This team won't finish above .500 and they should be sellers!

[theobird]

It's as good a time as any to make a move.

As long as the move has implications (positive) beyond this year, I agree. I would get Reynolds out of town, move Davis back to first, trade JJ for a haul, and get a nice LF Bat and a pitcher that is under contract beyond this year. No, I would not trade Bundy, Machado, Schoop. I would trade one of Arrieta/Matusz in the right deal. I would trade one of Avery/Hoes in the right deal. I might consider trading the Comp pick in the right deal.

To me, if we don't trade Jim Johnson, who I absolutely love as a player, we will have missed a huge opportunity.

[OFFNY]

It's as good a time as any to make a move.

Or make a new thread about whether or not we should be buyers or sellers ??? O:wedge:

[Greg]

O's are in 2nd place in the AL East!

Buy! Buy! Buy!

:cussing:

After watching Wilson and Davis today,Get a 3rd baseman and call up Avery or Nate

[NewMarketSean]

Well we have had 7 out of 8 starts be quality starts.

[OFFNY]

Pretty reactionary, IMO. Our starters just reeled off some impressive starts before tonight. If Gonzalez still had us in this game, this thread wouldn't be here.

The goal should be .500. That'd be a large jump on last years win total and we'd be in a good spot to add some pieces to get us closer to 90 wins and a wild card next year.

We shouldn't be buyers, we shouldn't be sellers. We should just look to make smart moves to help the long term future of this club. Being a winner and sustaining that level of success is the ultimate goal and every move should be made with that in mind.

Wel, we have had 7 out of 8 starts be quality starts.

When Sean AND Milligan both come in and defend the Orioles and/or say that the thread is reactionary, well ...... let's just say that the Orioles must be doing something right.

[OFFNY]

.

And by the way, kudos to those who have been saying that we will go as far as our starting pitching will take us lately.

We're 6-3 in our last 9 games, and we've have several clunkers on offense in that period, including the game which started the 5-game win streak (Tommy Hunter was the starting pitcher, and we won 2-1).

I know it's a very small sample size, but I think you can go something like 6-3 over 9 games, 6-4 over 10 games, 8-5 over 13 games, etc. with good pitching and a bad (or at best, erratic) offense, like we've been throwing out there lately.

I've always agreed with those who have said that pitching and defense is between 60 and 75 % of the game, and I always will.

[zero1]

It's a shame they still think they are going to contend and are not going to be sellers in this sellers market. They could have gotten a grand return for Jim Johnson before the All Star game and I'm not sure he brings back the same package now.

[SteveO]

A prospect that is rated as a B or even C type prospect with some potential to blossom has a better chance of helping in 2014 and beyond than Reynolds, Betemit, etc. Johnson could net a B+ or higher, maybe pairing a reliever with a hitter can help get a B or B+ type prospect as well. Either way, I'd rather let Avery/Hoes, Davis, Flaherty, etc. play everyday at the positions they are best at than to see guys with no future on the team playing everyday.

Maybe if we had been in the playoffs 3 times in the last 8 years and maybe if we this team had say only a couple years of losing under its belt those would be great and acceptable options. Truth is though that this is an opportunity for the Orioles to do a few important things that will benefit them long term also.

1. There would be serious backlash to just selling the farm when for the first time in 14yrs we have something to be interested in during August. Even if were the right thing to do (debatable) PR is part of running a successful business and this is a business. You don't piss off all the fans except the few that would actually get it.

2. Even if you miss the playoffs, if you can finish above .500 its a plus with the fanbase, you can sell it as a step in the right direction (true) and you become a little more interesting when making a pitch to FA you may have interest in.

3. Your in the mix for the playoffs, now you sell players who helped you get there and bring in prospects who cannot help right away, how do you think the guys who are left on the team when your done selling are gonna feel about htat. They may be pro's but believe me I am pretty sure they are trying and pretty sure they would feel a little dissed. That's not create good vibes and players talk to each other. You gotta sell your program and thats not how you do it.

If you add to the team through a trade and then feel you can dump one of those guys not named JJ then by all means that makes sense but I think you don't want to give the impression you do not believe in the team at all which is what a fire sale says.

[LibertyTerp]

This is a tight 8-team race for 2 wildcard spots that are really each worse than the old wildcard spot because you still have a 50% chance of not making the "real" playoffs. So we have a 1/8 chance of being in the final 4 of the American League this year. The way we've been playing it just makes no logical sense to be buyers in this situation.

I usually hate arguments that we should do things because of what the fans will think, what the players will think, or because that's simply the way things are done (the position of closer...), but I think SteveO has a great point that the Orioles franchise can't be seen as giving up on this team in the middle of the playoff hunt for the first time in 7 years (arguably 15 years). So I think we should stick with what we've got or make a trade if we can do it at a low cost like we did with Thome. If we can get Headley for a reasonable price that could be a great trade with him being under contract for so long.

[OFFNY]

Tonight is a perfect example of why this team will not even be able to finish .500. The starting pitching isn't good, the defense is horrible, and if it wasn't for the long ball they would be one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Even with the long ball they aren't a good offensive team.

Adam Jones is the only good hitter on the team. Roberts and Hardy can't get on base, Wieters and Davis are streaky, Reynolds has never heard of a productive out, Betemit and the rest of the guys are all bench players. Markakis coming back isn't going to make a difference.

Defensively the team is a complete joke.

Hammel has been great and Chen has been good. Matusz, Arrieta, and Hunter are extremely inconsistent. Tillman, Gonzalez, and Berken have been very good in AAA this season ... call one of them up to take Hunter's spot in the rotation and maybe another one to take Matusz' spot. Britton is struggling at AAA, not an encouraging sign.

The bullpen has been exceptional. I'd start trying to trade Johnson, O'Day, and Ayala right now while they are doing great and get as much value as I can for them. I'd hang onto Patton and Strop as they are under control for awhile (I imagine they are at least as neither have been in the majors for long), and if Lindstrom has some good outings put him on the trade block too. Who knows, maybe you can get a team desperate for bullpen help to give up a good prospect or two.

I think that they will finish above .500.

They would have to go 0-12 the rest of the way to finish with a losing record.

Oh wait, I have the wrong year.

Sorry.

[24fps]

Sorry that I bring up statistics to prove how they won't finish above .500 and the only thing that anyone who is drinking Orange Kool Aid can do is hang their hats on the fact the team has a good record so far. I actually got neg repped for making a prediction based on statistics. I hope I am wrong but I won't be and I'll expect to be given no credit at all when the team finishes below .500 this year.

Your wish is granted, you receive no credit.

[Frobby]

Your wish is granted, you receive no credit.

Can we wait until we have two more wins to gloat about this (and all the subequent threads questioning whether we'd be a .500 team)? Last I checked, 80 wins wasn't enough to assure being over .500, and I'd just as soon wait until we have 82 in the books.

[TonySoprano]

Can we wait until we have two more wins to gloat about this (and all the subequent threads questioning whether we'd be a .500 team)? Last I checked, 80 wins wasn't enough to assure being over .500, and I'd just as soon wait until we have 82 in the books.

He was responding to a 2012 prediction, and was right.

[Frobby]

He was responding to a 2012 prediction, and was right.

Ah, I see that now. Still, my point about 2013 is the same.

[24fps]

Ah, I see that now. Still, my point about 2013 is the same.

The Orioles have 12 regular season games left. Beginning on September 18, 2005 the O's went 1-11 over their next 12 games.

Fair enough.