It's days like this that make you realize how flawed MLB is... how bleak the future might be

[Todd-O]

Manny being traded for a bag of prospects... walking out of town with the notion that he's is going to ask for the moon in his next contract and nobody - nada... no one - thinks the home town team has an inkling of a shot of resigning him.  They call him a "generational talent" whose best days are ahead of him, yet there's not a sliver of a chance the O's ever could have made him a cornerstone to build around.

 The O's beat writers in the Sun are all but saying there was never a chance he could stay (and to get used to it because this is what Baltimore is and will be).

Then, on the flip side, you have the Red Sox thumping their chest and proclaiming they are ready and willing to cross the highest luxury tax threshold.

This is what MLB has become and the machine will never let it stop because the richest teams and MLB PA will never install true caps that make the playing field level.

Before the season I started a thread about the possibility of the O's leaving Baltimore... and I gotta say, if this truly is the reality (an  inability to ever have a chance at securing a super star while other teams will happily step over the boundaries to reel-in every thing they can), then baseball in Baltimore is on life support.   And to throw some fuel on the fire, the Washington Nationals and their stadium are turning DC's SE waterfront into a thriving neighborhood.  Construction cranes are everywhere.  Businesses that pull-in numbers in the Billions are putting their offices there.  Restaurants are blowing up.  Pretty much the exact opposite of what's happening in Baltimore, which has a shrinking population and a city that is literally torn in half by poverty.

 

And... by the way... the Nats are willing to throw around cash like it's monopoly money.

 

This might be the most depressing day in all of my years of rooting for the O's.  I didn't realize that pain in losing Manny would actually result from the weight of the overwhelming reality smacking me in the face, rather than losing Manny the player.  I am having a really hard time seeing how the O's will survive without being extracted to a region that's begging for a team.  Montreal?  It's entirely possible.

 

It's like a nightmare that I hope is easy to wake up from... sure hope my sense of doom is wrong.

[clapdiddy]

1 minute ago, Todd-O said:

And... by the way... the Nats are willing to throw around cash like it's monopoly money.

 

And where are they this season?  The Orioles have had a pretty decent payroll over the last few years (and still do).  There are teams that do a pretty decent job at staying competitive without a huge payroll.   I think we are in a place where we need to build a great base in the farm system and develop them into a talented team.   We'll then be in a position to have some cheap talent, and then go get that player or two we'll need in FA.   

But, we'll need to be smart about locking up guys long term.  If a player doesn't want to be signed long term early on, then we need to be smart about when to deal them.   

The game is certainly not the game it was 30 years ago.  We need to be smarter...realizing we can't afford a huge payroll and adapt.   It doesn't mean we won't be good ever again.   It just means we'll see more players moving around. 

[Todd-O]

Just now, clapdiddy said:

And where are they this season?  The Orioles have had a pretty decent payroll over the last few years (and still do).  There are teams that do a pretty decent job at staying competitive without a huge payroll.   I think we are in a place where we need to build a great base in the farm system and develop them into a talented team.   We'll then be in a position to have some cheap talent, and then go get that player or two we'll need in FA.   

But, we'll need to be smart about locking up guys long term.  If a player doesn't want to be signed long term early on, then we need to be smart about when to deal them.   

The game is certainly not the game it was 30 years ago.  We need to be smarter...realizing we can't afford a huge payroll and adapt.   It doesn't mean we won't be good ever again.   It just means we'll see more players moving around. 

I like the positivity.  Keep it coming

[clapdiddy]

2 minutes ago, Todd-O said:

I like the positivity.  Keep it coming

Hey...it's usually the way I am! 

I'm actually looking forward to this process.   If what DD said yesterday is true, I think good things are coming.   It might just take a bit.

[Aglets]

18 minutes ago, Todd-O said:

Manny being traded for a bag of prospects... walking out of town with the notion that he's is going to ask for the moon in his next contract and nobody - nada... no one - thinks the home town team has an inkling of a shot of resigning him.  They call him a "generational talent" whose best days are ahead of him, yet there's not a sliver of a chance the O's ever could have made him a cornerstone to build around.

 The O's beat writers in the Sun are all but saying there was never a chance he could stay (and to get used to it because this is what Baltimore is and will be).

Then, on the flip side, you have the Red Sox thumping their chest and proclaiming they are ready and willing to cross the highest luxury tax threshold.

This is what MLB has become and the machine will never let it stop because the richest teams and MLB PA will never install true caps that make the playing field level.

Before the season I started a thread about the possibility of the O's leaving Baltimore... and I gotta say, if this truly is the reality (an  inability to ever have a chance at securing a super star while other teams will happily step over the boundaries to reel-in every thing they can), then baseball in Baltimore is on life support.   And to throw some fuel on the fire, the Washington Nationals and their stadium are turning DC's SE waterfront into a thriving neighborhood.  Construction cranes are everywhere.  Businesses that pull-in numbers in the Billions are putting their offices there.  Restaurants are blowing up.  Pretty much the exact opposite of what's happening in Baltimore, which has a shrinking population and a city that is literally torn in half by poverty.

 

And... by the way... the Nats are willing to throw around cash like it's monopoly money.

 

This might be the most depressing day in all of my years of rooting for the O's.  I didn't realize that pain in losing Manny would actually result from the weight of the overwhelming reality smacking me in the face, rather than losing Manny the player.  I am having a really hard time seeing how the O's will survive without being extracted to a region that's begging for a team.  Montreal?  It's entirely possible.

 

It's like a nightmare that I hope is easy to wake up from... sure hope my sense of doom is wrong.

