TT: The Orioles should let Duquette walk

[Guest rochester]

Then again if they respect you enough to pay you millions of dollars more per year with likely a great deal more long term job security (considering the guy who held the job before has been there over 30yrs) you may be willing to overlook a few transgressions?

That's what due diligence is for - you can't lump all situations together. I don't overlook anything, especially transgressions - overlooking or committing transgressions does not lead to job security.

[Guest rochester]

This sounds eerily familiar.... I saw the same thing happen when I played for Duq.

That's interesting...

[flyhighbirds]

Duke made one of the worst trades in orioles history by trading Jake Arrieta away for nothing. The only thing he did ok was he made a few good international signings. I personally

think he wants to get out because he thinks the orioles have made their lucky run and he thinks we are on the way down. He knows he was lucky and in the right place at the right time and the time to cash in and move is now. If I am Angelos, I might just force him to stay and let Buck make all the decisions. Let Duke twist in the wind.

[fastball]

Let's move on, this has been the main topic of the winter season. To bad it wasn't about developing the team for 2015 and the future of the Orioles. It was about a GM who has been caught between the borders. I believe the owner is just in what he believes but is it good for the team and the fan. There is time to turn this around and put this in the past.

[atomic]

I am guessing part of MacPhail not wanting to come back was Buck's getting decision making into personal decisions. I will say DD has turned the organization culture around pretty well. The guys doing the drafting and the development guys were always blaiming each other before DD got here. I haven't heard anyone complaining about the guys being drafted lately. We have international scouts now and are signing guys. It is too early to tell whether these guys are good signings or not but at lease we are making them and have respected people doing it.

I think Tony is underestimating the turn-around to the organization that has happened in a very short time period. Going from not having any starting pitching to having 6 guys battling for 5 spots is quite a drastic change. And the fact that we have gotten quality major league guys for guys we have drafted and developed speaks volumes.

[ShaneDawg85]

Duke made one of the worst trades in orioles history by trading Jake Arrieta away for nothing. The only thing he did ok was he made a few good international signings. I personally

think he wants to get out because he thinks the orioles have made their lucky run and he thinks we are on the way down. He knows he was lucky and in the right place at the right time and the time to cash in and move is now. If I am Angelos, I might just force him to stay and let Buck make all the decisions. Let Duke twist in the wind.

LOL, please. The Orioles got back a major league starter who filled the very hole that Jake Arrieta couldn't, despite multiple opportunities time and time again. The same Jake Arrieta that next to nobody wanted to keep because they'd had enough of his failures. What he's done with the Cubs, in a weaker division and league is irrelevant.

[Frobby]

This sounds eerily familiar.... I saw the same thing happen when I played for Duq.

That's interesting...

Let's not forget that SoxHotCorner previously has spoken very approvingly of the changes Duquette made to the Red Sox organization while he played there. In some cases, you may have folks who have a legitimate beef; in other cases, you may have folks who were doing a mediocre job and don't like having their turf invaded. So, it's a bit hard to judge whether any complaints that have been made are legit. For example, I think we know for sure that some scouts grumbled when Duquette realigned the scouting department, but I think the results there have been for the better.

[Frobby]

Duke made one of the worst trades in orioles history by trading Jake Arrieta away for nothing.

Here's my question: why is it that Jake never performed for us as he did for the Cubs? For me, the issue of Jake's development is a bigger issue than the return when we traded him. I could very easily argue that Buck's hires of Mark Connor and Rick Adair were the problem here.

[atomic]

Duke made one of the worst trades in orioles history by trading Jake Arrieta away for nothing. The only thing he did ok was he made a few good international signings. I personally

think he wants to get out because he thinks the orioles have made their lucky run and he thinks we are on the way down. He knows he was lucky and in the right place at the right time and the time to cash in and move is now. If I am Angelos, I might just force him to stay and let Buck make all the decisions. Let Duke twist in the wind.

We got Scott Feldman for Arrieta. A great trade at the time. Buck was sick of him falling apart in the fourth inning. Us fans were sick of seeing it. You couldn't keep the bullpen fresh if you were putting Arrieta out there. He was a 27 year old who had no confidence. Pitching for the Cubs is a little different than pitching in the AL East at Camden yards. Look how well Hammel did for the Cubs.

As we have Gausman, Norris, Chen, and Gonzalez in the starting rotation all acquired by DD I think you are severely under estimating his ability as a GM.

[flyhighbirds]

I don't believe Duke had anything to do with the culture change. That was just coincidental. It cracks me up how people try to give credit to a guy who happened to be at the right

place at the right time. Did he talk about culture change when he first took the job?

[stockpile]

Is the notion of disagreement between Buck's guys and Dan's guys really such a bad thing? I would think it serves as sort of a system of checks and balances within the organization. When you have more than one strong minded, yet intelligent leaders within the organization, you're never going to agree all the time.

During the dark years, I can only imagine there chaos within the organization. However, that would have been due to incompetence at every level. That is much different than an intelligent disagreement between 2 well educated camps within an organization - checks and balances as opposed to the blind leading the blind.

[eddie83]

Here's my question: why is it that Jake never performed for us as he did for the Cubs? For me, the issue of Jake's development is a bigger issue than the return when we traded him. I could very easily argue that Buck's hires of Mark Connor and Rick Adair were the problem here.

It always seemed mental to me. I remember a game in 2012 in Anaheim where I think he had a shutout into the 5th inning with no hit stuff and he just collapsed at once. It wasn't like the Orioles didn't give him plenty of chances. Certainly you raise a fair question but maybe a new place gave him a fresh start and he relaxed.

[OFFNY]

Duke made one of the worst trades in orioles history by trading Jake Arrieta away for nothing.

This assertion sounds like you are being facetious (and I hope that you are.)

When Arrieta was traded in July of 2013, he had an E.R.A. of 7.23, and a W.H.I.P. of 1.775.

For his entire career with the Orioles (2010-2013), Arrieta's E.R.A. rose each season, from 4.66 in 2010 to 5.05 in 2011, to 6.20 in 2012, to 7.23 in 2013.

If you were joking, OK.

If you WERE NOT joking, then what exactly was Duquette supposed to get back in a trade for a pitcher with these numbers?

[Going Underground]

If I was not interested in a job or felt like it would become a distraction (like it has), I would certainly want to address it quickly and distinctly. Duquette has done neither.

Agreed.To say that I will address it at a later time does not help. It sounds like you want to say something but can't. The interview with the Sun did not help this situation. It seemed to add more intrigue.

[AlbionHero]

I pretty much agree with the original post. At this point, I think trying to hold onto Duke is just being stubborn and not wanting the Blue Jays to win... there is a toxic atmosphere in the front office over this, and I don't want the guy running the team for the next 4 years to be disgruntled due to being denied a promotion and to mess with the chemistry we have going. Sure it sucks to let Duke go, but I'd much rather have a guy in charge who wants to be here and won't divide the front office like Duke will if he stays here after this whole debacle.