Anyone got nine more years? ...

[Camden_yardbird]

The next CBA will go along way to determining how long it really takes.  Baseball has gone a long way towards trying to build an 8 team sport over the last decade.  I dont blame them, it's probably the best way to ensure the future success of the sport.  With 8 teams you have stars where you need them in big cities.  You have marketable players and full stadiums.

[Tx Oriole]

6 hours ago, mdbdotcom said:

Screw the Gnats. Please don't use them as an example of anything related to the O's. 

They are in the playoffs though. No matter how much you may hate them. They are a successful team. IMO 

[mdbdotcom]

4 minutes ago, Tx Oriole said:

They are in the playoffs though. No matter how much you may hate them. They are a successful team. IMO 

The only thing their success means to me is that I have no need to watch the NLCS.

[backwardsk]

People like to point to high first round picks - Strasburg, Rendon, and Harper as reasons why the Nationals are good.

But they also had big successes with international FAs -Soto, Robles, Suero.  They’ve kept the homegrown star- Zimmerman instead of letting him walk like Markakis.  He doesn’t live up to his contract, but that doesn’t prevent them from going after 9 figure free agents like Corbin.  They make trades on both sides of the equation—pitching prospects for Eaton, Souza for Turner, and they swap a late arbitration number 4 starter for Sanchez and move Roark for a young BP arm who got two big outs last night.  They lose trade after trade on relievers, but don’t quit trying and end up with Doolittle and Hudson.  They match youth with “old” FAs on short deals-Adams, Kendrick, and Dozier.

Rizzo uses all avenues to acquire talent to make his team better.  His moves don’t always work out, but it doesn’t discourage him from trying them again to get better results.

They’ve also stayed competitive with guys entering FAs and don’t panic about trading them early.  They let them walk, collect the pick, and replace them.

[Tx Oriole]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

Andy would not hire Buck.   Buck was one of the big reasons the Andy left the O's.  

Yes, there were other reasons also but Buck was probably in the top three.

How do you know that? So the owner hired Buck? Andy left under protest?

[Tx Oriole]

1 hour ago, Natty said:

Speaking of spending money wisely...We still owe Davis $93M and we still owe Cobb $49M. That $142M puts quite the damper on spending any more money. 

That Davis contract is really a bad deal for the O’s. 

[eddie83]

32 minutes ago, backwardsk said:

People like to point to high first round picks - Strasburg, Rendon, and Harper as reasons why the Nationals are good.

But they also had big successes with international FAs -Soto, Robles, Suero.  They’ve kept the homegrown star- Zimmerman instead of letting him walk like Markakis.  He doesn’t live up to his contract, but that doesn’t prevent them from going after 9 figure free agents like Corbin.  They make trades on both sides of the equation—pitching prospects for Eaton, Souza for Turner, and they swap a late arbitration number 4 starter for Sanchez and move Roark for a young BP arm who got two big outs last night.  They lose trade after trade on relievers, but don’t quit trying and end up with Doolittle and Hudson.  They match youth with “old” FAs on short deals-Adams, Kendrick, and Dozier.

Rizzo uses all avenues to acquire talent to make his team better.  His moves don’t always work out, but it doesn’t discourage him from trying them again to get better results.

They’ve also stayed competitive with guys entering FAs and don’t panic about trading them early.  They let them walk, collect the pick, and replace them.

Rizzo is a good GM and the Nats have had a quality baseball operation. Far superior to the Orioles. 

The ability to sign Scherzer (7/210) and Corbin (6/140) is ownership/market related. Take them off their roster and they aren’t in the postseason this year. Their bullpen was worse than the Orioles for crying out loud.  

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Tx Oriole said:

How do you know that? So the owner hired Buck? Andy left under protest?

The way I remember it MacPhail wanted Eric Wedge but Buck wowed Peter in the interview.  Andy left a season later.    I don't know if it was protest.  I think Andy just didn't like the business arrangement and decided to leave at the end of his contract instead of staying on as President/GM.   He also wanted to spend time with his father who was ill.

Others can tell me is my memory is right or not.

[Morgan423]

6 hours ago, Aglets said:

The Nationals have only existed for like 15 seasons.   So no that's not what I was saying.

14.99 seasons.  Never forget the game that they were the Natinals.

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Baseball has gone a long way towards trying to build an 8 team sport over the last decade.  

How so?

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Tx Oriole said:

How do you know that? So the owner hired Buck? Andy left under protest?

He doesn’t know.   It’s his opinion.    

[VaBird1]

8 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

The Nats have  been over .500 every year since 2012 and have won 90+ games five times in that period with five postseason appearances.  They were basically done with rebuilding in 2012 and have been strong contenders ever since.  Postseason failures and successes have more to do with hot streaks, injuries, and luck than design.  A typical postseason series is a .625 team against a .575 team; in other words a coin flip.  We will be very lucky to end up where the Nats are.

You are not lucky if you end up in DC.

[TonySoprano]

39 minutes ago, Frobby said:

He doesn’t know.   It’s his opinion.    

Lee MacPhail was dying so supposedly Andy left baseball to spend time with him in his last days.   It's true Andy wanted Wedge not Buck, but if there was bad blood because of it nothing was reported at the time.  He didn't take the Phillies job until 3 1/2 years later.

[Frobby]

31 minutes ago, TonySoprano said:

Lee MacPhail was dying so supposedly Andy left baseball to spend time with him in his last days.   It's true Andy wanted Wedge not Buck, but if there was bad blood because of it nothing was reported at the time.  He didn't take the Phillies job until 3 1/2 years later.

Buck was effusive in his praise of MacPhail when he stepped down, as I recall.   

[Roll Tide]

9 hours ago, weams said:

It's not that silly. 

Also.

Philly.

 

 

Maybe Andy has an interest in Buck?