Is Dan Waiting on Machado Before Doing Anything Else?

[osfan83]

1 hour ago, twinedenter said:

Duquette hasn't done a good job for the O's. He has spent money poorly and made terrible decisions with young starters and with starting pitching in general. He has made some good moves AND he does have to deal with PA. 

Dan's inability to supplement this team, his fault totally or not, has taken us to the end of the window with no championships. 2015 and 2017, 2 of the window seasons, were total failures for Duquette, for multiple reasons.

It is not all on him as we know PA has issues, but he is responsible and many of his decisions have been just plain bad.

I will be happy when he is replaced and although nothing is to say they will be better, IMO, doing much worse would be difficult.

Well, he has done the best job of any of the O's GM's over the past 20 years. 

[twinedenter]

2 hours ago, osfan83 said:

Well, he has done the best job of any of the O's GM's over the past 20 years. 

I would disagree wholeheartedly that Duquette has done a better job than MacPhail. The majority of the lineup, which IS the strength of our team, was brought here by McPhail. 

Also keep this in mind. When MacPhail left, starting pitching and outfield were the team's weakness. Up until last year, the same issues existed. The OF situation was only rectified because Mancini hit his way on the team, or we would have had a repeat of 2015, where the O's had the worst OF in the majors. Rotation...obviously still not fixed, in any way. 

I have never seen a GM, not upgrade a 25th ranked ANYTHING. Absolutely mind boggling that he didn't improve the rotation last year.

[atomic]

3 hours ago, webbrick2010 said:

If its true that Brady was an advocate for both the O'day and CD signings... then that is all I need to know that he shouldn't be a ML GM

He was also supposed to be involved in the Trumbo signing. If Brady is the next GM I think I will  just find a new team to root for.  I don't want to see a whole team of guys who strike out 200 times a year, can't field or hit their weight in average.  

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, osfan83 said:

I would like to see some evidence that he would be good. Hell I guess I could be a good GM for the O's as well.....to my knowledge Brady has no past experience running a sports franchise. If he has some background in shaping a successful ball club, let me know, maybe I missed it.  

You can say the same thing about anyone who has never been a GM before.   Brady has been Asst. GM for 5 years now.    It’s not like he’d be walking in off the street.    The fact that he’s worked with some players on training issues and the like makes him kind of unique, but he seems to have had an array of other front office duties, and honestly, we don’t know much about what any other Asst. GM does on a day to day basis.

[osfan83]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

You can say the same thing about anyone who has never been a GM before.   Brady has been Asst. GM for 5 years now.    It’s not like he’d be walking in off the street.    The fact that he’s worked with some players on training issues and the like makes him kind of unique, but he seems to have had an array of other front office duties, and honestly, we don’t know much about what any other Asst. GM does on a day to day basis.

True, we don't know what other assistant GM's do....but it seems to me that Brady is Asst. GM in name only. I just don't get the impression that he is working hand in hand with DD, hammering out trades and making decisions on rule 5 pick ups....but I could be wrong.

[osfan83]

23 minutes ago, twinedenter said:

I would disagree wholeheartedly that Duquette has done a better job than MacPhail. The majority of the lineup, which IS the strength of our team, was brought here by McPhail. 

Also keep this in mind. When MacPhail left, starting pitching and outfield were the team's weakness. Up until last year, the same issues existed. The OF situation was only rectified because Mancini hit his way on the team, or we would have had a repeat of 2015, where the O's had the worst OF in the majors. Rotation...obviously still not fixed, in any way. 

I have never seen a GM, not upgrade a 25th ranked ANYTHING. Absolutely mind boggling that he didn't improve the rotation last year.

I think Andy helped set the stage, and did some very good things....but I'm not sure the O's get to the next level if it wasn't for DD coming and and saying on his first day...our goal is to win now...and that's exactly what he did. 

[atomic]

32 minutes ago, twinedenter said:

I would disagree wholeheartedly that Duquette has done a better job than MacPhail. The majority of the lineup, which IS the strength of our team, was brought here by McPhail. 

