Dan Connolly: Orioles Cheap? Get your head out of last Decade

[weams]

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/12/21/team-doled-largest-free-agent-contract-calendar-year-2016-orioles/

 

Quote

Despite popular belief, free agency is more of a desperate stroke than a fool-proof plan. Most players who reach free agency are in their 30s and on the downsides of their careers. Most will command salaries loftier than what they’ll produce during the duration of those new deals.

It’s funny. Many fans who lament the Orioles’ lack of big spending this winter also think, in retrospect anyway, that the Davis deal was a bad one. The jury on a seven-year contract should remain out for a while, but, remember, Davis would be among the best players available this year if were on the open market. This was one of the weakest classes in recent memory.

The bottom line is this: If you want to complain that the Orioles haven’t offered extensions to Machado and Britton – or for that matter Chris Tillman or Adam Jones — go ahead. If you want to complain that the Orioles haven’t yet found an everyday right fielder who can get on base, that’s probably a little premature, but an understandable gripe. If you’re grousing that the O’s threw away money on Davis, be my guest.

But if you want to complain that the Orioles, once again, refuse to spend big money on free agents, well you’re two-part foolish. They spent more money on free agency last year than they ever have, more than nearly every team in baseball. Their payroll, primarily due to those 2015-16 purchases and the upcoming arbitration raises, will be at an all-time high in 2017, and likely will be among the top dozen in the majors.

...

Here’s my advice: Next time you hear someone dusting off an argument from 2002 to hammer the Orioles’ lack of spending, nod your head and smile. 

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[Roll Tide]

The Redsox don't fill out their roster with rule 5 or DFA players

[oriolesacox]

Well if there is an offseason to be "cheap", let it be this one.  Really isn't a FA I'm comfortable with giving a lot of money/years to this offseason.

[Frobby]

40 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

The Redsox don't fill out their roster with rule 5 or DFA players

What's your point?   The Orioles are currently projected to have the 8th highest payoll in baseball.    That isn't cheap, no matter how you slice it.   

And by the way, the reason the Red Sox don't rely on Rule 5 guys is because they have one of the best farm systems in baseball.    You don't need to draft a guy from another organization when your own system is producing guys year after year.

[Dark Helmet]

Let's see Connelly revisit this when Manny, Jones, Britton, and Tillman are gone. 

[Dark Helmet]

21 minutes ago, Frobby said:

What's your point?   The Orioles are currently projected to have the 8th highest payoll in baseball.    That isn't cheap, no matter how you slice it.   

And by the way, the reason the Red Sox don't rely on Rule 5 guys is because they have one of the best farm systems in baseball.    You don't need to draft a guy from another organization when your own system is producing guys year after year.

They also invest alot of money in prospects. While we're giving away picks to get rid of players to save money.

[Frobby]

17 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

They also invest alot of money in prospects. While we're giving away picks to get rid of players to save money.

I can't deny that we've made some moves like that.   I still can't see that there's any legitimate argument that the team has been cheap over the last few years.   The bigger issue is whether they've allocated their resources wisely.

[weams]

15 minutes ago, Frobby said:

   The bigger issue is whether they've allocated their resources wisely.

When you are the Red Sox, Dodgers or Yankees - you do not have to. 

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, weams said:

When you are the Red Sox, Dodgers or Yankees - you do not have to. 

They have a bigger margin of error, to be sure.    The Sox made some bad inverstments in Sandoval and Ramirez, but they've also done a stellar job with their farm system.    Overall I consider them a very well run organization.    The Yankees have been more erratic, but I think they're on a very good course right now.   They really stacked their farm system last July and will be well-positioned for a spending spree when the big FA class of 2018 comes around.    I think they're overrated for 2017, however.  

[UpstateNYfan]

Seemingly, many of the major complainers here feel they can run the team better, more or less money, trade for a #1 starter, sign everyone, trade everyone and so on. The O's have won more games than anyone over the last 4-5 years (it is probably because everyone else sucked). The experts pick them as closer to last place than first, well under .500. The high revenue teams can take the easy way out and have the luxury to sign pretty much at random. Baltimore has to be more cautious. DD, with all his shortcomings still manages to get by. I'm pretty content with a team that approaches 90 wins despite all the flaws they have.

[weams]

21 minutes ago, UpstateNYfan said:

Seemingly, many of the major complainers here feel they can run the team better, more or less money, trade for a #1 starter, sign everyone, trade everyone and so on. The O's have won more games than anyone over the last 4-5 years (it is probably because everyone else sucked). The experts pick them as closer to last place than first, well under .500. The high revenue teams can take the easy way out and have the luxury to sign pretty much at random. Baltimore has to be more cautious. DD, with all his shortcomings still manages to get by. I'm pretty content with a team that approaches 90 wins despite all the flaws they have.

I have been extraordinarily happy with the last five seasons. As a whole. I got to watch exciting winning Orioles baseball. And waste money on postseason games!

[weams]

1 hour ago, Dark Helmet said:

Let's see Connelly revisit this when Manny, Jones, Britton, and Tillman are gone. 

Connolly.  

[big_sparxx]

The frustration if I may call it that is that aside from having the fifth largest payroll in baseball, we are nowhere near a WS title. I don't think anyone on this board (as far as I can recall) has admitted to a positive plan to get there with this team. You can huff and puff all you want, but at the end of the day, what do we have to show for it? Is spending more money the answer? Are we that much closer to a WS title with a potential FA?

You might ponder the significance of this team's ability until the cows come home, but without investment here and now, I'm pretty much resigned to the idea that THIS team, with these players is just not good enough. Now how you deal with that reality, and how you choose to accept what the FO might or might not do is up to you.

[clapdiddy]

The Orioles have certainly not been cheap.

I'm just concerned that after 2018, when the core (outside of Davis) is likely gone, where will we be?

 

[Number5]

36 minutes ago, weams said:

Connolly.  

Leave the gun.  Take the Connolly.