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Los Angeles Dodgers State Of The Union For 2016
The Dodgers need to start spending money like right now, otherwise they stand to jeopardize themselves winning a 4th straight NL West title in 2016. Both the Giants and D’Backs have signed ace pitchers this year, and added another good Starting Pitcher besides the point. The club does have several young pieces and Depth at Roster to pull off a blockbuster trade forth coming – or they still have enough resources to acquire players for their 2016 run. The clock is officially ticking gentlemen.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Dodgers are having the same kind of offseason the Baltimore Orioles had in 2014 – going into 2015.
If everyone remembers that year, they rejected a couple year contract with Grant Balfour, when he failed a physical, and they did the same thing with Grady Sizemore.
That club also traded back to back 50 Saves guy Jim Johnson. By the way, the 2014 O’s won the AL East with a 97 – 65 record.
Key cogs in the wheel were new Closer Zach Britton, and Super Utility man Steve Pearce. A lot of parallels can be made between that squad and the Dodgers.
Late last week, the Dodgers pulled out of a three year deal wish Hisashi Iwakuma because they had concerns with a physical.
For the whole winter they have watched the Giants sign Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, while the Diamondbacks stole Zack Greinke way from them, while trading a kings ransom for Shelby Miller. Read the rest of this entry
Baltimore Orioles State Of The Union For 2016
The Baltimore Orioles needed a 5 game winning streak at the year’s end just to crack .500 last season. Now they might lose the reigning AL HR king and Wei Yin Chen from last years squad. Dan Duquette needs to be diligent with his roster over this winter otherwise the club could start a free fall back down the AL East Standings circa 1998 – 2011.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Baltimore Orioles are in serious jeopardy of falling back into a tailspin in the AL East if they don’t turn around their winter.
Last year you could at least fathom that they had 3 players coming back from injury in Manny Machado, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis that they could rebound and repeat as AL East champs
Buck Showalter saw his team scramble for a .500 record – yet the season was a massive disappointment from the previous 3 years.
Now the club might lose Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen and Gerardo Parra to Free Agency. The management stopped the bleeding a little with the recent re-signing of Darren O’Day. Read the rest of this entry
The Oakland A’s State Of The Union For 2016: Beane Counting Or Picking?
Billy Beane saw his A’s have their worst record in 18 years in 2015 – and worst in his GM tenure. It was a rebuilding effort that included him trading away the AL MVP caliber player in Josh Donaldson for a list of 4 players. It will take a couple of seasons to see how bad this may have been. After that deal, it was business as usual, with the man acquiring 4 decent Starting Pitching prospects for players on the last year of their contract. The team doesn’t have any real money committed, and there is a ton of flexibility. Whether they spend it is another matter.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
It used to be that Billy Beane would wait until a player was about to hit Free Agency until he would trade that player for the next round of guys. Now he doesn’t even like his ALL – Stars to hit higher levels of Arbitration.
After last years all in effort to make a run at the postseason, Beane started the dismantle process of his squad. Perhaps the most controversial move was to flip Josh Donaldson for a package of four players.
A lot of people are still upset about that deal considering Donaldson is going to be a perennial MVP candidate, however he was that already for the A’s, and it failed to result in a placement beyond the 1st round. Read the rest of this entry
Baltimore Orioles Payroll In 2015 + Contracts Going Forward
One could say that even in the most abysmal of circumstances last year, Davis still almost hit hat total last season, clubbing 26 Bolts in 127 Games Played. Look for him to crush between 35 – 42 HRs this season. The big 1B is among several key figures that are in contract years after the season concludes, including more than half of the Bullpen’s becoming Free Agents following this campaign as well.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Orioles have had a quiet off season, but where that not amount too much in terms of adding talent to their 2014 Roster, a lot of it has to do with some of their players maturing in salary via Arbitration.
I am sure there is a degree of urgency for the O’s brass, since they have a plethora of pending Free Agents after this year.
The franchise is slated to dole out about $120 MIL in team money this campaign. While that places them in the top half of the MLB, they only register 4th in the AL East.
With Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Wie-Yin Chen all hitting the open market after this season, maybe the club should take a run at acquiring some guys for their World Series plight half way through this year.
If those aforementioned O’s aren’t enough, Chris Tillman, Darren O’Day, Bud Norris. Tommy Hunter, Alejandro De Aza, Ryan Webb and Steve Peace are also free to sign with all 30 clubs beyond 2015.
Past this campaign the team still has solid building blocks instilled with having Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Zach Britton and Jonathan Schoop under Team Control for years to come, but still the time to strike is right now.
For a Year to Year Breakdown For all of the O’s players salaries please visit here.
The Top 5 Holds Leaders In The MLB For 2015
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Holds is a category that is starting to garner more respect each and every campaign in the MLB. Having said that, it doesn’t always mean the pitcher is throwing well if he owns a lot of them for the year. It is just one stat that should be accompanied by others.
When searching to figure out who will have the most of these in a season, it is important to see the amount of games the guy will enter.
For the last several years, Tyler Clippard has dominated in the National League With his trade to the American League, it opens up the leaderboard for this campaign.
It has been said, that the former Nationals Reliever will see some mop-up duty as a closer for the A’s to start the year. Had Sean Doolittle been healthy from the start of the year, I would have placed a massive wager that Clippard would lead the MLB in Holds one more time.
Instead, I will go with his teammate Eric O’Flaherty to make the top 5 on the list. I also don’t think it would be a foreign idea to see Ryan Cook push the top Bullpen Holds Leaders by years end. Read the rest of this entry
Baltimore Orioles State Of The Union For 2015
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Even with some key players being out of the lineup for long periods of time (due to injuries/suspensions), the Baltimore Orioles still found a way to win 96 games during the 2014 regular season, and advanced to the ALCS after sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS.
Unfortunately, the Orioles’ World Series hopes were crushed by the Kansas City Royals in the Final Four, as the O’s struggled mightily against this year’s “Cinderella story.”
It turned out to be an ugly end for a great season, but the Orioles now need to look forward to the off-season.
With some key players heading towards free agency and arbitration, the Orioles need to make some moves in order to put themselves in contention to compete once again come 2015.
How All Of The O’s Pitchers Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree Explains That The Staff Was Created By Deft Transactions!
Chris Tillman continues to assert himself as one of the emerging great arms in the American League. The 26 Year Old RHP is 26 – 12 in his last 38 game decisions with a mid 3 ERA. Not bad when you consider he and Adam Jones were brought to Maryland for former Draft Pick Erik Bedard, (who is barely hanging on to professional baseball – and was hurt or average in his Seattle days). That deal and the Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis/for Koli Uehara deals kickstarted the renaissance of this historic club. The O’s made the postseason for the 1st time in 15 years during he 2012 campaign, and now possess a massive lead in the AL East with 35 games to go. The O’s management and brass can take stock in a job well done in building this current group of ballplayers.
How All Of The Orioles Pitchers Were Acquired:
By Chuck Booth Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner) & Nick Delahanty (MLB Reports Featured Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @nick_delahanty
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Orioles made a swift and blunt move last off season, when they traded their 2012 and 2013 Closer Jim Johnson for Jemile Weeks.
The club took some flak in virtually discarding a 101 save man over the last few years to save some money. Johnson was awarded $10 MIL for the year, and has flamed out in Oakland and Detroit since. Those dollars are about what the team receives collectively as a unit.
The team was also lambasted for the signing/not signing of Grant Balfour, because a sketchy physical. Again, they have looked good in the transaction.
The O’s have done a great job building their Bullpen and Rotation.
Chris Tillman was part of the now extremely lopsided deal, which saw Adam Jones for Erik Bedard several years back.
That coupled with some waiver claims (T.J. McFarland as a Rule 5 Draft Picks) and former team draft picks – converting in to late inning arms (Brian Matusz and Closer Zach Britton), and you have seen a brilliant molding of a Relief Core.
Darren O’Day was claimed off of waivers from Texas, in the same campaign the club also fleeced the Rangers, with the Chris Davis/Tommy Hunter deal for Koji Uehara.
