TT: Silence of Ownership is Deafening

[tntoriole]

10 hours ago, bpilktree said:

I see no point in making statements to the fans.  Will that change peoples ideas?  No Those that are always pessimistic and doom of the franchise will either say see I told you they won’t make the smart move if it is one they want will say yeah right I’ll believe it when I see it they are always just talking and won’t do it.  Those that are positive will like the move andthink the team will turn it uaround quicker then it will be or if is a move they don’t like say well let’s see what he does with his move.   During the trade deadline names were leaked who we might get the the optimistic people thought we would get this huge haul, the passmistic people said we get junk and the front office can’t do anything or won’t make a single trade.  In the end the leaks meant nothing and we got in the middle not an amazing return but also made some moves that brought some young guys that could help in future.  

 

I guess I think differently about why you communicate with your customers.  You are not trying to "change peoples ideas."   You are trying to build interest in your product.  And whether we agree or disagree with whatever moves are made, all fans want MORE information.   I do not see marketing as putting out information to ask fans what to do...I see it as keeping your product viable.   Us pessimists have bought lots of tickets over the years too...lol. 

[Mondo Trasho]

2 hours ago, thezeroes said:

Not singling you out, but this statement has/was made by the pessimist group on here for every Free Agent that the Orioles missed on.  As with any signing that is not through a draft, the players get to make the choice not those doing the courting.  They did not want to come here.

Difference being that they specifically traded for the slot money (supposedly), and it's money that has an expiration date (unlike spending money on free agents).

Now, if they had just been honest and said they didn't want to pay Gausman and O'day those big salaries and needed to dump the contracts, I'd have been ok with that.

[thezeroes]

5 minutes ago, Mondo Trasho said:

Difference being that they specifically traded for the slot money (supposedly), and it's money that has an expiration date (unlike spending money on free agents).

Now, if they had just been honest and said they didn't want to pay Gausman and O'day those big salaries and needed to dump the contracts, I'd have been ok with that.

Why would any management team of any team in any sport admit to doing that??? 

Why would the Fan Base need to know that???

The slot money expiration date is June 15 2019.  That make all the players from now until then on the International front available to the Orioles first since they have the most $$$ remaining.  Too say they are not spending this money or using it needs time to have this years International Free Agent period expire before making such a statement.  June 15 is also the Amateur Draft in the US.  They may still trade the slotting money for competitive balance draft picks if any of the other nine teams that get those picks would rather spend on the international front.

[Mondo Trasho]

3 minutes ago, thezeroes said:

Why would any management team of any team in any sport admit to doing that??? 

Why would the Fan Base need to know that???

The slot money expiration date is June 15 2019.  That make all the players from now until then on the International front available to the Orioles first since they have the most $$$ remaining.  Too say they are not spending this money or using it needs time to have this years International Free Agent period expire before making such a statement.  June 15 is also the Amateur Draft in the US.  They may still trade the slotting money for competitive balance draft picks if any of the other nine teams that get those picks would rather spend on the international front.

Obviously no one is going to outright say it, but when trades are made most of the time it's clear what's going on. Especially when it's a team needing to rebuild and they trade two players away with high salary numbers. In this case, it was indicated that the intent was to make a fairly big play for the international players available this year. It does not appear that they did so. Which is fine in and of itself, but it is not akin to not winning out on some free agent. They traded an asset (Gausman) that could have netted a better return, and they spent valuable scouting time and money (probably) on looking at the Mesas and Gaston. Those are all costs that didn't have to be incurred.

Now, will they use the money before the deadline next year? Maybe. I don't know. I'm neutral on that question. What I will say is that this franchise does not appear to be big on strategic thinking. Been that way for most of my life.

[pastorfan]

18 hours ago, Dark Helmet said:

Roch said a little while ago that they have interviewed people and the general feeling was they knew who that person would be and they are surprised no announcement has been made. Said maybe they are waiting until after the World Series. I'm assuming that guy would be Ben Cherington. 

Poor Roch. Could anyone have a worse organization to have to cover. And he can't even be critical of them and keep his job.

[Frobby]

52 minutes ago, Mondo Trasho said:

Difference being that they specifically traded for the slot money (supposedly), and it's money that has an expiration date (unlike spending money on free agents).

Now, if they had just been honest and said they didn't want to pay Gausman and O'day those big salaries and needed to dump the contracts, I'd have been ok with that.

I don’t remember any team representative commenting on the slot money in any significant way.   Reading Duquette’s comments, he said:

Quote

[W]hen you start the teardown, you have to reinvest the resources to build it back up,   Today, we freed up some major league payroll and also acquired some international bonus slots, so that allows us to reinvest that in the infrastructure, the people, the technology, the recruiting players and making the team competitive...

https://www.google.com/amp/www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-trade-20180801-story,amp.html

[Mondo Trasho]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I don’t remember any team representative commenting on the slot money in any significant way.   Reading Duquette’s comments, he said:

 

And yet there was a lot of talk about the O's trying to make a big play in the international market. Pure speculation with no basis in fact? Maybe. Probably. I don't know. It sure looks like there isn't a lot of strategic planning going on.

I actually don't think they owe anyone an explanation right now. But if they haven't hired anyone by this time next year, I think that would be a very bad sign.

