Schmuck calls out the Orioles!

[TradeAngelos]

Duquette should get executive of the year every year for the results he has achieved with the restrictions he is under. Anyone who blames him for anything that isn't getting done with this team is crazy.

As far as Schmuck goes, he is fighting an uphill battle within the local media group of Angelos apologists. The MASN crew will continue to make excuses in fear for their job, it is what they are paid to do these days.

I honestly read their tweets/articles every day and don't know how they sleep at night just ignoring the elephant in the room, biting their tongue and being the good little soldiers Peter the Great wants them to be.

[Guest rochester]

Profit > Winning

Winning > Profit

[hoosiers]

Where are you Weams?

When TonyS and I post that the Os should have significantly higher $ to spend on payroll from increased attendance, MASN profits and the MLB contract, you counter every post we make.

When Tony Pente or Peter Schmuck say the same thing, you are now silent? Wow.

I am not saying the Os should be spending $ like crazy this offseason because some new MLB $ has come on-line, but as Schmuck notes the Os have had the capacity to ramp up the payroll based on attendance increases, MASN and the new MLB contract.

It is impossible to look at the various numbers and not conclude our ownership is making significant profits without reinvesting an appropriate amount of incremental revenue/profit into the organization.

[paulcoates]

Winning > Profit

Ah, we can only hope that will be the mantra of the NEXT owner

[Tony-OH]

Sounds like most of the posters around here. No, I don't have access to the 'books' but it sure seems like a $125M payroll should be easily doable. That's, what, $45M under the current payroll. Add Garza, Choo, and two bullpen arms. That would be a damn good team. When Nick goes, extend Davis and Tillman and go from there...

I've been saying this for years. I never understood how Detroit and St Louis out spent us when we should be on par with them. Add in the $25 million more they get from MLB for the national TV revenue, and there is no reason the payroll needs to be $95 million.

If the Orioles don't make a significant jump in payroll at this point with their current core group of players, it will be obvious that ownership is more concerned with the bottom line than contending for a World Series. In the past they've been able to say the time wasn't right or we weren't a player or two away. They would say start up costs with MASN and blah, blah, blah were the reason we weren't seeing a jump in payroll. Meanwhile, we hear that Nationals are players with some big priced free agents and we see their budget exceeding the Orioles. The only difference is the6y have different ownership.

[Tony-OH]

It's really that simple. I'd be perfectly satisfied with adding Choo and Garza and going to battle in 2014.

There is no valid reason we can't afford to add them.

Absolutely, and a team in the Orioles current situation that wanted to legitimately contend in 2014 would make those moves. Unless ownership suddenly has a change of heart, I don't see that happening. Meanwhile the Red Sox are now in the Choo hunt and the Orioles will probably resign McLouth to platoon with Reimold in LF next year.

[Tony-OH]

I don't think I could ever outright dislike Duquette just because of what he's done so far for the player development system (or so they say). He seems to understand the limitations put on him by ownership, so he's rebuilding this franchise's infrastructure.

It remains to be seen whether or not it's just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, however.

Duquette has done a ton to the infrastructure of the organization (scouting and development) but he certainly has a budget limitation that is tying his hands. He's not going to come out say so, but his interview with 105.7 where he talked about reallocating the Johnson money sounded a lot like a guy sending out an SOS call. He made every indication that he doesn't have much of a budget to work from and I'm sure that's frustrating for him. He'll toe the company line like he should, but he has to know he's at a disadvantage that he doesn't need to be in if ownership would just spend the money.

[Capn Vivi]

I've been saying this for years. I never understood how Detroit and St Louis out spent us when we should be on par with them. Add in the $25 million more they get from MLB for the national TV revenue, and there is no reason the payroll needs to be $95 million.

If the Orioles don't make a significant jump in payroll at this point with their current core group of players, it will be obvious that ownership is more concerned with the bottom line than contending for a World Series. In the past they've been able to say the time wasn't right or we weren't a player or two away. They would say start up costs with MASN and blah, blah, blah were the reason we weren't seeing a jump in payroll. Meanwhile, we hear that Nationals are players with some big priced free agents and we see their budget exceeding the Orioles. The only difference is the6y have different ownership.

At one point, regardless of intent, the product on the field speaks for itself. The financial world of baseball is evolving and the Orioles, who had the highest payroll in baseball in 1998 (and the second-highest in 95-97) appear resigned to the middle class of the MLB in 2013.

I can't even believe we've ever been in the market for big names like Fielder or Teixeira. Considering ownership seems to have a rule on 3-year deals for pitchers, what options does this team really have? I'm sure Duquette is looking ahead to future extensions/arbitration figures for Tillman/Machado/Davis (maybe not Wieters any longer?), but who are we going to put around them?

[bt12483]

I'm sure Duquette is looking ahead to future extensions/arbitration figures for Tillman/Machado/Davis (maybe not Wieters any longer?), but who are we going to put around them?

