Past off season and Dan Duquette/Blue Jays distraction.

[weams]

Well, first of all, we don't know what DD's budget was, but we do know that he had offers out to Markakis AND Cruz at the same time that might have ramped up the payroll considerably higher than we started the season with. Perhaps those were offers not intended to be accepted, but I don't think those suggesting our FO had more $ to spend than what represented our OD payroll are off base. By certain accounts, the Os had a payroll north of $110M recently and still were considered among the most profitable franchises in baseball plus MASN profits approaching $50M recently were going into Os and Nats owners pockets.

Second, the makeup of the team is a function of the direction of our GM. Several of us were advocating dealing Wieters and Davis after the 2013 offseason, posted preferences to go in other directions regarding obtaining both Ubaldo and Norris (who I will remind we've been guaranteed by Weams we could deal for what we gave up for him any time we wanted) and could have had much more $ available to make up only a couple WAR from 2014. Other players who could have helped THIS season while reducing payroll, such as Eduardo Rodriguez, were traded away. IMO, the any lack of payroll flexibility and available prospects for the 2015 Orioles result directly from prior decisions of our GM and are why I don't feel it necessary to put forth a full rost er within any budget to have the right to criticize our GM.

You make some good points. I believe that several of the players that we have now would not be on the team had either Nick or Nelson have accepted their three year deals. Several Big ticket items. I have no idea how much the greedy owners make off this all. I do not believe the books are open or legitimate to determine that.

[El Gordo]

He does. He is smart. He is trying to get folks worked up.

No troll.

[weams]

Fair enough. I also advocated trading Wieters after the 2013 season. However, I know I've proposed and applauded and bunch of things that don't look good now too. You want to get on Duquette for the things you disagreed with him on. You also like to get on him for the things you agreed with him on. He's in a tough spot there.

And Dan Duquette would have been the scourge of Baltimore for those trades after all those years of losing and basement dwelling. I am not certain he had that much banked equity.

[Barnaby Graves]

You better put me on ignore. Now.

"...Or, per my avatar, I will continue to cheer aggressively."

[BradyBunch]

Well, first of all, we don't know what DD's budget was, but we do know that he had offers out to Markakis AND Cruz at the same time that might have ramped up the payroll considerably higher than we started the season with. Perhaps those were offers not intended to be accepted, but I don't think those suggesting our FO had more $ to spend than what represented our OD payroll are off base. By certain accounts, the Os had a payroll north of $110M recently and still were considered among the most profitable franchises in baseball plus MASN profits approaching $50M recently were going into Os and Nats owners pockets.

Second, the makeup of the team is a function of the direction of our GM. Several of us were advocating dealing Wieters and Davis after the 2013 offseason, posted preferences to go in other directions regarding obtaining both Ubaldo and Norris (who I will remind we've been guaranteed by Weams we could deal for what we gave up for him any time we wanted) and could have had much more $ available to make up only a couple WAR from 2014. Other players who could have helped THIS season while reducing payroll, such as Eduardo Rodriguez, were traded away. IMO, the any lack of payroll flexibility and available prospects for the 2015 Orioles result directly from prior decisions of our GM and are why I don't feel it necessary to put forth a full rost er within any budget to have the right to criticize our GM.

I agree on one statement here.. Markakis and Cruz both had contracts out to each other at the same time. That leads me to believe with 100% certainty that the Orioles were willing to sign BOTH of them and add that $26m to the payroll for the next 3 seasons. O's were willing to go to that $125 to $130m payroll this year with those offers.

Davis is the only guy I was in favor of trading after 2013. Thought we could find or have a servicable 1st baseman for 2014 (Pearce or Markakis).

I am fine with Ubaldo signing. Mad about ERod but too early to tell what he's gonna be. 2 games doe not make a career. Just look at Mike Wilson who through shutout baseball in his 2 starts.

[MemorialStadKid]

Last night this team is as close as healthy as we have been all year, and we won. Let's see what this team does now with everyone finally back.

How can you sit there with a straight face and say that Duke should have expected injuries to Hardy, Schoop, and Flaherty, as well as 2 extra months for Wieters, as well as poor performance from Tillman, Norris, Pearce, DeAza, Snider, Lough, and to some extent Joseph, Davis, Hardy, and Jones for the whole month of May? You're Monday morning Quarterbacking at best and trolling at worst. Not to worry though, I expect the O's to be playing much better over the next few weeks and thus you will suddenly be busy in your real life and unable to post much. It really is an odd coincidence how your free time to post on here coincides with when the O's are in poor streaks.

