HHP: Duquette's Risky Plan

[Sports Guy]

BTW, another way this theory doesn't hold up is that you have basically made enough pitching moves to block at least 1, if not 2, of the young starters...at least for the first month or so.

If this was his theory, he would throw those guys out there and give them 30 ML starts and see what they can do.

[Frobby]

What Duquette has done is create competition. The roster doesn't have a ton of talent, so he's brought in comparable talent to light a fire under all the players butts.

Just about everybody is playing for their job now. Reimold just has to slip a bit, and boom he'll be replaced by Jai Miller or Endy Chavez. If Chris Davis can't cut it, Wilson Betemit will take his job.

And this especially true in the rotation and bullpen.

Duquette has brought in so many arms, Matusz and Tillman might be competing for their spots in Norfolk if they don't watch it.

He's hoping by making them earn their spots that he'll get the best out of what we have. I'm not sold that's going to work, but that's what he's got at this point.

There's a lot of truth to this. And to SilentJames' main point, the approach isn't that "risky" in my view. He hasn't spent a ton of money. He can go a lot of different directions at the trade deadline or next winter. I don't think his plan has a great chance to yield a lot of short-term improvement, but on the other hand he hasn't tied up a ton of resources long-term, and he gives a lot of guys who have some upside a chance to show whether they are part of the long-term puzzle or not.

[luismatos4prez]

BTW, another way this theory doesn't hold up is that you have basically made enough pitching moves to block at least 1, if not 2, of the young starters...at least for the first month or so.

If this was his theory, he would throw those guys out there and give them 30 ML starts and see what they can do.

Matusz and Tillman don't deserve ML spots. They were putrid last year. Guys who showed promise last year are the ones who will be on the ML squad.

[El Gordo]

I don't think your Buck theory holds water. Adding JJ and Prado would have been a better short term move than holding on to Jones. And I doubt Buck is the one that wants the flat payroll. Buck had the hot's for Cuddyer. How come we weren't really big after him? You think Betemit was Buck's first choice as a DH option?

[24fps]

This has always seemed to be a shared GM job..with Buck doing a lot of the ML stuff and Duq handling everything else.

Or Duquette could have sensibly decided that after a season plus in the organization Showalter might have a better near-term perspective. We really haven't had enough time to get a read on how their respective responsibilities are going to shake out.

[Frobby]

BTW, another way this theory doesn't hold up is that you have basically made enough pitching moves to block at least 1, if not 2, of the young starters...at least for the first month or so.

If this was his theory, he would throw those guys out there and give them 30 ML starts and see what they can do.

We tried that already, and they couldn't hold it together for a full season, or anything close. The best of them will get their chance again, and the others will have to keep pushing or find themselves on the outside looking in. I feel better about challenging these guys to beat out Chen and Wada than I did about forcing them to pitch behind Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson.

[JTrea81]

BTW, another way this theory doesn't hold up is that you have basically made enough pitching moves to block at least 1, if not 2, of the young starters...at least for the first month or so.

If this was his theory, he would throw those guys out there and give them 30 ML starts and see what they can do.

You haven't blocked them if they prove they belong.

Matusz's season was so horrible last year he doesn't automatically deserve a ML spot.

Duquette and Buck want players to earn their way onto the roster. Just because they have the talent, doesn't mean they get a ML roster spot.

Wada can go to the bullpen, and Chen and Guthrie are the only ones that have roster spots due to their salaries.

The Orioles can easily cut or trade Eveland if they want to. Nobody is really blocked if they show they belong.

[Moose Milligan]

Because you have been out of the loop for 10 years and they are allowing you to build the infrastructure and do things that you want in that regard.

This has always seemed to be a shared GM job..with Buck doing a lot of the ML stuff and Duq handling everything else.

I still don't understand where Buck is coming into play here. Is there any evidence that Buck is responsible for the ML stuff?

