Pretty amazing off season: O's reload

[wildcard]

The O's started the offseason as a last place team.   Now they look like a contender.   If you believe those two statements then its been a pretty amazing offseason.

The key to the overhaul has to be the addition of Cobb and Cashner to the rotation .   Two solid starters.  Their influence probably makes Bundy and Gausman better.  The addition on two Rule 5 guys that look like the can help in the pen in Cortes and Arraujo.  Cortes may even help the rotation before the season is over. Add to that two lefties who did not make the opening day roster but are  ready to help the pen in Joely Rodriguez and Edgin.

The addition of four free agent veterans in Rasmus, Valencia, Pedro Alvarez, Gentry are stopgap players that fill holes.

 Player development should also be credited  for the addition of Sisco.   Austin Hays begins the year at AA but is likely to be in the majors soon. And let's not forget the development of Anthony Santander.   The rookie is emerging as an improved player both offensively and defensively.

The switch of Manny to shortstop and Beckham to 3rd seems to be going smoothly.  That mid season trade for Beckham looks pretty good right now.

This is a lot of moving parts.   A reload that puts the O's back in contention IMO.  Credit has to go to Dan, Brady, Ownership and the player development staff as well as Buck.

 

[mdbdotcom]

I'm glad they didn't give up any of the prospects to do this. I'll be rooting for them.

[Bahama O's Fan]

As every year, it is going to boil down to the starting pitching.

[gtman55]

Hope springs eternal I guess.  For the O's to make the playoffs everything has to go right for them and wrong for a lot of other teams. Bundy and Gausman need to be more consistent. Tillman needs a bounce back year. Is Caleb Joseph really a full time catcher? Will the Davis/Trumbo come strike out less than 400 times? Will Britton still be the same pitcher? Will Mancini be as good as last year or was that a fluke?

This team has a ton of question marks. Playing in the AL East, I think anything over .500 would be impressive considering our roster.

[MagicBird]

Months of offseason doom and  gloom, the FO & DD are a joke.   Tear it all down and trade Manny or the team will be in the cellar for years.  ONE player, Cobb gets signed and suddenly optimism springs up and we even have threads giving PA credit.

 

And I thought women were wishy washy and all over the place.  

[weams]

18 minutes ago, MagicBird said:

Months of offseason doom and  gloom, the FO & DD are a joke.   Tear it all down and trade Manny or the team will be in the cellar for years.  ONE player, Cobb gets signed and suddenly optimism springs up and we even have threads giving PA credit.

 

And I thought women were wishy washy and all over the place.  

I wish we had traded everyone last deadline. But I'll sure take this. 

[Enjoy Terror]

You all are way more optimistic about Cobb than I am.

This board went from “mutiny building” to “amazing offseason” in the span of the Cobb signing. I think that’s nuts.

[wildcard]

Cobb and Cashner had 20 more quality starts than Miley and Ubaldo last year in the same number of starts.   

Cobb and Cashner 57 starts, 33 QS

Miley and Ubaldo 57 starts, 13 QS

Huge difference.

[ReclaimTheCrown]

I agree that considering the circumstances of the decision not to rebuild, this offseason couldn’t have gone better. We got two hopefully quality starters with track records on manageable, tradable deals. And we plugged some holes with veterans without overspending or blocking prospects long term. I’m not sure we’ll make the playoffs, but again, considering the circumstances, I really love where we’re at.

[Aglets]

1 hour ago, Enjoy Terror said:

You all are way more optimistic about Cobb than I am.

This board went from “mutiny building” to “amazing offseason” in the span of the Cobb signing. I think that’s nuts.

Amazing might be a little bit of a stretch.  But I think the big swing in public opinion is justified.

Prior to Cobb signing we were told that the O's were 'all in' this year.......and they had brought in one decent SP after ending the season with 3 gaping holes in the rotation.   This made people feel like they were being lied to in one way or another...speaking for myself certainly.   Especially when factoring the significant payroll reduction.

Now that they've brought in two decent SP....... bringing the payroll back to ~ $150M.......... the reality of our roster actually comes closer to matching the narrative that Duquette was selling.  That's a big difference......to me at least.

[21xxxv]

Watching Jimenez or Wiley on any team other than the Baltimore Orioles has elevated our chances of realizing a successful season

[MachoMachadoMan]

Amazing? Signing Cobb and Cashner doesn't scream "all in" to me. Not dancing in the church aisle over Danny Valencia, Pedro Alvarez, and Colby Rasmus. At best, we're seeing the national coverage view the club as in the hunt for the second wild card - which is basically anyone if they stay healthy and things break the right way. 

This isn't the dark days for offseasons highlighted by Deivi Cruz and Omar Daal, but this offseason was enough to make my optimistic on the eve of Opening Day. May there be many cold beers this summer. 

[Frobby]

33 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Cobb and Cashner had 20 more quality starts than Miley and Ubaldo last year in the same number of starts.   

Cobb and Cashner 57 starts, 33 QS

Miley and Ubaldo 57 starts, 13 QS

Huge difference.

If they do it again, playing for us.    That probably means about 7-10 more wins.   

[wildcard]

29 minutes ago, Aglets said:

Amazing might be a little bit of a stretch.  But I think the big swing in public opinion is justified.

Prior to Cobb signing we were told that the O's were 'all in' this year.......and they had brought in one decent SP after ending the season with 3 gaping holes in the rotation.   This made people feel like they were being lied to in one way or another...speaking for myself certainly.   Especially when factoring the significant payroll reduction.

Now that they've brought in two decent SP....... bringing the payroll back to ~ $150M.......... the reality of our roster actually comes closer to matching the narrative that Duquette was selling.  That's a big difference......to me at least.

Adding 20 Quality Starts over what the O's did last year makes an amazing difference,  at least to me.

[wildcard]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

If they do it again, playing for us.    That probably means about 7-10 more wins.   

Why 7-10?  Why not 15 to 20?