Teams that actually win something can afford to look ahead.

Teams, like the Orioles, that have done nothing, need to look at right now. I don't really want to hear about the future. I want to exploit current opportunities. Like 2014 with Davis and Machado and TIllman and Wieters and Jones and whatever is left of Markakis.

[Redskins Rick]

I still think this is also important.

It's always difficult to figure out just what's going on inside the Orioles front office. The team's business divisions seemed to be humming along nicely when the club fired executive vice president of business operations Doug Duennes without explanation in late July. That led to predictable speculation about increased ownership participation in the day-to-day operation of the franchise, something that ? based on past history ? would not figure to evoke confidence from the fan base.

The Sun only has two sports columnists and one strictly does football. The Washington Post has at least 8.

Like comparing Kia with Cadillac.

The Post is a paper shipped around the world and read around the world.

You really can't say that about the Sun, more of a big city local paper.

[crowmst3k!]

There's a reason that Schmuck is not the host of SportsLine and Hollander is.

It had a lot to do with the Orioles radio network negotiations, according to my insider source.

[Singleton]

I've been critical of many of the moves the team has made (or not made) so it is now odd that I'm defending them here -- or at least the JJ move which seems to have lit the fuse of discontent.

I want to win just like the rest of you but if I were the owner, you'd have a hard time convincing me to pay my closer -- who's peripherals are not elite -- $10 mil. I'd support trading him and yes...reallocating the $. It's only been 24 hours and there are still lots of good relievers on the market. I have hope that DD will secure one of them I also wouldn't be opposed to bargain hunting for a leftfielder (McClouth) given our lineup and other options and there's probably a solid DH out there to be had as well. Choo would be nice but lets face it -- he's going to be drastically overpaid. I don't like the Ellsbury contract either.

My concern as fan (and pretend owner) is really not the overall budget. Others will point fingers at PA and maybe he is pocketing more than we'd like but the fact remains we're in the middle of the pack in spending and half the playoff teams last year spent less than us. I think a good GM can operate within these confines. SO....why didn't we sign Hudson and/or Kazmir signed for reasonable deals and only 2 year commitments. Fister was traded for much less than we gave up for Bud Norris (and one of the reasons I opposed the deal last year!). He would have been a really good addition. Why didn't we offer a better package than the Nats?

Each of these 3 pitchers cost less than JJ in 2014 so presumably, it's not the money.

Though I haven't been shy about expressing my concern, I'm still hopeful that we will make some good moves -- especially in the pen -- but the long term vision seems muddled at best and I'm worried its not just ownership.

[TonySoprano]

Two days in a row for Schmuck. He could get coal in his stocking if he keeps this up.

Still, when the Oakland A's are the team taking your salary dump, what does that say about the commitment of Orioles ownership to continue building a strong AL East contender?

Johnson struggled at times last season, but it's not like the Orioles have a big surplus of good arms in the bullpen. The only way this makes sense is if Dan Duquette has a truly significant pitching move up his sleeve and springs it soon.

So far, the Orioles have restocked their 40-man roster with a group of unknown soldiers after a season in which they made big gains in attendance and broadcast ratings. It would seem like a logical time to use some of that additional revenue to add a couple of decent free agents, but -- so far -- it looks like the front office is under orders to hold down the payroll.

source -Peter Schmuck

[Tony-OH]

I don't think the issue here is really over Johnson himself. It's the idea that the Orioles have to salary dump their players to Oakland, while there is no indication they are going to go out and bring in any other high priced player. Few think Johnson was worth $10 million, and from a baseball sense it makes sense to me that Duquette moved him for whatever he could get. Me issue is that Duquette has come and said that his money will be used on "reallocation" which to me says it's going to pay for the arbitration raises. The Orioles should be looking to add an impact bat and another solid starter and if that means either trading for a big contract or giving one out, now is the time for them to do this.

They spent years telling the fans that they weren't spending because the team was not close, well, what were they doing with the moiney they were making then? You have to spend money to make money in baseball. This is something the Orioles ownership has never subscribed to.

[Dipper9]

I don't think the issue here is really over Johnson himself. It's the idea that the Orioles have to salary dump their players to Oakland, while there is no indication they are going to go out and bring in any other high priced player. Few think Johnson was worth $10 million, and from a baseball sense it makes sense to me that Duquette moved him for whatever he could get. Me issue is that Duquette has come and said that his money will be used on "reallocation" which to me says it's going to pay for the arbitration raises. The Orioles should be looking to add an impact bat and another solid starter and if that means either trading for a big contract or giving one out, now is the time for them to do this.

They spent years telling the fans that they weren't spending because the team was not close, well, what were they doing with the moiney they were making then? You have to spend money to make money in baseball. This is something the Orioles ownership has never subscribed to.

Like my Father always says...."You buy (poop) you get (poop)!" The Orioles free agent philosophy for quite some time has been to buy poop.