Comments on: O’s Trade Oscar Salazar For Pitcher Cla Meredith http://camdencrazies.com/2009/07/19/os-trade-oscar-salazar-for-pitcher-cla-meredith/ The happenings of the Baltimore Orioles. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:25:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: frostking http://camdencrazies.com/2009/07/19/os-trade-oscar-salazar-for-pitcher-cla-meredith/#comment-30 frostking Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:41:55 +0000 http://camdencrazies.com/?p=158#comment-30 All your points are well taken. Cutting Mora would certainly have been a good option - I agree with you there. I was mostly just looking at the trade itself (which we obviously disagree on, but the differences in absolute terms probably aren't that large), and not at all of the possible things the team could have done otherwise. Salazar was put on waivers before the season and nobody claimed him, so it's not at all crazy to think that another player of similar ability will be available to the O's this off-season. As I mentioned before, the O's really need someone other than both Mora and Salazar at third next year, and so this trade may give the team some extra bullpen depth to make another deal to get that player. I won't disagree that it wasn't the best possible thing the team could have done, nor that Salazar isn't better than nothing at 1B or 3B next year. I don't love the trade, but I think it was pretty solid. All your points are well taken. Cutting Mora would certainly have been a good option – I agree with you there. I was mostly just looking at the trade itself (which we obviously disagree on, but the differences in absolute terms probably aren’t that large), and not at all of the possible things the team could have done otherwise. Salazar was put on waivers before the season and nobody claimed him, so it’s not at all crazy to think that another player of similar ability will be available to the O’s this off-season.

As I mentioned before, the O’s really need someone other than both Mora and Salazar at third next year, and so this trade may give the team some extra bullpen depth to make another deal to get that player.

I won’t disagree that it wasn’t the best possible thing the team could have done, nor that Salazar isn’t better than nothing at 1B or 3B next year. I don’t love the trade, but I think it was pretty solid.

]]> By: Dempsey's Army http://camdencrazies.com/2009/07/19/os-trade-oscar-salazar-for-pitcher-cla-meredith/#comment-29 Dempsey's Army Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:14:18 +0000 http://camdencrazies.com/?p=158#comment-29 OK, so this trade in a vacuum is 31-year old Salazar for 26-year old middle reliever. But in this case I don't care how old Salazar is because he is a) cheap and under control (not even a full season of MLB experience yet) and b) the Orioles have a need for a bat at both corner spots in the infield, certainly this year and even more so in 2010. The Warehouse will not pick up the option on Mora and will probably not resign Huff unless Aubrey is ready to take a big paycut. That leaves Ty Wigginton to play third base and...who'd on first? Salazar could have filled that need and given Brandon Snyder (who is not exactly tearing up AAA) more time to develop. It's cheap offense and buys time for one of our few position player prospects. That's value. People act like the only choice was to trade either Salazar or Pie. There was another. Cut Melvin Mora. MacPhail seems to understand the concept of a sunk cost and with only $3 million still owed to Mora, it would have been fairly easy to do. Even with Salazar's poor defense at third, he would still more valuable than Mora. Shift Wiggy to third and let Salazar get ABs at first, the defense is even less of an issue. Cla Meredith is bad away from PETCO and against AL competition: http://dempseysarmy.blogspot.com/2009/07/oscar-salazar-gone-to-san-diego.html The splits are ugly and he may contribute absolutely nothing to the team. A team like Baltimore needs to be creative in filling holes. They can't attract top free agents quite yet. Who's going to play third base next year? Or first? Retreads, has-beens or "good field, no-hit" types. Seems to me Salazar would have been at least a shot at filling the spot cheaply and maybe even produce on a regualr basis. His major league OPS is .880 . His last two years in Norfolk he's had an OPS well over .900 . Worth a shot, I think. Now maybe MacPhail has irons in the fire that will garner Baltimore a 1B or 3B for next year. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt with the rotation this year and they really didn't have a great plan in place for that deficiency. On the face of it, I'm calling this trade shortsighted. Thanks for the space to ramble! OK, so this trade in a vacuum is 31-year old Salazar for 26-year old middle reliever. But in this case I don’t care how old Salazar is because he is a) cheap and under control (not even a full season of MLB experience yet) and b) the Orioles have a need for a bat at both corner spots in the infield, certainly this year and even more so in 2010.

The Warehouse will not pick up the option on Mora and will probably not resign Huff unless Aubrey is ready to take a big paycut. That leaves Ty Wigginton to play third base and…who’d on first? Salazar could have filled that need and given Brandon Snyder (who is not exactly tearing up AAA) more time to develop. It’s cheap offense and buys time for one of our few position player prospects. That’s value.

People act like the only choice was to trade either Salazar or Pie. There was another. Cut Melvin Mora. MacPhail seems to understand the concept of a sunk cost and with only $3 million still owed to Mora, it would have been fairly easy to do. Even with Salazar’s poor defense at third, he would still more valuable than Mora. Shift Wiggy to third and let Salazar get ABs at first, the defense is even less of an issue.

Cla Meredith is bad away from PETCO and against AL competition:

http://dempseysarmy.blogspot.com/2009/07/oscar-salazar-gone-to-san-diego.html

The splits are ugly and he may contribute absolutely nothing to the team.

A team like Baltimore needs to be creative in filling holes. They can’t attract top free agents quite yet. Who’s going to play third base next year? Or first? Retreads, has-beens or “good field, no-hit” types. Seems to me Salazar would have been at least a shot at filling the spot cheaply and maybe even produce on a regualr basis. His major league OPS is .880 . His last two years in Norfolk he’s had an OPS well over .900 . Worth a shot, I think.

Now maybe MacPhail has irons in the fire that will garner Baltimore a 1B or 3B for next year. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt with the rotation this year and they really didn’t have a great plan in place for that deficiency. On the face of it, I’m calling this trade shortsighted.

Thanks for the space to ramble!

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