If the O's can stabilize pitching slots 1-4, the 5th slot only needs to pitch 9 times during the first half of the season while giving the 1-4 starters the ordinary 4 days rest. By mid-season, we should have at least one of our prospects knocking on the door. Andy M's plan seems to be coming to fruition.

I may be the only one, but I hope they do not sign him. We have 4 or 5 (Penn, Albers, Liz, Patton, and Pauley) young guys with potential for the rotation who the Os should give a good look this year. If they have a future here, now is the time to find out before the bigger prospects start to force their way into the rotation. It's not as though we are contending for the AL East this year.

Pretty sad when a player has to think which is the better team from Pittsburg, Milwaukee and Baltimore.

It doesnt have to be this way Andrew!

Think back 20 years, a player wouldnt even have given it a thought

SAD SITUATION HERE IN BALTIMORE after 11 losing season we have no one to thank but Ole Peter and Andrew for the last 2.

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Pete's reply: Since you're so sure of yourself, explain to me what Andy MacPhail could have done in June of 2007 (when he arrived here) that would have made the Orioles a winning team that year. You know, Jack, I'm starting to think that 10,000 blog posters can't be wrong about you.

Hey Pete, with the addition of Looper or whoever, I think our rotation could conceivably be an improvement over last year's, depending on how Uehara pitches in America. Thoughts?

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Pete's reply: Sad to say, how could it NOT be better than last years.

I don't know about any of you, but I think if the O's could land another starter they might be able to put together a "close" to .500 season. Then again, I always get my hopes up around this time of the year only to have them smashed against a Boston Red Sox onslaught in the first week of the season.

Looper's 4.16 ERA in the NL Central translates to 5.66 in the AL East. I for one would rather see Hayden Penn get beat than Looper.

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Pete's reply: Do you have a mathematical formula for that or are you just guestimating?

Looper does make a great deal of sense, especially since he has starting and relieving experience. Last year the O's meltdown was after burning out the bullpen (and D-Cab turning back into D-Cab). Here as young starters establish themselves, we have built in bullpen help stashed away in our starting rotation. If they reach a deal it will simply be an extention of the thinking that has led to Hendrickson and Uehara. Good solid thinking from AM --just not flashy.

This would be a great signing. I think we should be more afraid of the Brewers than the Pirates. What do you think MacPhail should do in order to sign this right-hander?

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Pete's reply: Offer him $1 more than the Pirates.

Peter. Is there any chance the Os would look to add another starting pitcher in addition to Looper? If they cannot entice Looper? Would it be worthwhile for them to offer Sheets a tempting contract and take a chance that he will stay healthy? Or is the financial situation that bad for them?

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Pete's reply: If Sheets' price still is in the $8 million per year range, I don't think they'll be tempted to do anything.

You should write piece on some ex Oriole pitchers and what they're doing now.

Baltimore actually seems like a pretty good fit for Looper right now. The only other place that might make a little more sense would be Milwaukee.

If I were a SP or any P in the league and the Free Agent market was going the way it has been going for me then I'd have to say that I'd at least consider Baltimore quite a bit for these reasons:

-If I go to the AL East and actually have a pretty decent year, on a one year contract, my value would only go up the following year and could get a much better deal.

-If I was a real gamer and wanted to challenge myself then the AL East would be where I would do that.

The only real competition that the O's have for Looper is the Brew Crew because well...they win games.

What do you think Schmuck?

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Pete's reply: I think at this point in this market, I think he'll take the most money.

I hope the O's are able to sign Looper. They are desperate for warm bodies to put in the starting rotation and while he may not be the best pitcher around, he pitched nearly 200 innings last year (199) and is a proven major league starter. I wish the O's had been able to sign Jon Garland but now he's playing for a contender for what I'll assume is more than the Orioles were putting on the table.

"The Orioles must convince Looper to choose Baltimote over Pittsburgh and Milwaukee" Come on now... PITTSBURG!? OK, Milwaukee maybe.

"The Orioles still must convince Looper to choose Baltimore over Pittsburgh and Milwaukee."

If those are his options, we can't rule out the idea that he might just quit.

PETER-

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE UPDATES. UNFORTUNATELY, LOOPER IS NO BURNITZ, BUT HE CAN GRAB A FEW INNINGS AND HOLD DOWN A SPOT TILL 2010, WHEN THE YOUNGSTERS WILL BE READY. I AGREE WITH THE APPROACH OFHOLDING THE KIDS BACK UNTIL THEY HAVE GOOD COMMAND AND ARE READY FOR THE BIG SHOW. THEN WE CAN ADD A TILLMAN OR AN ARIETA OR EVEN A PEREZ TO THE ROTATION AND WE MIGHT SURPRISE A FEW PEOPLE.

