Around the Majors - 2022 Version
- Thread starter thethe
- Start date
I still can't fathom why AA thought bringing 2 of those guys back was the solution for the OF, almost like he forgot he acquired them for NOTHING a few months ago. Teams literally gave them away for free.
I can at least understand keeping Duvall around as a CF-capable 4th OFer at the very worst, but giving Rosario 2 years was nothing short of stupid.
AA has been mostly great, but some of his moves are real head scratchers...Will Smith being the fist 3 year FA deal he hands out after refusing to give multi years to Brantley, and giving Rosario 2 years certainly top that list.
Always hate "picking nits", but IIRC you also said the Astros were crazy for giving Brantley the extra year - at that time.
DirkPiggler
Well-known member
I thought we determined (after the fact of course) that Brantley didn't have any interest in signing here unless we beat the Astros offer by a significant amount. Maybe I'm misremembering.
NYCBrave
Well-known member
Brantley did not want to come here. I'm pretty sure he said as much.
Duvall, it almost feels like we were backed into a corner because he plays CF and there was no other option to replace him.
The Rosario signing definitely a head scratcher with the second year. Not that the alternatives on the free agent market in our price range ended up being much better.
Not letting AA off the hook but just have no idea what he was supposed to do. He definitely gambled on spending on bullpen and not OF and it's flopped so far.
Southcack77
Well-known member
I don't think he gambled as that suggests it was the plan. I think that's just the way it worked out.
Bullpen spending was the pivot after other plans didn't work.
Hudson2
Well-known member
I agree. There wasn’t much out there in terms of OF that was an impact bat so AA strengthened the team the only way he could and that was the bullpen. We all know we need another OF bat so I’ll be curios to see what he does at the deadline with a thin farm system.
CrimsonCowboy
Moderator
Orioles have called up Adley Rutschman. He makes his ML debut today
A big part of that "plan" is going to be Harris - whether it works out or not. There simply aren't many OF bats to be had at the deadline - last season's magical acquisitions notwithstanding - and Alex isn't likely going to be in a position to get one that will make a significant impact this time around. Sure, there's always a chance for those that want to toss around the "yeah but look at what he was able to do last season". The problem there is that completely discounts just how incredibly lucky and unlikely getting guys like that who hadn't performed all season and then suddenly all got hot for an extended stretch truly was.
I'm a Braves fan, so I'm always going to say "you never say never" - seeing things as glass half-full is a requirement for true Braves fans (see the 70s and 80s). Our numerically-inclined friends are absolutely right when they say that's probably never going to happen again though - the numbers bear that out. That's not someone trying to be a jerk or bust someone's bubble...that's simply stating the facts.
It’s not about what I thought was a good move or a bad move, though I don’t remember my reaction to the Brantley deal.
The point is AA set a policy about not handing out deals longer than 1 year, and stuck to it…until he gave Will Smith 3 years. Then he gave Ozuna 4 years. He broke the policy for precisely the types of players the policy was in place to protect the team from signing to bad deals.
Russ2dollas
10 yr, $185 million Extension
I still recall AA in a preseason pressor bringing up Harris on his own and saying something to the effect of we will see if he shows us he is ready.
I wonder if AA just assumed we'd be good enough to make the playoffs and expected Harris to come up and make the OF much better for the stretch run. It seems like a lot to risk on a guy w/ no at bats above high A ball, so I hope not.
I will never get the Will Smith deal, BUT last year's post season made it worth it. I assume we won't extend to the fourth year. Ozuna's contract I remember most people being pretty positive on. Yes it was a multi year deal, but it didn't take him after 35.
Looked like this year AA looked to make the team better. FF forced him to make a big trade for Olson. I am sure he'd rather of used that capital on an OF. But nobody moved that would have been a big upgrade that I recall. Looked like he didn't see an impact bat or SP in free agency and I agree after the very early signings. So he pivoted and spent a lot in the Pen. I think he spent wisely there.
I hate the expanded playoffs. But I hope we can find a way to sneak in b/c we are a good team and I expect us to be much better at the end of the year.
I wonder if AA just assumed we'd be good enough to make the playoffs and expected Harris to come up and make the OF much better for the stretch run. It seems like a lot to risk on a guy w/ no at bats above high A ball, so I hope not.
I will never get the Will Smith deal, BUT last year's post season made it worth it. I assume we won't extend to the fourth year. Ozuna's contract I remember most people being pretty positive on. Yes it was a multi year deal, but it didn't take him after 35.
Looked like this year AA looked to make the team better. FF forced him to make a big trade for Olson. I am sure he'd rather of used that capital on an OF. But nobody moved that would have been a big upgrade that I recall. Looked like he didn't see an impact bat or SP in free agency and I agree after the very early signings. So he pivoted and spent a lot in the Pen. I think he spent wisely there.
I hate the expanded playoffs. But I hope we can find a way to sneak in b/c we are a good team and I expect us to be much better at the end of the year.
He could have gotten a filler OF that didn’t require 2 years. Like, oh, Pham and his $7M 1 year deal, like I advocated for as the options dwindled.
But noooo, the OF had to be a LHH despite being a worse hitter overall.
The hope now is Harris can provide a boost, and AA can pick up another OF for free…perhaps Pham.
NYCBrave
Well-known member
I'll be honest, I don't believe Pham was/is ever an option. I know the Braves seem pretty big on clubhouse unity, and he seems to have some character flaws that would go against that. Just look up his previous incidents. Here's a quote he literally made earlier this year:
“If Luke wants to settle it, I get down really well. Anything. Muay Thai, whatever. Like I said, I’ve got an owner here who will let me use his facility. So f*** ’em. I’m out.”
Strictly supposition on my part, but at the end of the day that probably comes down to just how much you trust your own organizational evaluation and how much faith you have in your player development folks if you choose to speed up a player's clock. While he had much more development time at higher levels, it's probably at least fair to make the argument that the decision not to pursue another SP this winter was because they were confident that Wright was actually going to take this step - and not just because there weren't very good options out there. We haven't heard a detailed explanation or conversation about that situation (at least I haven't), but we saw enough mentions of Wright as "our secret weapon" to know that they felt much better about him than any of us (myself definitely included) did.
We'll probably never know for sure what led to the decisions Alex made this past winter - probably as much because he's never been the type to take much credit or blow his own horn, but also because he finally had enough time to feel comfortable in his own evaluation of the prospects he inherited enough to start trading the ones he didn't have complete faith in. He said for the longest time that he didn't feel comfortable trading ANY of the higher-ceiling guys until he had a better feel for them - he's probably there now.
Last edited:
CrimsonCowboy
Moderator
A dream realized
[TW]1528152002525396993[/TW]
[TW]1528152002525396993[/TW]
CrimsonCowboy
Moderator
Saw that. Awesome. Orioles fans haven’t had much to cheer about in recent years. This is something for them to get excited about
Southcack77
Well-known member
I don't think he had a policy of not giving out more than one year deals.
Complex league.
They won't assign kids that young to full season ball unless they're UNBELIEVABLY special - and not likely even then until they've had some success in the complex league.