Angelos Has Sold the O's to You. What's Your Plan?

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Tx Oriole said:

Well I'd clean house. Buck, DD and Brady would be gone. Then I'd hire the best GM I could find. He/she would hire the manager of their choice. 

I'm not picking on you, this goes for I think all of us.

 

Who is the best GM you could find?  I don't know.  I'm not sure where to start looking.  Just hire away an assistant GM from a successful team and hope for the best?

 

[Ripken]

Massive rebuild, very top to very bottom.  Everyone in the FO, except maybe Rasjich, goes.  Every player over 27 goes for whatever we can get, including a Davis DFA.  Younger players can be moved if the return is right.  Find a young, bright GM that believes strongly in analytics.  Find a manager and staff of similar mind who want to oversee a rebuild and let them create the master plan.  Use that approach throughout the minors, too.  Tell the fans what the plan is so they understand it.  Settle the MASN nonsense.  You have to build interest in the team; anything to draw young fans, free admission night, etc.

[Ripken]

7 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'm not picking on you, this goes for I think all of us.

 

Who is the best GM you could find?  I don't know.  I'm not sure where to start looking.  Just hire away an assistant GM from a successful team and hope for the best?

 

That's what the interview process is for.  There would have to be some research into who the candidates might be.  I'm not sure any of us have a good list at the moment but it wouldn't be that hard to compile one if you were an owner/insider.

[atomic]

Sell every player that is anyway tradeable.  Fire the coaches and manager.  Tell the fans I am going to implement the Astro's plan to a World Series win. It is just going to take 5 years.  Then pocket all the money and spend my profits on myself. 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Ripken said:

That's what the interview process is for.  There would have to be some research into who the candidates might be.  I'm not sure any of us have a good list at the moment but it wouldn't be that hard to compile one if you were an owner/insider.

I'm just saying I think I'm fairly intelligent and informed but I don't at all feel confident in picking the best candidate for the job.  I think I could avoid the total train wrecks, but I wouldn't go further than that.

[Ripken]

10 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'm just saying I think I'm fairly intelligent and informed but I don't at all feel confident in picking the best candidate for the job.  I think I could avoid the total train wrecks, but I wouldn't go further than that.

Sure, you never know.  But, hey, if I can come up with a $Billion to buy the team, I can probably pick the right GM.  

[Natty]

At the very first press conference, I would promise Orioles fans that new ownership (Me) will do whatever it takes to bring the Orioles to the top. 

Maybe someone would remember and say that's exactly what Angelos said. I would reply...Yea but he's a lawyer, I'm not.

[Il BuonO]

57 minutes ago, Luke-OH said:

Schedule a press conference.

Announce to the fans that a new era has arrived, the team is going to return to the Oriole Way. In order to achieve this, the organization will be rebuilt. This will require some patience from the fans, but they will see progress.

First step is to invest in player development, the Orioles do not have the market to compete financially year in year out with the Yankees and the Red Sox. The team must be smart and creative to compete consistently going forward. The Orioles will be cutting payroll at the MLB level significantly for a couple years as the team rebuilds, but money will be invested to pay, feed, and train it's minor league players better. The goal is to have all of the non-org players able to train year round either at Sarasota or at a professional level facility (Boras, Driveline, etc). Each MiLB team will be provided with a sports nutrition consultant and money to properly feed players in the minors after games and workouts. 

Second, the Orioles will invest in the international market. Like Peter Angelos, I don't like the way things are run in the DR. So the Orioles will invest in a baseball academy on the island where players will be treated well, fed well, and drug tested. 

Third, aggressively identify and promote talent from within in the scouting, coaching, and instruction fields. This includes identifying org level players in the minors with potential in these fields and transitioning/training them to/for those positions as they realize they aren't making it to the majors.

I'm keeping Duquette for the first steps of the rebuild because I don't want a new GM who has to play catch up. I instruct him to get the best deals available for Machado, Britton, Givens, Brach, Valencia, Jones, and to try to shed Cashner and Trumbo's salary if possible.

Buck is fired immediately with Ron Johnson or Gary Kendall filling in for the remainder of the season as interim manager. 

Brady Anderson is offered the role as head of strength and conditioning, with the opportunity to set up in-season and offseason training for the team's MLB and MiLB players. With the freedom to bounce between Sarasota, the affiliates, and Camden Yards as he sees fit. But no player personnel responsibility or authority. 

Duquette is replaced at the end of the season unless he wants to stay on as a AGM at a reduced salary. New GM is hired with the focus on forward thinkers who are analytically inclined but grounded in baseball operations. 

Rasjich is offered a raise to stay on as long as he buys into the philosophy of the new GM. 

Hire a manager known for working with young players (I know this was Buck's MO when he was hired) with the long term goal of promoting the best of the minor league managers to the role eventually, I've got my eye on you Buck Britton. 

I'm not sure what to do with Brian Graham (director of player development) he's done some good things, but also some silly things (shoehorning Mountcastle to 3B for one), I'm not sure how much of each decision is on him or how much was being pushed by higher ups. I'll have him in for a debriefing to figure that out and see if he'll work going forward.

 

 

Pretty good. I would add Cobb to the guys whose salary needs to go and maybe trade Gausman and/or Bundy.