Not sure I get the strategy here. He's a career .500 pitcher with a mediocre ERA that has only started the past two years in the NL. I think it was SI that did a very thorough analysis last year that NL pitchers moving to the AL add about 0.50 to the ERA. I'm sure it's more moving to the brutal AL East. Similarly, Koji's numbers were on the decline in Japan. How's that going to translate in the toughest division in US baseball?

I love what they've been doing with position players, but at every step I've been asking, what about the pitching? Are the Koji and potential Looper signings just biding us time to allow the stable of young arms to mature? That's the only thing that makes sense - and is also a bit foolish as we've seen time and time again how many of these great potential players actually make it to the bigs. Maybe one will become a good starter, but expecting 3 or 4 to make it in the next two years would be unheard of.

Pitching, pitching, pitching! That's what wins games.

I'd like to see him come here. It might be tough to lure him, though. He looks like an NL guy to me. Milwaukee gives him a better chance of winning.

I was glad to see Jon Garland only ended up getting half of what he was hoping to get. It bugs me when middle of the rotation guys think they should get #1 starter type money

I really don't see how Looper makes sense for the Orioles. We aren't one veteran pitcher away from anything. It makes more sense to put our young arms in the game and see if they can swim. Liz has a year under his belt now so he should be "expected" to improve, and the other pitchers who gained some major league experiance will be that much more comfortable with the role. Also, I think the pitchers will generally pitch more effectively now that Ramon Hernandez is gone. I think he was just as much to blame as the pitchers after all he was the one calling the game, and setting up off the plate, if the pitchers throw to his glove and its 4 inches off the plate, thats not helping anything, plus they probably doubted him behind the plate due to his poor defense at that position. Having Zaun, who the Toronto pitchers were quoted as "a guy they loved throwing to", we should see a marketable increase in performance. We need to believe in the youth movement, if these guys can't handle it and we are in a situation like last year then we can easily ship out a veteran like huff for a veteran pitcher and a prospect (assuming he is going to produce at a level similar to last year).

You’ve been a huge apologist for Andy MacPhail this entire offseason and while I do agree with the concept of taking time to rebuild, many of his decisions are just plain ridiculous. Last season it was the decision to trade away our shortstop (good move) and then attempt to play the entire season without one (bad move). This year, it’s the decision to play the entire season without a starting pitching staff. The underlying problem behind these decisions is the theory that we just need to “get by” until our crop of young players develops so we end up getting below average or barely average players as replacements (see Itzuris). If you want to develop a quality team then you need to fill every position by thinking, “is this person a championship quality ballplayer?” Instead, the Orioles think “can this player serve as a stopgap until we find someone better” and we never find anyone better? Why not sign the best possible player to be your stopgap? We have no shortstop prospects anywhere in the high minors, so instead of signing a (hopefully) average shortstop why not sign the best possible shortstop? Itzuris couldn’t play shortstop for a contending team and somehow we’re supposed to be happy that we got him? It’s been two years since we traded our all-star shortstop and having a quality player at that position is still nowhere in sight? Is that smart management?
Now we’re going through this farce of a pitching staff and you seem to think adding a below average pitcher because he can throw a lot of below average innings is a good idea. He’ll be backing up a 36 year-old pitcher who was sent to the minor leagues IN JAPAN last year because he couldn’t get people out and he’s going to face the Yankees and Red Sox six times a year? Last year we began with plenty of starters and by July were desperate for pitching and you see how that turned out. This year, we’re beginning the year with three starters so what exactly are we going to do in July when things don’t go right (and they never do with pitching staffs)? Why not try and find the highest quality possible pitchers and then break the younger pitchers in slowly? Didn’t we see what happened last year when we were forced to start Liz and others ahead of time? To go into a major league season where you have to face the three best teams in baseball 19 times each with this pitching staff is a bad joke. Why not attempt to create an atmosphere of winning by actually trying to field a top-notch team, not a stopgap team?
I’m not saying we have to sign a bunch of free agents. I’m saying that the Orioles need to try to put the best possible team on the field every single day. That means not accepting average at positions because “we’re not ready yet.” Work to find players that have a chance to be more than average at each position. Sign Brandon Looper to be your fifth start/swingman, not your number three starter. Don’t give me that “they tried to get AJ Burnett” line either, as putting in a below-market bid for one pitcher doesn’t count as trying. Why didn’t we go for Lowe, Garland, Perez, or Ben Sheets to fill two of those rotation spots? Let the young guys fight for the rotation spots or work in long relief or prove themselves at Triple A. Let Penn have an actual healthy season before counting on him. Let Liz learn in Triple A. Let Arieatta and the others develop in the minors instead of learning in the majors and eating up valuable service time while not moving the team forward. Everyone now seems to equate signing free agents as a bad thing because it hinders “developing players.” No, signing average and below average free agents is a bad thing. Signing high quality players for your team is a good thing and we need some of that.

