As Expected, Orioles Offseason Graded a "D"

[25 Nuggets]

Grading the Offseason: AL East

Grading the Offseason: AL East

By Matt Snyder | Baseball Writer

February 13, 2015 2:14 pm ET

We could still see a trade or two and there are yet a few -- not very enticing -- free agents who remain unsigned, but for the most part, the "Hot Stove" portion of the offseason is over and we're moving into the spring training phase.

Thus, we need to assign grades to each team for what we just witnessed. Premature? Please. We shall cast immediate judgments on everyone and etch them in stone for all posterity.

Let's start with the AL East and go in order of last season's finish in the standings.

Baltimore Orioles

Grade: D

Gone from the outfield (and/or a DH spot in the case of the latter) are Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz. In ... Travis Snider? They also added catcher J.P. Arencibia, corner infielder/outfielder Chris Parmalee and reliever Wesley Wright while bringing back DH/bench bat Delmon Young.

Still, this is not a very good offseason. In fact, it's pretty bad. They won 96 games last season and it appears they're just resting on that in addition to hoping for better health (Manny Machado) and some bounce-backs (Chris Davis). It could work. They won the East by 12 games last season, after all. It's also worth wondering if Dan Duquette's flirtations with the Blue Jays hampered things here.

Still, none of that changes that the Orioles lost two significant pieces from last year's club and added zero. In discussing only the offseason, this was a terrible one. What saves them from an F is that they didn't really need to do a ton to remain in contention.

I think he's underrating the addition of Travis Snider, thinking of his days in Toronto and not Pittsburgh last year. He's also not considering any in-house replacements. I would rather call the off season a "C", if anything because no bad contracts were handed out. Knowing Markakis has neck surgery, I think resigning him would have lowered my grade.

[ArtVanDelay]

Grading the Offseason: AL East

I think he's underrating the addition of Travis Snider, thinking of his days in Toronto and not Pittsburgh last year. He's also not considering any in-house replacements. I would rather call the off season a "C", if anything because no bad contracts were handed out. Knowing Markakis has neck surgery, I think resigning him would have lowered my grade.

I give us a B-. I like the Snider addition and the Rule V guys. I'm sure one of the under the radar free agents will step up this year. Nobody works the scrap heap like DD. We didn't give Cruz and Nick bad contracts and picked up a comp pick for losing Cruz. A very boring offseason but not a bad one.

[Frobby]

I think it all depends on what you think you are grading. If all you are grading is gain or loss of talent, then D is a good grade. If you are grading maintaining a competitive team under circumstances where you have to give large raises to half the team and can't raise your payroll by an equivalent amount, then I think a B is on order.

[El Gordo]

I would like to see these bright lights take the bull by the horns and tell us what would have constituted an A offseason. And include the cost in money and prospects spent and justify why it would be worth it. No one could do it.

[waroriole]

Yawn. When you win the division by 12 games, there's not a huge need for a B offseason.

[Mayor McCheese]

Grading the Offseason: AL East

I think he's underrating the addition of Travis Snider, thinking of his days in Toronto and not Pittsburgh last year. He's also not considering any in-house replacements. I would rather call the off season a "C", if anything because no bad contracts were handed out. Knowing Markakis has neck surgery, I think resigning him would have lowered my grade.

Travis Snider had better numbers in Toronto, not Pittsburgh.

                                                                              Year   Age  Tm  Lg   G  PA  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPSTOR (5 yrs)        242 917 835 108 207 56  1 31 112 69 250 .248 .306 .429 .735PIT (3 yrs)        301 789 711  82 173 32  4 19  72 72 176 .243 .315 .380 .694

[Tx Oriole]

Grading the Offseason: AL East[/

I think he's underrating the addition of Travis Snider, thinking of his days in Toronto and not Pittsburgh last year. He's also not considering any in-house replacements. I would rather call the off season a "C", if anything because no bad contracts were handed out. Knowing Markakis has neck surgery, I think resigning him would have lowered my grade.

A good team like the O's don't need a whole lot added. The FA out there were not

worth what they were getting anyway. I believe the team will be very good this

season. IMO

[Frobby]

A good team like the O's don't need a whole lot added. The FA out there were not

worth what they were getting anyway. I believe the team will be very good this

season. IMO

The issue is very simple: did we do enough to offset the loss of Cruz and Markakis? Even if we should not have re-signed them at the contracts they got, was there more we should have done to replace them? Or are we fine just adding Snider and giving more playing time to the others who already were here? And if Dan was limited to about the payroll he now has, was there really a choice?

Ask me again in October.

[Can_of_corn]

Agree with Gordo here, I haven't seen any of the talking heads explaining how they could have improved the O's offseason while staying in a reasonable budget.

If you can fault them for anything it would be faulting them for not taking on bad long term acquisitions to slightly improve their chances next season.

[Mayor McCheese]

Agree with Gordo here, I haven't seen any of the talking heads explaining how they could have improved the O's offseason while staying in a reasonable budget.

If you can fault them for anything it would be faulting them for not taking on bad long term acquisitions to slightly improve their chances next season.

I would have gone after Jason Heyward with the hopes of maybe extension, if not slap a QO and take the pick...2015 cost would equal De Aza and Snider.

Would have had to give up a good prospect or 2 but would have been a nice fit here.

[mdbdotcom]

If Scott Coolbaugh turns out to be as important an acquisition this season as Wallace/Chiti were last season, it was a great offseason.

[weams]

Yawn. When you win the division by 12 games, there's not a huge need for a B offseason.

Yeah, you just need to make sure that you don't have one of those crippling offseasons where you trade for Prince Fielder, and sign Shin-Soo Choo. Or give Max Scherzer a 20 year deal. Those are the kind of off seasons that really mess you up.

[weams]

I would have gone after Jason Heyward with the hopes of maybe extension, if not slap a QO and take the pick...2015 cost would equal De Aza and Snider.

Would have had to give up a good prospect or 2 but would have been a nice fit here.

Which two prospects would we have had to give up? And there are no extensions. Not unless you are re writing your Phillip Hughes deals.

[waroriole]

Yeah, you just need to make sure that you don't have one of those crippling offseasons where you trade for Prince Fielder, and sign Shin-Soo Choo. Or give Max Scherzer a 20 year deal. Those are the kind of off seasons that really mess you up.

It's kind of like saying we didn't do well in summer school. When you make A's, you don't have to go to summer school.

[Beef Supreme]

I think it all depends on what you think you are grading. If all you are grading is gain or loss of talent, then D is a good grade. If you are grading maintaining a competitive team under circumstances where you have to give large raises to half the team and can't raise your payroll by an equivalent amount, then I think a B is on order.

This is how I see it, too. Plus, I think Travis Snider was a good acquisition. Dane de la Rosa might be one of the best under-the-radar acquisitions this winter by any team.