Will Elias be able to improve the O's starting pitching this off season?

[Roll Tide]

17 minutes ago, REDMAN said:

I don't expect you to agree with my opinions, by I have studied and seen a lot of baseball in my 66 years, but even if your trying to lose, you still need to fill in the holes on your team with players. The orioles, KC, and the tigers are open opportunities for SP today. Baseball has always been about finding and uncovering gems that other teams always give up on and release, its the different between being a successful and a unsuccessful GM, Its goes to heart of scouting in the first place, you can see something that nobody else sees. 

 

Nice Post Sir

The only problem is that the chances of hitting on one is low. So it’s more likely that the rotation will be a dumpster fire behind Means. Hopefully Cobb is healthy and as soon as he is will dealt. 

[weams]

1 minute ago, Roll Tide said:

Nice Post Sir

The only problem is that the chances of hitting on one is low. So it’s more likely that the rotation will be a dumpster fire behind Means. Hopefully Cobb is healthy and as soon as he is will dealt. 

A healthy great Cobb is very hard to deal. I just don't know how you would do it and not hurt the team. They are gonna want a prospect or two back as well. Good prospect. Or two.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, weams said:

A healthy great Cobb is very hard to deal. I just don't know how you would do it and not hurt the team. They are gonna want a prospect or two back as well. Good prospect. Or two.

Would depend on how strong the directive to cut payroll is.  Unless he looks like a world beater I don't see how you get anything of import back unless you each some of the contract.

[weams]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Would depend on how strong the directive to cut payroll is.  Unless he looks like a world beater I don't see how you get anything of import back unless you each some of the contract.

I meant the Orioles will have to send them prospects to save cash. Not sure I am in favor of that. I think Cobb stays. 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, weams said:

I meant the Orioles will have to send them prospects to save cash. Not sure I am in favor of that. I think Cobb stays. 

Would depend on how he pitches.

I would hope they wouldn't do something as foolish as bundle Cobb with a draft pick to get rid of the contract.

[jerios55]

@REDMANI think the os will sign as many SP candidates as they can.   However, as pointed out we're going to be lower on the desired list for pitchers for a few reasons.  (Money offered, park effects, desire to win, defense behind them...)

Once the big guys land, tier 2 guys go to the loser's of those sweepstakes and so goes the next levels.   

Once other teams have what they want we'll go bargain hunting.   I don't see why guys would agree to a minor league deal with the os now knowing how many teams want pitching. 

[TommyPickles]

I liked what I saw from Chandler Shepherd last season.  I remember he got a few bad breaks from some poor fielding, but his stuff looked good.

It'd be really nice to see Cobb, you know, earn some of that paycheck...

[jgjbanker]

I predict we draft a RP/future potential SP in the Rule V and we will pick another SP up on waivers at the beginning of the season. 

[scOtt]

Will Elias be able to improve the O's starting pitching this off season?

I think this question is relative. Will we be able (or willing) to sign bona fide MLers to make a competent rotation? No.

Will we be able to add to Cobb, Means and Wojo with MiL FAs, waivers, trades, maybe one ML FA on the cheap... will we be able to sign enough of these types to field a rotation capable of covering 1400 or 1500 ML innings, without 15 appearances by CD, Steve Wilkerson, Hanser and Jesus Sucre? I think it's possible. The bar is low, we'll still be losing much more than we win. It's all (like last year) JUST about covering innings thru September. We can do this with the usual suspects.

Like @Moose Milligan said, this year doesn't matter. 2021 and forward is when we'll try to get (really) better.

[Frobby]

I care more about what our rotation looks like in September than what it looks like in March/April.   

[Moose Milligan]

4 hours ago, wildcard said:

Were you interested in John Means last December?

Nope.  But let's be real, Means is the exception to what we've usually got.  I mean, c'mon, you've got Means who was a pleasant surprise and then you've got:

Hess

Yefry

Ynoa

Brooks

Eshelman

Wojo

Araujo

Straily

Karns

And I'm not including the always injured/always disappointing Cobb because I'm in the Christmas spirit and feeling generous here.  The chances of someone stepping up and delivering a Means performance is minimal and I believe you're aware of that.

[Sessh]

It's been made pretty clear by the recent moves that Elias doesn't want to improve the starting rotation. He wants the Orioles to be the worst team in baseball for at least one more year. "Improving" the starting rotation would probably equate to making it worse. Means came out of nowhere last year and it remains to be seen if he can continue that in 2020. Blach, Eshelman, Ortiz and whoever else will likely be seeing significant time on the mound next season. We're not trying to win, but maybe someone surprises us out of the bunch we'll be trotting out there.

I don't expect Cobb will last the season without hurting himself (he never does) and Wojciechowski is far from a certainty to perform well himself. Even between Means and these two, there's no good reason to believe any of them will be effective in 2020. Means has to prove to me that he can do it again though I am encouraged and Wojo is, IMO, a long shot. So, expect Blach, Eshelman and Ortiz et al to be pitching for the Orioles. Blach and Eshelman did at least show the ability to be effective, but were both prone to sudden meltdowns. Blach showed the ability to be a serviceable major league starter in the past and Eshelman hasn't even thrown 40 innings yet. We got some pleasant surprises last season and will almost certainly get some in 2020 as well whoever they are.

[weams]

2 minutes ago, Sessh said:

It's been made pretty clear by the recent moves that Elias doesn't want to improve the starting rotation. He wants the Orioles to be the worst team in baseball for at least one more year. "Improving" the starting rotation would probably equate to making it worse. Means came out of nowhere last year and it remains to be seen if he can continue that in 2020. Blach, Eshelman, Ortiz and whoever else will likely be seeing significant time on the mound next season. We're not trying to win, but maybe someone surprises us out of the bunch we'll be trotting out there.

I don't expect Cobb will last the season without hurting himself (he never does) and Wojciechowski is far from a certainty to perform well himself. Even between Means and these two, there's no good reason to believe any of them will be effective in 2020. Means has to prove to me that he can do it again though I am encouraged and Wojo is, IMO, a long shot. So, expect Blach, Eshelman and Ortiz et al to be pitching for the Orioles. Blach and Eshelman did at least show the ability to be effective, but were both prone to sudden meltdowns. Blach showed the ability to be a serviceable major league starter in the past and Eshelman hasn't even thrown 40 innings yet. We got some pleasant surprises last season and will almost certainly get some in 2020 as well whoever they are.

Being worst is of no consequence to the current front office. Spending the least money while improving the talent level of the system and not the 26 man roster is. It's just a fact. The MLB team is still secondary. Won't always be. 

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, weams said:

Being worst is of no consequence to the current front office. Spending the least money while improving the talent level of the system and not the 26 man roster is. It's just a fact. The MLB team is still secondary. Won't always be. 

Right, I don't think finishing with the worst record is the goal.

[weams]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Right, I don't think finishing with the worst record is the goal.