Ryan Webb was actually optioned to the Minors, despite decent numbers, while clearing a path for Andrew Miller, as part of a deal from Boston. Miller is one of the better LHP out of the pen in the last year.
The team has supplanted the rotation, with a few key Free Agents over the years, starting with Wei-Yin Chen, and Miguel Gonzalez.
Kevin Gausman represents the only starter right now that was drafted by the team originally.
Bud Norris was brought into Baltimore for a couple of former draft picks and a 2014 RD A compensation pick.
The other significant 2013 deal for the staff – was dealing a Minor Leaguer for Brad Brach.
The Ubaldo Situation
Looking at the numbers, Buck Showalter has the right idea in taking Jimenez out of the rotation.Regardless of the contract figures, Jimenez has failed to be that ace that the Orioles expected to get when he signed his 4 YR $50 MM dollar contract in the winter.
It’s time to let Jimenez take some time to figure things out, as hopefully skipping a start or two will give him time to work on his mechanics to help get him back on track.
This is also familiar territory for the Orioles, as Showalter and crew have had some good success sending guys to the bullpen.
Remember, Zach Britton and Tommy Hunter, two of the best arms in the Orioles’ bullpen this season, were starters that struggled, but once they were shifted to the bullpen they seemed to have figured it out and have been very reliable throughout the season.
Maybe Jimenez can find a role in the pen that could help the team clinch a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry
How All Of The Orioles Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree
Adam Jones was brought over in a trade with Chris Tillman, George Sherrill from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Erik Bedard in the 2007 offeseson. Jones is a 3 time Gold Glove Winner, and has 2 straight season of 30+ HRs, and might well be in the top 5 AL MVP consideration this year by the time it is all said and done. This trade started the pendulum swinging back in the other direction – after a horrible 10 year stretch for the O’s. Baltimore broke a 15 year playoff drought n 2012 with a Post Season Berth. This 4 time ALL – Star is on pace for career highs in HRs and RBI for 2014. Jones, now 28, signed a 7 YRs/$91.7 MIL deal prior to the 2012 season, which means he is with Baltimore until the end of 2018
How All Of The Orioles Hitters Were Acquired:
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The fortunes of the Orioles have all come based on the heels of 2 nice trades and a 3rd one also tilting the scales in their favor.
1 of the deals was the Erik Bedard for Adam Jones and Chris Tillman, the other great trade was acquiring Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter for Koji Uehara.
These deals gave the club a bonafide Starting Pitcher, a Gold Glove and 30 HRs a year hitting Adam Jones, a 50+ HR guy in 2013 with Chris Davis, and a flamethrowing arm out of the Bullpen with Hunter.
Bedard was lackluster in Seattle briefly, and Koji Uehara wasn’t good in Texas, like he was in Baltimore or now Boston.
You can also trace J.J. Hardy (yet another Gold Glover) back to the assets received from Aubrey Huff. Read the rest of this entry
Should The Orioles Make A Blockbuster Deal Before the Deadline?
The Orioles are kicking around the top of the AL East, and may have three players that crack 30+ HRs by years end with Cruz, Jones and Davis. The team hasn’t even had normal contributions from Hardy and Machado – while Matt Wieters is out for the year. The time to strike is now with just being behind the AL East by 2 Games, and in barely trailing for the 2nd Wild Card Spot.
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As July rapidly approaches, the Orioles find themselves in the middle of the competitive AL East division trying to make a run at a division title in 2014.
Although the team finds themselves currently in second place in the division, the O’s have seen inconsistency throughout the first half of the season.
There are definitely places where the team can improve before the July 31st trade deadline, but the question remains of whether or not Dan Duquette and the Orioles front office want to part ways with some of the club’s promising young talent for a possible rental player.
Baltimore Orioles Early Season Grades
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As the first full month of the season reaches its final week, the Orioles need to get away from the .500 baseball they have been playing in order to make a push towards the 2014 postseason.
Of course, the season is still very young, as there are about 140 games left to play.
The O’s got an early taste of the competitive AL East Division, as six of their first seven series were against division rivals, including two series verse the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.
