How would YOU fix/improve the Orioles, going forward?

[Mizerooskie]

It's all been said before, but:

1- Trade Guthrie and Scott (and Lee and Vlad) if you can get top-5 prospects (preferably position players) for them.

2- Invest a bunch of money in the draft and international market from hereon

3- Draft as many power arms as you can going forward

4- Find a big bat.

5- No more high-priced FA relievers.

When you look at the various areas of the team, they're a big bat and a bullpen from being contenders. They don't need to start the rebuild over again. That's ridiculous.

The makings are there for a possibly elite rotation, and they've got several other very promising arms in the system (Bundy, Klein, Berry)

They'll be fine in CF and RF when Markakis and Jones play to their capability. Wieters will be one of the best catchers in baseball for the next decade. I think Hardy can be an excellent SS for the next 5 years.

It;s not nearly as bad as it seems after the last two losses. They're close. Lucking into drafting a healthy Anthony Rendon could be huge. Look at the impact Longoria had on the Rays.

[jabba72]

Blow it up. Trade away any veterans you can get a good package for. We have to start the rebuilding process all over again.

Besides Guthrie and possibly Markakis, there isnt a whole lot to blow up. If we let Guthrie go after '12 that will give us a 1st rounder so we can draft our own prospect. Same thing if we offer Vlad arb. this year.

[VAB2110]

If Vlad couldn't bring a draft pick after 115 RBI last year, I don't think he'll bring one after this season so they might as well deal him at the deadline. Deal Scott as well at the deadline. I would listen to offers for Markakis and Guthrie next offseason but the return would have to be great. Only so much can be done with trades and free agency. The only real answer to stop this interminable losing is drafting and developing better. And they're going to have to learn how to play in the international market as well.

[Guest IRemember70]

No more FAs, that just doesn't work. I noticed Nick paid close attention to Nolan's ABs today. I think I know why. Nolan should have never gone to AAA.

We played great baseball at the end of last season, I personally thought the only good thing we did was acquire Hardy.

No more losing draft picks.

I'd shop Koji, DLee, Vlad, Reynolds, Gregg, Gonzo, Fox and Izzy and wouldn't care if I got nothing but AAA prospects. Time to try team building and quit listening to fans screaming for them to sign another FA. It has to start with the farm system and giving players opportunities. Funny how veteran FAs with 'track records' don't get moved down in the order, but a 25 yo gets a few ABs and then sent back to AAA. I'm sick of it.

They have a GREAT core, but if they keep up the crap, they won't be able to keep any of them. And they'll all do better (more motivated) on a team that has it together (Tampa knows what they are doing).

You can't make a great fielder out of a bad fielder. If you have a good hitting prospect struggling at secondbase, find somewhere he can succeed. If you can't find someplace, shop him. Draft fielders up the middle. You think Davey Johnson and Mark Belanger hit the cover off the ball? You have to have an idea of what you want and quit screwing around with those that don't fit the mold.

Nick would bat third, I'd try anyone who can run ahead of him. I hate seeing Jones on first with Vlad on second, this makes no sense to me.

[crowmst3k!]

Trade Jeremy Guthrie (Love him, but if value is available, get it.) Trade Luke Scott (for value, not salary release). Play Reimold in left everyday. Trade Lee when his value is high, unless he is working toward type-B status.

Really go nuts signing hyped Dominican prospects (O's lack a sheer volume of rule 4 picks...why not try to close the gap?)

Draft a high-end college arm in the rule 4 with the first pick. Go for BPA with the rest.

Try and acquire some frickin relievers via trades.

That's all I got.

[3 o's bro's]

I might get slammed for this but... Trade Brian Roberts. He has been the one good thing to watch the past few years but I think he may need a change of scenary, not to quote Tejada. The orioles may need a change from him as well, he has never been a "winner". Maybe I am just jaded. Anyone agree we should trade him?

[Steve I]

Trade Jeremy Guthrie (Love him, but if value is available, get it.) Trade Luke Scott (for value, not salary release). Play Reimold in left everyday. Trade Lee when his value is high, unless he is working toward type-B status.

Really go nuts signing hyped Dominican prospects (O's lack a sheer volume of rule 4 picks...why not try to close the gap?)

Draft a high-end college arm in the rule 4 with the first pick. Go for BPA with the rest.

Try and acquire some frickin relievers via trades.

That's all I got.

Read an article about how relievers are a crap shoot and paying for them after a good year is a fool's bargain. I can't recall where the article was printed. It was a decent read. Highlighted how the Rays allow their FA relievers to go. Not sure it is worthwhile to trade for relievers.

[clapdiddy]

I might get slammed for this but... Trade Brian Roberts. He has been the one good thing to watch the past few years but I think he may need a change of scenary' date=' not to quote Tejada. The orioles may need a change from him as well, he has never been a "winner". Maybe I am just jaded. Anyone agree we should trade him?[/quote']

I would have no problem with this, but with his injury history, it's going to be tough to find a taker for him right now. Plus, I'd doubt that Angelos would let one of his "faces of the franchise" go.

I love Brian Roberts when he's healthy, but he's been pretty bad since the first week of the season.

[Sports Guy]

First of all, you have to totally revamp your whole way of doing things.

International and domestic scouting needs to be re-done(or enhanced). You need to try and bring in the best scouts and development people you can, offering them huge pay raises from their current jobs if needs be.

You need to spend money internationally...Spend 15-20 million a year on International and domestic talent.