Were you watching from 2012-2016?

Pretty clearly showed that baseball in Baltimore doesn't have to be 'on life support.'

If the TAMPA BAY RAYS can afford to keep their superstars (like Longoria) then we certainly can..........we just have to be smart about it.  We had a chance a few years ago, and we screwed up.  Now, even if the Orioles did have 400M lying around or whatever for 2019 and beyond I think you can make the case that trading Manny away for 5 prospects is actually better for the future of the team.  We are not just 1, 2, 3, or 4 players away from competing right now.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Don’t pay Davis and Trumbo, and suddenly you have the cash to pay Manny. 

[99ct]

4 minutes ago, Aglets said:

.........we just have to be smart about it.  

I think that is part of the original post's gripe, though: if you have more $, you don't have to be as smart. Just because it's possible to compete with a lower payroll doesn't mean its fair. 

[incubus]

22 minutes ago, Todd-O said:

Manny being traded for a bag of prospects... walking out of town with the notion that he's is going to ask for the moon in his next contract and nobody - nada... no one - thinks the home town team has an inkling of a shot of resigning him.  They call him a "generational talent" whose best days are ahead of him, yet there's not a sliver of a chance the O's ever could have made him a cornerstone to build around.

 The O's beat writers in the Sun are all but saying there was never a chance he could stay (and to get used to it because this is what Baltimore is and will be).

Then, on the flip side, you have the Red Sox thumping their chest and proclaiming they are ready and willing to cross the highest luxury tax threshold.

This is what MLB has become and the machine will never let it stop because the richest teams and MLB PA will never install true caps that make the playing field level.

Before the season I started a thread about the possibility of the O's leaving Baltimore... and I gotta say, if this truly is the reality (an  inability to ever have a chance at securing a super star while other teams will happily step over the boundaries to reel-in every thing they can), then baseball in Baltimore is on life support.   And to throw some fuel on the fire, the Washington Nationals and their stadium are turning DC's SE waterfront into a thriving neighborhood.  Construction cranes are everywhere.  Businesses that pull-in numbers in the Billions are putting their offices there.  Restaurants are blowing up.  Pretty much the exact opposite of what's happening in Baltimore, which has a shrinking population and a city that is literally torn in half by poverty.

 

And... by the way... the Nats are willing to throw around cash like it's monopoly money.

 

This might be the most depressing day in all of my years of rooting for the O's.  I didn't realize that pain in losing Manny would actually result from the weight of the overwhelming reality smacking me in the face, rather than losing Manny the player.  I am having a really hard time seeing how the O's will survive without being extracted to a region that's begging for a team.  Montreal?  It's entirely possible.

 

It's like a nightmare that I hope is easy to wake up from... sure hope my sense of doom is wrong.

Dude, DC isn’t so great, all they did was gentrify and push out the poor people. They shifted the problem to elsewhere, thy didn’t solve it.

Also recognize, if we had the federal tax dollars pouring into our city’s coffers like DC, we’d have a much less uphill battle to restore Baltimore and pull tens of thousands out of poverty.

[Redskins Rick]

I think they need to spend the payroll budget dollars more wisely, and not just say, they are spending money, that doesn't cut it, and we are not stupid fans.

I think the downfall came after Toronto wanted DD as their GM. It seemed to be a power shift in the Warehouse, and where DD had some authority to do his own deals, which clearly had worked to some extent on the field, with a winning and competitive team.

Its way to early to rate this team. Manny could end up like Bedard or this deal could very well backfire, and Manny could help the Dodgers to the WS Trophy, much like Frank did back in the day.

When Peter runs the team, then it clearly shows how badly they can be, 14 years of hell, and now 2 years of hell.

I just have so much utter contempt for this FO leadership right now.

[Redskins Rick]

2 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Don’t pay Davis and Trumbo, and suddenly you have the cash to pay Manny. 

Whose decision was Davis and Trumbo? Most likely Peter.

Whose decision to not try and keep Manny. Most likely Peter

Success and failure starts at the top.

 

[Aglets]

1 minute ago, 99ct said:

I think that is part of the original post's gripe, though: if you have more $, you don't have to be as smart. Just because it's possible to compete with a lower payroll doesn't mean its fair. 

Oh, 100% agree that it's not fair.  Until there's a hard salary cap,  baseball will never be truly "fair."   But it's better now than it used to be...........and we've shown we can absolutely still compete so I just don't think it's productive to just get into the 'woe is me' mentality to quote Buck.   We've gotten our payroll up to a very healthy amount just recently.......that's enough.

[LocoChris]

Nobody thinks we’ll resign Machado because we’re rebuilding. Just wouldn’t make a lot of sense would it? 

[incubus]

Machado would certainly expedite a rebuild, especially since he is still going into his prime.

[maybenxtyr]

They we're on their way to having a quality core of players...they (Angelos and others), gambled on the wrong one's. Mid market teams can not afford to throw money away on what has turned into the worst player in baseball. 

Keeping Manny and Schoop would have obviously been a better investment than Trumbo and Davis, but this is where they are now and they have to deal with it. Maybe things will shift if ownership gets out of the way and gives their baseball people a budget. That's really the only hope for baseball in Baltimore.

[ORIOLE33]

I hear what the OP is saying. Will a team like Baltimore ever be able to keep a player like Manny when it’s his time to really get paid? What if Diaz becomes a superstar and he demands $300M in 5 years? You’re going to hear NYY, BOS, LA, CHI. No BAL. I guarantee that NY won’t have the same problem when it’s time to pay Judge. 

As a fan, that is frustrating.