Connolly says 7yr/140 "still beyond the comfort level" of the club

[cb3fsu]

Fangraphs: Ryan Campbell: How Will Prince Fielder Age

Beyondtheboxscore: Jeff Zimmerman: Hitter Aging Curves

Nice graph, here is another one.

What are they trying to do here, win some games and give fans a reason to pay attention or do they consider it a win to pay guys like Derek Lee and Vlad $8-10 million for their last year instead of getting a middle of the order hitter for 4 years and overpaying the last year or two? Seriously, if they are going to pay them when they're washed up they might as well get the prime years as well.

Syd Thift rebuild didnt work, scrap and start over...Flanagan and Beattie rebuild didnt work, scrap and start over...MacPhail rebuild didn't work, scrap and start over...now Duquette is going to scrap this rebuild and start over?

The closest the Orioles have come to a decent team in the last 15 years is when they signed Tejada, Lopez and Palmeiro. They haven't signed anyone since, I guess that taste of contending didn't sit well in Orioles front office land.

Sign Fielder and Edwin Jackson and see what happens. I think we've earned a couple of chances being taken after sitting patiently and supporting teams that entered spring training with a chance to be around .500 if EVERYTHING broke in their favor.

At least the Nats seem interested in making the team better from year to year. I feel like I'm a Redskins fan watching the Ravens build a solid team right across the street while we fall further away from anything that makes any sense.

Unless the Orioles sign Prince we are looking at entering the season with Rex Grossman at QB. Why watch? Oh, right. Maybe this is the year our young starters who arent really that young anymore all put it together at the same time, that's likely. .500 this year!!! Orioles Magic!!!

[MrOrange82]

Nice graph, here is another one.

What are they trying to do here, win some games and give fans a reason to pay attention or do they consider it a win to pay guys like Derek Lee and Vlad $8-10 million for their last year instead of getting a middle of the order hitter for 4 years and overpaying the last year or two? Seriously, if they are going to pay them when they're washed up they might as well get the prime years as well.

Syd Thift rebuild didnt work, scrap and start over...Flanagan and Beattie rebuild didnt work, scrap and start over...MacPhail rebuild didn't work, scrap and start over...now Duquette is going to scrap this rebuild and start over?

The closest the Orioles have come to a decent team in the last 15 years is when they signed Tejada, Lopez and Palmeiro. They haven't signed anyone since, I guess that taste of contending didn't sit well in Orioles front office land.

Sign Fielder and Edwin Jackson and see what happens. I think we've earned a couple of chances being taken after sitting patiently and supporting teams that entered spring training with a chance to be around .500 if EVERYTHING broke in their favor.

At least the Nats seem interested in making the team better from year to year. I feel like I'm a Redskins fan watching the Ravens build a solid team right across the street while we fall further away from anything that makes any sense.

Unless the Orioles sign Prince we are looking at entering the season with Rex Grossman at QB. Why watch? Oh, right. Maybe this is the year our young starters who arent really that young anymore all put it together at the same time, that's likely. .500 this year!!! Orioles Magic!!!

Dad? Step away from the computer. Mom and I talked to you about this.

(seriously, though, my dad is good people)

[cb3fsu]

An over-weight DH... $20M+..... PASS

Yup, having an overpaid player will keep the Orioles from continuing to make the moves that have kept them in contention all these years.

Too bad they don't give a trophy to the team with the least amount of overpaid superstars at the end of long term contracts, the O's would get it for sure. The secret is to never sign any superstars in the first place...when will the Yankees, Redsox and Blue Jays realize this those dummies!

[cb3fsu]

Dad? Step away from the computer. Mom and I talked to you about this.

(seriously, though, my dad is good people)

I guess I just dont fit in at the Orioles Hangout anymore. All the cool kids are talking about WAR and projecting the future, meanwhile the team I've followed on a day to day basis for 25 years just isn't giving me a reason to do so this season.

I didn't plaY fantasy football this year and you know what? It was refreshing to just pay attention to my team and not worry about all the rest of it.

Maybe I will have the same experience giving up following baseball so closely. Probably a lot of people will.

Who go's on the media guide cover this year? Maybe they'll get BROB in his new position: lounging on the couch with his hot wife.

[MrOrange82]

I guess I just dont fit in at the Orioles Hangout anymore. All the cool kids are talking about WAR and projecting the future, meanwhile the team I've followed on a day to day basis for 25 years just isn't giving me a reason to do so this season.

I didn't plaY fantasy football this year and you know what? It was refreshing to just pay attention to my team and not worry about all the rest of it.

Maybe I will have the same experience giving up following baseball so closely. Probably a lot of people will.

Who go's on the media guide cover this year? Maybe they'll get BROB in his new position: lounging on the couch with his hot wife.

It's a product of having one of the worst owners in professional sports. The conversations have almost universally shifted to "what can we do within our obvious limitations (i.e., Angelos), as opposed to saying "we should attempt to sign every big name free agent" (though a few still do that). Basically, Angelos won't do it, so why fret over it?

[weams]

I guess I just dont fit in at the Orioles Hangout anymore. All the cool kids are talking about WAR and projecting the future, meanwhile the team I've followed on a day to day basis for 25 years just isn't giving me a reason to do so this season.

I didn't plaY fantasy football this year and you know what? It was refreshing to just pay attention to my team and not worry about all the rest of it.

Maybe I will have the same experience giving up following baseball so closely. Probably a lot of people will.

Who go's on the media guide cover this year? Maybe they'll get BROB in his new position: lounging on the couch with his hot wife.

