Which Players Would You Drop From The 40 Man Roster?

[ofahn]

Just because we're not playing in the post season doesn't mean the Orioles can't focus on improving the team.

This is the time of year when teams start remaking their roster. Most of you will already know what I'm about to explain. If so, please skip to the next paragraph. Quality scouting and player evaluation can make a big difference in filling a bullpen or bench spot. To add a player a team believes is a major league talent they have to have a spot on their 40 man roster. Normally, when a season ends, a team will drop those players they no longer believe are solid prospects They then add those players the rules require be protected on the 40 man roster so they won't lose those players to the Rule 5 draft in December. I have asked for help in the Orioles Nation Community for the list of players that need to be protected and will post it here when I have it.

Here is a link for the current 40 man Orioles' roster http://orioles.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=bal. I would be interested in which of the players you would remove and the reason for each player.

Definite Cuts
Jeremy Accardo - no longer a proven ML talent. I would offer him a generous minor league deal with a spring invite
Willie Eyre - no longer a proven ML talent. I would offer him a generous minor league deal with a spring invite
Chris Jakubauskas - no longer a proven ML talent
Rick VandenHurk - he's a AAAA pitcher
Pedro Viola - he's a AAAA pitcher
Jake Fox - no room for his glove on our bench. If we could get by with an 11 man bullpen I would love to have his bat. I would offer him a generous minor league deal with a spring invite
Cesar Izturis - a free agent we don't need anymore
Vladimir Guerrero - a free agent we don't need anymore

On The Bubble
Brandon Snyder - he could be a ML sub but he'll have to admit to himself that's his ceiling
Clay Rapada - can be an effective LH specialist, if we can afford a reliever that will only pitch to one or two batters
Brad Bergesen - just not the same pitcher he was in 2009. Might need a fresh start somewhere else.
Jason Berken - see Bergesen
Jo-Jo Reyes - a lefty but not a ML starter. Maybe he can win a bullpen role.
Josh Bell - does not have the plate discipline to be an ML regular nor the glove to be an effective reserve
Pedro Florimon Jr. - speed does not win you a spot on a ML roster. May hang on for one more year while Machado works his way to AAA.

[TuckerBlair89]

I Agree with most of them but I'll name the few I think could/should stay:

Will Eyre -He pitched effective enough in his limited innings to keep a spot in my opinion. I think he is one of the last spots, but I at least think he could be a valuable asset in the pen.
Rick Vandenhurk- I think you give him one more ST to let him show what he has.
Clay Rapada - Keep him just in case Patton cannot be an all-around reliever. He is valuable if used right. But then again, it is tough to keep Rapada when your starters cannot go very far into the games.
Josh Bell- A little too early to give up on him completely, but this is the last season in my opinion before you cut him loose.
Jason Berken - You have to see if he can harness what he did in the past. If he cannot out of ST or the early part of the season, then you can look towards letting him go.
Brad Bergesen- He is not a bad depth guy, but that is the only reason as of now that I can see of letting him stay on the 40.

Those are just the ones I would be OK with keeping. I could certainly see them letting Vandenhurk,Rapada, and Eyre off the 40, but I don't think it hurts to keep them

[ofahn]

Just remember, you have to make room for the prospects you want to protect from the Rule 5 Draft.

[Jordan Tuwiner]

I agree with all of your definite cuts. Here are my thoughts on your bubble guys:

Brandon Snyder - Staying.
Clay Rapada - Gone.
Brad Bergesen - Staying on 40-man.
Jason Berken - Definitely staying on the 40-man. Still has a good slider, just needs to keep his pitches down in the zone.
Jo-Jo Reyes - I think he's gone and was only acquired for some depth towards at the end of last year.
Josh Bell - He probably is an AAAA bat at this point but I don't see them leaving him off the 40-man.
Pedro Florimon Jr. - Honestly wouldn't keep him in the 40-man, but the Orioles seem to have some obsession with him.