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Pete's reply: I haven't needed to be an apologist for MacPhail. He has done everything he promised to do when he came here. He can speak for himself. Now, I have a question for you: Other than Teixeira, who was never coming here, and Manny Ramirez, who are the championship caliber players you're talking about in this market?

We definitely have to get someone. Looper would be nice but I still like Sheets.

Looper has consistently allowed more hits than innings pitched in 9 out of 11 major league seasons, and that's been in the NATIONAL LEAGUE where there is no designated hitter.
That's a decidedly Trachselesque statistic which we should be making a point to avoid.

To me, all of the available FA pitchers are either mediocre in one way or another, or (like Ben Sheets) an injury risk...... so what was the point in ridding ourselves of Cabrera and Olson ? Certainly not to replace them with guys like this.

GIVE THE GUYS WE ALREADY HAVE A CHANCE !!!

The only good thing about Looper is that he is better than Cabrera (not sure I can say that about the signing of Hendrickson). He'll eat innings and fill a void but anything more than 1 year is overkill. Maybe he'll do well and yield a decent prospect or 2 in a trade around 7/31. Once again, it allows the O's to take their time with the kids.

Anything new on Wigginton or any other bat that the O's are interested in?

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Pete's reply: Don't really have a feel for Wigginton. One day, I think they might sign him. The next day, I don't.

I don't like this guy but looking at what's left he is like Cy Young. Except for of course Ben Sheets. They waited too long to try and acquire another veteran starter. I wish they were as persistent with a quality starter as they were for Pie. The starter market in it's current state is like being passed a bottle with nothing but backwash in it. Nobody wants what's left.

You have to admit that he only makes sense in a one year deal. We most likely we will end up dealing him at the wire anyway to make room for some young guys in September.

I still just can't understand why Baltimore Sun writers don't push for Ben Sheets. Every other comment from the fan base is about him. It's time to start writing articles about how "Ben Sheets makes sense" . This might be our only opportunity for the next decade to sign a legit #1 at a reasonable cost. Where not even talking $15 million per, more like $10 million at the most. It's time to let Mr. Mcphail and Angelos know what we really want.

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Pete's reply: Sheets potentially could be a very nice acquisition. One of the most talented pitchers out there. He's also hurt and asking for something like $10 million per year. Since you're not going to give that kind of guy six years, you'd be gambling $20 million on him being healthy for just the years when you probably don't win. Even if he is, it's not worth the money in that context. Sorry, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever (at that price).

Pete... why aren't the O's going after Sheets?

Seriously, the guy would probably sign for a 2yr, 25m contract at this point, considering what we're hearing is out there (Olney said the best he heard was 2/16).

I know health issues are a major concern, but 2/25 is almost nothing for that kind of talent.

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Pete's reply: Now, we're getting silly. $12.5 million is not "almost nothing" for any kind of talent. It's that kind of thinking that got the Orioles into this mess.

Another issue about signing Looper, or any pitcher for that matter. If Albers stays healthy and Penn steps finally up, then he is superfluous. Maybe a nice problem since it bumps Hendrickson but then you really didn't need him. And if one or both don't perform, Liz or Patton might or even one of the AA prospects. Better to have room in the rotation for a "surprise" development, or have a shuttle service between Norfolk, Bowie and Balt., than have a one year rental on a last place team.

Is this the best we can hope for, a National League pitcher with a 4.16 ERA.? What will that reflect in the American League? Let's hope it's not any more then a one year deal.

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Pete's reply: Yes, in a market that had one superstar and four or five really good starting pitchers, this is the best the Orioles can hope for. Do you think the good ones are lining up to come here.

I'm all for us signing another pitcher, but what about Ben Sheets? I know he has an injury history, but with all the young arms we have waiting in the wings, wouldn't it almost be worth it to watch him light it up while he is healthy? You would hope that we'd have a young gun ready to step up by June or July, assuming Sheets could stay healthy that long.

Not that I'm knocking Looper (He's still better than some of the lousy no names we've trotted out in years past), I just think we can do a little better, especially given the recent trend towards one year deals that some of the bigger available names are considering signing.

I think the O’s would make a terrible mistake not to sign B. Looper or someone with his capabilities. Two pitchers with experience, does not make for a very competitive rotation. With the market in favor of the owners; it gives us more leverage in bringing on a 3rd pitcher familiar with major league situations. I say keep going Mr. MacPhail.

Pete, I hate to say it but right now ANYONE seems to make sense. The Orioles need at least 3 more major league starters to deal with the ubiquitous injuries that occur every year.

