What would save this offseason?

[MrOrange82]

Does it even need saving in your estimation? Would it take Cespedes, Soler, and Jackson? Two of the three? Some other combination of signings and trades?

Absent more moves, I think we all understand that that O's are destined for a distant, last-place finish in 2012 (yet again). I'm not sure anything can be done about that...but what say you?

Would saving the offeason even mean that the Orioles would stand a chance of breaking .500 next year? Or are you looking for other signs of progress?

I'd make a poll, but the above questions are complicated (as will be the answers, I imagine). Don't think I can pigeonhole 'em into a poll.

[Rene88]

Cal Ripken buying the team or a deal for a good TOR starter AND a middle of the order bat that is above our usual level of comfort (i.e.-Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon)

[Ven6]

I think any of the following would "give me more hope" and some of these moves would, in fact, "save the offseason":

Trade Jones for legitimate prospects (not the likes of JJ and Prado)

Trade Guthrie for at least one legitimate prospect

Sign Cespedes (not going to happen)

Sign Soler

Sign Jackson (to a reasonable deal--not 5 years)

Perhaps a Reynolds trade, but that's lower on my list (likely because I don't think he'd get a return worth trading him for)

Can't think of anything else at the moment.

[El Gordo]

I am not that down on this off season, but a trade of Jones for pitching, a signing of EJax, and/or Soler, and a trade for Koji would make me feel better about it.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

At this point there is almost nothing that can save this offseason- the players that made sense for us are off the board, we don't have anything to trade except for Adam Jones, and the team is much worse than it was at this time last year. Depth for depth's sake is meaningless, the quality of that depth is what really matters. All we added this offseason was a bunch of AAAA talent and unproven foreign talent that is very unlikely to translate to MLB.

This season is going to be brutal. If we lose less than 100 games, it will qualify as a genuine for-real miracle.

[Frobby]

While I can't say the personnel moves have excited me, I'm keeping an open mind as to what will happen this season. I don't expect this team to be .500, but if they were, I certainly wouldn't be shocked. So for me, the offseason doesn't need "saving." I'm very happy with the front office/scouting/player development moves, and I'm interested to see whether our EVP and his manager can demonstrate that they've found some nuggets that weren't so obvious to most of us.

[luismatos4prez]

I don't think it needs saving, although I would lose my mind with happiness if Angelos sold the team.

I'm willing to let everything play out before I judge Duquette's moves. I mean, Ozzie Newsome was getting flamed in the offseason for releasing Heap, Mason, etc., signing Bernard Pollard and Vonta Leach instead of signing Nnamdi Asomugha, and that turned out just fine.

[OsLuvrInKy]

I have already started seeing the changes I have wanted to see for a long time. To me this off season is not about the ML team. It is about the foundation. To me the foundation is the MiL and FO. This organization has sucked mainly because we have quicksand for our foundation. We have never really been as active as we should in the international market, we sucked at targeting young talent and our odds of developing that talent has been a joke.

DD appears to have targeted these deficiencies and appears to be hell bent on fixing them.

As the Prince contract shows, we are not going to be able to sign the top FA's to 200M+ contracts. We are going to have to develop them ourselves. Remember it all starts with a good foundation.

And as much as liked AM he did Jack Chit towards fixing the foundation!!!

[Oriology]

At this point there is almost nothing that can save this offseason- the players that made sense for us are off the board, we don't have anything to trade except for Adam Jones, and the team is much worse than it was at this time last year. Depth is meaningless, quality is all that matters. All we added this offseason was a bunch of AAAA talent and unproven foreign talent that is very unlikely to translate to MLB.

This season is going to be brutal. If we lose less than 100 games, it will qualify as a genuine for-real miracle.

How so?

[Ven6]

I am not that down on this off season, but a trade of Jones for pitching, a signing of EJax, and/or Soler, and a trade for Koji would make me feel better about it.

That's who I missed, Koji. But he's more a feel-good acquisition that doesn't have any real bearing on the future. But still a move I would appreciate.

[Rene88]

I have already started seeing the changes I have wanted to see for a long time. To me this off season is not about the ML team. It is about the foundation. To me the foundation is the MiL and FO. This organization has sucked mainly because we have quicksand for our foundation. We have never really been as active as we should in the international market, we sucked at targeting young talent and our odds of developing that talent has been a joke.

DD appears to have targeted these deficiencies and appears to be hell bent on fixing them.

As the Prince contract shows, we are not going to be able to sign the top FA's to 200M+ contracts. We are going to have to develop them ourselves. Remember it all starts with a good foundation.

I hope you are right and I know many believe this, but how do you know these are quality moves and will result in anything meaningful? AM made moves too, most GM's do. I know for a fact previous GM candidates passed on our opportunity because of control issues, what makes you think DD really has the power to make the changes he wants? What makes you think the changes we are doing are his first choice? We don't. That is the sad state of affairs that is the Baltimore Orioles.

Sorry, not attacking you, just contesting what I believe that it is a forgone conclusion on here that all the moves DD is making in the FO are the right ones, we don't know that.

[oriole]

I doubt there are any moves that could push the Orioles to the .500 mark without an overall improvement by the players already on the roster. I think signings like Cespedes and Jackson would be ill fated due to the contract details that it'd take to get them here. Soler is a good option. I would like to see alittle more competition at first base, I find it irresponsible to just hand Davis the job and say, "here ya go kiddo!".

I think this offseason has been better than most people do. The changes to the infrastructure of the organization were long overdue and you have to start from the ground up if you're to build a winner. The lack of abysmal signings has also been encouraging. Of course that could change. Damon is still a free agent and the Orioles could still relapse.

[OrangeJerseys]

A SP who would be a #! or #2 on a playoff caliber team.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

How so?

We're actually going into a real 162 game Major League season in the American League East with Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis as everyday position players, and probably batting in the middle of the lineup. We have no lead-off hitter. 2 of the 5 pitchers that will more than likely comprise our starting rotation have exactly 0.0 innings pitched at the Major League level. Jones and Markakis have even less protection than they did last year. Pretty much the rest of the American League got better.

I could think of more reasons but I'd rather watch Married With Children.

[crawjo]

and the team is much worse than it was at this time last year.

I strongly disagree that the team is worse off than it was a year ago. I also doubt that the Orioles will lose 100 games. I think we lose about 87-92, if I had to guess.