We aren't going anywhere long term unless you really increase the talent level of the organization AND develop it properly.

As for the ML team, you need to stop wasting away draft picks to sign middling, crap FAs. You need to stop spending so much on mediocre BP pitchers.

You need to realize where you are on the AL East food chain, be honest with where you are as a franchise and realize that you must trade off guys like Guthrie and bring in as much talent as you can.

As I have said, this team is 2-3 offensive players, 2 BP pitchers and 1 TOR starter away from truly contending...that is a lot. That is miles away from contention at this point.

Trade as many of these vets as you can, build up the system as much as possible and go into the offseason with a lot of young talent and a lot of money to be able to manuever easily.

[wildcard]

So, the O's are 3 out in the loss column for the wild card in late May and that is proof they can't contend?

Matusz is about to join the rotation. The O's just promoted a first round draft choice and 2 second rounders.

Other teams in the League have problems too.

Let's wait and see what happens before pushing the panic button.

[Sports Guy]

So, the O's are 3 out in the loss column for the wild card in late May and that is proof they can't contend?

Matusz is about to join the rotation. The O's just promoted a first round draft choice and 2 second rounders.

Other teams in the League have problems too.

Let's wait and see what happens before pushing the panic button.

While you do that the rest of us will operate in reality.

[Fan4Life]

First of all, you have to totally revamp your whole way of doing things.

International and domestic scouting needs to be re-done(or enhanced). You need to try and bring in the best scouts and development people you can, offering them huge pay raises from their current jobs if needs be.

You need to spend money internationally...Spend 15-20 million a year on International and domestic talent.

We aren't going anywhere long term unless you really increase the talent level of the organization AND develop it properly.

As for the ML team, you need to stop wasting away draft picks to sign middling, crap FAs. You need to stop spending so much on mediocre BP pitchers.

You need to realize where you are on the AL East food chain, be honest with where you are as a franchise and realize that you must trade off guys like Guthrie and bring in as much talent as you can.

As I have said, this team is 2-3 offensive players, 2 BP pitchers and 1 TOR starter away from truly contending...that is a lot. That is miles away from contention at this point.

Trade as many of these vets as you can, build up the system as much as possible and go into the offseason with a lot of young talent and a lot of money to be able to manuever easily.

I agree with all of this although getting value back for what few assets we have isn't as easy to do as it is to say. I think we need to establish a particular type of pitcher we want in our system. One that has the ability to throw at least 3-4 pitches for strikes. A breaking pitch of some kind, a changeup and obviously the fastball/sinker. I'm not sure if there are some features among pitchers that throw these pitches more easily than others, IE.. hand size, length of fingers etc etc, but I would think it's known what physical features make it mechanically easier to throw the pitches I mentioned. We should target these types of pitchers and groom them from the bottom throwing/learning to throw 3-4 pitches.

[now]

While you do that the rest of us will operate in reality.

Speak for yourself.

How is 3 losses out of first (this past week, say) after a quarter of the season not "reality"?

And that with (as usual) no one overachieving (unless you argue Britton) and our likely best pitcher yet to join the team?

To increase the sample size, how about adding the last third of last season? (with even less of the improvements you require)?

[JTrea81]

Send Andy MacPhail packing and steal Brian Cashman from the Yankees

Sign Prince Fielder to a 7/175 contract

Sign Jose Reyes to a 5/90 contract - start him at SS in 2012-2013 and move him to 2B to take over for Roberts in 2014 when Machado is ready. In the meantime he can take over leadoff duties when Roberts is on the shelf in the final two years of his deal.

Those would be the three key moves of the offseason, with other moves such as a #3 starter, DH, 4th OFer and bullpen help to be made. But Cashman, Fielder and Reyes would make a statement and would be key components to the competitive Orioles teams of 2012-2015.

I have no doubt Cashman will also put an emphasis on international signings and won't be afraid to deal with the buscones to get the top talent so international amatuer scouting would be ramped up significantly in Latin America.

Look to try to steal scouts and coaches from organizations like the Rangers, Blue Jays and Red Sox that have found and developed lots of young talent and Cashman could probably lure some Yankees FO and scouting talent with him.

[DrungoHazewood]

Short term: Don't do much. Wait for Matusz to return, move a current starter to the pen. Move Gregg to lower-leverage situations. Release Rapada.

At the deadline: Trade any of the veterans you can get a good return on, unless they're still in contention. I think you have to push to be a buyer, or at least hold serve, if you're within ~5 games in July. Worst case you get some picks for Hardy, Vlad, etc. That may be as much value as you'd get out of them in a trade for two months of their services. Scott and Guthrie - it's all in what MacPhail can get in return.

Long term: Paradigm shift in the international market, much more scouting and investment. Look for more Ueharas - Japanese starters turned relievers. But also stay far away from most mid-range free agents, especially relievers. Find your relievers in pools of failed major league starters and adequate AAA starters. Much more from the Uehara, JJ, and yes even the Berken mold, no more of the Baez, Gregg, DeJean, Walker, Bradford model. Almost everyone's ROI on free agent relievers just sucks.

I think the O's went into 2011 hoping some on-field success would bring in a little more revenue, and bring some respect that might help lure talent here. That can't change now, not before Memorial Day, four games out of first place. If they're 10 games out in July, look to sell, but otherwise, you have to go for it. 2012 might be ugly in any case so you might as well hold out slim hope for a miracle run.