I also heard a rumor that Looper is a fall back pitcher for the Dodgers. Hope the Os can work something out before the Dodgers get desperate and overpay.

Why don't we go after Ben Sheets? I understand he is injury prone; but last years injury was after 196 innings and he's a number 1. Looper, not even close to Sheets when healthy. I would take 196 innings at under 4 ERA over 230 innings at 5.2 any day.

What about Hayden Penn.
Would not Hayden fit into the # 3, or #4 slot.
Are we going to look at, and/or, sign each and every veteran pitcher on the free agent market, before we give him a shot at the rotation?
Thank you for listening to my venting...
Bill

A reasonable one-year deal for Looper, with performance incentives, would be ideal for the Os. But I agree we shouldn't get our hopes up. If I'm 34-year-old Brandon Looper, and I'm going to only sign a one-year deal, I'm not going to choose to pitch in the AL East to try to put up the kind of stats I'll need to secure a better contract next year. I predict he will not come to the AL, much less the AL East.

If he chooses Pittsburgh it's only about money

A serviceable starter who might be good for 200 innings. When the kids are ready, he can go to the BP(lLower era there and can 'freak out' the hitters)!

Braden Looper makes a lot of sense for the Orioles. But they will have to outbid Milwaukee in particular, which needs starting pitching even more and has lots of payroll room.

I'd say it's worth giving him a 2-year deal for Garland money. If that's all it takes to get him -- the second year might be enough -- they should act quickly for once.

Are the Orioles offering "Stop Gap" ticket prices for their "Stop Gap" team this year? It didn't seem to be that way last year.

Sheets may be a risk but at least he's something O's fans could get excited for .

Looper is a waste of time.

This is a good move because it adds a major league starting pitcher to the rotation. Even if he is mediocre, that is better than most of the Orioles existing options, so get him, and get some more. Of course, I wish we were getting good or great players instead of mediocre ones, but at this point, I'll take mediocre over terrible (the current situation). Those who advocate the "give the youngsters a chance to sink or swim" strategy obviously haven't learned anything from the mass drownings (and shark attacks) during the past 10 years.

Dear A.M. Sign Braden Looper now! Braden Looper the former first round and 3rd overall pick in the baseball draft will slot in nicely in the 3 spot of the '09 Orioles rotation. After that take any of our "prospects" - other than - Weiters and our top 3 can't miss pitching prospects and get Chicago Cubs Rich Hill in here to fill the 4 spot. Let the rest of the "AAAA rejects" compete for the 5 spot and long relief. Then all of a sudden look what we have - a .500 baseball club in the town of Baltimore.

I just laugh, anymore, at the terms "innings eater" and "experienced starter". So WHAT if a guy is an "innings eater" if he STINKS?!?! So WHAT if he's an "experienced starter" if he STINKS? Looper had a 4.16 ERA in the NATIONAL LEAGUE!!! Do we really want him out there "eating innings" and getting crushed in the A.L. East? Let's leave at least 2 slots open for the handful of young prospects to fill. We've GOT to find out whether these guys get do the job or not. Sadly, the only way to do that is to throw 'em out there and see what happens. This is the PERFECT time to do that since the O's aren't gonna win no matter what. If Albers, Penn, Liz, Patton, etc.... are gonna bomb, let's find out NOW!!!! I understand the "one year rental" line of thinking, but not when that "rental" STINKS!!!

I, for one, think it's a good move. The guy will compete, eat innings, and provide veteran leadership in the rotation. There's no doubt that we have some talented young arms in the system, but signing Looper would do nothing but increase competition for the remaining spot or two in the rotation. That competition is very healthy for the O's at this point.

First of all, MacPhail rules, and all haters/doubters will truly appreciate his calculating and prudent style over the next 7 years when we have the next "outfield of dreams" and a seemingly endless supply of young pitchers.

I like the Looper move. Doesn't drive me "loopey" (sorry, i couldn't resist), but with our offense presumably being respectable, we need innings eaters while we continue to groom and not rush (see last year) our good young arms. i don't expect us to be competitive, but these "stewardship" types of moves will keep us from embarrassing ourselves.

I agree with you about Looper. But I am not hearing much about Patton and/or Sarfate. Before their injuries, both were highly regarded. Are not both likely to be available in 2009? What is anyone hearing about these two guys? Thanks.

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Pete's reply: Both are still highly regarded. Patton may spend much of the year in the minors because he lost a year of experience last year.

The Orioles missed a significant opportunity by not signing Jon Garland. Garland is a top of the rotation pitcher in his prime and he is an innings eater. Looper is 34 years old and has a mixed track record. While I have agreed with most of Andy McPhail's moves, he missed a terrific value with Garland. Pete, do you agree?

