Did Dan have a plan all along?

[Stotle]

Detecting a little snark here. Look, despite what you think about the Orioles' playoff chances, they only had so many holes they could fill. Jimenez was available at the end of February due mostly to the pick. But upside-wise, he's better than any available FA SP. The O's could have gone almost any direction with DH and improved it upon last year.

They chose to stand pat with 2B because they like Flaherty and Schoop. They upgraded their bullpen with Webb and tried to further with Balfour.

Who else are you really replacing on the team in order to make this a contender? They were close last year and missed in large part due to the two spots they addressed.

Just a little snark. In order to better answer your question, are you saying the Orioles can't improve on their 2013 team other than by addressing the couple positions they sort of addressed?

[Stotle]

Well I'm not sure the McCann scenario works if all you have is 100 marbles. For me the better plan would have been to go after Abreu and M.Gonzalez. They currently signed at a combined 11M for this year and I like them short term and long term better than Jimenez Cruz. and I keep my picks.

I don't think there's any issue with making McCann work in this payroll structure.

[Stotle]

That's what we were last year. It's certainly possible that Davis, Jones and Manny (1/2 season) come back to earth, removing gains from this offseason. It's also possible that Kakes, Wieters and the bulllpen are superior to last year's version.

I put them at 90 wins, with a fairly large range of possibilities. With some fairly good luck, I think this is a playoff team.

Makes sense -- seems like you are a big fan of the offseason moves, and that line of thinking goes along with viewing this as a likely playoff contender.

[Tony-OH]

Which is fine, and an evaluative question that will mostly be answered through the season. But it's certainly fortunate for Baltimore, then, that the only two big additions needed to push them over the top are two players that happened to be available at the end of February.

I don't necessarily buy into the theory that this was Duquette's master plan all along, but I do think adding a starting pitcher and power hitter was part of his priorities. At the end of the day, the market allowed for him to have options this late into the offseason and whether that was by design on his part or just the way it fell into place can certainly be debated.

[Stotle]

In terms of what is realistically upgradeable, I think they could potentially upgrade Bud Norris, the closer, and 2B.

Anything past that becomes unrealistic for a team that wants to keep its core together, has limited budget, and considering things such as FA team/league preference, etc. Adding McCann would be great, if he didn't look up and see Matt Wieters' large presence and say "thanks, but no thanks".

I mean, are you bouncing Chen or Gonzo from the rotation? I doubt that. Are you benching Nick Markakis? No. I mean you might, but certainly that's not happening realistically.

Also, consider how many upgradeable positions exist on actual playoff teams. Every single team has room for improvement. No team can fill every need.

Okay, but again it's a matter of perspective. I fully understand you seem to be coming from a place that views this core as about as good as there is in baseball, will tweaking and a couple upgrades enough to make it a serious contender. That's just not where I am coming from. It's okay if we disagree. We will see how 2014 goes, and then what the FO's vision is for the future.

[Tony-OH]

1. The international market issue is completely divorced from giving up draft picks. These are minimal financial investments, and Duquette/Baltimore should be aggressive on the international front regardless of whether or not they plan on giving a US amateur player 1.5 MM this summer. The fan base has to understand this -- no one in the game really thinks you need to choose one or the other, draft vs. J2.

2. As far as process is concerned, giving up the picks matters. If Baltimore thinks they have no idea what they might get in the first or second round of a draft, they should revisit their player acquisition strategies. Are the Cardinals simply the luckiest team in history with their 1st/2nd round "hits" over the past six years or so?

Absolutely they should be used in unison, but having an international front, something they never really did until Duquette came here, allows them to have a season like this where they give up some picks for some free agents that they think can make them contenders this year. Obviously this can't and shouldn't happen every year.

[Stotle]

I don't necessarily buy into the theory that this was Duquette's master plan all along, but I do think adding a starting pitcher and power hitter was part of his priorities. At the end of the day, the market allowed for him to have options this late into the offseason and whether that was by design on his part or just the way it fell into place can certainly be debated.

That could certainly be the case. It's just not my style of team building. I prefer identifying and targeting specific guys for a specific reason, as opposed to generally "I don't care who, but some sort of veteran starter and power."

I mean, Burnett, Arroyo, and Jimenez are vastly different players with different costs associated with them. To me, there should be a clear preference depending on what you are trying to do with your team in 2014 and beyond.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Which is fine, and an evaluative question that will mostly be answered through the season. But it's certainly fortunate for Baltimore, then, that the only two big additions needed to push them over the top are two players that happened to be available at the end of February.

Yep, and if the market had dictated Cruz getting 4/60 and Jimenez 80 million, then those moves wouldn't have even happened. That doesn't mean he didn't have a structural plan in place.....within his limitations. He clearly layed out that framework early with cost cutting moves like JJ and Lough.

[El Gordo]

I don't think there's any issue with making McCann work in this payroll structure.

You are paying McCann 18 M a year. We had 20 M or so to work with assuming we dump JJ's salary. You didn't do that in your"plan" so I'd say you are working with 10 M plus what you save on Wieters salary. Assuming you get back at least one ML player in that trade, that is less than 7.7 M You would have to pay that much if not more for even a cheap SP in this market. That puts' you at at least 105M. And you haven't added any players for bullpen depth, SP depth, or bench depth.

[Stotle]

You are paying McCann 18 M a year. We had 20 M or so to work with assuming we dump JJ's salary. You didn't do that in your"plan" so I'd say you are working with 10 M plus what you save on Wieters salary. Assuming you get back at least one ML player in that trade, that is less than 7.7 M You would have to pay that much if not more for even a cheap SP in this market. That puts' you at at least 105M. And you haven't added any players for bullpen depth, SP depth, or bench depth.

I never laid out a plan, but yes I would have dumped JJ.

[El Gordo]

I never laid out a plan, but yes I would have dumped JJ.

I think it would be a good idea if you did instead of skirting the issue with veiled and snarky criticisms. It's clear you aren't impressed with DD's off season or his "plan". We are all waiting with baited breath for yours.

[33rdst]

Buck did say Jimenez was a guy they targeted early on, and spoke with his agent during the Winter Meetings. Also, have you ever been a GM? What happens when you target a guy and he doesn't sign with you? You have to target player attributes, not necessarily specific players. We need a SP who eats innings and stays healthy who is an upgrade to our rotation: which guys fit that bill while also fitting our budget. Etc.

Excellent point. This to me is what has distinguished DD's off season. Knowing when tp pull the trigger was the key to his success this year. He just has a knack for acquiring value.

[Redskins Rick]

I think it would be a good idea if you did instead of skirting the issue veiled and snarky criticisms. It's clear you aren't impressed with DD's off season or his "plan". We are all waiting with baited breath for yours.

LOL

Considering the source, this is funny.

[Stotle]

I think it would be a good idea if you did instead of skirting the issue veiled and snarky criticisms. It's clear you aren't impressed with DD's off season or his "plan". We are all waiting with baited breath for yours.

Good lord, I agree. It's been like pulling teeth here.

Wow, it's not enough to just have a conversation about the merits of a set of moves? Someone has to unveil a competing plan, too? I don't feel like I've at all been disrespectful to anyone who likes the moves. Not sure why anyone would feel hostility towards my posting...

[El Gordo]

Wow, it's not enough to just have a conversation about the merits of a set of moves? Someone has to unveil a competing plan, too? I don't feel like I've at all been disrespectful to anyone who likes the moves. Not sure why anyone would feel hostility towards my posting...

This is typical of your MO.:rofl: