Suck to Win

[Bahama O's Fan]

This was the strategy of the Astros and the Rays in the past. Do really bad several years in a row, then draft and develop the best prospects. Of course you need the right people drafting and developing. Now, suppose we had that and this was the plan we went for, how many years of suckitude would you be willing to put up with if it eventually put is in the World Series?

[ChrisP]

We suffered through 14 and I believe we had the best record in the AL over a 5 year stretch. I don’t know if I want to through 14 again, but I am an Oriole fan for life. 

[NashLumber]

Cruel to be kind. 

It would probably take 3 years of losing to get enough high drafts to build up the farm, but as long as the team stuck to a stated strategy (meaning selling assets now to get younger), I could stomach it. Just don’t know that the plan is with all the future unknowns in the front office. My best guess is that it will be lots of seat of the pants styled take-it-as-it-goes half measures and not a real plan. 

[Frobby]

I don’t know that the Rays ever sucked on purpose.    The Astros went to that strategy only after sucking by accident for a year, like we’re doing now.     

3-4 more years of sucking would be OK if it took us to the WS.

[weams]

2 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

This was the strategy of the Astros and the Rays in the past. Do really bad several years in a row, then draft and develop the best prospects. Of course you need the right people drafting and developing. Now, suppose we had that and this was the plan we went for, how many years of suckitude would you be willing to put up with if it eventually put is in the World Series?

Be the worst for five years. Spend 45 million in payroll. Draft well. Sell all your good players for prospects. That is the formula. Worst to worst to worst and the cheapest. 

[weams]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I don’t know that the Rays ever sucked on purpose.    The Astros went to that strategy only after sucking by accident for a year, like we’re doing now.     

3-4 more years of sucking would be OK if it took us to the WS.

Cubs did that too. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

With the Orioles this may be a careful what you wish for scenario.

[24fps]

3 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

This was the strategy of the Astros and the Rays in the past. Do really bad several years in a row, then draft and develop the best prospects. Of course you need the right people drafting and developing. Now, suppose we had that and this was the plan we went for, how many years of suckitude would you be willing to put up with if it eventually put is in the World Series?

I expect a team capable of a .500 record in 2020 and contending in 2021.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, 24fps said:

I expect a team capable of a .500 record in 2020 and contending in 2021.

I'd kick back both of those goals by at least a year. 

They've managed to get themselves into a pretty bad situation.

If they had started the rebuild during the offseason...

[24fps]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'd kick back both of those goals by at least a year. 

They've managed to get themselves into a pretty bad situation.

If they had started the rebuild during the offseason...

Goals shape approach.  If you tell yourself a rebuild is going to take 3-5 years, it's pretty likely to take 5 years.  You've given yourself license to go about things in a slow, plodding, binary way.

If you say contend in 2021, the problem looks a whole lot different from the outset, and IMO that's exactly what's needed.  Take a year and a half, then play ball for real.  Hopefully 2020 will be enough to iron out the rough spots.

[Frobby]

15 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'd kick back both of those goals by at least a year. 

They've managed to get themselves into a pretty bad situation.

If they had started the rebuild during the offseason...

Realistically, it seems like Manny will get us as much or more than he would have gotten in the offseason.   We could have gotten more for Britton, I think, but we would have had to pull that trade off before Dec. 20 when he got hurt.     The guy I think we really missed out on was Schoop.     Last winter was the perfect time to trade him.  

[Can_of_corn]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

Realistically, it seems like Manny will get us as much or more than he would have gotten in the offseason.   We could have gotten more for Britton, I think, but we would have had to pull that trade off before Dec. 20 when he got hurt.     The guy I think we really missed out on was Schoop.     Last winter was the perfect time to trade him.  

Brach, Givens, Jones.

[bpilktree67]

8 hours ago, weams said:

Cubs did that too. 

Cubs only had one player on the team that game from the three bad years that got a major league at bat during the regular season they won the World Series.  They also just got one top 3 pick during that time, other was a 4 and 9th pick.