Where is MacPhail headed this off season?

[Sports Guy]

So Huff+Roberts+Scott+Mora trend down but Markakis, Jones, Wieters and Montanez trend up. It may or may not be a break even but it still leaves pitching as the major need to be developed or acquired.

The thing the makes a huge different is who MacPhail decides to trade.

And then after 2009, you need a whole new IF.

LONG TERM!!

[Sports Guy]

Iit may be obvious what he needs to do and what he needs to focus on, but accomplishing all of what he needs to get done may indeed be "difficult".

This may be true but it is important that AM be REALISTIC in his demands and not ask for the moon.

[Tx Oriole]

My goodness Roberts is only 31. He is a good player. Would be ahrd to replace. And for those that want Tex to sign with the O's he is 29. There are some that woudl sign him for 5 year deal. Yes he is a good player. But please tell me what the differnce in him being in his low to mid 30's and say Roberts and Scott? Of course he is a better player than they are but he will age.

[vab]

How does this differ from a perpetual cycle of "robbing Peter to pay paul". especially when it is so hard to create a "surplus" to begin with?

You can call it robbing Peter to pay Paul and but I just think it doesn't matter what else you have if you don't have pitching so fixing the pitching is mandatory. You go to all lengths to straighten the pitching out then worry about the rest later.

[wildcard]

I think MacPhail has a very difficult winter in front of him. He has nobody as marketable as Tejada and Bedard. The plan to build the pitching from within has been made much more difficult by the career-ending injury to Loewen, erratic performances by Olson and Liz, and injury question marks with numerous pitchers including now Guthrie and (in my opinion) DCab, not to mention Albers, Patton, and others. As much pitching talent as we have in the minors, given the attrition rate I'm still not sure it's enough to fill all the holes, even two years from now. Put it this way - we will need better luck than we've had in the last 4-5 years to see any improvement in the next 2-3 with the pitching, unless some outside talent is acquired to help bridge the gap.

Ironically, even though our minor league offensive talent is much thinner, there really aren't that many holes to fill if Huff and Roberts are extended. Really, it's shortstop and 3B. 3B hopefully is filled by Snyder. There's an outside chance SS can be filled by Davis. In both cases, you can't be sure (though I think Snyder will hit well enough to play somewhere).

To me, the reason to go get some pitching is not to win in 2009, but to allow our minor league pitchers to develop without being rushed just because our major league pitching is so far below acceptable. I want them competing for major league jobs, not having spots handed to them.

Great post.

We saw how Liz was rushed this year. He could have developed at AAA instead of struggling at the major league level. Hopefully MacPhail adds two established starters and the guys at AAA can develop next year. That is a better scenario.

[Sports Guy]

Great post.

We saw how Liz was rushed this year. He could have developed at AAA instead of struggling at the major league level. Hopefully MacPhail adds two established starters and the guys at AAA can develop next year. That is a better scenario.

Liz wasn't rushed. He was just put in the wrong place for him to succeed.

[Frobby]

I think MacPhail has a very difficult winter in front of him.

I disagree...It is obvious what he needs to do and what he needs to focus on.

Ah yes, it is all so easy in SG-land, where the most marketable free agents sign with your team for amounts of money that don't hamstring the team for years (even when the Yankees and Angels are competing for them), and other teams willingly trade away their best young prospects for our mid-level veteran talent.

I'm sorry. I meant to say that MacPhail has a very difficult winter ahead of him in the real world.

[wildcard]

And then after 2009, you need a whole new IF.

LONG TERM!!

No one falls off a cliff. Mora may or may not decline in 2009. His replacement certainly has to be developed or acquired at some point. You told me the whole 1st half that Moore was ready. Do you still think he is in line of a major league role? Costanzo? Frobby just mentioned Snyder.

Roberts and Huff do not fall off a cliff.

[wildcard]

Liz wasn't rushed. He was just put in the wrong place for him to succeed.

Ok, rushed into the rotation then. I guess you are saying he was ready to be a reliever. No use to debate that. However, it is pretty obvious he was rushed in a starting role.

[Sports Guy]

Ah yes, it is all so easy in SG-land, where the most marketable free agents sign with your team for amounts of money that don't hamstring the team for years (even when the Yankees and Angels are competing for them), and other teams willingly trade away their best young prospects for our mid-level veteran talent.

I'm sorry. I meant to say that MacPhail has a very difficult winter ahead of him in the real world.

Yea you are right...I forgot..Whatever the Orioles do, Frobby will agree and bow at their feet.

It should be obvious to anyone what the plan should be. It should be obvious to anyone what our holes are, what trends are players are in, what the financial situation is and what the contract status of our guys are.

This isn't difficult stuff.

[Sports Guy]

No one falls off a cliff. Mora may or may not decline in 2009. His replacement certainly has to be developed or acquired at some point. You told me the whole 1st half that Moore was ready. Do you still think he is in line of a major league role? Costanzo? Frobby just mentioned Snyder.

Roberts and Huff do not fall off a cliff.

Based off of what? Wildcard blind hope?

[El Gordo]

If Mora gets a contract extension I might just go over to the west side of baltimore, and stand in the middle of the road with a giant bullseye on my chest.

Why the west side? And are you hoping to be shot or run over?:scratchchinhmm:

[Sports Guy]

Ok, rushed into the rotation then. I guess you are saying he was ready to be a reliever. No use to debate that. However, it is pretty obvious he was rushed in a starting role.

I disagree with this as well....Liz wasn't rushed...He just isn't a guy that should be in the rotation...but that doesn't mean you just keep him at a level where he won't get challenged...He isn't some 22 year old kid.

He should have been up here for the last few months at the very least....in the pen.

[Frobby]

I disagree with this as well....Liz wasn't rushed...He just isn't a guy that should be in the rotation...but that doesn't mean you just keep him at a level where he won't get challenged...He isn't some 22 year old kid.

He should have been up here for the last few months at the very least....in the pen.

In that scenario, who would have started the 15 games started by Liz?

[Sports Guy]

In that scenario, who would have started the 15 games started by Liz?

Bergesen? Olson never sent down. Trades that could have/should have been made at the deadline...Anthony Reyes for example.

Lots of different options.