I thought being called a "troll" was now off-limits?

*shrugs*

The hilarious thing is that when I show up in game threads to cheer on the team or make a positive post, it goes completely ignored.

A few months back, I posted a thread about a sabermetrics conference (http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/145986-Saber-conference-in-March) that I hoped would spur a conversation I could learn from, but that also went ignored so it dawned upon me that some folks only want to hear "negativity." Or, worse, only know how to respond to negativity.

I would enjoy some good conversations, but the times when I get the most riled up are during the offseason and during losing streaks caused by said inactivity during the offseason. I suppose I am guilty of "I told you so" but Jesus, I know I'm not the only one who was bristled by the lack of offseason moves.

I keep being told that we'll improve during the season, but if there was a time when DD needed to build up some good faith, it would be now.

MSK

[TonySoprano]

A few months back, I posted a thread about a sabermetrics conference (http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/145986-Saber-conference-in-March) that I hoped would spur a conversation I could learn from, but that also went ignored so it dawned upon me that some folks only want to hear "negativity." Or, worse, only know how to respond to negativity.

Interesting. So is being negative a gimmick to get attention? One may want to rethink that approach.

[MemorialStadKid]

Interesting. So is being negative a gimmick to get attention? One may want to rethink that approach.

You completely misunderstood my point there.

MSK

[PaulFolk]

Agree to disagree.

Posts like this (in the context you replied) aren't needed. This is just a potshot at someone's intelligence.

[TonySoprano]

You completely misunderstood my point there.

MSK

No I didn't. You said when you bothered to be positive (and reading your old posts is very simple to do), you were ignored. Would you like another shot at answering this post?

[MemorialStadKid]

Just a few days ago, it was Duquette's poor work ethic...

Ignoring how the post below is contradictory to that above, but at least you were starting to get it with #1-2 below, you then lose it and fail to see how we're not the Yankees, we have a limited payroll. So since you enjoy repeating the same talking points, give us your offseason plan within the same budget we have now. I'd like specifics.

Kept Cruz.

Kept Miller.

Resigned Delmon.

Got rid of Lough. Attempt to trade De Aza. Traded Matusz. Maybe in a package.

Promoted Reimold to LF, at least for his speed and potential defense.

Promoted someone to the spot Evereth Cabrera occupied.

Promote Wright and Gausman to SR.

Bundy in bullpen.

Attempt to trade Norris for infield depth player.

That's a start.

MSK

[TonySoprano]

Kept Cruz.

Kept Miller.

Resigned Delmon.

Got rid of Lough. Attempt to trade De Aza. Traded Matusz. Maybe in a package.

Promoted Reimold to LF, at least for his speed and potential defense.

Promoted someone to the spot Evereth Cabrera occupied.

Promote Wright and Gausman to SR.

Bundy in bullpen.

Attempt to trade Norris for infield depth player.

That's a start.

MSK

You missed the part about "within the same budget we have now."

[Crazysilver03]

Kept Cruz.

Kept Miller.

Resigned Delmon.

Got rid of Lough. Attempt to trade De Aza. Traded Matusz. Maybe in a package.

Promoted Reimold to LF, at least for his speed and potential defense.

Promoted someone to the spot Evereth Cabrera occupied.

Promote Wright and Gausman to SR.

Bundy in bullpen.

Attempt to trade Norris for infield depth player.

That's a start.

MSK

These are things you would have done In the off-season or now? You would have promoted Wright in the spring?

[mdbdotcom]

Promoted Reimold to LF, at least for his speed and potential defense.

Are you taking anything he says, seriously?

Based on his speed and arm, Reimold holds a great deal of potential defense. Typically, this potential is severely diminished once the ball has been hit in his general vicinity.

[Crazysilver03]

Promoted Reimold to LF, at least for his speed and potential defense.

Are you taking anything he says, seriously?

I don't know. Sometimes I try to respond to him like he might actually have a conversation instead of playing the victim. Some of this stuff in his post was hilarious. Probably not his intention.

Pretty sure even the people that wanted Reimold on the team in spring have come around to it being ok he is in the minors.