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Mondo Trasho said:

And yet there was a lot of talk about the O's trying to make a big play in the international market. Pure speculation with no basis in fact? Maybe. Probably. I don't know. It sure looks like there isn't a lot of strategic planning going on.

I actually don't think they owe anyone an explanation right now. But if they haven't hired anyone by this time next month, I think that would be a very bad sign.

Fixed that for you.   They can’t let the team be rudderless very deep into the offseason, with all the work there is to do.

[Dark Helmet]

48 minutes ago, pastorfan said:

Poor Roch. Could anyone have a worse organization to have to cover. And he can't even be critical of them and keep his job.

It was kind of sad listening to him defend the Orioles unwillingness to go any higher on the Mesas or Gaston because of budget restraints...then failing to mention they unloaded a ton of salary to obtain that pool money...have alot coming off the books...and we're outbid by two of the teams that spend the least in MLB.

I'm not upset about the Mesa brothers. They are over-hyped imo. But the Rays know pitching talent, and to not take a $3m risk on a 16 year old that throws close to a 100mph is pretty unexplainable to me. 

[Tony-OH]

19 hours ago, Frobby said:

As much as we are all craving some news and some hirings, I’m not necessarily going to criticize the Angelos family for not being communicative right now.  The team made a statement when the season ended and there’s not much to say beyond that until someone has been hired.   I just hope they’re busy behind the curtain and not just sitting around waiting for the World Series to end.   

Sorry Frobby, I disagree completely. Good owners don't just put out a simple statement and then disappear. Maybe you and others have been groomed into thinking this is how ownership works after so many years with Angelos, but the Angelos brothers had a great opportunity to show they are different then their father. they have failed miserably at doing so.

I'm starting to wonder about the theory that even they don't really know who is in charge or even if the team is in the process of being sold (we can all dream right?). 

Regardless, they have failed their fans and the people that work for them wit this deafening silence.

 

[Tony-OH]

18 hours ago, theocean said:

I agree. I don't understand why everyone here feels entitled to an update from the Front Office. The season ended less than a month ago. They released a statement at the end of the season. Let's give them a minute. Yeeesh.

Sorry, but this is a very short-sighted statement. The Angelos brothers spent all summer quiet as a mouse on Duquette and Buck. The only communication we ever got was a statement from the Orioles about Buck and Dan, but even then I'n not sure it was signed by the brothers was it? 

They have shown consistent behavior of not communicating to the fans which is exactly how their father ran things. They very well may be working on things and have some people targetted, but it's not a smart idea to keep the fans and the people who work for them in the dark. 

[TonySoprano]

6 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Sorry Frobby, I disagree completely. Good owners don't just put out a simple statement and then disappear. Maybe you and others have been groomed into thinking this is how ownership works after so many years with Angelos, but the Angelos brothers had a great opportunity to show they are different then their father. they have failed miserably at doing so.

I'm starting to wonder about the theory that even they don't really know who is in charge or even if the team is in the process of being sold (we can all dream right?). 

Regardless, they have failed their fans and the people that work for them wit this deafening silence.

 

 I agree that they should've put out a statement, but, as I stated in another thread, I assume (possibly wrongly) they didn't want to publicize their father's situation.  The Mets are currently interviewing people for a similar position, but maybe I missed a formal statement from them on it while the process is ongoing.  If we're still having this discussion in another 2-3 weeks, then I'll come around to your position and be concerned.  Maybe you're ahead of the curve.

[Tony-OH]

18 hours ago, LookitsPuck said:

Not really deafening to me. It's during the World Series. They're being more secretive of the hiring process, which makes sense if you're hiring multiple very important roles. Ideally there'd be no leaks at a company. Reminds me back of MacPhail's tenure. Duquette leaked like woah. 

Hate to break to you, Duquette was not the leak, it was Buck. Buck played the local media like a fiddle which is why they refused to even question him about anything or follow up on any of his comments. Duquette's problem was his inability to use the media to his advantage. 

We're also not talking about just during the Series, stop being dense.

[Dark Helmet]

26 minutes ago, TonySoprano said:

 I agree that they should've put out a statement, but, as I stated in another thread, I assume (maybe wrongly) they didn't want to publicize their father's situation.  The Mets are currently interviewing people for a similar position, but maybe I missed a formal statement from them on it while the process is ongoing.  If we're still having this discussion in another 2-3 weeks, then I'll come around to your position and be concerned.  Maybe you're ahead of the curve.

It was reported who the Mets were interviewing and where they are in those interviews. The Orioles have said nothing since it was rumored they were talking to Colletti back in the summer.

[LookitsPuck]

3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Hate to break to you, Duquette was not the leak, it was Buck. Buck played the local media like a fiddle which is why they refused to even question him about anything or follow up on any of his comments. Duquette's problem was his inability to use the media to his advantage. 

We're also not talking about just during the Series, stop being dense.

Duquette's problem is he leaked *and* he was awkward as all get out. His theatrics during the Dexter Fowler debacle spoke volumes. That wasn't Buck.

My point is the organization came out and said they're looking for executives outside the organization...and for multiple. They don't owe anybody anything at this point. It's still early. It's during the World Series. It'd be different if it was February. It's not.

I'm not being dense and I don't think that was called for. But then again, it's just Tony being Tony.