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Pete's reply: That depends on if you think he would have come here for the same or slightly more money. I think not.

I know it is but a dream but I like Sheets better (although mutual interest is probably not in the cards). A converted reliever with a plus 4 ERA, although an improvement over the alternatives, is not the ideal choice, but not necessarily a bad one. Both have risk, but only one has the stuff to start opening day............ when healthy.

Pete; I agree with your response to Jack. Trying to lay the blame for 2007 on McPhail when he came aboard mid-season is just looking for something to b*tch about.

I also can't understand Fritz's take on Izturis and Tejada. Excluding a phenominal April, last year from May 1 to the end of the season, Miggy hit 271 with a 295OB% and a 384 SL%. He virtually disappeared and only hit 3 HRs in the second half of the season. That's not a heck of a lot better than what Izturis would be expected to do.

On the defensive side of the coin, Izturis is a quality defensive shortstop that makes us pretty solid up the middle defensively, whereas Miggy, as Baltimore fans in particular should know, has turned into a total stiff.

I'm trying to remember, how many World Series did we win with a good defensive shortstop who had a hard time hitting his weight?

Simply put, Miggy's cancerous attitude had to go before he could infect the young kids AM was planning to bring aboard. True, we had to live through a season of sub par play at short, but we now have a quality defensive player at that position. I wouldn't trade Izturis straight up for Miggy at this point.

Signing Looper makes sense, particulalry if McPhail is serious about his desire to move Hendrickson to the bullpen. With the pitching injuries that typically occur over the course of the season, the Penn's, Patton's and Liz's of the world will have plenty of opportrunity to showcase their talent (or lack thereof). And, quite frankly, each of them would be well served to spend some time in AAA and earn their promotion to the minors trather than have it be forced upon them because the O's have no other options.

As far as Sheets..I can see both sides of argument on this one. Doesn't make sense if he is too expensive, particularly since we would also need to give up a high draft pick. However, if he comes at the right price, locking him up to a three year deal may be an interesting move.

Signing Looper makes sense, particulalry if McPhail is serious about his desire to move Hendrickson to the bullpen. With the pitching injuries that typically occur over the course of the season, the Penn's, Patton's and Liz's of the world will have plenty of opportrunity to showcase their talent (or lack thereof). And, quite frankly, each of them would be well served to spend some time in AAA and earn their promotion to the minors trather than have it be forced upon them because the O's have no other options.

As far as Sheets..I can see both sides of argument on this one. Doesn't make sense if he is too expensive, particularly since we would also need to give up a high draft pick. However, if he comes at the right price, locking him up to a three year deal may be an interesting move.

World Series 1971
playoffs 1975
playoffs 1976
World Series 1979
playoffs jan,2009
Pittsburg
Now Looper. Its over guys. iron City here he comes.
Thinking Brando in Accopolylse
"the horror'
"the horror"

Rate Andy M. the last 2 years. I think he's done a great job running the entire team (major and minor league affiliations) from the previous 2 execs (Sid T. and Mike Flanagan).

1. Getting rid of prime players with huge contracts and getting younger.
2. Getting rid of players not useful to the youth movement (Payton, Gibbons, etc.).
3. Revamp/focus the minor league to better develop players (better coaches, instruction, etc.).

In addition, he's still has to deal with players with bloated contracts that he inherited (Baez, Walker, etc.) to which he can't get rid of, especially in the current economy, not his fault.

Since we can't compete with Boston or NY financially, Andy M' focus is on player development. What does development mean people? Takes time!!! So, let him run his plan and see what comes out of it in 2-3 years.

The last 2 years under Andy M, he's made integrated improvements up and down the entire organization. Thats HUGE for a small-medium sized B-more market, considering our division (Boston, NY, Toronto) with very little margin for mistakes.

Rate Andy M. the last 2 years. I think he's done a great job running the entire team (major and minor league affiliations) from the previous 2 execs (Sid T. and Mike Flanagan).

1. Getting rid of prime players with huge contracts and getting younger.
2. Getting rid of players not useful to the youth movement (Payton, Gibbons, etc.).
3. Revamp/focus the minor league to better develop players (better coaches, instruction, etc.).

In addition, he's still has to deal with players with bloated contracts that he inherited (Baez, Walker, etc.) to which he can't get rid of, especially in the current economy, not his fault.

Since we can't compete with Boston or NY financially, Andy M' focus is on player development. What does development mean people? Takes time!!! So, let him run his plan and see what comes out of it in 2-3 years.

The last 2 years under Andy M, he's made integrated improvements up and down the entire organization. Thats HUGE for a small-medium sized B-more market, considering our division (Boston, NY, Toronto) with very little margin for mistakes.

