Pickles

Do you feel as if we've been hard hit by injuries in the MiLs this year? I haven't felt that way. You certainly have followed our MiLs closely enough for many years that you could certainly at least compare it across the years.

Negative developmental stories are always going to be the worst parts of a rebuild, because they're what actually matters. There have been a lot of real positive stories this year too.

Well, that's my point. How many years? Because my point is the sample size still remains too small to make many determining assessments.

He's not blind. He's just fringe.

Oh, I totally forgot why I came here. Stewart hit a solid dong tonight. He also Kd badly. But I was crapping on him all day, so I gotta come and give him his due.

The first paragraph I very much agree with. The bolded I very much disagree with. Here's something to think about. (I'm waiting to read Frobby's draft analysis so I can rip it apart with my poo-house lawyering.) The Orioles in 1965 were basically about the best run franchise in MLB. They were historically famous for their amateur acquisition and development. The draft was initiated in that year from the old "Bonus Baby" system. They were about to go on a 20 year run as the winningest team in MLB. And yet, look at these drafts! 1965: Total WAR: (-) 2 Best Player: Charlie Sands (Career WAR 0.5) 1966: Total WAR: 1.7 Best Player: Terry Crowley (Career WAR 2.4) So yeah, two drafts! And negative WAR in total! tHe oRiOlE wAy!!! tHeSe gUyS dOnT kNoW wHaT tHeY'rE dOiNg!!! 1967: Total WAR: 98.5 Best Player: Bobby Grich (Career WAR 71)\ Notable: Don Baylor (Career WAR 28.5) Unsigned: Doug Rau (Career WAR 12.6) So what happened? Life is more random than we want to admit. You can make all the right decisions, boys. You still won't make it out alive.

I will say, you have written before about Price. Well, we'll see what he goes for in the off-season, but I think it is more than you have suggested. But forget that. Should the O's get Price if it cost them no talent? Money is not infinite. Even if the O's only spend 5 mil of the 16 mil they "save" by not employing Price in the amateur draft and international free agent pool, isn't that probably worth it for a rebuilding team? What exactly is the cutoff in that exchange? You've said recently, "There's no reason you can do it all." Well, yes there is. Resources are not infinite. Life is a series of choices- prioritizing one path or the other.

Ok, so GOING FORWARD, which really doesn't require using data points from NOW, let us focus the conversation. I personally would like us to not lose one hundred games, next year. Davis still on the book next year. I don't expect a big increase in payroll next year. I honestly expect a team next similar to this year's team. With the addition of 2 top 10 global prospects, injected at various points in the season. That's pretty exciting to me. I think despite as bad as the ML team has been- and its hard to get true straight line comps cause of the shortened seasons- getting better.

Oh, don't get me wrong, he's a great example of organizational dysfunction. Just pointing out that in a haystack of crap, even one big turd doesn't explain the pile.

Manny should have been extended after year 3 or so, like Adam Jones, and he would have been a real nice trade chip for the rebuild. After we didn't extend him then, it was over. But it is important to note, even extending Manny would have done little to improve the 2021 team's fortunes. Unless, you didn't trade him, which common-sense would dictate you should.

I'd like to revisit the logic of this quote. You think the Orioles are so incompetent that no matter how much money they spent they would fail to improve their team. And yet at the same time you demand the Orioles spend more money to improve the team. That isn't a very good argument.

LOL. Me: What could Elias' realistically have done since he was hired to avoid the dumpster fire that is the ML club? You: Well, if you let me get in a time machine and go back to two years before he was hired- five years ago from now- I would have made different moves which would have avoided this dumpster fire. Me: Why are we talking about the past? You: Why are we talking about the past?

Manny and Britton were both traded before Nov 2018. We're all tired of critiquing DD and Buck. And that's all you're doing; is relitigating the past. The decisions made in 2016 were made. As they were. And we are living with them now one way or another.

Well, I agree with you there. If you want to win 64 games this year, having Schoop at 2nd instead of this flotsam is a pretty economical way to do it.

Sure. Not enough changes to make this team good in that time frame.

And isn't that the thing so many of us have told you: We stink in 2021 because of decisions made in 2016. This isn't rocket science. We all understand. We have to dig ourselves out of a hole. You should have bitched more when they gave Schoop and Gausman away as salary dumps. I would have been on-board. Instead of just bored.

Ok, so why do we need to keep harping on BS you would have done in 2016 in 2021?

Of course. They own the money.

Well, I asked you 6 pages ago what's the plan from Nov 18 to right now looking like where we pick up all of these easy ML victories just there for the picking?

Again, that should suggest the extreme importance of even relatively "small" money.

Yes.

Yes. Because isn't this team plus "those guys" basically what you're arguing for now?

There was some talent in the farm system that Elias inherited, but it was mostly very young, and most of the biggest names haven't even reached the MLs. It really SHOULD lend credence to the appreciation of how long a thing like this takes. Also, don't underestimate the morale aspect of Davis' contract for the other players on the team. That kind of thing can tear a team apart, and in- perhaps coincidentally- seemed to correspond to the collapse of that team.

Bingo.

Hell, the scouting side for that matter? The ML coaching staff?