TT: The Orioles are a mediocre team

[25 Nuggets]

It's what a lot of folks lived with for a long time. You can't fault them for wanting better now that the team has been away from that continuing process for a few seasons.

Indeed. And yes it would be a feather in the cap to win the division but we've seen Wild Card teams win the World Series - so the #1 regular season goal should be to make the playoffs.

[atomic]

They went as all in as their payroll would allow.

They forfeited two first round picks and signed some over 30 free agents to at or above market deals.

They forfeited only one first round pick. We actually they got it back with Chen signing somewhere else. So they just moved down from what 14th to 28th? Gallardo is not going all in. He was the last guy left. The guy no one else wanted. They didn't sign 30 free agents. Pedro Alvarez was another guy no one wanted. Both guys are bottom of the barrel in cost for free agents. Under Macphail they signed two comparable guys. Vlady and Derek Lee both got over 7 million per y ear Macphails last year.

[25 Nuggets]

This post essentially reads as "The Orioles have just gotten lucky that the teams they've beaten were playing worse than them." Huh?

Baseball's funny in that any individual game is close to a crap shoot but over the 162 games of the season, luck is largely averaged out.

[25 Nuggets]

I'm not sure why you can't be mediocre and building for a championship at the same time. We could have not signed Davis, Gallardo, and O'Day, still been mediocre and not tied up with bad contracts.

I dunno. Those three contracts alone, maybe, but If the Orioles didn't spend this off season I'm pretty sure we'd be looking at a pretty bad team. If you take Davis and Trumbo out of the lineup, alone, it's a flat-out bad offense. And that's with Davis hitting .220.

[atomic]

Maybe DD will trade some prospects for a mediocre starter and we can win the division and you can complain for the next five years about how great the prospects are doing for another team.

[Can_of_corn]

They forfeited only one first round pick. We actually they got it back with Chen signing somewhere else. So they just moved down from what 14th to 28th? Gallardo is not going all in. He was the last guy left. The guy no one else wanted. They didn't sign 30 free agents. Pedro Alvarez was another guy no one wanted. Both guys are bottom of the barrel in cost for free agents. Under Macphail they signed two comparable guys. Vlady and Derek Lee both got over 7 million per y ear Macphails last year.

So you don't think Davis would have signed somewhere else?

You think he would still be looking for work?

They were all lined up to have four first round picks than Matt took the QO, they resigned Davis and Dan blew a pick on Gallardo.

[25 Nuggets]

Not sure why you are taking Trumbo out of the lineup. He's on a 1 year 9M contract. Personally, I would have signed Chris Carter to DH and traded for Adam Lind on the last year of a 1/12M contract. I didn't say not spend at all. The multi year contracts were a mistake, IMO.

Ah, ok. Well I certainly agree with you on Yovani Gallardo but I was gunning for one of those bad multi-year contracts to Jordan Zimmerman. So I shouldn't be one to talk about spending money frugally.

[Ruzious]

The problem with Wright is he thinks he has nothing to learn. And his stuff isn't better than Ubaldo's.

I don't know if that's true, but I do agree there is a problem with Wright. He's 26, and it's taken him this long to earn a shot in the majors. How many successful starting pitchers (not named Arrieta) take that long? I think that big fastball of his makes him a compelling reliever prospect but a long-shot at being a successful starter.

[atomic]

So you don't think Davis would have signed somewhere else?

You think he would still be looking for work?

They were all lined up to have four first round picks than Matt took the QO, they resigned Davis and Dan blew a pick on Gallardo.

You can't count singing you own guys as going all in. Chris Davis was an Angelos decision. You can't say for sure he doesn't hold out until the All-Star break. It is hypothetical.

Wieters was a good re-sign and if he is productive and leaves after the season they get a pick for it. They couldn't get a pick without the QO. So saying he would have given you a pick is totally false.

[Can_of_corn]

You can't count singing you own guys as going all in. Chris Davis was an Angelos decision. You can't say for sure he doesn't hold out until the All-Star break. It is hypothetical.

Wieters was a good re-sign and if he is productive and leaves after the season they get a pick for it. They couldn't get a pick without the QO. So saying he would have given you a pick is totally false.

He wasn't one of "our own guys". He was a free agent. One that they not only gave up a draft pick for but evidently bid against themselves for the chance.

And yes, I can say for sure that Davis would not have stayed unemployed until the draft.

As for Wieters I thought I made myself clear that he took the QO? I'm reasonably sure that when they extended him the offer it was with the idea of getting a pick.

[atomic]

He wasn't one of "our own guys". He was a free agent. One that they not only gave up a draft pick for but evidently bid against themselves for the chance.

And yes, I can say for sure that Davis would not have stayed unemployed until the draft.

As for Wieters I thought I made myself clear that he took the QO? I'm reasonably sure that when they extended him the offer it was with the idea of getting a pick.

Kendrys Morales same agent as Chris Davis (at the time since changed) held out until the All Star break. Anyway I was against signing Chris Davis but not for the loss of the pick. I wouldn't have given him more than a 2 year contract as he is likely to be pretty awful in a few years.

[Tony-OH]

They went as all in as their payroll would allow.

They forfeited two first round picks and signed some over 30 free agents to at or above market deals.

I definitely agree that our $150 million payroll is not exactly proportioned well. But that's what happens when you trade Zach Davies for Parra on a team that had no chance.

[Can_of_corn]

I definitely agree that our $150 million payroll is not exactly proportioned well. But that's what happens when you trade Zach Davies for Parra on a team that had no chance.

I couldn't have been more against that trade, and I wasn't even a big fan of Davies. They bought as high as humanly possible on Parra.

[SouthernBird]

Don't worry, Be Happy...We have Buck and Buck knows Baseball!

[El Gordo]

They were great in April and mediocre in May. I think I'll wait until July 1 before I declare them one way or the other.