The 'GM' Situation

[BaysoxFan39]

There have been multiple opportunities for the Orioles when the right free agent presented themselves, and MacPhail refused to pull the trigger.

Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday stand out the most as 1B, LF and the #4 spot continue to be issues for this club.

It would be interesting to see what the Braves and Phillies offered for Adam Jones last month.

[mcgraw238]

SG is on a roll in this thread...he's nailed every point. Sadly, the "GM Situation" just doesn't matter to me.

[JTrea81]

Frankly I think Hart just ran off plenty of reasons why he won't be GM of the Orioles, and enough reasons why any sane person wouldn't want to be. "It has to be the right situation." How is this the right situation? How is working for Peter G. Angelos the right situation? It never has been, and it never will be.

Working with Buck to get the team he loves back into the World Series seems to be an ideal situation.

Imagine if you could be credited with returning the Orioles to prominence?

Obviously the checkbook would have to be open, but the Orioles tried it with it closed under MacPhail and it didn't work, so I can see it being opened back up again and a return to 1995-1996.

[Prayin4Reign]

John Hart sounds nothing like Andy MacPhail. Nothing. If Hart were GM and given the reigns to the franchise I think we'd be on a much different course than we presently are...a better one. I don't have any personal disdain for MacPhail I was actually elated when he replaced Flanagan, but his conservative nature has been deafening. He's shown a propensity to make some good trades but he hasn't been aggressive enough at all. His recent comments about international signings are in a word...embarrasing. We're already behind the 8 ball we shouldn't be eliminating any minor league affiliates either.

I thought Trea's posting of Hart's comments were pretty interesting. Baltimore does in fact have much greater resources than a franchise like Tampa...the front office and ownership is not leveraging that though. I used to blame that solely on Angelos but MacPhail took the job and it's his responsibility to sell what needs to be done. In the past Angelos has allocated money to spend on free agents. Alomar, Belle, Tejada, Lopez, Jimmy Key...all of those signings made sense. In 1998 the Orioles had the highest payroll in baseball. With MASN one would think we could support a $100 milliion dollar payroll.

MacPhail either hasn't sold the need for Teixeira type talent to Angelos or he thinks the actions that are being taken are the appropriate ones. Either way he is failing.

[Sports Guy]

Working with Buck to get the team he loves back into the World Series seems to be an ideal situation.

Imagine if you could be credited with returning the Orioles to prominence?

Obviously the checkbook would have to be open, but the Orioles tried it with it closed under MacPhail and it didn't work, so I can see it being opened back up again and a return to 1995-1996.

The payroll under AM is 1 million more than the payroll without him, on average.

You are wrong. Stop saying this. You look dumb.

[JTrea81]

The payroll under AM is 1 million more than the payroll without him, on average.

You are wrong. Stop saying this. You look dumb.

This year the payroll is up. Look at the payroll from 2008-2010 compared to 2007.

MacPhail even said this in his opening remarks in 2007:

The degree of dependence on their farm system probably has direct proportion to how much revenue they have to devote to their major league payroll. So any team, even the New York Yankees is investing a lot in their farm system and doing the best they can, even though they carry a 200 million dollar payroll. Those clubs that have less revenue really have to stress it to the highest extent they possibly can and as a matter of course I think we would as well.

He basically said that we would be extremely dependent on our farm system for talent from day one, meaning we'd have a reduced payroll as a result.

And while the dollar amount may be around the same now, the allocation clearly isn't. MacPhail chose to spend on quantity not quality because he felt the risk would be less, and it always blew up in his face.

[Malike]

I really believe that AM will be back next year. That said, the GM I want isnt the guy or girl who keeps spewing lines about the Rays. The person I want would have made a quote saying something like, I'd blow the entire franchise up, from Rookie ball to the ML level. Coaches, scouts, trainers, they all need replacing. Now, I know nobody would say something along those lines, but if they did I'd want them as the GM of my favorite team! This franchise needs an enema.

[Sports Guy]

This year the payroll is up. Look at the payroll from 2008-2010 compared to 2007.

MacPhail even said this in his opening remarks in 2007:

He basically said that we would be extremely dependent on our farm system for talent from day one, meaning we'd have a reduced payroll as a result.

And while the dollar amount may be around the same now, the allocation clearly isn't. MacPhail chose to spend on quantity not quality because he felt the risk would be less, and it always blew up in his face.

You keep referring to one year's payroll to prove something..What you also fail to mention is the dead money on that poayroll owed to Benson and Gibbons. And it was ONE YEAR. How about the year where the payrol was 50 million? Why don't you mention that? Why compare the last 3 years to one year? Why take away THIS year's payroll but hold up the 2007 payroll as if it is valid? Oh wait, I know why..Because it fits your horrendously bad argument.

The payroll has essentially been 70-75 million a year for the last decade, with a few years being the exception.

Again, either acknowledge this or go away. Your argument is not just bad, its stupid. You ignore every factual piece of evidence. You look like a giant fool when you do this.

AM isn't the GM for this team..I agree...But, as usual, your arguments are awful and fool of lies and shows you to have little to no knowledge. Its pathetic.

[JTrea81]

I really believe that AM will be back next year. That said, the GM I want isnt the guy or girl who keeps spewing lines about the Rays. The person I want would have made a quote saying something like, I'd blow the entire franchise up, from Rookie ball to the ML level. Coaches, scouts, trainers, they all need replacing. Now, I know nobody would say something along those lines, but if they did I'd want them as the GM of my favorite team! This franchise needs an enema.

John Hart basically said this:

They have to have top-shelf scouts, a frontline development program … They have got to out-scout and out-coach and out-teach...

Obviously we don't have that type of program and aren't doing that now so it would go without saying they'd have to bring in new personnel.

[Sports Guy]

John Hart basically said this:

Obviously we don't have that type of program and aren't doing that now so it would go without saying they'd have to bring in new personnel.

Did we have that before AM?

[JTrea81]

Did we have that before AM?

MacPhail agreed with the way that we scouted. Didn't have a problem with it.

Heck he hired his nephew who had bounced around from organziation to organziation to run the professional scouting department when he had no proven ability to do that successfully. And our professional scouting flat out sucks based on the talent we've brought in.

[Sports Guy]

MacPhail agreed with the way that we scouted. Didn't have a problem with it.

Heck he hired his nephew who had bounced around from organziation to organziation to run the professional scouting department when he had no proven ability to do that successfully. And our professional scouting flat out sucks based on the talent we've brought in.

You didn't answer the question...Was that system in place BEFORE AM got here?

[jabba72]

The Orioles seem to have a scouting issue more than a "bad gm" issue. MacPhail has made some pretty good trades while he's been here. But the talent in the minors has not been properly developed at a major league level. Most of our prospects struggle mightily in AAA, except for a few of our pitchers.

[JTrea81]

Youy didn't answer the question...Was that system in place BEFORE AM got here?

Yes it was, and considering the Orioles were going to be so reliant on their farm system you would think MacPhail would have tried to change it, and if he didn't and knew it couldn't be changed due to Angelos, at least change his plan and spend more on free agent talent and trading some of that young talent to win at the ML level instead of trying to half-ass his orginal intentions.

Angelos is a problem but the GM who refused to work within the supposed confines he was given to provide success at the ML level was worse.

If the checkbook was open and could only be spent a certain way, then it should have been spent that way to the greatest extent possible. And it clearly wasn't.

[Malike]

We're all arguing a moot point here anyway. Doesn't matter who the GM is, PGA would never allow wholesale changes to happen, he has too many people in this organization that he is loyal too and would not allow them to be replaced, I believe.