[jtschrei]

The problem is, I think the core simply isn't good enough to compete in the AL East. Instead of trading players like Markakis, Reynolds, Hardy, and Guthrie, for prospects, and re-investing the high salaries that those guys make in new prospects like Soler, DD is yet again wasting another season. We're not competing with this team. Our absolute ceiling is .500 and that's if all of the starting pitchers have career years.

DD has made some nice moves restructuring the organization and investing in foreign markets. All of those things are right. I just think he should have traded some of the veterans. Buck doesn't want that though. I predict a fire sale at the trade deadline. We'll be terrible and DD will trade these guys for cents on the dollar. The course of action will be obvious, even to Buck. The rebuild will begin in July.

[JTrea81]

The problem is, I think the core simply isn't good enough to compete in the AL East. Instead of trading players like Markakis, Reynolds, Hardy, and Guthrie, for prospects, and re-investing the high salaries that those guys make in new prospects like Soler, DD is yet again wasting another season. We're not competing with this team. Our absolute ceiling is .500 and that's if all of the starting pitchers have career years.

DD has made some nice moves restructuring the organization and investing in foreign markets. All of those things are right. I just think he should have traded some of the veterans. Buck doesn't want that though. I predict a fire sale at the trade deadline. We'll be terrible and DD will trade these guys for cents on the dollar. The course of action will be obvious, even to Buck. The rebuild will begin in July.

Duquette doesn't seem to be the "firesale" type though. He builds teams up and doesn't tear them down. You might see a couple of moves, but I doubt this roster will be torn apart all at the deadline.

[Frobby]

Duquette doesn't seem to be the "firesale" type though. He builds teams up and doesn't tear them down. You might see a couple of moves, but I doubt this roster will be torn apart all at the deadline.

Well, if we are terrible, he might. But if we are a few games under .500 come July 31, I doubt it.

[CSB Jack]

You haven't blocked them if they prove they belong.

Matusz's season was so horrible last year he doesn't automatically deserve a ML spot.

Duquette and Buck want players to earn their way onto the roster. Just because they have the talent, doesn't mean they get a ML roster spot.

Wada can go to the bullpen, and Chen and Guthrie are the only ones that have roster spots due to their salaries.

The Orioles can easily cut or trade Eveland if they want to. Nobody is really blocked if they show they belong.

Exactly. You can't "block" someone unless you have talent in front of them. If Matusz, Britton, Arrieta, Tillman, etc. perform better than the other guys competing for spots in the rotation, they'll be in the rotation. If they don't, they won't.

So if DD brought in guys who can beat out the guys that were already here, how is that a bad thing? Isn't that the very definition of making the team better? And if they can't beat out the starters but are better bench options than what was already in the organization that is still a net positive.

[Enjoy Terror]

We may have been in on Fielder and whiffed, but the Tigers did that by giving out a large contract that everyone here would've been up in arms about. We may have been fielding trade offers for Jones with Atlanta, but the Braves were only willing to give Prado and Jurrjens, a package that people would've been up in arms about. We may have been in on EJax, but he took a 1 year contract when we know we offered 3/24. How can you be upset about that; we offered more than he took!

Of course, now that the offseason is pretty much over, of course... people are up in arms anyway.

I like the depth we've added. I would've liked to have seen some significant improvements in a couple places, but it just didn't happen and I don't blame Duquette for the way it all sifted out.

I'm still pretty excited to see what Antonelli, Flaherty, Chen, Wada, Miller, and Strop can do for us. I'm excited for one or two of the Cavalry to take a step forward and have a legitimate season. There's still a lot to look forward to this season, even if we are doomed to 75 or less wins again.

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

I still don't understand where Buck is coming into play here. Is there any evidence that Buck is responsible for the ML stuff?

No evidence at all, but somehow it gets mentioned at least twice a week.

[weams]

Well, if we are terrible, he might. But if we are a few games under .500 come July 31, I doubt it.

We have no idea what type of guy Dan Duquette is this time. It will be a big surprise for all of us. Ten years changed me.