[Luke-OH]

3 minutes ago, Il BuonO said:

Pretty good. I would add Cobb to the guys whose salary needs to go and maybe trade Gausman and/or Bundy.

I think he will pitch better eventually and it'll be easier to move the contract. The stuff is there, just not the command/consistency.

As for Gausman, Bundy, Schoop, and Beckham. They probably need to be moved unless one of the Orioles' prospects turns into a star level player (unlikely), but I would leave them to the new GM to move.

[JR Oriole]

Offer Theo Epstein $30 million a year and let him do whatever he wants to do.....total control.  I want titles and he brought titles to the two most cursed franchises in sports.  If he can help them, he can help us.

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, JR Oriole said:

Offer Theo Epstein $30 million a year and let him do whatever he wants to do.....total control.  I want titles and he brought titles to the two most cursed franchises in sports.  If he can help them, he can help us.

How are you going to get permission to talk to Epstein?

[Luke-OH]

12 minutes ago, JR Oriole said:

Offer Theo Epstein $30 million a year and let him do whatever he wants to do.....total control.  I want titles and he brought titles to the two most cursed franchises in sports.  If he can help them, he can help us.

Will Theo be able to replicate those results with far fewer financial resources especially after setting aside an extra 30 million to pay him?

[tntoriole]

I cut my losses with MASN and form a new Orioles sports network, long term goal is to rebrand and rebuild regional fan relationships that have been lost over the last decade. 

I hire Kim Ng and give her the complete say over baseball and personnel decisions in the next five years. 

I seriously redo the owner’s suite  (that would be first actually)

I cut ticket prices for 2019 and commit to that level until we have a winner season. 

[Greg Pappas]

1 hour ago, Luke-OH said:

Schedule a press conference.

Announce to the fans that a new era has arrived, the team is going to return to the Oriole Way. In order to achieve this, the organization will be rebuilt. This will require some patience from the fans, but they will see progress.

First step is to invest in player development, the Orioles do not have the market to compete financially year in year out with the Yankees and the Red Sox. The team must be smart and creative to compete consistently going forward. The Orioles will be cutting payroll at the MLB level significantly for a couple years as the team rebuilds, but money will be invested to pay, feed, and train it's minor league players better. The goal is to have all of the non-org players able to train year round either at Sarasota or at a professional level facility (Boras, Driveline, etc). Each MiLB team will be provided with a sports nutrition consultant and money to properly feed players in the minors after games and workouts. 

Second, the Orioles will invest in the international market. Like Peter Angelos, I don't like the way things are run in the DR. So the Orioles will invest in a baseball academy on the island where players will be treated well, fed well, and drug tested. 

Third, aggressively identify and promote talent from within in the scouting, coaching, and instruction fields. This includes identifying org level players in the minors with potential in these fields and transitioning/training them to/for those positions as they realize they aren't making it to the majors.

I'm keeping Duquette for the first steps of the rebuild because I don't want a new GM who has to play catch up. I instruct him to get the best deals available for Machado, Britton, Givens, Brach, Valencia, Jones, and to try to shed Cashner and Trumbo's salary if possible.

Buck is fired immediately with Ron Johnson or Gary Kendall filling in for the remainder of the season as interim manager. 

Brady Anderson is offered the role as head of strength and conditioning, with the opportunity to set up in-season and offseason training for the team's MLB and MiLB players. With the freedom to bounce between Sarasota, the affiliates, and Camden Yards as he sees fit. But no player personnel responsibility or authority. 

Duquette is replaced at the end of the season unless he wants to stay on as a AGM at a reduced salary. New GM is hired with the focus on forward thinkers who are analytically inclined but grounded in baseball operations. 

Rasjich is offered a raise to stay on as long as he buys into the philosophy of the new GM. 

Hire a manager known for working with young players (I know this was Buck's MO when he was hired) with the long term goal of promoting the best of the minor league managers to the role eventually, I've got my eye on you Buck Britton. 

I'm not sure what to do with Brian Graham (director of player development) he's done some good things, but also some silly things (shoehorning Mountcastle to 3B for one), I'm not sure how much of each decision is on him or how much was being pushed by higher ups. I'll have him in for a debriefing to figure that out and see if he'll work going forward.

 

 

Good post, Luke, and thank you for the details. I agree on some points, yet I'm not in agreement with you about Rajsich, Graham or Brady, as the new GM would have full say over baseball operations, including who runs their scouting and player development departments, including the strength and conditioning head. So, no holdovers, unless he/she wants them.  Regarding Duquette staying on, you may be right that it's smart as a temporary thing, but he'd be replaced at season's end, with the new GM enacting their vision upon the entire organization thereafter. 

Among the many things I'd discuss with the GM would be that I want the very best scouting and development staff in all of baseball and I'd pay more than any other franchise to bring them in.  That, as much as any other single thing, should transform this organization into a first-class, highly-respected, and hopefully model franchise.  The other major issue would be completely revamping our international presence by becoming major players for the top talent, including building academies in numerous countries.

[bird watcher]

Tell DD that the team is now his with an extension. If he doesn’t want Buck then fine. Brady can still advise on player performance/physical readiness but will not in anyway be involved in player decisions. 

DD will head a search for a latin america player scouting and development program that will be heavily funded. 

I will give DD a budget that will escalate each year after being reduced significantly the next two years to help fund the new scouting ventures.