As we are about 1/8th through the season, I decided to grade the Orioles up to this point of the season, looking for ways for them to improve. Read the rest of this entry
Baltimore Orioles Organizational Depth Charts (All Affiliates) – Spring 2014 (Majors and Minors)
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth Chart + Payroll Expert – find his website here) Follow @prosportsroster
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Management
| CEO- | Peter G. Angelos |
| GM- | Dan Duquette |
| MGR- | Buck Showalter |
| PCO- | Dave Wallace |
| HCO- | Jim Presley |
| 1BCO- | Wayne Kirby |
| 3BCO- | Bobby Dickerson |
| BHCO- | John Russell |
| BPCO- | Dom Chiti |
Baltimore Orioles Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going Forward Part 1
The Orioles are dreaming if they think they can remain dormant in Free Agent Signing’s – and going into 2014 with the same club they resembled at the end of the 2013 year. Small transactions are just not going to cut it. Spending a projected $80 MIL – without superior pitching is not a good game plan to contend the AL East.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org. Depth Chart/Payroll Expert) Follow @prosportsroster
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Baltimore Orioles have not had a banner offseason, and their reluctance to up the ante in payroll might become the biggest reason why the team goes backwards in progression for 2014.
The franchise has Chris Davis in his 2nd year of Arbitration – and will enter the 8 figure salary ranger for the 2014 campaign. MLB Trade Rumors has listed him as possibly making $10 MIL based on their grid.
The organization is also likely to spend (on Arbitration or come to terms) $20 MIL on the players Matt Wieters, Bud Norris, Tommy Hunter, Nolan Reimold, Brian Matusz, Troy Patton and Steve Pearce.
Matt Wieters Highlights 2013
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 4, 2014
Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast looks at the Orioles.
What should they do? Why is signing Quinton Berry a good sign? And why they should be the lab for my bullpen experiment.
They’ve already listened to me about the smiling bird hat.
To subscribe to The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast on iTunes, click HERE.
To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.
The O’s Have Continuously Dropped The Ball This Winter – The Latest Is The Grant Balfour Fiasco:
Grant Balfour has been throwing verbal jabs to the Orioles on XM Radio concerning the club bowing out of his 2 YRs/$15 MIL deal – and justifiably so. The Orioles are losing credibility around the league for this bow out maneuver. So, good luck on signing a Free Agent Pitcher in the future. The O’s are also reeling on the Free Agency Market, having not signed anyone of real value, while Brian Roberts, Scott Feldman and Nate McLouth have left the city. 2013 saw the club win 85 games, and that was part of a superhuman effort from Chris Davis. The team is completely missing the ball in their chance to rundown a World Series Title by playing conservatively with their money.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twiter Follow @mlbreports
‘Stoking The Fire’ – Week 10
The Orioles have continued to stumble along in the offseason – meanwhile pissing off their fanbase. The latest Grant Balfour fiasco is going to set the franchise back.
it is not just the future Free Agent players that will think twice about setting foot in Maryland for the sake of landing a deal, but this kind of move could definitely deflate attendance next campaign.
Up until the Buck Showalter era, this kind of move was vindictive of the 1999 – 2009 regime of the Baltimore brass.
Grant Balfour Deal with the O’s Negated.
The Orioles Trade Jim Johnson To The A’s For Jemile Weeks
Jemile Weeks had a great 2011 campaign – hitting for a 3 Slash Line of .304/.340/.761 – with 22 SB and 50 Runs Scored in just 406 AB. He struggled in 2012, regressing to a Slash of .220/.305/.609 in 444 AB – before being subsequently replaced and then enduring a 2013 year mostly in the Minors.. With the Orioles potentially non-tendering Johnson anyway, this kind of flier just may end up working out for Baltimore in the long run if Weeks can make the squad and produce.
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports O’s Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter: Follow @Mlbreports
What the Jim Johnson Trade means for the Orioles
The Orioles completed a trade late Monday night which sends closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics for Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later.
Johnson has been one of the best closers in all of baseball, as his 101 saves over the past two seasons is the most in all of baseball.
