Cubs farm is good enough to sustain two big deals like that.
Suggests to me:
- They'll try to be big players next Int'l Deadline if possible.
- Arrieta is getting shown the and they'll be compensated via his qualifying offer.
I honestly like Quintana more for us than the Cubs. They got him because their SP isn't good anymore. I'm not sure he's the splash you need to remedy that.
We have injury history and question marks from Kershaw on down. He's that durable 200 IP arm on a cheap deal we can use.
I view him as a 2. 2nd tier.
Not a co-ace ala Greinke when he was here.
Other teams say Baltimore has indicated it is prepared to sell off what has been the best part of its team -- its relievers, from Brad Brach to Darren O'Day to All-Star closer Zach Britton. So the logical question that should follow is: If the Orioles are ready to start the badly needed rebuilding process, why wouldn’t they be taking offers now for Machado and other veterans who are nearing free agency?
Machado is eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, and you can’t find anyone in the industry who believes the Orioles will preemptively sign him before he hits the open market. So it would make sense for Baltimore to at least take offers for him over the next 13 days. As has been reported here before, it’s not a great time to be marketing position players, but Machado is a regarded as such a transcendent talent -- even in an off year for him -- that the Orioles are bound to get good offers at a time he could help a contender in 2017 and 2018. And the team’s front office is well aware that any potential return for him will plummet after July 31.
The Orioles didn’t engage the Nationals before Washington made its bullpen deal for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. Baltimore should move beyond this bad business practice whenever they get around to marketing Machado. For example: The team with the biggest need at third base right now is Boston, and if the O’s put Machado on the table, the Orioles could ask for the best prospect in the Red Sox system, slugger Rafael Devers, as the anchor to any deal.
The worst thing that could happen for the Orioles organization would be for Machado to reach free agency without any trade return, and right now, it appears that is the direction in which the O’s are drifting.