Ross Grimsley: Orioles Are Two Starting Pitchers Away From Contending In AL East

[PressBoxOnline]

Former Orioles pitcher Ross Grimsley: ""If you're serious about contending and getting deep into the playoffs, you're going to have to get starting pitching. And right now, in the organization, I don't see anybody that's ready to step up next year."

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/09/25/ross-grimsley-orioles-are-two-starting-pitchers-away-from-contending-in-al-east

[Three Run Homer]

Sounds about right to me.  Hopefully Buck and Dan agree.  

[Spy Fox]

Pulling Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen out of a hat was a major part of our run of success. If we don't pay for any top FA SPs, we're going to need that type of good fortune again to turn this into a decent rotation.

Even if you plan on Gausman and Bundy both having very good years there is currently nothing reliable at all behind them.  

[24fps]

That would be two effective pitchers.

[wildcard]

So Ross thinks Castro has the stuff to the a starter but he is afraid to take him out of the pen.   What's that all about? Aren't starters harder to find then relievers.   I think the O's can find another reliever if they need one.

[maybenxtyr]

I disagree about only being 2 starters away. I suspect that is what the O's are thinking though. Should be an interesting winter.

[Nevermore]

My problem is that I don't trust DD 's judgment when it comes to evaluating SPs.  He's the one who traded away  prospects who have since become decent MLB pitchers that we sure could have used. And he cut Gonzo loose for nothing. I realize that he's not an ace, but he'd  be a lot more useful than some of the ones we have now.

[NashLumber]

31 minutes ago, maybenxtyr said:

I disagree about only being 2 starters away. I suspect that is what the O's are thinking though. Should be an interesting winter.

I took it to mean two additional starters to go with Bundy and Gausman and that there's no one in the organization they can depend on for this. 

[OFFNY]

o

 

Lance Lynn ...... and perhaps a combination of Miguel Castro, Jayson Aquino, and Chris Tillman (should he wind up being healthier and his usual sub-4-ERA self come next year.)

 

If Tillman is a no-go (as he was this past year), then some combination of Castro and Aquino for the #4 spot (or best-case scenario, perhaps both #4 and #5.)

 

I believe that the key is having an almost sure thing (such as Lance Lynn) to join Bundy and Gausman for the top-3 spots ...... that would make the 4th and 5th spots more manageable, flexible, and less desperate.

 

o

[Luke-OH]

32 minutes ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

Lance Lynn ...... and perhaps a combination of Miguel Castro, Jayson Aquino, and Chris Tillman (should he wind up being healthier and his usual sub-4-ERA self come next year.)

 

If Tillman is a no-go (as he was this past year), then some combination of Castro and Aquino for the #4 spot (or best-case scenario, perhaps both #4 and #5.)

 

I believe that the key is having an almost sure thing (such as Lance Lynn) to join Bundy and Gausman for the top-3 spots ...... that would make the 4th and 5th spots more manageable, flexible, and less desperate.

 

o

There are a handleful of better internal options than Aquino. I thought Aquino could be a solid backend/swing start guy at the beginning of the season, but the stuff just isn't good enough to play unless his command improves (I watched him in AAA a good bit).  He could be ok depth, but I wouldn't count on him being in the rotation.

Means, Hess, Long, and Ynoa are better options and they along with Aquino can compete for the #5 spot.

I'm not against stretching out Castro to see what he can do as a starter, but anyone who is counting on him to be in the rotation next year is setting themselves up for a major disappointment.

[tntoriole]

If the team is dead set on trying to "contend" again in 2018, then certainly they will need pitchers from free agency that they have not ever been willing to pony up the cash for. 

If the team decides to write off 2018, sell Manny for pitching talent, see how Hunter Harvey and others do in the minors throughout 2018, they would have a much better shot in 2019 than if they waste money and time by signing has beens like Ubaldo in order to "contend" their way to third place in the AL East at best in 2018.  

 

 

[mdbdotcom]

Unfortunately, the two starting pitchers Grimsley thinks we need are Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.

[OFFNY]

2 minutes ago, mdbdotcom said:

 

Unfortunately, the two starting pitchers Grimsley thinks we need are Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.

 

o

 

I wouldn't mind trying to see if Randy Johnson had something left.

I believe that Nolan Ryan is finished.

 

o

[OFFNY]

1 hour ago, OFFNY said:

o

Lance Lynn ...... and perhaps a combination of Miguel Castro, Jayson Aquino, and Chris Tillman (should he wind up being healthier and his usual sub-4-ERA self come next year.)

 

If Tillman is a no-go (as he was this past year), then some combination of Castro and Aquino for the #4 spot (or best-case scenario, perhaps both #4 and #5.)

 

I believe that the key is having an almost sure thing (such as Lance Lynn) to join Bundy and Gausman for the top-3 spots ...... that would make the 4th and 5th spots more manageable, flexible, and less desperate.

o

 

 

33 minutes ago, phillyOs119 said:

 

There are a handful of better internal options than Aquino. I thought Aquino could be a solid backend/swing start guy at the beginning of the season, but the stuff just isn't good enough to play unless his command improves (I watched him in AAA a good bit).  He could be ok depth, but I wouldn't count on him being in the rotation.

Means, Hess, Long, and Ynoa are better options and they along with Aquino can compete for the #5 spot.

I'm not against stretching out Castro to see what he can do as a starter, but anyone who is counting on him to be in the rotation next year is setting themselves up for a major disappointment.

 

o

 

I would be fine with those other options, also.

Again, I think that the key is adding Lynn and/or another starting pitcher similar to him in the off-season of free agency, which would make the overall equation of the #4 and #5 spots much more flexible and manageable ........ not to mention taking a good deal of pressure off of Bundy and Gausman in terms of feeling like they have to win almost every time out to keep the team in contention.

 

o

[25 Nuggets]

2 hours ago, 24fps said:

That would be two effective pitchers.

...and good luck acquiring them!