Two part Melewski interview with AM about international operations.

[El Gordo]

You and me both.

This organizations inability to sign relievers is very disturbing. I know they're a viable bunch, but why is it that we can't find any consistency? Uehara was signed as a starting pitcher, and now he's having success/health because he's back in the role that he's used to (i.e. relief). Johnson is being overworked right now, but he's been pretty darn reliable/solid this year and past. But aside from them, what gives?

Also, I'm not faulting the D-Lee signing entirely, there wasn't much out there and I still think he was the best option [aside from us just missing out on VMart]. That said, who is suggesting to MacPhail to sign guys like Atkins, Vlad, etc.

Vlad was PA IMO. I think AM would have stuck with the 5M offer on his own. Atkins, Gonzo, and Gregg, are real head scratchers for me, especially with the loss of picks..

[Frobby]

You and me both.

This organizations inability to sign relievers is very disturbing. I know they're a viable bunch, but why is it that we can't find any consistency? Uehara was signed as a starting pitcher, and now he's having success/health because he's back in the role that he's used to (i.e. relief). Johnson is being overworked right now, but he's been pretty darn reliable/solid this year and past. But aside from them, what gives?

Also, I'm not faulting the D-Lee signing entirely, there wasn't much out there and I still think he was the best option [aside from us just missing out on VMart]. That said, who is suggesting to MacPhail to sign guys like Atkins, Vlad, etc.

Uehara was a starter for almost his entire career in Japan. It's wrong to say that being a reliever is "the role that he's used to."

Kevin Gregg is pitching about as we should have expected. He has a career ERA of 4.00, and 3.51 last year; this year he is at 3.41. He has been a durable guy, and isn't that old for a reliever. You can question the amount we are paying him, and whether he should be the closer, but he is a solid guy to have in the bullpen.

[DrungoHazewood]

Baseball has become a joke when it comes to having an even playing field but my real fear is even if it was even, the Orioles wouldn't do enough to be good in that environment as well.

Amateur acqusitions and the international market is actually a very level playing field. The Pirates and Rays and other teams spend as much or more on signing and developing amateurs as the Yanks or Sox. While we can legitimately complain that the O's have the field slanted against them, they're paying out nearly $100M in major league salaries this year, while no team in the history of MLB has ever paid $30M in a year for amateur acquistions, and most don't spend $10M.

I think it's fairly obvious that the O's most direct path to competition, and one that a lot of teams have already started down long ago, is to spend less on payroll and more on amateur talent. And a substantial amount on international players who aren't going to work out at the same rate as Rule 4 guys, but who can be signed with no limits - you might only get one out of 10 DR prospects to make the majors, but there's nothing stopping you from signing 300 of them. With Rule 4, especially without compensation picks, you're facing a fairly hard limit on the quantity of talent you can bring in.

[El Gordo]

Amateur acqusitions and the international market is actually a very level playing field. The Pirates and Rays and other teams spend as much or more on signing and developing amateurs as the Yanks or Sox. While we can legitimately complain that the O's have the field slanted against them, they're paying out nearly $100M in major league salaries this year, while no team in the history of MLB has ever paid $30M in a year for amateur acquistions, and most don't spend $10M.

I think it's fairly obvious that the O's most direct path to competition, and one that a lot of teams have already started down long ago, is to spend less on payroll and more on amateur talent. And a substantial amount on international players who aren't going to work out at the same rate as Rule 4 guys, but who can be signed with no limits - you might only get one out of 10 DR prospects to make the majors, but there's nothing stopping you from signing 300 of them. With Rule 4, especially without compensation picks, you're facing a fairly hard limit on the quantity of talent you can bring in.

I would agree with this and as long as we seem willing to spend 5 M per on the likes of Gonzo, Atkins, and Gregg and lose picks in the bargain. why is it so wastefull to spend 5M per as the MFY's do on international players? We certainly don't have to, and shouldn't, dump it all on one guy whether its a FA RP or a 16YO DR kid.