[TuckerBlair89]

Like Jordan just said, I do not see the fascination with Florimon. I have been saying it for a while, that he is the oddest person on the 40 man roster...
What specific talent do they think he will show in the MLB? I just do not see his value as they apparently do

[Matt P]

Jeremy Accardo
Brad Bergesen
Chris Jakubauskas
Rick VandenHurk
Pedro Viola
Willie Eyre
Jake Fox
Josh Bell
Pedro Florimon Jr
Cesar Izturis
Brandon Snyder
Kyle Hudson
Vlad Guerrero

None of them are good enough to play in the majors now or anytime soon. I would extend minor league offers to all of them except for Vladdy and Izzy. I may be a little disappointed if we lost Bergesen and Bell to other organizations but the others I could care less about.

[Matt P]

I agree with all of your definite cuts. Here are my thoughts on your bubble guys:

Brandon Snyder - Staying.
Clay Rapada - Gone.
Brad Bergesen - Staying on 40-man.
Jason Berken - Definitely staying on the 40-man. Still has a good slider, just needs to keep his pitches down in the zone.
Jo-Jo Reyes - I think he's gone and was only acquired for some depth towards at the end of last year.
Josh Bell - He probably is an AAAA bat at this point but I don't see them leaving him off the 40-man.
Pedro Florimon Jr. - Honestly wouldn't keep him in the 40-man, but the Orioles seem to have some obsession with him.

Why do you want Rapada gone? He is an amazing LOOGY.

[ofahn]

Why do you want Rapada gone? He is an amazing LOOGY.

I don't think this team is in a position to carry a pitcher that can't face more than a batter or two in the same appearance. When we get to the point where our top five starters combine for at least 900 innings THEN you can afford a specialist.

[osforlife]

Accardo should be gone. Can't pitch at the ML level.
Eyre should at least get a minor league deal. I think he gets one of the last spots in the bullpen.
Jakuabuaskas should get a minor league deal to priovide depth at AAA.
I would put Vandenhurk be in the AAA rotation again.
Viola should be gone.
I would rather have Fox over Tatum. More versitile and good pop off the bench.
We don't need Izzy anymore now that Andino has earned a spot.
Vlad just wasnt the cleanup presence we needed. His statistics really werent that bad but his power is all but gone and he runs in to too many outs on the bathpaths. He is slow and agressive...not a good combo for a baserunner.
I'd get rid of Snyder. Mahoney will be the first basemen at AAA and we have Baker, Townsend, and Waring all at AA.
Rapada should get a minor league deal but I Phillips will most likely beat him out in ST.
Beregesen is hopeless. I agree, he needs to start over.
Berken will be fighting the the last spots in the bullpen. He's exactly on the bubble.
Reyes...AAA starter?
Bell looks lost at the ML level and he is not putting up sloid numbers at AAA. Probably gets 3rd base at Norfolk because we have no other depth.
I don't know what they see in Florimon. He might be able to be the SS at Norfolk.
My dream 2012 rotation: Yu Darvish, Chien-Ming-Wang, Britton, Hunter, Arrieta.
Realistic 2012 rotation: Free Agent, Guthrie, Britton, Hunter, Arrieta
2012 bullpen: Johnson, Strop, Simon, Gregg, Patton, Phillips, Eyre, Tillman/Berken.

[j.q. higgins]

totally agree w/ accardo, viola, izturis, vlad and jak

does anyone see a need to keep tatum? i would love to just throw caleb joseph out there next year

i actually kind of like florimon

[ofahn]

i would love to just throw caleb joseph out there next year

He hasn't played above AA yet.

[OriolesRedskins28]

I would drop Rapada because Z Phillips could do the same thing and possibly be able to get rightys out as well. And he's cheap!

[j.q. higgins]

i would love to just throw caleb joseph out there next year

He hasn't played above AA yet.

but he's spent two seasons there. i guess i'd wonder if his bat is what it is at this point and if he could possibly be any worse than tatum behind the dish.

[ofahn]

If the Orioles were actually considering Joseph for the backup catcher position this spring he would almost certainly be playing in the AFL right now.

[Jordan Tuwiner]

i would love to just throw caleb joseph out there next year

He hasn't played above AA yet.

but he's spent two seasons there. i guess i'd wonder if his bat is what it is at this point and if he could possibly be any worse than tatum behind the dish.

You don't think Tatum's solid behind the plate?