Bonus move – A legitimate push at Lance Lynn

OK, now this has taken an ugly turn from a writer posing as a GM to a writer posing as a ticked-off and unsatisfied fan. Remember, I created this list under the premise the Orioles aren’t spending exorbitantly this offseason. I work in reality, and try to stay there, and so I’m not spending Orioles’ money that I know they won’t spend. But what if adding Lynn no longer qualifies as exorbitant? From what I’ve read in comment sections these past weeks, most fans believe this offseason is an unmitigated disaster unless the Orioles get one of the three best starting pitchers still on the market: Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. The Orioles have not pursued Arrieta or Cobb with any seriousness at all. And I don’t expect they will based on what the eventual cost will be. But the thought is one of that trio will end up having to settle for an undermarket deal. If it is Lynn, well, at least the Orioles have kept tabs on him occasionally this offseason. I have no idea what it would cost to land the 30-year-old right-hander who was 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals. Mlbtraderumors.com initially predicted that Lynn would get four years and $56 million (the prediction for Arrieta was four years and $100 million and for Cobb, four years and $48 million). Those projections all seem high given that it is late February. I don’t see all of them landing four-years deals now, something the Orioles are set against anyway. But what if Lynn’s demands dropped to three years and was more affordable per year? I’d take that shot in a heartbeat and not worry about a lost draft pick (same goes for Arrieta and Cobb, I just think they are less realistic options given the Orioles interest this offseason). Unlike many fans, I’m not disregarding Tillman and Cashner. They were solid pickups. But even with those two, the rotation is still not nearly as good as most legitimate competitors in the American League. Lynn would get them closer. And you’d still have some depth in the minors in case someone gets hurt.

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