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

[survivedc]

The same resurgence that has happened in all the other major east coast cities is going to be coming to Baltimore as well. We will never be New York but there are a lot of exciting projects going on and a vibrant culture that stays strong.

I don’t think the money alone around Nats Park is going to keep them contenders and the current underlying poverty in Baltimore won’t prevent the O’s from returning to that level.

[TINSTAAPP]

They could have locked up Manny for a Mike Trout-like deal (6 years, $144 million) after the 2015 season. Instead, the Orioles ended up giving that money to Chris Davis. That's not a MLB problem. That's a bad ownership/front office problem. 

[ORIOLE33]

47 minutes ago, vab said:

Get a hold of yourself. The Houston Astros are the reigning world champions and I don't think they spent $200-300 million to do it. A well-run organization will always be competitive.  

It also helps when your best player signed for far less than his worth.

[esmd]

8 minutes ago, TINSTAAPP said:

They could have locked up Manny for a Mike Trout-like deal (6 years, $144 million) after the 2015 season. Instead, the Orioles ended up giving that money to Chris Davis. That's not a MLB problem. That's a bad ownership/front office problem. 

I don't think Manny would've agreed to that, but it's academic at this point.

[gmelson26]

2 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

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

It was never about that in my opinion.  Manny wants the big market spotlights.  He was never going to resign here.

When asked by Ken Rosenthal his emotions knowing it was going to be the last time he wore an Orioles uniform, his answer was, "Amazing.  Through the roof."  I laughed out loud for a few minutes after seeing the interview.  He didn't even give a typical cliched Oh it was a big part of my life, will miss the fans etc etc.

I hurt for the system, knowing that we will never be able to consistently compete against the likes of the Yankees, Sox or LA.  Maybe one day it will change.  I think the sport might need to be on life support for that to happen.

That said, we're historically bad with him on the team.  By the time his first opt out occurs, we probably still wouldn't be a point of true competition, so in a sense there's point in investing that much of resources in him.  I will truly miss watching such a talent play with our uniform on however.

[TINSTAAPP]

1 minute ago, esmd said:

I don't think Manny would've agreed to that, but it's academic at this point.

Machado himself said the Orioles didn't show him the same level of appreciation like the Angels did with Trout. If the Orioles had offered him a similar contract to what the Angels gave to Trout, he would have signed it. 

Quote

Manny Machado almost certainly will be playing in a different uniform soon, and it didn’t have to be that way.

The Los Angeles Angels proved that way back in early 2014, when they handed budding superstar Mike Trout a six-year contract extension worth nearly $150 million, locking him up two seasons past his first season of free-agent eligibility.

To be fair, the Orioles also made an early run at Machado, but it was nothing like that.

“They never reached out and showed that appreciation like the Angels did to Trout,” Machado said. “It was a totally different situation.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-schmuck-machado-trout-20180630-story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[esmd]

Yeah, I know what he said.  I'm just not buying it.  PR to keep the fans from turning on him, IMO.  My guess is they made overtures on a Jones-type deal, his agent either said "No thanks" outright, or said it would take $20M+ per year (or more) to get it done, so the O's saw the writing on the wall and decided to go another direction.

[esmd]

And again, even if they'd offered a Trout-type deal, I'm not sure Manny takes it.  I still believe he wants to play under the LA/NY lights.  I'm also not sure that Trout-type deal is worth it.  You pay all that extra money over what you'd pay in Arbitration, and only get two more years?  Debatable.  And academic.  He got what he wanted all along, IMO.

[Aristotelian]

Signing Davis was a much worse day for the Orioles. I would rather they trade Manny for prospects than throw money down the drain in free agency. It's only bleak because we put ourselves in that position.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

14 minutes ago, esmd said:

And again, even if they'd offered a Trout-type deal, I'm not sure Manny takes it.  I still believe he wants to play under the LA/NY lights.  I'm also not sure that Trout-type deal is worth it.  You pay all that extra money over what you'd pay in Arbitration, and only get two more years?  Debatable.  And academic.  He got what he wanted all along, IMO.

Manny’s two knee injuries was enough to scare off the Orioles from offering a Trout like early contract extension.

If only Davis had a similar injury history.  

[esmd]

3 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Manny’s two knee injuries was enough to scare off the Orioles from offering a Trout like early contract extension.

If only Davis had a similar injury history.  

I don't wish injury on anyone.  But man, if Chris Davis got a career ending injury and the O's could cash insurance, a la Albert Belle......well it sure would go a long way to solving a nigh impossible situation for all involved.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Just now, esmd said:

I don't wish injury on anyone.  But man, if Chris Davis got a career ending injury and the O's could cash insurance, a la Albert Belle......well it sure would go a long way to solving a nigh impossible situation for all involved.

Never want to wish a positive drug test on a player, but if I had a choice...

[sportsfan8703]

PA got hosed. DC is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. That was our territory. Baltimore is a dying city. Literally. 

[oriolediehard]

The saddest day ever was the signing of Chris Davis, that decision was made to mean no more Machado. O's were all in on Chris Davis over Machado.  Almost as sad as trading Eddie Murray and Frank Robinson.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, oriolediehard said:

The saddest day ever was the signing of Chris Davis, that decision was made to mean no more Machado. O's were all in on Chris Davis over Machado.  Almost as sad as trading Eddie Murray and Frank Robinson.

It being a sad day had nothing to do with Machado.  It was sad because it meant Davis was going to dragging this team down for seemingly forever.