Duquette: 'We've got to put a little bit sharper focus on the future'

[LookitsPuck]

Zero chance Duquette is back next year otherwise he would have been extended by now.

[glenn__davis]

18 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

It isn't irrelevant if for all of 2019 we have Davis at first and Trumbo at DH and RF.  That's going to put Mancini in left (it certainly doesn't look like they are willing to send him down or bench him) and only leaves CF and RF for the corps of young outfielders.

Sure.  I said that these were changes that COULD be made today.  The Trumbo contract should be irrelevant.  Whether it is or not I do not know.

[Ruzious]

So, the future to the O's means... after the all-star game break?

[wildbillhiccup]

21 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

Trumbo's contract is irrelevant.  He's only here for 1 more year.

I personally think the offense could be fixed today if they wanted to.  Stewart in LF, Mullins in CF, Jones in right.  Mancini to 1B.  Davis/Trumbo a very expensive platoon DH.  Or, just cut Trumbo and let Valencia be the right side of that.  That OF would be better both offensively and defensively than what they're putting out there now, and would only figure to get better.  Assuming Hays comes back and starts hitting, he would hopefully take over in RF.

Sisco will eventually start hitting better with regular playing time.

The biggest concerns are IF and bullpen.  These should be addressed with any trades we make.  Frankly I think only Machado has any real value unless Britton comes back throwing lights out .

 

We're talking about next year right? Because this season isn't salvageable. And if we're being honest, Jones isn't coming back. I follow him on twitter and he's made that abundantly clear in a very passive aggressive way. So what your saying is that by adding Stewart / Mullins / Hays and subtracting Machado / Jones / Britton / Brach they'll somehow be a better team? I appreciate your optimism, but the odds of all of our prospects being great are not good. Stewart and Mullins in particular aren't even top 100 prospects. 

I also respectively disagree with us needing to focus on adding infielders and bullpen arms via trades. If they have that kind of mentality they'll end up settling for a Makiel Franco / Jake Lamb return which is not what this team needs. If they trade their pending free agents they should simply be looking for a the best talent available, regardless of position. 

Also, in terms of the infield, we have two immediate holes to fill in the offseason (3B and SS) and then we'll have to deal with 2B the season after because I don't think Schoop will resign.  How do you propose we fill those holes? There are no quality SS free agents available this off season and I don't think it's worth the risk to sign an injury prone Donaldson or Beltre to play 3B (or an overachieving Moustakas for that matter). In what scenario can this team possibly contract a roster to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox without whole scale changes? 

[wildbillhiccup]

43 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Trumbo will be in the last year of a 3 year deal that isn't a franchise hindering contract. His contract shouldn't be a hindrance. 

My comment was in regard to someone saying we didn't need a full rebuild so that's certainly relevant. He was implying that this current roster be fixed / tweaked to content and I don't believe it can. 

[Frobby]

37 minutes ago, atomic said:

He probably has made enough money to retire.   He is 60 so it wouldn't be that early. 

Dan had a divorce and is on his second marriage with a relatively young family (four kids and the youngest is 3-4 years old I think).   So, I’m not too sure about retirement.   

[AnythingO's]

3 hours ago, LookitsPuck said:

Zero chance Duquette is back next year otherwise he would have been extended by now.

Unless Brady and Louis don't want to insult Buck publicly by extending DD now....

[Dark Helmet]

3 hours ago, wildbillhiccup said:

My comment was in regard to someone saying we didn't need a full rebuild so that's certainly relevant. He was implying that this current roster be fixed / tweaked to content and I don't believe it can. 

I gotcha. Yeah I agree, this team is well beyond a reload.

[Dark Helmet]

3 hours ago, DRJacobs said:

I heard they are both gone and they are aware of it. We will see.

I don't think there's any truth to that for two reasons.

1. Peter Angelos usually doesn't operate that way. 

and

2. The Orioles aren't capable of thinking that far ahead.

[glenn__davis]

4 hours ago, wildbillhiccup said:

We're talking about next year right? Because this season isn't salvageable. And if we're being honest, Jones isn't coming back. I follow him on twitter and he's made that abundantly clear in a very passive aggressive way. So what your saying is that by adding Stewart / Mullins / Hays and subtracting Machado / Jones / Britton / Brach they'll somehow be a better team? I appreciate your optimism, but the odds of all of our prospects being great are not good. Stewart and Mullins in particular aren't even top 100 prospects. 

I also respectively disagree with us needing to focus on adding infielders and bullpen arms via trades. If they have that kind of mentality they'll end up settling for a Makiel Franco / Jake Lamb return which is not what this team needs. If they trade their pending free agents they should simply be looking for a the best talent available, regardless of position. 

Also, in terms of the infield, we have two immediate holes to fill in the offseason (3B and SS) and then we'll have to deal with 2B the season after because I don't think Schoop will resign.  How do you propose we fill those holes? There are no quality SS free agents available this off season and I don't think it's worth the risk to sign an injury prone Donaldson or Beltre to play 3B (or an overachieving Moustakas for that matter). In what scenario can this team possibly contract a roster to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox without whole scale changes? 

Yikes.  If you think I want to acquire Franco/Lamb/Donaldson types, then I must not have communicated my point very well.

[Aglets]

54 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Dan Duquette has made some bad moves and some good ones...but he is FAR from the culprit in many of the decisions made by this organization. If you knew what I know you'd fault Dan less, and understand. Not that he is completely without blame....but many of his ideas and trades were blocked or vetoed by several people. By and large, Dan Duquette is a professional who knows what he's doing. Others may not be as good a judge of talent as they have been given credit for.

 

Believe it or not I think we are kind of on the same page here Roy.

Out of all of the folks ‘upstairs’ I think I blame Dan the least.  He’s not perfect but he did a lot of good here.......until he was marginalized or whatever.

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, Roy Firestone said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Dan Duquette has made some bad moves and some good ones...but he is FAR from the culprit in many of the decisions made by this organization. If you knew what I know you'd fault Dan less, and understand. Not that he is completely without blame....but many of his ideas and trades were blocked or vetoed by several people. By and large, Dan Duquette is a professional who knows what he's doing. Others may not be as good a judge of talent as they have been given credit for.

 

Roy, you need to write a Tony-esque expose.  

[weams]

18 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Roy, you need to write a Tony-esque expose.  

He would never get another interview. 

[Hallas]

12 hours ago, Frobby said:

To me, Duquette was very clear in recognizing that this team is not competitive and the front office needs to focus on the future.    Honestly, I don’t know how much more clearly he could have said it.

At the end of the day, though, it’s what the team does about it, not what it says.

I can see why people may have issue with the way the message was delivered.  The amount of tact he put into his words borders on farcical given the team's atrocious play.

[OriolesMagic83]

10 hours ago, Bonecrusher52 said:

Orioles’ Buck Showalter likes his guys too much

"Manager Buck Showalter’s rallying cry from the past, “I like our guys” rings hollow in 2018. He’s been sticking with some of his guys even as they are clearly hurting this year’s team."

I'm sure "our guys" are great, they're just not that good at baseball with the notable exception of Manny.