HHP: Duquette's Risky Plan

[Sports Guy]

Miller and Chavez are both considered to be very good fielders that can cover any OF position between them. Teagarden is a defensive and offensive upgrade over Tatum which allows Wieters to get more time off from behind the plate. Antonelli is a very solid defender for IF.

The team will live or die by the starters, but for a change they seem to have a supporting staff that can actually contribute. Remember looking at Sunday lineups and thinking there was no chance of winning?

Did you just bring up a bunch of role players and players who may not make the team as a case that he improved the defense?

[Sports Guy]

And the guy at the used car lot down the street has expectations that the '88 Corolla on his lot is worth $6000 and is really going to last you 4-5 more years.

I've never seen anyone more willing to take a GM's word at face value than you. You really can't be that naive, can you?

Sorry but if you are going to go out and publicly state goals, as DD has, then that should mean something.

[Moose Milligan]

Sorry but if you are going to go out and publicly state goals, as DD has, then that should mean something.

It's just talk. I can say my goal is to shoot the Swimsuit Issue...it means the same thing. The O's won't crack .500 anytime soon, there's no way DD or anyone can really think that with this roster.

You more than anyone should be able to decipher the BS from what's real...or else you're just Trea. DD could come out tomorrow and say that we're trading for Votto and he'd believe him.

[Sports Guy]

It's just talk. I can say my goal is to shoot the Swimsuit Issue...it means the same thing. The O's won't crack .500 anytime soon, there's no way DD or anyone can really think that with this roster.

You more than anyone should be able to decipher the BS from what's real...or else you're just Trea. DD could come out tomorrow and say that we're trading for Votto and he'd believe him.

But then he should say that we are team that is building towards something and we feel that we have some players with high ceilings that could take this team and organization to another level.

Stating, multiple times, that you think we will be 500 or better, does put the onus on you to put a team on the field that realistically could do that.

Talk or not, you have put it out there but your actions don't mesh with the talk. That's just reality.

You can chalk it up to "just talk" all you want but the bottom line is that he has said, multiple times...and he has done very little to back that up.

[Moose Milligan]

But then he should say that we are team that is building towards something and we feel that we have some players with high ceilings that could take this team and organization to another level.

Stating, multiple times, that you think we will be 500 or better, does put the onus on you to put a team on the field that realistically could do that.

Talk or not, you have put it out there but your actions don't mesh with the talk. That's just reality.

You can chalk it up to "just talk" all you want but the bottom line is that he has said, multiple times...and he has done very little to back that up.

I agree that he's done little to back it up....I gave the offseason an F in that other thread from a ML team perspective.

But what are you going to do in October when we're sitting here whining about how crappy the season was? Go back to quotes from the offseason that talk about how we were supposed to be over .500? What good does that do? That's like people here holding up two quotes in 5 years from Teixeira as proof that he wanted to be an Oriole.

It's just talk....Actions speak louder and we can all agree that this offseason has been crap.

[DrungoHazewood]

It didn't have to be Fielder. But he does have to do something significant before ST.

There's still time...

12 days! He's got 12 days to make up, what, even by your rosy assumptions half a dozen wins? And that's just to meet your absolute minimum criteria.

Sorry but if you are going to go out and publicly state goals, as DD has, then that should mean something.

But then he should say that we are team that is building towards something and we feel that we have some players with high ceilings that could take this team and organization to another level.

Stating, multiple times, that you think we will be 500 or better, does put the onus on you to put a team on the field that realistically could do that.

Talk or not, you have put it out there but your actions don't mesh with the talk. That's just reality.

You can chalk it up to "just talk" all you want but the bottom line is that he has said, multiple times...and he has done very little to back that up.

Actions speak louder than words. Part of a GM's job is to be a politician and a marketer. Duquette probably thinks if everything goes right and the pitching rallies from the depths they could get to .500. And that's true. But it's also been true every year for the past 15. If everything fell into place, 3-4 pitchers had career years, nobody really got hurt, the luck all lined up... yep, any O's team of recent vintage could have been at .500.

But everyone, including Duquette, knows that's a longshot. At best. But no leader is going to come out before his plan has started and admit it's going to be a long slog just to field a decent team. He's paid to be optimistic and push that vision.

I'll hold him accountable on his long-term plan to fix the organization. Well, as much as a random fan on Tony's website can hold anyone accountable. But I think it's silly to rip a guy for statements that are really no more than rah-rah campaign rally fodder.

[atomic]

Dan was building his own programs. Just because he wasn't in an FO doesn't mean he was sitting around doing nothing. People have different passions and different careers all of the time.

As for the draft thing, that happens to a lot of GMs, God knows it has happened to ours.

Dan couldn't get a job because everyone in baseball knew he was clueless. Now we will learn up close. He was running a little league camp. And there is no way I believe this but if someone did choose to be out of baseball for 10 years and wants to get back in and you feel like you owe the guy a favor you hire him at some low level position not as your GM.

[Dr. FLK]

Currently his plan seems to involve hoping that a horrid roster coming of a dreadful season with magically turns it around without any meaningful additions. Yeah, I'd call that risky.

[Sports Guy]

But I think it's silly to rip a guy for statements that are really no more than rah-rah campaign rally fodder.

I am not ripping him for the statements at all.

But to not go out and make moves to help you be a 500 team, which is your stated goal, is pretty poor IMO.

[NewMarketSean]

I am not ripping him for the statements at all.

But to not go out and make moves to help you be a 500 team, which is your stated goal, is pretty poor IMO.

What is .500? Mediocrity. He has brought in mediocre players. So he is correct in that thinking.

[Fla_O'sfan]

Part of me wishes they would just contract this team so we could all just move on......

[TonySoprano]

Dan Connolly @danconnollysun

So since Dan Duquette was hired on Nov. 6 he has added 11 players to the 40-man roster in 3 mths. Think he felt change was needed?