Nestor? Is that you again?

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

I guess I just dont fit in at the Orioles Hangout anymore. All the cool kids are talking about WAR and projecting the future, meanwhile the team I've followed on a day to day basis for 25 years just isn't giving me a reason to do so this season.

I didn't plaY fantasy football this year and you know what? It was refreshing to just pay attention to my team and not worry about all the rest of it.

Maybe I will have the same experience giving up following baseball so closely. Probably a lot of people will.

Who go's on the media guide cover this year? Maybe they'll get BROB in his new position: lounging on the couch with his hot wife.

Coincidentally, one of two players on our team that we locked up to big contracts while they were in their prime. Just sayin.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I guess I just dont fit in at the Orioles Hangout anymore. All the cool kids are talking about WAR and projecting the future, meanwhile the team I've followed on a day to day basis for 25 years just isn't giving me a reason to do so this season.

I didn't plaY fantasy football this year and you know what? It was refreshing to just pay attention to my team and not worry about all the rest of it.

Maybe I will have the same experience giving up following baseball so closely. Probably a lot of people will.

Who go's on the media guide cover this year? Maybe they'll get BROB in his new position: lounging on the couch with his hot wife.

[cb3fsu]

It's a product of having one of the worst owners in professional sports. The conversations have almost universally shifted to "what can we do within our obvious limitations (i.e., Angelos), as opposed to saying "we should attempt to sign every big name free agent" (though a few still do that). Basically, Angelos won't do it, so why fret over it?

I guess I just have to wonder why we continue to put ourselves through this charade. It's the same thing every year. The same outcome, the same disappointment, the same struggle to find some reason to care by the end of May. I see my friends who are Redskins fans and I plead with them to leave their abusive relationship.

This is probably my last year. Might not even make it this year unless they do something, I just can't justify the commitment to this franchise anymore.

Only the government has a worse track record than the Baltimore Orioles. They get no more of my money.

[Austin]

I guess I just have to wonder why we continue to put ourselves through this charade. It's the same thing every year. The same outcome, the same disappointment, the same struggle to find some reason to care by the end of May. I see my friends who are Redskins fans and I plead with them to leave their abusive relationship.

This is probably my last year. Might not even make it this year unless they do something, I just can't justify the commitment to this franchise anymore.

Only the government has a worse track record than the Baltimore Orioles. They get no more of my money.

We can all intellectually agree with you that the Orioles aren't worth following but here we are, in the middle of January, talking about a team that hasn't had a winning season since the 90s. Being a fan is about passion, not logic, and if you've lost your passion for the Orioles that's fine, no one can blame you... but we haven't lost it, and most of us probably never will.

[Justinlstn]

We can all intellectually agree with you that the Orioles aren't worth following but here we are, in the middle of January, talking about a team that hasn't had a winning season since the 90s. Being a fan is about passion, not logic, and if you've lost your passion for the Orioles that's fine, no one can blame you... but we haven't lost it, and most of us probably never will.

I still believe they are worth following. They are a lot better off then they were during the Syd Thrift days thats for sure. We have alot of good pieces in place. Its just sadly outside Guthrie our entire pitching staff is a question mark. It would be nice if we gradually had 1 or 2 young SP but we have 6 guys available for SP that have less then 2 years full experience as a major league pitcher.

[cb3fsu]

We can all intellectually agree with you that the Orioles aren't worth following but here we are, in the middle of January, talking about a team that hasn't had a winning season since the 90s. Being a fan is about passion, not logic, and if you've lost your passion for the Orioles that's fine, no one can blame you... but we haven't lost it, and most of us probably never will.

I was right there with you until this year.

When Flanagan took his own life it really made me think about this team I have been defending for years.

This has been a year where I stopped defending the indefensible. Let go of the Republican party and Christianity, and I've never felt more free. Maybe the Orioles will be the next weight lifted off my shoulders of an entity that is completely illogical that I no longer feel the need to defend. Not saying I am hateful toward these groups I previously aligned myself with, but to take a step back as an unbiased observer...being an Orioles fan is a pathetic existence.

We got the cartoon bird on our hat! Woohoo!!! Lets get excited about this year!!!

What does fangraphs say about Britton, Matusz, Arrieta, Tillman and Guthrie? We've got them, we don't need Fielder! 5 years from now he might suck! We've got Markakis and he can hit 17 or 18 HR's! Ugh

[Going Underground]

I wonder if DD told him this? The same guy who said he did not know who Chen was.

[cb3fsu]

I still believe they are worth following. They are a lot better off then they were during the Syd Thrift days thats for sure. We have alot of good pieces in place. Its just sadly outside Guthrie our entire pitching staff is a question mark. It would be nice if we gradually had 1 or 2 young SP but we have 6 guys available for SP that have less then 2 years full experience as a major league pitcher.

We have Wieters. That's it. Everyone wants to trade Jones. Markakis hasn't had a good season since he signed his big contract and got married. Where are these nice pieces? Hardy? What a novel concept, we signed a FA and he contributed then extended. There will be a clamor on here to trade him at the allstar break.

This team is winning less games than last year.

If you dont have 3 really good starting pitchers you dont have anything.

[Sports Guy]

IF this is the case, what it tells me is that the Orioles likely see 6/132(at most) as their top offer.

And, IF its true that Buck went to PA for more money, it tells me that the Orioles feel if they put another year and another 20-30M on the table, that they feel they have a good shot at him.

Again, those are big ifs and that still doesn't even take into account that DC could come up with a bigger offer than the Orioles expect.