For the benefit of those wondering how Looper's NL ERA is likely to translate to the AL, MLB.com stats for the last three years shows no appreciable difference between the leagues. I have a hard time understanding that since there should be a difference, but the numbers don't lie.

Bill Bocchino -

In any given year, you'd expect injuries to your pitchers and hitters. And when you have injuries to your starting pitchers, I'm pretty sure thats when the youngsters will get a spot start here and there.

Anyway, as it current stands, there are 2 spots left open for the youngsters. I assume Guthrie, Jap dude and Hennessy are the three starters.

Looper will be an excellent choice. Followed his career since Wichita State, and this guy's a winner.

Believe he should have been a starter from the beginning. He will now fully realize his potential as a starter if he signs with us.

He's a warrior and he'll give many quality innings, as well as being able to mentor the young ones.

This would be an excellent move. They still need veteran pitiching to bridge the gap and help the young pitchers along the way. AMP really knows what he is doing.
Oh and that comment that we aren't competing for the pennant.... yes we are every year. Competing and being competative are two different things, just ask the Rays about it.

anybody on here who says that they should sign sheets for over 10 million a year has no comprehension of how baseball works, how macphail is trying to build this team, or how the orioles got into this mess to begin with.

I have a question.....if the O's rotation is so desperate for warm bodies, then exactly how did Arizona land Garland (a respectable warm body) for such a chicken feed amount and the O's didn't even get involved? Didn't someone "drop the ball" here? Or is this just another situation where Garland wouldn't have considered Camden Yards to begin with?

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Pete's reply: Why do you think they weren't involved? I'm sure they made inquiries like everybody else. Can't imagine a West Coast guy would choose the O's over the D-backs if he's already taking a bargain price.

I have a question.....if the O's rotation is so desperate for warm bodies, then exactly how did Arizona land Garland (a respectable warm body) for such a chicken feed amount and the O's didn't even get involved? Didn't someone "drop the ball" here? Or is this just another situation where Garland wouldn't have considered Camden Yards to begin with?

Tell me again why we let loose of Daniel Cabrera, who at worst would produce the roughly 4.90 ERA and 11 wins of a Looper? DCab, we'd get 220 innings out of.

Will you please tell your readers what it's clear you want to? Ben Sheets makes no sense. Why waste money on a pitcher that in 2 years (the time the O's may have a shot) will likely not have an arm. Save the cash for a FA pitcher then.

"The Orioles missed a significant opportunity by not signing Jon Garland. Garland is a top of the rotation pitcher in his prime and he is an innings eater."

I define "top of the rotation" quite a bit differently, apparently. In 2008, Garland had "Stuff" score (a rough indicator of the pitcher's overall dominance, based on normalized strikeout rates, walk rates, home run rates, runs allowed, and innings per game) of -1. "10" is league average, and "0" is replacement level. In contrast, Looper had a score of 5.

As long as he doesn't get more than a year and doesn't cost the Orioles any sort of draft pick, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a relatively low cost (

Pete, I hope they sign looper and soon, love reading your articles everyday. I have been an Orioles fan (in Montana) since the days of Dave NcNally and have not given up. I really beleive we are finally headed in the right direction. Hope to make it to Camden some day,but for now MLB Package. Keep up the good work.

You asked what championship quality players I was referring to in my earlier post, assuming I was talking about Texiera, who I agree wasn't coming here. I listed four pitchers of that quality in my post (Sheets, Garland, Lowe, and Perez), but let's go to shortstops, since I blasted the signing of Itzuris. Rafael Furcal, Orlando Cabrera, and even Edgar Renteria all are far superior to Itzuris. Furcal and Cabrera clearly can still play for a championship team and though I think Renteria isn't what he was, he's far better than the below-average Itzuris. Or, instead of trading Olsen for another outfielder when we've got Reimold, why not for Khalil Greene? You're showing the same terrible mindset of the Orioles - we're not going to have a pennant winning club this year so let's just get warm bodies to fill slots until out minor leaguers develop (if they do). Take a chance on a Rule 5 guy instead of trading yours for a small amount of cash to improve the bottom line (see Dan Uggla & Jay Gibbons). Look for a team that has a logjam and try to work a trade. Don't accept mediocrity because "there's no one else out there" because there's always someone out there if you're willing to look and if you're trying for the BEST possible player at all times, not just stopgaps.

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Pete's reply: So you're saying the O's should sign a bunch of older free agents and try to win 80 games this year at the expense of the future? Didn't they do that with Tejada, Lopez and Palmeiro a few years ago?

an earlier post I made about Looper was attributed to Light Years at 1:27PM, and my name was associated with another post ranting about Maryland's governor. . .not my post.

I'd love Looper to be an O, and he'll do us proud.

