Is the 2019 Season a Blatant Tank Job?

[osfan83]

29 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

If this is true then I have a real problem with Elias' strategy / approach. Fielding a bare bones / replacement level roster is one thing, but if he's blatantly not trying to win goes against the spirit / ethics of the game. It's no different than cheating IMO. 

It's not cheating. There is no rule that says you have to field a competitive team. There is no penalty for losing a lot.....Here is how I'm dealing with it....I just don't watch. I'll start again in April 2020, and when they get more than 10 under, I'll stop watching again.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

15 minutes ago, El_Duderino said:

Show me a better or quicker path to competing for the World Series and I am in. Tanking is the only way. 

If you’re not the Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox. They can pay for top talent and rebuild the same time.

[Going Underground]

How many other teams  were  rebuilding or cutting payroll during the Houston rebuild? Now we have six or seven and might be nine or more  by the trade deadline? Be interesting to see which teams come out of their rebuild successful and how many fail .

[ThomasTomasz]

33 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

If this is true then I have a real problem with Elias' strategy / approach. Fielding a bare bones / replacement level roster is one thing, but if he's blatantly not trying to win goes against the spirit / ethics of the game. It's no different than cheating IMO. 

They shed payroll as much as they could to invest it into the scouting department, player development and analytics.  The rest I would hope ownership is banking for when the club is competitive and it is time to bring in free agents and extend our own guys and lock them in long-term.  They are going as bare bones as possible, and trying to see what, if anything, is at the high end of the minors.  And it's not much, and most of us should have known that from the looks we got at those pitchers last year.  You've got to put guys into roles they aren't used to, and see if you can't create value out of them.  You've got to stick with a Rule 5 draftee like Richie Martin.  Renato Nunez and Rio Ruiz are former top 10 prospects in very analytically driven organizations, they deserve a full season to prove themselves.  Luis Ortiz and Josh Rogers-type guys should be getting a shot over a Dan Straily by this point.  There are going to be a lot of 40 man roster decisions coming at the end of the year as prospects like Diaz now need to be put on that, or risk exposing them in the Rule 5 draft.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

9 minutes ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

Yes.

Each and every day, 365 days per year, as long as the Orioles Hangout exists.

 

o

 

[jabba72]

Right now they are on a 42-104 pace, which looks to easily be another season under 50 wins. Possibly even a worse record than last year. Personally im fine with them going all out to finish with the worst record, the 98-2011 Orioles were never able to rebuild through they draft because they rarely picked in the top 5. 

[ThomasTomasz]

4 minutes ago, Going Underground said:

How many other teams  were  rebuilding or cutting payroll during the Houston rebuild? Now we have six or seven and might be nine or more  by the trade deadline? Be interesting to see which teams come out of their rebuild successful and how many fail .

Cubs were doing that, and the Yankees, as much as you can say they were.  They were trading contracts and such on the fly.  The Twins were also rebuilding and keeping payroll low.   I also think the White Sox were doing that as well.  

[Ripken]

1 minute ago, jabba72 said:

Right now they are on a 42-104 pace, which looks to easily be another season under 50 wins. Possibly even a worse record than last year. Personally im fine with them going all out to finish with the worst record, the 98-2011 Orioles were never able to rebuild through they draft because they rarely picked in the top 5. 

It's so bad the league is not letting us play the last 16 games.

[jabba72]

1 minute ago, Ripken said:

It's so bad the league is not letting us play the last 16 games.

I just doubled up the current record and didnt include the final 16, but it looks to be under 50 wins. 46-116 or something pace is what they're on now. 

[DrungoHazewood]

3 hours ago, atomic said:

There is no one to replace them with. Management decided to spend the winter relaxing instead of doing their job.  Who are the players we can replace them with at this point?  Our Triple A pitching is horrible, 

Management spent all winter preparing for the 2023 season in precisely the way they stated they would when they were hired, which you continue to misrepresent as laziness.  If you disagree with the plan, then blame the owners for hiring people who explicitly said this is what was going to happen.  Please stop pretending that you don't understand what's going on.

You've now posted hundreds of times that you think Elias should be fired for doing exactly what he said he would do, and for executing that plan with the full consent of ownership.

[El_Duderino]

DD and Buck put a pretty impressive tourniquet on the wound. Elias is here to do real surgery. 

[Aglets]

Just now, El_Duderino said:

DD and Buck put a pretty impressive tourniquet on the wound. Elias is here to do real surgery. 

Man I wish we had signatures on this site.

I don't think I can think of a better metaphor than this to sum up the 2011-2022 era of Orioles baseball.   This is exactly right.

[osfan83]

36 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

Right now they are on a 42-104 pace, which looks to easily be another season under 50 wins. Possibly even a worse record than last year. Personally im fine with them going all out to finish with the worst record, the 98-2011 Orioles were never able to rebuild through they draft because they rarely picked in the top 5. 

I think they only win 35 games this year.

[Sessh]

17 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Management spent all winter preparing for the 2023 season in precisely the way they stated they would when they were hired, which you continue to misrepresent as laziness.  If you disagree with the plan, then blame the owners for hiring people who explicitly said this is what was going to happen.  Please stop pretending that you don't understand what's going on.

You've now posted hundreds of times that you think Elias should be fired for doing exactly what he said he would do, and for executing that plan with the full consent of ownership.

Well said. I admit I am a little surprised as to how many people around here don't seem to understand what's going on. Fortunately, the majority of folks do seem to understand. Personally, I am enjoying this season far more than last season and far more than any of the games in the 14 year streak. At least now, this is all part of a viable plan.

To me, what's happening now should have happened about 15 years ago. I know we've been through a lot since 1998, but what's happening now is exactly what has needed to happen for a long time. We don't even have to worry about PA anymore and the sons at least seem to be different. Elias was just part of the FO for a team that did exactly what we're doing now and has been one of the best teams in baseball for years now which includes a championship. That's exactly where we want to be and that's where we're going.

Perhaps the draft order could be switched so that the team with the best record that missed the playoffs would get the 1:1 pick and go from there. That could create a system where teams try harder to finish higher in the standings which is rewarded with higher draft picks. That way, trying to compete would not be wallowing in mediocrity, but in fact you're spending money to sign players in order to get the higher pick. I am sure there are flaws in that as this is just off the top of my head.

[atomic]

36 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Management spent all winter preparing for the 2023 season in precisely the way they stated they would when they were hired, which you continue to misrepresent as laziness.  If you disagree with the plan, then blame the owners for hiring people who explicitly said this is what was going to happen.  Please stop pretending that you don't understand what's going on.

You've now posted hundreds of times that you think Elias should be fired for doing exactly what he said he would do, and for executing that plan with the full consent of ownership.

I also say that ownership should sell the team.