Connolly looks at why Elias signed Lyles

[Sports Guy]

https://theathletic.com/3222585/2022/04/01/why-the-orioles-were-aggressive-in-pursuing-jordan-lyles-and-why-lyles-was-interested/?source=user_shared_article
 

Heading into this offseason, Elias knew what he wanted in one-year pitching targets.

“We were putting more of a premium on the health and the potential for innings and support for the rest of our young pitching staff,” Elias said. “Whereas I think another team in a different part of their (competitive) cycle might put a little more emphasis on guys that presented some impact last year, in 2021, but just weren’t on the field very much — taking like a medical gamble. We were more interested in getting a guy that was in very good health and, if things go well, would be able to help our young rotation carry the bulk that we struggled with last year.”

[eddie83]

Makes sense. Lacks upside but if healthy eats innings.  

[Frobby]

The premise seems to be that you have to choose between pitchers who are healthy and pitchers that are good.  But I’ve heard that it is possible for a pitcher to be both.   

[Moose Milligan]

11 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The premise seems to be that you have to choose between pitchers who are healthy and pitchers that are good.  But I’ve heard that it is possible for a pitcher to be both.   

Yeah but those guys are expensive and we're cheap.

[wildcard]

11 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The premise seems to be that you have to choose between pitchers who are healthy and pitchers that are good.  But I’ve heard that it is possible for a pitcher to be both.   

Being both is hard to find in free agents that will sign one year contracts.  Usually have to go multiple years to get that kind of starter.

[Sports Guy]

15 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Being both is hard to find in free agents that will sign one year contracts.  Usually have to go multiple years to get that kind of starter.

So?

[Sports Guy]

We know they want Lyles for innings.  That has always been obvious.  If he can give the team even 160 innings in 2022, that would be fine.   After all, that is all you are paying for.

You aren’t paying for production because you know it won’t be that great. 
 

 

[Ohfan67]

This is one of the most "duh" interview topics ever. Maybe next Connolly can get Elias to say that bats are made of wood. 

[vab]

You also have to not be light-years behind everyone else in your division. 

[interloper]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

So?

So those guys do not come to play here.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, interloper said:

So those guys do not come to play here.

Of course they would.  You just have to pay theM and show them why they should be here.

Of course, when you leave your best players in the minors and aren’t willing to pay FAs, no one sees a reason to come.  Do the opposite and you get players here.  It’s not that difficult of a concept.  
 

Players want to see that you give a sh!t.  There is nothing about how the Orioles are running the ML team that says they care right now.  
 

Give them a reason and they will come.

[interloper]

1 hour ago, Ohfan67 said:

This is one of the most "duh" interview topics ever. Maybe next Connolly can get Elias to say that bats are made of wood. 

Yeah, I mean if you've been paying attention to Elias at all the last year or two, he's been extremely concerned about innings across the whole organization. Lyles does one thing pretty good and that's stay healthy and soak up innings without killing you. Obviously that's why they signed him. 

[BRobinsonfan]

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

https://theathletic.com/3222585/2022/04/01/why-the-orioles-were-aggressive-in-pursuing-jordan-lyles-and-why-lyles-was-interested/?source=user_shared_article
 

Heading into this offseason, Elias knew what he wanted in one-year pitching targets.

“We were putting more of a premium on the health and the potential for innings and support for the rest of our young pitching staff,” Elias said. “Whereas I think another team in a different part of their (competitive) cycle might put a little more emphasis on guys that presented some impact last year, in 2021, but just weren’t on the field very much — taking like a medical gamble. We were more interested in getting a guy that was in very good health and, if things go well, would be able to help our young rotation carry the bulk that we struggled with last year.”

The good news is he can throw a lot of innings.  The bad news is those innings won't be pretty.  

 

[LookinUp]

Quote

Whereas I think another team in a different part of their (competitive) cycle

Says it all.

[interloper]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Of course they would.  You just have to pay theM and show them why they should be here.

Of course, when you leave your best players in the minors and aren’t willing to pay FAs, no one sees a reason to come.  Do the opposite and you get players here.  It’s not that difficult of a concept.  
 

Players want to see that you give a sh!t.  There is nothing about how the Orioles are running the ML team that says they care right now.  
 

Give them a reason and they will come.

They might now that the wall is moved back and once the O's are looking more like the Jays. But even in the good times the Orioles haven't been able to sign SPs. When Cobb is the biggest SP deal in franchise history, something is wrong. And that's when the team was good. In the 90s playoff years did they sign any big SPs? Nope. The perception has to change first. It's not about the money because someone will always be able to match or exceed the Orioles. 

Big name SPs do not come to play for the Orioles, no matter how much money is thrown at their feet. It's just not something that has ever happened. Elias is the first GM trying to finally address the perception of the ballpark. It's worth a shot.