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Pete's reply: Since I don't edit the posts, I don't know how that happened, but I'll go in and delete your earlier post. Sorry.

There are (and have been) few free agent pitchers available who can be genuinely helpful to a fifth-place ballclub hoping to win 70 games.

Let the kids we already have pitch. A couple of them, surely, will perform well enough to justify the risk. Meanwhile, PAY Brian Roberts large bucks to stay with the Birds for the next 4-6 years. If you're going to build, you gotta have a foundation.

any info on where Daniel Cabrera landed (if he landed?)

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Pete's reply: He signed with the Nationals.

I'd prefer Sheets. Dramatically better pitcher and much younger than Looper. Also piched 198 innings last year.

Is he a risk? Yeah. Seriously, with the O's would you rather see Looper pitch or Sheets.

I don't think guys like Sheets really got us in trouble. I think signing second tier free agents like Looper, Baez, Walker and Bradford has. So I'm sure the O's will do it. If they'd cough up the bucks to get a real pitcher it'd be a joy to go to the yard.

To Light Years - I realize that political correctness has at times run amok in this country over the last few years, but maybe we should check with Koji for his feeling on the topic before referring to him as "Jap dude".

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Pete's reply: Did that slip by me. Shame on me.

Don't fear the Looper.

Those of you who want the Orioles to sign Braden Looper must be satisfied with just barely adequate.

Please take into consideration that this young Oriole team was only about 5 games out at the break.Not too bad if you ask me and Pundents were scrathing their heads wondering why.The offense and relief pitching excelled. Have they improved to the point of extending that a little further? Not sure.... Looper is at best a 4 or 5 starter and an innings eater but he can only do that if Trembly allows him to .The starting pitching got tired and hurt and they traded away arguably their best relief arm (Bradford) then the wheels feel off but for half the year they were kicking on all cylinders and gave pause to the pundents who predicted doom from day one. Get Looper but if you cant and the Braves do not sign Glavine go after him or maybe a Pedro Martinez for a year.Oliver Perez may also be a long term contract candidate since he is still reasonably young if these pitchers become available.

If were in so much of a rebuilding process and this is just a throw away year. Why are we signing Looper? Why not let some of those prospects prove their worth? Leaving six guys to battle it out for one spot on a losing team isn't my idea of rebuilding. That's just patchwork.Pete shed some light on this.

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Pete's reply: Trust me, there will be plenty of innings for that even if they sign Looper.

Get both Sheets and Looper. Then you might have something to work with to bring the youngsters along slowly. If they do not do something about the rotation this year, it will be awful.

Pete: Guess what the number 1,8450,000 represents if they do not address the rotation issue now.
A. The amount of empty seats at the stadium in 2009
B. The amount of innings the bullpen will have to pitch
C. The average salary of the starting rotation
D. The amount of fly balls that go over Pie's head
E. All of the above

Let's face it the Front Office just wants to have 25 warm bodies in the dugout to start the season. If they win 65 or 70 games along the way that's good enough for 2009. If the fans are willing to pay to see a team that's going to win 10 games a month, then the FO will keep putting cheap, mediocre talent on the field.

A bit off topic (OK a lot). Pete, do you remember a eatery called Naugles in So. Calif? I sure miss that place.

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Pete's reply: You're never off-topic on this blog, and of course I remember Naugles, which was very similar to what is now called Del Taco out there (in both decor and menu), but had much bigger items and better food. There was one right near Anaheim Stadium when I covered the Angels, and it accounted for about 30 percent of my excess body weight. I'm getting nostalgic just thinking about it.

This is Braden Looper we are talking about O's fans, not Tom Seaver or Maddox in his prime. The scary thing about all this is that Mr Looper's better than anyone else we have under contract competing for a team pitching position.

Looper is not a bad move. Live in STL and have watched him in action. He is a competitor with 2 rings and provides a nice piece to the puzzle. The O's got killed last year because the starters did not go deep into games and the bullpen got fried. Looper will give you innings even if he gets lit up early. I think the moves of the current administration have all been solid (Bedard vs. Sherrill/Jones, and the oft injured BL Ryan) and it's going to take time to undo some big gaffes (Albert Belle and extensions to Scott Erickson. And Sid Fernandez. And Delino DeShields. Glenn Davis, Got rid of Shilling, Moose, Finley, "Joe Table" Jamie Moyer, And siding with Roberto "spitty" Alomar over Davey Johnson, etc. etc. etc.) The O's are going to have to lay a solid foundation before they can convince a top drawn player to come to Charm City and play over a quarter of their season against the Wankees, Chowds, Jays..and (good God now the Rays are even good) Rays. Let's start with a good, competitive product and go from there.

