What Boston has that we dont...

[maybenxtyr]

About even with the Blue Jays and far more than the Rays. I can't understand people complaining about a team based in Baltimore having the number 12 payroll in the sport. If anything, that's more than should be expected.

I agree. There is a difference between the payrolls, but the biggest difference is how Boston allocates its funds. Baltimore finally got into the big contract market but with a very flawed player in Davis. As far as the pitching goes...we are getting what they paid for. Mediocre money (in baseball terms) for mediocre pitching.

[Natty]

My bad we are 4th in division payroll only ahead of lowly Tampa Bay.

[Babypowder]

My bad we are 4th in division payroll only ahead of lowly Tampa Bay.

Yeah, Toronto is killing them with that extra 2 million.

12th highest payroll in MLB, in Baltimore. How much is enough? They're spending plenty, in my opinion. They just aren't doing it well.

[oriole]

Good plan. Certainly a better plan than complaining every hour on the hour about what could happen a couple of years down the road.

Haha guilty as charged but it's at least a step up from comparing contracts and prospects to our division rival who is currently one game away from a four game sweep while already pushing us into the obscurity of fighting for home field advantage in the wild card.

[Natty]

Other sports have payroll limits like salary caps. In Baseball you can try to buy the pennant. But it doesn't always work. Once in a while, a team with a low payroll rises to the top.

[MagicBird]

What Boston has that we dont?

The Big Sloppi nutritional supplement program for an entire team?

[Tx Oriole]

An extra 60-70 million in payroll.

It's a simple mathematical equation.

An owner that will spend money wisely than Angelos.

[24fps]

Haha guilty as charged but it's at least a step up from comparing contracts and prospects to our division rival who is currently one game away from a four game sweep while already pushing us into the obscurity of fighting for home field advantage in the wild card.

My post wasn't really directed at you, just the extraordinary amount of whining around here in the wake of 5 consecutive solid to great seasons. Yeah, they might come at a price, most things do, but I pretty much agree with the contents of your post.

[Bradysburns]

I remember when our owner took control of the Orioles and said...He would do what it takes to bring the team to the top. One thing it takes money. But I guess he wants to be buried with his. We are 4th in our division at payroll.

Well, we're at $155 million but your point is not lost on me. It's all relative. Still, Baltimore just isn't as big or rich as NY or Boston. Nor do our fans fill the stadium with the same predictability. But then what kills me is the perennial complaint that our farm system is the worst in the universe.

How can we be both mediocre (or terrible for all those seasons), yet have no farm system to show for it? You'd think we would at least accidentally have a great draft now and then. As Charlie Brown used to say: arrrrrrrrgh!

[Bradysburns]

Excellent post. You nailed it. This organization would never drop $50 mil on two ace pitchers. Instead we dropped $26 mil on mediocrity. You reap what you sow.

Don't forget, we also signed Davis - a very nice but suddenly second-tier slugger - to a first-tier deal. Alright, I'll stop.

I'm not anti-DD at all. I love DD and what he's brought to Baltimore, which is consistent respectability and great, effective creativity in building a roster with limited resources. That doesn't mean he's above criticism, however.

[Old#5fan]

That is not giving Boston enough credit for drafting/signing and developing guys like Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley Jr. and Benintendi -- and that's just the B's!

This actually bugs me even more than their payroll, as they continually out draft, out develop and produce better players than the Orioles do. Really irritates the crap out of me and DD doesn't help matters by trading our limited young talent away for essentially nada either!

[eddie83]

Yeah, Toronto is killing them with that extra 2 million.

12th highest payroll in MLB, in Baltimore. How much is enough? They're spending plenty, in my opinion. They just aren't doing it well.

I don't think your point is completely fair. Baseball is about divisions. Warts and all the Orioles just played the Sox 4 games and the Tigers played the Twins. You have to compare payroll to teams in the division and NYY and Boston can afford top shelf pitching and we can't. The overall payroll is plenty high enough to win but switch divisions with the Tigers and it is a completely different conversation.

[sportsfan8703]

What Boston has that we dont?

Two 20 Million dollar SP's.

A lineup of about 14 guys that have higher OBP's than 90% of our team.

A team wide plan at the plate.

Speed.

Papi has better PED's than Davis.

And about 100 million more in payroll. We cry over having Ubaldo, Gallardo, and Miley for one more year. Sandoval is in like year 2 of 7 for them.

[atomic]

I would say major difference between us and the Red Sox is batting average: .251 vs .287.

Also BB 436 vs 521

Strikeouts 1101 vs 1243

We have selfish hitters. They are only trying to hit home runs. Not trying to win ball games. This is Buck's fault he should start sitting guys like Trumbo, Davis and Schoop. When they strike out all the time or pull a ground ball instead of trying to score runs and get on base.

[atomic]

What Boston has that we dont?

Two 20 Million dollar SP's.

A lineup of about 14 guys that have higher OBP's than 90% of our team.

A team wide plan at the plate.

Speed.

Papi has better PED's than Davis.

And about 100 million more in payroll. We cry over having Ubaldo, Gallardo, and Miley for one more year. Sandoval is in like year 2 of 7 for them.

Davis is an awful baseball hitter. I don't care what WAR states he has always been bad. I really hate watching him bat.