oriole

I hate that the Orioles have such a low payroll. I hate that they are clearly intentionally being terrible and actually going out of their way to make sure the team is bad. It’s worth mentioning though that for as ridiculous and offensive it is that the Orioles have basically gamed the system so that whoever has the good fortune to play them will almost be guaranteed a win…it’s equally ridiculous that teams like the Yankees and Dodgers can have payrolls that are so far north of average. That is just as much a stain on the game as what the Orioles are doing IMO. It’s just easier to swallow because everyone loves Yankees/Dodgers hegemony and perpetual playoff appearances. But it’s not a fair game and if the only way for a mid level team to have an extended winning streak not based on luck is to have an orchestrated losing streak then I think everyone in the game needs to just accept it. I don’t expect to hear Joc complain about that one though

I agree with @Can_of_cornon this one. They needed to spend some money. When the league looks at tanking and crazy low pay rolls, who do you think they’re gonna look at? It’s good to have at least one contract on the books that you can point to as evidence you’re not taking advantage of having no payroll floor.

Exactly. They spent money to hopefully eat some innings and protect the bullpen but clearly it’s not an attempt at winning any games. Just keep the bullpen from getting overworked and collect $7 million.

Imagine tracking a long fly ball in left center and not knowing if you’re about to run full speed into a 90 degree corner.

I think we’re in an indefinite rebuild. I’d say we could be a sneaky good team in 2023 if some upper level prospects pan out alright and the organization put some effort in via free agency and trades. I don’t think that’s going to happen though. I think the rebuild lasts til 2026 or later only because there’s been no signs of life from Elias. Until he shows he is actually here to build a major league team then I just assume rebuild while the owners pad their pockets. You’d think I’d just stop watching baseball but I can’t

Why are we assuming he’d be in high demand? He hasn’t proven much, he’s developed a good farm system but he’s done that by going nuclear at the major league level and going out of his way to field an extraordinarily bad team for many years with no end in sight. Honestly, a monkey could do that job. The draft picks have been nice but, IMO, he isn’t that great at that. He consistently drafts under slot and everyone acts like he’s a genius for it. The international focus is more of a positive for the owners willingness to invest rather than Elias. Anyways, all that to say…Elias is overrated if anyone thinks other teams are chomping at the bit to get him on board. I think he stays in Baltimore throughout the rebuild and years of contention.

Bold and stupid can be synonymous with each other. Something I should remind myself as I sit around checking MLBTR every few hours for a signing that I know won’t happen.

As controversial as this would be, I think it’d be cool if Mullins was traded even if Correa is signed. If they could trade Mullins for a couple decent pitching prospects to come up around the same time as Rodriguez and Hall then I feel like that’d be a better starting point for future competitiveness. Hays could play center and hopefully between Stowers, Santander, and McKenna there should be enough depth to where it wouldn’t hurt too bad.

I hate to say it but until he can put up some numbers like he did before they started cracking down on the sticky stuff then I don’t think I totally believe he was as good as he seemed.

When it comes to the Orioles and $300 million contracts…seems pretty definite.

This, coupled with the lack of reports from anywhere else, pretty much confirms that whoever floated this Correa/Orioles rumor is just pushing for more money for Correa. The Orioles very clearly are not going after him. They should be, but they’re most definitely not.

Young players will eventually go through arbitration plus you gotta have some room to supplement with free agents. It’s a legit concern…but the O’s were up there for a stretch and there’s no reason to think they can’t go there again.

I would bet Mateo gets a lot of outfield work too. He could even be our next starting CF if/when Mullins is traded.

If I had to guess the OD IF defense looks like Gutierrez at 3B, Urias at SS, and Odor at 2B. Mateo utility and pinch runner.

If Chapman was traded for and then signed similar to how Atlanta did with Olson then it could have been really cool. Especially if Correa was also signed and the left side would be tight for the future. Good move by Toronto. I hate it.

To be fair, we’ve got no idea what type of deals he is a capable of because he’s barely done anything in that regard. It’s quite possible that the lack of trades of guys like Mancini, Santander, and Fry is linked to bad offers from other teams. Those players aren’t nearly as good or coveted as we want to believe here in Baltimore. His signing of Lyles is pretty suspect considering the money involved but I have feeling he was trying to pull a move that would spend a little money just to say he did while also assuring the team won’t win games. Other than that, there’s nothing substantial to judge him on.

Maybe he was doing a handstand in Ubaldos pothole? Anything to keep him off the big league roster. Gotta rack up those losses! Im kidding mostly

There’s two ways to answer this question. What do I think should happen and what do I think will happen? They should be aiming for 2023 and make an attempt at competitive baseball next off season through free agency, trades, and bringing the prospects up. Maybe 2023 wouldn’t be a playoff appearance but it’s good to have a goal. Just my opinion, but they should be in on Correa because there’s no decent free agent short stops in the near future other than Trea Turner. They should be bringing these prospects up into a culture of actually trying to win instead of straight tanking. Guys like Adley and Rodriguez are going to be debuting with no expectations of delivering actual wins. Maybe it’s semantics in the end but I think it’s a poor attitude. I think they’ll kick the can down the road a few more years. I expect tanking this year, 2023, and possibly 2024. I don’t think they’re in any rush to win and we may be finding ourselves fans of a perpetually rebuilding ball club who would rather decide on game 1 that they’d rather lose as many games as possible than actually try. There are no signs from the front office that the end of the rebuild is near. Maybe in the later half of the Rutschman era will they feign an attempt with some Cobb-like contracts and shrug while feasting on the gas fumes of good Orioles history. Im painting an ugly picture, I know, but Elias has me pessimistic. The real direction is likely somewhere in between my “should” and “will”.

I don’t think most of us really needed cold water. It’s just fun to think about

FWIW PR is a US territory meaning Correa has been an American citizen since birth.

I meant it as in it’d be cool that the Orioles do anything interesting or competitive whatsoever. I also think it’s a good idea and hope it happens for that reason but I can totally understand why someone would disagree with that.

No surprise there. We can all agree it’d be cool though, right?

Admittedly, I’m exaggerating to drive home my point that now is not the time to look for 1-2 year rentals (unless we sign Correa that is ). But bottom 5 is the likely outcome, I agree. And when I say “obscurity” I mean 2023 and 2024 are still likely to be transition years, maybe hovering around .500

We still have 2-3 more years of obscurity unfortunately. Hopefully moving up from worst team in baseball after 2022 but either way…now is the time to trade away major league players. Not give up prospects for players that will be gone by the time the team is competitive again.

Same could be said for Mullins prior to last year