Orioles West

My wife and I are finally headed back to Sarasota - and as much as I’m there to see the O’s, we really like the area quite a bit. A lot to explore, but I think the OH thread Frobby linked to is a good place to start.

Same. It looks a little weird with the collision of two different looks and decades, but I’ll give it a try.

Very interesting stuff. I have to think Rubenstein and crew have done or are doing their due diligence on the best way to move forward (with or without the Nats — or with or without MASN).

The first advantage seems to be dwindling with the shrinking cable market. The second advantage is worth fighting for, and I understand that. I know Peter Angelos has well earned the ire of O's fans, but his insistence of equal rights fees after MLB parks the Nats in our back yard is the least the league could do. So when Manfred is suggesting the Nats leave MASN, I hope he is including the idea of keeping the equal rights fees clause of the original agreement in any new agreement.

Based on the financial losses and the lawsuit settlement math — maybe MLB Commish Manfred is on to something regarding the Nats move on and find/build their own RSN or TV rights package, allowing the O’s sole possession of MASN? For every team outside of the Yankees and Dodgers this particular revenue stream appears to be vanishing far faster than the most dire predictions.

This thread is why it’s great to have more time to hang in the Hangout. This is truly my tribe. A thread on a player that pulls on both sides of the political spectrum and yet, the primary focus of this thread wanders but falls back to what it should be — whether adding Bauer to the team would be more helpful or hurtful. Everything from legal aspects, to asking some questions about whether his pitching is worth the potential controversy. All the bases literally covered here. Personally, I’ve changed my own mind about wanting to give Bauer a chance or not about half a dozen times during the Hot Stove season. No such thing as too much pitching, but these O’s are building a particular teamwork vibe, that I hope continues into this season. Bauer may or may not fit that. I think this ultimately leaves me in Camp Frobby. I’ll defer to Elias and his info on the guy to decide to bring him on board or not.

I guess I'm not one of the fans who elevated Brady to super villain status. I understand folks have issues with Anderson, I get it. In a limited cheerleader role, I would be okay with it.

I guess I didn't realize there was so much blowback with Frazier last year. I understand some of the vitriol, but I think he helped just enough to be that extra veteran gap filler last year and I'm glad the younger guys get more opportunities this season.

Scotty McGregor! Another favorite. Man - that's some memories for old dude fan like me. Always glad to see Eddie being invited back to throw some wisdom around too.

I agree, I don’t see it going up — but I can see them holding on to their current demands for as long as possible. If he starts strong that helps, if he starts slow, then being unreasonable now will bite them. And I suppose if he gets hurt, then the high price they have been asking definitely backfires.

I think it’s purposefully unreasonable. Pitching is always a premium and supply will get shorter as the season moves along and they feel like they will eventually get their price. It could backfire, or they slightly loosen up their demands and finally move Cease.

I like the reminder of all the wackiness from last season and the subsequent photo of puppies — so a decent start to the thread. I agree. It’s baseball and things rarely turn out as planned. I would also add the additional wild card of the new ownership group jumping in this year along the way. I don’t think the new bosses will be an endless pool of resources, but I’ll bet they’ll be at least slightly more helpful when building and maintaining the roster.

I don’t know that Elias has made a blunder….yet. He’s known about the Bradish injury for a while and I trust he’ll find some pitching depth. I do wonder if some possibilities are on hold until the new ownership is approved.

I voted for that optimistic All-Star Break scenario and a hope he beats the odds and helps the team for the second half. Elias seems more optimistic than I do, because it sure seems like the team should be pushing hard for pitching help instead of sitting back and hoping to make a run with the staff as is.

I was going to start a poll and a thread to go with it titled, "How Panicked Are We?" Complete with art, and passengers from the movie Airplane displaying various levels of panic. I think this thread will suffice as a stand in. And as much as a wanted Dylan Cease over the Hot Stove season, I am not ready to hand over what the ChiSox are asking (which scared all takers away thus far). As much of a bummer as the injury news is, I am going to have to have to rely on the idea that Elias has a plan or two -- and likely keeping the new ownership group in the loop about potential solutions if Bradish does need surgery or Means needs even more time to heal.

Agreed, I am not too worried about Gunnar. I will be there four weeks from now, an extra week later, and hope I get to see him grab a few in game AB’s at Ed Smith.

A very fair point — Burnes at the time looked like the “all in” move for a run in 2024. However, knowing that Means is still a question mark, because they can’t know how much work he will need until he starts working, and the Bradish hit, I would have thought Elias would still be looking for at least one more higher end starter. Burnes isn’t the icing on the cake anymore, and he can only start once every four or five days.

Damn. Not the news any O’s fan wants the first week of spring training. Hoping for the best and that we see Kyle be healthy before 2025.

Investment is a word I expected but I kind of wanted to hear something about championships in there.

Those would be my preferences as well, but the O’s have some choices at least.

So the club option is only a negotiation maneuver? Or does Elias want an emergency back up plan for 1B injuries?

One of the only silver linings living away from home in Maryland, is I haven’t had to deal with cable for a while. MLB.TV streams almost every O’s game on MASN and national TV seems to pick up most of the others.

Welcome to Norfolk?

Eh, one less thing the cleaning crews have to deal with — although I can’t imagine it topped the list of unpleasant things to pick up after a game. I don’t chew anymore, but if I did, I would be fine not dipping for the length of a game.

I know the landscape of the RSN’s is drastically changing — but I hope the new Orioles ownership group can find a way to build MASN up enough they can cover spring games in Sarasota again.