He has been projected to make close $10 – 11 million through arbitration in 2014 – before becoming a Free Agent in 2015, so the Orioles felt it was time to part ways with the veteran right-hander.
It definitely will be a transition for Johnson, who has been with the organization since 2001. Johnson will look to fill the closer role in Oakland, as he will replace Grant Balfour, who is a free agent.
Baltimore Orioles Organization: Payroll, Depth Charts + Rosters, (MLB + MiLB)
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday, June.26/2013
The Orioles defied the odds with a 29 – 9 One run games record and a record streak of Extra Innings Wins that reached the teens last year. In a vaunted AL East – Vegas has only predicted them as about a 77 win team this year. So far the team has started 42 – 35 – and are tied for the 2nd Wild Card slot in the American League with the Yankees. Many pundits, such as myself, have blasted the brass for not adding on a Starting Pitcher. It may end up costing them a playoff spot. Please Mr. Duquette – acquire a top notch starter and be prepared to give up a lot in return. It is not every year you have three guys with MVP Caliber seasons – with Davis, Jones and Machado.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website here Follow @prosportsroster
You guys are all in for a treat. Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams.
Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.
In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball. He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!
Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis. After you click on it….Bookmark it. There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page. Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!
For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Orioles Organization click here.
2012 Wild Card Celebration
Baltimore Orioles Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward Mar.15/2013
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, March.15/2013
Buck Showalter had one of the best managerial season in recent vintage with the 2012 version of the Baltimore Orioles, will the fans and management turn on him if there is a small regression in 2013?
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I believe that 2013 will be a regressive season for the Baltimore Orioles. Much like the 2011 Arizona DiamondBacks in the National League, all of the bounces and luck went the Orioles way to have a magical year of a playoff berth in 2012. A crazy amount of 1 run wins, extra inning wins and a brilliant bullpen defied the odds in the American League in order to compete.
I still think the Baltimore Orioles will be competitive in 2013, I just don’t see a 90 win team. The team is not saddled with many outrageous contracts left, however it is a shame that Brian Roberts (10 Million Dollars Per Year) can’t stay healthy. They will need repeat years from Adam Jones and Chris Davis, plus significant increases in production from J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis will need to hit his .300+.
This team has to take a run at a few players via trade or a remaining Free Agent. The need for a power hitting DH and another OF with Pop to play LF would be a wise decision. The ownership will need to extend the payroll for this very option. Also, they will need to plunk down some dough to sign an ace on the Free Agency market. You can’t tell me that a guy like Kyle Lohse won’t help the club!
2012 Winning Mix Highlights:
State Of the Union: The Future Of The 2013 Orioles Roster
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Friday December 21, 2012
Kyle Holland (MLB Reports Intern): Follow @TheKHolland13.
2012 was a breakout year for the Baltimore Orioles and the start of something new. They finished the season with a 93-69 record, a record good enough to land themselves a spot in the WildCard playoff game. This marked the first time since 1997 they were playing October baseball. They took down the Rangers in that very game to advance to the ALDS against AL East foe, the New York Yankees. They gave the Yankees a run for their money sending the series to 5 games, only to lose a heart-breaker 3-1 finale of the matchup. All of this happening with the Orioles having the 18th largest payroll in the MLB.
There are indeed a few reasons that the Orioles are going to have major success in the future. Pitching, the lineup, and upcoming prospects. Read the rest of this entry
The Interesting Case of Francisco Liriano: Twins Look to Move a Starter by the Trade Deadline
Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): There is no doubt that the Minnesota Twins are going to be sellers this year at the trade deadline. At 18 games under .500, they have the worst record in the American League, and with a team ERA of an even 5.00, they find themselves only ahead of the Colorado Rockies at the bottom in terms of pitching. According to Jayson Stark , the Twins are willing to move “just about anybody” on their roster, and all signs point to starter Francisco Liriano’s departure. The troubled starter ranks 93 out of 101 qualified pitchers in ERA (5.31) and is just one loss off a league worst 11. Liriano’s $5.5 million salary is fifth highest among Twins players, and it goes without saying that his performances are well below what he’s being paid. But does that mean he has no trade value? Read the rest of this entry
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