Orioles couldn’t have handled Machado any worse than they did. With him being a FA who’s all but flat out said he’s leaving likely for an AL East/NL West powerhouse. I don’t see anyone offering a top prospect for 30-40+ games of Machado. They certainly would have landed top prospects for a full season
Well, that organization was delusional. They somehow thought they were one or two pieces away from being elite. They should have started the rebuild last season when the Astros offered them a good deal, which their GM accepted. But the ownership wanted more than what was fair. I bet Baltmore is going to have trouble finding trade partners, after the stunt they pulled on the Astros.
Orioles truly in awful shape. They have 3, maybe 4 good prospects, 1 rental superstar, a hurt closer, 2 good bullpen pieces, and a gaggle of questionable assets. C: gotta bank on Cisco 1B: gotta hope overpaid Chris Davis has a miraculous turnaround 2B: trade Schoop while he still has control, only problem is he is sucking right now SS: gotta somehow flip Machado into 2 really good prospects 3B: waiting on Mountcastle OF: Jones is done, they’ll get nothing for him and he’s not a QO player; what a waste. Hays is a good prospect. Other than that they’ve got nobody. SP: They need to hope like hell Gausman and Bundy turn it around and flip them as soon as they do. Hunter Harvey is a decent prospect but nobody you count on as a ToR. Also gotta bank on Cobb rebounding. RP: They actually have a talented bullpen and their farm depth in the upper levels is good so this is the one area they’ll be fine. Gotta flip Brach before Britton gets back then hope Britton is good right away so he can bring in a good haul. Trade Machado, Bundy, Gausman, Schoop, Britton, Givens, Brach, and O’Day. If they can get 10 decent prospects for those 8 guys, they’ll have a pretty good farm, which is a start but still would put them 4 years away from being good.
A lot of butterfly effect here... but it that deal goes through, it could have changed lots. The Verlander move may not have happened as the Astros wouldn’t have been critiqued as hard for not making a deadline move. Then, Colin Moran was a key piece in the Cole Train deal — the Astros had other pieces, but who knows if they’re still a fit for the Pirates?
Unless Britton comes back and pitches really well the Orioles don't have many players I would want for the Astros. Machado isn't happening and Adam Jones is sporting a .247 average and a .674 OPS. Derek FIsher has a .711 OPS and costs about 17 million cheaper... Maybe, Bleier, their left handed bullpen guy? He has a .40 era with a .93 whip. He is a little light on the strikeouts though with 10 in 22 innings.
Officially one quarter of the way through the season. We'll need to address our offensive woes externally if they don't fix themselves before the trade deadline. We absolutely cannot waste this pitching staff. It's honestly absurd what the FO has put together on that side of the ball. The next few months will be interesting and telling. Does Gattis make adjustments? Jake has been basura all season, and unlike Marwin, Jake isn't showing signs of improvement. It's too soon to jump ship on any of our players, but if we do need to make changes, I'd prefer internal promotions before we outsourcing via trade. Davis and White should get some ABs, especially if Springer needs a hot minute from last night. They've been raking in the minors.
Not an Astros trade...but you have to think that NYY will add a TOR arm soon. They’ll overpay but they’ll get their ace. Gray isn’t cutting it. I could see Bumgarder moved, or NYM dealing one of their aces if NYY offers a deal too good to be true. Pitching will be at a premium, but it’ll be interesting to see how our competition shapes up their rosters in anticipation of the playoffs. They’ve gotta be kicking themselves for not buying on Cole.
Gray and Tanaka have struggled, both with 6.4 and 4.6 ERAs. We’ll see if either turns it around. Montgomery is shelved on the DL. Sabathia has pitched well, but will be 38 by mid season. Severino is really their only bonafide ace. We all know NYY has a great lineup and fantastic bullpen. They have a good rotation. But that’s clearly the area that needs to be addressed for them, if any. I just don’t see NYY sitting pat and rolling into the playoffs with some mixture of Tanaka/Gray/Sabathia slotted #2 and #3. Not in that market and not with that lineup, unless those pitchers just kill it the rest of the season. I think they go after a 1a type arm, a la Bumgardner or even Archer, though Chris has also struggled this year. NYY has the pieces and the money to make a big splash...but most importantly they now have a roster to justify it. Cashman has done a great job, but NY is a brutal market. He knows fans will call for his head if their rotation earns them an early playoff exit.
I don't disagree, but we do differ on the word "soon". When was the last "ace" pitcher traded before July 1? You may be right, I may be crazy.
Rangers open for business already. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/05/rangers-trade-rumors-cole-hamels-adrian-beltre.html
No.... Wouldn’t discuss much more than a low level prospect until he proves he is recovered from his hamstring injury.
Right, assuming he comes back and looks right over 20 games or so, I’d be ok with giving up Davis/Paulino.
If Beltre comes back and looks good for a few games, I will gladly give Paulino and another piece for him. Beltre is a massive upgrade over what we have. I can even let Bregman play some corner outfield. Beltre stretches the line up. Springer Altuve Correa Beltre Bregman Gurriel Reddick McCann Gattis
Seems like these are the likely sellers at this point: Rangers, Royals, Orioles, White Sox, Marlins, Reds, Padres Needs: LF, DH, Reliever Only a few players on those team that might move the needle and shouldn't break the bank: LF: Nomar Mazara DH: Adrian Beltre, Jose Abreu Relief: Kelvin Herrera Others that would be much more expensive either in prospects or salary: Raisiel Iglesias, Brad Hand, Justin Bour, Jorge Soler, Joey Votto