Also keep this in mind. When MacPhail left, starting pitching and outfield were the team's weakness. Up until last year, the same issues existed. The OF situation was only rectified because Mancini hit his way on the team, or we would have had a repeat of 2015, where the O's had the worst OF in the majors. Rotation...obviously still not fixed, in any way. 

I have never seen a GM, not upgrade a 25th ranked ANYTHING. Absolutely mind boggling that he didn't improve the rotation last year.

In 2014 the Orioles won 96 games and had a team ERA of 3.43.  The team had 6 starters that started 20 or more games. 5 of them were brought in by DD.  That team scored less runs than the 2011 team that won 69 games.  However the 2011 team had a team ERA of 4.89.  I

[Frobby]

15 minutes ago, osfan83 said:

True, we don't know what other assistant GM's do....but it seems to me that Brady is Asst. GM in name only. I just don't get the impression that he is working hand in hand with DD, hammering out trades and making decisions on rule 5 pick ups....but I could be wrong.

We don’t really know, with Brady or anyone else.    When Matt Klentak was Asst. GM, I always had the impression that he dealt with business issues (e.g., administering contracts, overseeing the arbitration process, etc.,) but wasn’t really involved in player development, trades, the draft etc.    Did that prepare him better to be a GM?    Hard to say, if you ask me.

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, cimota said:

In 2014 the Orioles won 96 games and had a team ERA of 3.43.  The team had 6 starters that started 20 or more games. 5 of them were brought in by DD.  That team scored less runs than the 2011 team that won 69 games.  However the 2011 team had a team ERA of 4.89.  I

In 2011 the average scoring was 4.28 R/G.

In 2014 the average scoring was 4.07 R/G.

The average team scored slightly more than 34 more runs in 2011.

The 2014 Orioles scored three more runs in 2011.

So, relative to the league, the 2014 offense was more prolific.

[Frobby]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

In 2011 the average scoring was 4.28 R/G.

In 2014 the average scoring was 4.07 R/G.

The average team scored slightly more than 34 more runs in 2011.

The 2014 Orioles scored three more runs in 2011.

So, relative to the league, the 2014 offense was more prolific.

Yes, true.   But there’s little doubt in my mind that the main reason the 2014 team won the division was because the O’s had their best pitching performance in 20+ years (115 ERA+), aided by a stellar defensive effort as well.

[Can_of_corn]

8 hours ago, Frobby said:

Yes, true.   But there’s little doubt in my mind that the main reason the 2014 team won the division was because the O’s had their best pitching performance in 20+ years (115 ERA+), aided by a stellar defensive effort as well.

Sure, I was just pointing out that it wasn't accurate to say that the 2014 team was inferior to the 2011 team offensively.  You have to adjust for the offensive environment.

[weams]

Quote

“Basically right after the season was over I began doing physical therapy on the knee and that’s been great,” Britton said. “It started getting me back on track and I feel really good. … I don’t need more of a break (from baseball). My break was in September.”

Britton was baseball’s best reliever in 2016, posting an infinitesimal 0.54 ERA and converting all 47 of his save chances on his way to winning his first American League Mariano Rivera Reliever Award.

Last year, however, Britton was sidelined for a chunk of the season, first by a left forearm strain that sent him to the disabled list twice and then by a balky left knee that ended his season in September. Britton had a stem-cell injection in the knee in late September, and says he has no lingering effects of the nagging soreness that bothered him for much of the second half.

And, Britton said, he’s had no tightness in his forearm since initially resting it in the summer.

 

“That (forearm injury) is completely over with. This was just about getting the knee back in order,” Britton said. “It wasn’t a big issue. I just needed to strengthen the ankle, the knee and the hip area and I’ve done that. I feel great.”

Last week, Britton said he had one more follow-up with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and everything checked out. Britton has been working out at the Boras Corporation facility in Newport Beach, Calif., and is now on a regular offseason throwing program.

2

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/12/13/zach-britton-says-knee-feels-great-hes-taking-trade-talk-stride-time/