I'm really hoping the O's go hard after Shields during FA.

I'd love that, but there's really no way he's going to be a FA.

You think TB is going to spend that much on him with all the pitching they have?

$7.5 million?  Yeah, I think they're going to.  At the very least they'll pick up his option and then trade him.  They're not going to let him walk when he's obviously worth far more than that on the open market.

I didn't realize he had an option. The talking heads the other night said he was a FA this off-season...morons.

He's got a $12 million option with a $1 million buyout for 2014 as well.  I could see the Rays not picking that up with their budget, but it makes him an even stronger trade chip.  2 years of Shields at a total of $21 million is a bargain in today's market.  I'd definitely rather have Shields than Greinke, and Greinke's gonna get a lot more than that.  Which goes back to my point that I wouldn't be shocked at all to see TB pick up his option and then trade him to a bigger market, but I'd be really surprised to see them decline the option and let him go into FA without getting anything significant back.  Particularly now that they redid the Type A/Type B compensation stuff, so TB doesn't have as much potential reward in terms of picks as they would have last offseason.

If TB would take a package that didn't involve Bundy or Machado I'd love to trade for Shields.  I'd probably send them Gausman, although I'd rather not have to do that either...

I'd send them Arrieta, Britton and Reynolds for Shields.

If you don't think you'd have to blow them away to get him in the same division, you're not thinkiing.    Don't act like Red Sux fans in that you think your scraps are worth stars.

Example:

I'd trade them A-Rod for Shields.   A-Rod is a futue Hall of Famer!!!

So you're saying A-Rod is equivalent to Arrieta, Britton and Reynolds? Clearly you're the one who's not thinking

I'm thinking Tampa spits at both of us for even suggesting either deal.

Arrieta and Britton are likely your two worst "regular" pitchers.   Both have a couple of seasons work behind them.   Nothing is impressive about them.   Reynolds is Reynolds.   You know you get some bombs and some strikeouts.   TB had a guy named Pena who did that.   They let him go to Chicago when he wanted good money to do it.   My guess is Reynolds isn't arb-el these days.

As i said, BoSox-level retard to throw names like that out.

Ya, but usually when someone says 'for example', the example is comparable. I'd take any one of the players I mentioned over ARod at this point.

Well, I wouldn't.   But that's probably just homerism speaking for both of us.

I'd have to think that if the deal for Shields didn't involve Machado, Bundy, or Gausman it would have to involve Hoes and/or Schoop, probably and.  Maybe a package of Hoes, Schoop, and either Delmonico or Esposito would do it.  Most likely they'd want a pitcher back, though, and it would probably have to be Gausman.  I mean, who is the next-best pitcher in the system?  Parker Bridwell?  19 year old Eduardo Rodriguez?  Michael Belfiore pitched really well in AA last year, but he's 24.  He should pitch well in AA.  Maybe a guy like Britton still has some residual trade value, who knows.  Bad seasons from most of our last crop of pitching prospects really make it tough to trade with any of them.