Britt joining in on the bash fest

[wildcard]

I like the  national media bashing the O's and what Eck said.  I hope they  keep it coming for the next 6 months. Maybe it  makes the owner and Elias do what should be done this off season.  Spend a little money this off season to build out the team.

Duquette when hired after the season in 2011 said the O's would win now.  He evaluated what the O's needed to win and then went out and acquire it.   And it did not cost a lot to do.

Elias said before this season that winning was not a priority.   He didn't say he was trying to lose.  Just that talent accumulation was more important than winning in 2021.    He wanted high draft choices in 2022.  And he will get them.

But its time to win next season.  82 wins should be the target.  If he acquires the right talent that can happen.  They will have to spend a little short term money  but not a lot.

1.  Extend Mancini for two years plus an option year... or trade him for a 3B  on a short term contract and a DH with power.

2.  If Matt Harvey has a good 2nd half re-sign him.  It might take 1/5m.    Holt has helped Matt go from being a thrower to a pitcher.   He will give them two veterans starters. I am fine with Means, Matt Harvey, Baumann, Tyler Wells, Zimmermann, Bradish with Grayson coming in June.  

3. Add a couple of veteran back end relievers on one year contracts.   Push  Fry, Scott, Tate and Sulser to middle relief.

4. Acquire a  decent 3B on a one year contract.

5. Acquire a backup good defensive  catcher that can play 70 games with some offense.  I am fine with a two year contract.  That allows Adley to play 1B and DH to keep his bat in the lineup and rests him at catcher.

CF Mullins, DH/1B Mancini, 1B/DH Mountcastle, C/1B/DH Adley,  RF Santander (if he finishes well) , 3B (to be acquired on a one year contract), LF Hays vs lefties/Neustrom vs righties,  Strong up the middle 2B Mateo and SS Martin

Note:  Varva, Westburg and Ortiz will be pushing to help in the 2nd half

Bench: Backup catcher, Urias who plays a lot, McKenna and Hays/Neustrom.

DL Hall, Kremer, Akin, Lowther, Alex Wells, Blaine Knight, Peralta and Smith need to have success at AAA before they are promoted.   It was mistake to not have that happen this year before they were/are promoted to the majors.   Well, probably not a mistake they didn't expect.  Just a need to keep the payroll down in a year they were not trying to win.

 

[Can_of_corn]

Tons of good defensive catchers with some offense out there.  I'm sure one of them would love to come to Baltimore to be the backup.

[wildcard]

15 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Tons of good defensive catchers with some offense out there.  I'm sure one of them would love to come to Baltimore to be the backup.

That is what Elias is paid to do.  

I guess it could be an evaluation to see if they need to keep Severino as backup or not.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, wildcard said:

That is what Elias is paid to do.

I thought he was paid to keep payroll low.

[now]

2 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

It's just a lot of zeros from the Orioles talent evaluators.

This.

I recall the old radio commercial with Brooks: "Does it bother you when you strike out with the bases loaded?" "Nah, that doesn't bother me." "Well does it bother you when..." "No, I don't mind that." (What really bothered him was not getting low rates on car insurance). 

Back on topic, it doesn't bother me that we're losing with no talent, or that it's taking years to rebuild, or that Elias is refusing to go down the road we suffered from 1998 through 2011, of blowing budget and prospects on the stopgap of "trades and free agents" just to win 75 games instead of 60 (further diminishing draft returns in the process).

The real pain is to see such bad results, during a long rebuild, in the bargain basement market (where Duquette excelled) and upper minors (espec. pitchers, as Tony notes). Which casts doubt on the whole project moving forward.

[Finisher]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

..the question really comes down to is the organization too focused on spin rates and analytics and missing the fact that pitchers need to be able to command the ball first?

Yes. Reminds me of Buck and TTP. These guys are completely tunnel visioned and missing the obvious.

 

[Ohfan67]

I don't mind Britt hammering the O's, most of us do it all the time on this board, but I think it is pretty jerkish and wrong to imply that the fans are ok with it. She is almost implying that fans are indirectly responsible for what's happening or can change what is happening. But in the end those posts are really about generating views and clicks and are meaningless. 

[interloper]

Britt is great and certainly welcome to her opinions. I don't think we give this much thought without Ken's absurd article and Olney's lazy bash piece. 

[Can_of_corn]

12 minutes ago, Ohfan67 said:

I don't mind Britt hammering the O's, most of us do it all the time on this board, but I think it is pretty jerkish and wrong to imply that the fans are ok with it. She is almost implying that fans are indirectly responsible for what's happening or can change what is happening. But in the end those posts are really about generating views and clicks and are meaningless. 

Have you seen these boards?  Most of the fans are OK with it.

The Orioles subreddit is even more on board.

It is certainly easier for Elias to field an inexpensive and ineffective team when the fanbase is fine with promises of a better day tomorrow (without a firm date of when tomorrow actually is).

 

[interloper]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Have you seen these boards?  Most of the fans are OK with it.

The Orioles subreddit is even more on board.

It is certainly easier for Elias to field an inexpensive and ineffective team when the fanbase is fine with promises of a better day tomorrow (without a firm date of when tomorrow actually is).

 

Yeah, I'm definitely good with it and am totally fine to admit that. I want high picks for several years in a row and a farm system that can withstand more than one window. It's fine if you and clearly many others disagree. I'm just on board with the overall strategy. 

That said, hey, it absolutely has some fair and reasonable criticisms. And I don't disagree with all of them. They just don't move the needle that much for me. 

[Can_of_corn]

10 minutes ago, interloper said:

Yeah, I'm definitely good with it and am totally fine to admit that. I want high picks for several years in a row and a farm system that can withstand more than one window. It's fine if you and clearly many others disagree. I'm just on board with the overall strategy. 

That said, hey, it absolutely has some fair and reasonable criticisms. And I don't disagree with all of them. They just don't move the needle that much for me. 

 I wanted that.

I got it.

1-1, 1-2, 1-5.  That is high picks for several years in a row.

I'm not on board with a rebuild needing a half decade of high picks.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

 I wanted that.

I got it.

1-1, 1-2, 1-5.  That is high picks for several years in a row.

I'm not on board with a rebuild needing a half decade of high picks.

And likely no worse than 1-3 next year.  That will be 4 years in a row.

How many years in a row do we need to draft high before we are guaranteed championships?

[interloper]

22 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

 I wanted that.

I got it.

1-1, 1-2, 1-5.  That is high picks for several years in a row.

I'm not on board with a rebuild needing a half decade of high picks.

I get that criticism. 

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, interloper said:

I get that criticism. 

My main issue, other than his draft strategies, is that I would like to take advantage of non-competetive seasons to aggressively promote prospects and instead Elias is doing the exact opposite which I find both bad for their development and distasteful as a way to do business.

[Ripken]

37 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

 I wanted that.

I got it.

1-1, 1-2, 1-5.  That is high picks for several years in a row.

I'm not on board with a rebuild needing a half decade of high picks.

...and some of us don't like how Elias drafts.  At all.