Stark ranks O's as having 4th worst offseason in MLB at 1/2way point.

[BrunoCherrytown]

Full disclosure: It appears this article was posted before the Greenberg signing.

Here

[El Gordo]

The O's could have made a big splash if they had been willing to trade Bundy or Machado. Or spend 20+ M on a FA for 5+ years. I think that would have been foolhardy.

[Orioles4Life21]

What is the point of these threads exactly? Everyone's aware the O's haven't made many moves so far.

And?

Hey at least it points out that we're halfway through the offseason. That's pretty cool.

[Leo Gomez]

Since I've read this this morning, my only reaction has been an emphatic "meh."

It's lazy analysis that ignores a full season of Manny and, likely, 20 starts from Bundy. Who, exactly, should we be overpaying for? Does anyone actually want to vaporize a first round draft pick for Adam LaRoche, or trade Jon Schoop for a marginal upgrade?

I'm ready to go north with this crew.

[scOtt]

Since I've read this this morning, my only reaction has been an emphatic "meh."

It's lazy analysis that ignores a full season of Manny and, likely, 20 starts from Bundy. Who, exactly, should we be overpaying for? Does anyone actually want to vaporize a first round draft pick for Adam LaRoche, or trade Jon Schoop for a marginal upgrade?

I'm ready to go north with this crew.

I'd still take Swisher. Mr. Consistency. 3 years. PA reportedly wanted to spend some $$$...

e: On the pick, you have to give up something to get something. Even in free agency.

[scOtt]

Hey at least it points out that we're halfway through the offseason. That's pretty cool.

On the winter solstice even. That's cooler yet.

[skanar]

Every "rating the offseason" article I've ever read is essentially equivalent to a list ranked by who signed the most/biggest-names free agents and/or spent the most money.

Examples

Here's an article from the 2010-11 offseason that identified the Red Sox, Phillies, and Brewers as the big winners: Philly and Milwaukee won their divs; Boston missed the playoffs. But just two seasons later, all three teams are in dire straits, and their acquisitions then aren't looking quite as hot. Meanwhile, the Yankees, Rays, and Rangers were picked as losers and all three made the playoffs that year.

Here's an article from last offseason. The winners were the Angels (signed Pujols and Wilson, missed the playoffs), Miami Marlins (spent a ton of $$ to go 69-93 and completely blow up the team one year later), and Cincinnati Reds (got Mat Latos, won division). Losers were the Red Sox (for the Bailey trade; a good call), Cardinals (signed Beltran and Furcal, made the playoffs), and Rangers (signed Darvish, passed on Fielder, made the playoffs).

So in these two lists which I found in 30 secs of googling, we have 3 out of 6 "winners" making the playoffs that year, and 5 out of 6 "losers."

[MemorialStadKid]

Since I've read this this morning, my only reaction has been an emphatic "meh."

It's lazy analysis that ignores a full season of Manny and, likely, 20 starts from Bundy. Who, exactly, should we be overpaying for? Does anyone actually want to vaporize a first round draft pick for Adam LaRoche, or trade Jon Schoop for a marginal upgrade?

I'm ready to go north with this crew.

Standing pat will kill our chances in 2013. Why are so many folks incapable of seeing this?

MSK

[MemorialStadKid]

This has been my main point all off season:

"Coming off such a good year, they haven't done anything to make you say they're taking that next step," said an NL exec. "It didn't even have to be something big. Even signing a Ryan Dempster. Go out and get one veteran guy to put in your rotation and stabilize it. I don't know how they can sit there and say this rotation is good enough to get them back there."

This is pure, 100% common sense. All baseball and "sabermetric" guys with a mote of analytical skill can see we need to add people. The fact that so many folks on the OH are arguing for standing pat is absolutely shocking and insane.

What don't people get about this???

MSK

[24fps]

I'd still take Swisher. Mr. Consistency. 3 years. PA reportedly wanted to spend some $$$...

e: On the pick, you have to give up something to get something. Even in free agency.

Yes

/bumblepuppy

[Bradysburns]

I'd still take Swisher. Mr. Consistency. 3 years. PA reportedly wanted to spend some $$$...

e: On the pick, you have to give up something to get something. Even in free agency.

Swisher would be my guy, if you could nab him for something reasonable - say 4/60. That would be a nice signing for first base. Davis becomes your primary DH with Betemit in the mix.

[Barnaby Graves]

All baseball and "sabermetric" guys with a mote of analytical skill can see we need to add people.

All baseball and sabermetric guys with their motes of analytical skill and cloaks of +2 intellect realized that the returns on money spent in free agency diminish rapidly and today's 6-year, $100 million deal for Carlos Lee, 8-year, $136 million deal for Alfonso Soriano, 8-year, $121 million deal for Mike Hampton, 10-year, $275 million deal (signed at age 32) for Alex Rodriguez, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, EVERY ONE OF THESE KINDS OF DEALS, IS A HUGE

FREAKING

ALBATROSS

EVERY TIME

AND YOU NEVER LEARN, EVERY YEAR THE SAME PEOPLE ASK FOR PETER ANGELOS TO OPEN HIS MAGIC WALLET AND BUY THEM THE BIGGEST NEW CHRISTMAS TOY BECAUSE THEY ARE EIGHT YEAR OLDS WITH NO ATTENTION SPAN OR ANALYTICAL ABILITY OR CRITICAL THINKING

BECAUSE THESE THINGS ARE SO MUCH HARDER THAN "BUY ME THAT TOY, DADDY"

[scOtt]

Swisher would be my guy, if you could nab him for something reasonable - say 4/60. That would be a nice signing for first base. Davis becomes your primary DH with Betemit in the mix.

I was thinking 3/45 max. Start with the 3/39 that some other name I can't remember got.

[isestrex]

In DD we trust.

Btw... to refresh everyone's memory about winners of the offseason...

<a href="http://s1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/isestrex/?action=view&current=2011offseasonmovesgrid_WallStreetJournal.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/isestrex/2011offseasonmovesgrid_WallStreetJournal.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

2011 Wall Street Journal

[MemorialStadKid]

All baseball and sabermetric guys with their motes of analytical skill and cloaks of +2 intellect realized that the returns on money spent in free agency diminish rapidly and today's 6-year, $100 million deal for Carlos Lee, 8-year, $136 million deal for Alfonso Soriano, 8-year, $121 million deal for Mike Hampton, 10-year, $275 million deal (signed at age 32) for Alex Rodriguez, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

No one said to spend on an insane contract. I am saying that we need to add pieces to become a better squad. We haven't done that, clearly.

A few baseball writers have pointed this out while folks on the OH keep thinking standing pat will propel us into the 2013 WS.

It won't. Why all the hysterics man?

MSK