"Something magic happens, everytime you go
You make the magic happen, the magic of Orioles’ Baseball"

Fritz; Regarding Izturis, I looked up his defensive numbers on MLB.com. His RF last year was 4.8, higher than all but one NL shortstop who played 100+ games, as he did at 130, and higher than every AL shortstop at 100+. With the glove, this kid can play and is a serious Gold Glove candidate.

How do we value that? Operating on the theory that a base prevented is as valuable as a base gained, let's do a little mental gymnastics. Assume that Renteria and Izturis played the same number of innings last year. Renteria had 365 assists in 1173 defensive innings. Projecting the 370 that Izturis got in 1001 innings up to the same number of innings played works out to 433 assists.

That means that Izturis would've prevented 68 more bases than Renteria. If we assume 75% of them would have been by throwing someone out at first and 25% in the form of nailing lead runners, that works out to 68 bases including 51 hits.

So how about one more twist? Let's take away the extra 51 hits and 68 bases Izturis prevented, and instead add them to his bat. Why not if a hit prevented is as good one you get with your bat?

If we did, that would leave us with two shortstops with identical defensive numbers, with Renteria hitting 270 with a 382 SL% and Izturis hitting 386 with a 473 SL%. How about doing the same with O Cabrera. Izturis stops 31 more hits for 42 bases. Adding them onto his bat we end up with Cabrera hitting 281 with a 371 SL% and Izturis hitting 338 with a 411 SL%.

I appreciate that to try and quantify defensive versus offensive value is likely a far more complicated equation than I'm suggesting. You've got to account for the differences in pitching staffs, whether they lean more or less to ground balls or fly balls etc, Comparing one individual to another could be deceptive.

I go back though to what I said at the beginning. Only one shortstop in baseball with 100+ games played last year had a higher RF than this guy. It's suggestive that there is validity in those numbers.

I've got to think that Earl Weaver kept career 228 hitter Mark Belanger out on the field precisely because of a calculation somewhat similiar to this. He understood the value of his glove. What did we win in those years. Three World Series and about 8 division titles if I remember correctly.

We may well have gotten the best free agent shortstop available, at age 28 in the prime of his career, and for the ridiculously low price of 3 million a year. Although a lot of people fixated on Izturis's offensive numbers don't see that, I think AM did.

I just can't agree with signed 34 year old swingmen to fill a rotation. Young starters will break your heart (remember the Mets: Pulsipher, Wilson and Isringhausen? Can't miss starters. How about Chamberlain, Hughes and what's his name?). Pete, you argue against Ben Sheets because of the money he wants and his injury history I don't disagree with the risk factor. Rich Hill is a huge risk, as well, but the price is right; however, since they didn't get Texeira, why not make a considerably smaller splash and sign a #1 starter, limit his pitch count and give the fans a small light--Sheets. NO, I would not trash them if things didn't work out. They would be taking a shot on an ace. Acquiring Hill and having him never come close to his potential is still a good move. Sheets, Guthrie, Hill, Uehara, and competition among a talented group of youngsters for #5. Hendrickson adds depth if and when one of the starters goes down. That's why Looper doesn't make sense to me.

Its pretty obvious the Orioles are trying to build a model around Tampa's but you still have to start changing the culture on this club. The Aug/Sept swoons have to stop.

The O's led the AL in pitching changes last year. Maybe adding Uehara and a Looper will bridge enough innings to let the pen roles become clearer and the addition of Chris Ray can only help. Am I worried about Albers, Patton, etc, etc, etc. Look, let them earn a role or even better if we have more pitching then we need (hysterically laughing here) we have a number of positional challenges staring us in the face. It will be nice to have surplus talent somewhere in the organization. What a nice problem to have. Let these minor leaguers and unproven guys push the others out of the way. Competition breeds success and we can stay committed to the get young, get cheap, win together philosphy.

Huh? Only makes sense if your collecting more less than mediocre middle relievers!

I really like your comments/reporting on the Orioles can you please forward my appeal to the sports editor that you take over for those Debby downers who cover the Ravens for the Sun. The Orioles are a lost cause in terms of winning this season real fans know and accept it but still come out to the yard. You always find ways to present it with enthusasim for the future without sacrificing reality about the present. Realistically and pragmatically I think you are right, about Mcphail, our rebuild and our prospects in a few years which is OK as a fan to endure these past few seasons and the next one at least. I just hate having my hometown reporters soo darn pessimistic about the Ravens. I HAVE to read the Sun's articles because I am a junkie but I love the W. Post's style in covering the Ravens. I got into it with Mike Preston about wins predictions this season with me predicting 10 and him i think five or six!!! Of course he is covering the ravens like he knew all along, what an ass! How does he have a damn job? I would like to do his job for free. Does he actually interview the players with that attitude of his? Any comments disparaging or not would be greatly appreicated.