Szymborski: The Orioles aren’t good…but they are interesting

[LA2]

13 hours ago, Jagwar said:

Mediocrity is a welcome improvement

Especially since these days a few weeks of inspired, over-performing mediocrity can get you into--and almost through--the playoffs.

[LA2]

13 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

I’m not complaining..although if they had made good additions in the offseason like I wanted, they may be contenders this year.

 

LOL--you say you're not a complainer and then can't go more than an abbreviated ellipsis (just 2 dots instead of three ) before complaining.

[Just Regular]

Such a fun year.    Even with Means TJ and Grayson's lat strain in the portfolio, wouldn't throw it back for another iteration.

Greedily it is pleasant to consider what -20 Bradish/Watkins starts and +20 Means/Rodriguez might have meant for the position today, and the promotion/trade choices Elias will face after the Draft.

The AAA guys I think nothing to do but keep up the craft through the Futures Game and Trade Deadline.   Would love to be wrong, but I believe each of those 15-day chunks are places Elias won't multi-task much.    The minor league midseason promotions were I think him clearing the decks for the month.

 

[LA2]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Just to mention the Tigers again.

They did add talent.

They signed a free agent pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez to a 5/77M contract and shortstop Báez to a 6/140M deal.

That is, broadly speaking, the type of deals you would like to see correct?

They are 28-45.

 

Just don't be shocked if a step backwards happens before the next step forward.

And Szymborski himself closes with cautionary comparisons with the 2010's Phillies and Pirates (rather than the Tigers), partly because of the ownership turmoil and the fact that prospects often hit a brick wall in their development:

Quote

You don’t have to travel far from Baltimore to see cautionary tales in the 2010s Phillies and Pirates. The former did a lot well during the rebuild, but a lot of the team’s prospects just didn’t work out, leaving it with a performance gap to fill in free agency that it has never quite closed. The latter rebuilt well, but when it came time for ownership to make good on their promises and invest in the team at the top of the success cycle, the wallet stayed shut. As for the O’s, the franchise is currently embroiled in a vicious custody battlebetween Peter Angelos’ sons John and Louis, and the long-running dispute between the Orioles and Nats over MASN profits is still not resolved. 

 

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, Just Regular said:

Such a fun year.    Even with Means TJ and Grayson's lat strain in the portfolio, wouldn't throw it back for another iteration.

Greedily it is pleasant to consider what -20 Bradish/Watkins starts and +20 Means/Rodriguez might have meant for the position today, and the promotion/trade choices Elias will face after the Draft.

The AAA guys I think nothing to do but keep up the craft through the Futures Game and Trade Deadline.   Would love to be wrong, but I believe each of those 15-day chunks are places Elias won't multi-task much.    The minor league midseason promotions were I think him clearing the decks for the month.

 

Elias isn’t happy about the new draft date.  That and the deadline are close together , so while I don’t think he ignores the rest of the organization, I do agree that it’s more likely we see things before or after that time period.

[sportsfan8703]

This team sort of has the vibe of the 2016-2017 O’s where if we got an early lead we would try and cling to it and make it hold up. Really the whole team was clinging together. However, this team may be clinging, but this is the beginning of the run, and not the end. 

[btdart20]

7 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

The goal should be to really add to the level of talent on this team.  The one thing that has happened this year, at least thus far, is that it should have changed everyone’s mind about contending and spending this offseason.  Most didn’t think contention was in the cards for 2023 and we had some that even thought 2024 was a stretch.  As I said then, time and time again, if that’s what you think than you are telling me that you don’t believe in the talent of the farm system.  

The 2023/2024 time horizon was probably in the context that it takes many rookies a half season to adjust to the ML and that not all of our prospects would be promoted at the same time.  (It also did account for the success level of the BP reclamation project success.)  I do suspect that Elias and other did anticipate the O's offense would be competitive (at least the top 5 + AR with the hopes of one of the rest working out).

7 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Just to mention the Tigers again.

They did add talent.

They signed a free agent pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez to a 5/77M contract and shortstop Báez to a 6/140M deal.

That is, broadly speaking, the type of deals you would like to see correct?

The Tigers is a fair comparison as far as rebuild path/expectations go.  But the team OBP of .283 is woeful (29th ahead of Oakland).  I love watching Baez play (especially in the field and on the basepaths), but the Baez signing wasn't smart for a team that had a team OBP .308 in 2021 (24th).  The Ed-Rod contract looks/looked good.  (I haven't looked at his stats in depth, but maybe Elias should make that phone call to see what it takes.)

The Baez Blunder wouldn't have made origami of the Paper Tigers on its own had they not had 3 rotation pieces (Pineda, Mize, Manning) and 2 OFers (Riley Greene and Meadows) injured.  Tork has had a really slow start and, quite honestly, looks lost.  Lefty hitters take a while from what I understand, but I have to think the second half will be better for him.  And Eduardo Rodriguez... well, I'm not sure what's going on with that but it's a mess.  

[btdart20]

5 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

(I haven't looked at his stats in depth, but maybe Elias should make that phone call to see what it takes.)

 

5 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

And Eduardo Rodriguez... well, I'm not sure what's going on with that but it's a mess.  

Never mind...  looks like it's personal not team related.  I doubt the Tigers are shopping him.

[Just Regular]

Last offseason's biggest cash outlays for FA pitchers were:

Scherzer 130, Ray 115, Gausman 110, Eduardo 77, Stroman 75, Gray 56, Rodon 44

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/free-agent-tracker?&pos=sp

After those seven, Matz-DeSclafani-Kikuchi rounding out Top 10 feel not tremendously better than Lyles.    Somewhat so, sure, but not in a needle moving or I want you to pitch Game 2 kind of way.

This offseason's top FA pitchers looking like, sorting youngest to oldest by what Sportac gives on its 2023 UFA SP filter:

Musgrove 29.5, Syndergaard 29.8, Manaea 30.3, Taillon 30.6, Perez 31.2, Clevinger 31.5, Eovaldi 32.3, Kershaw 34.2

Ray/Gausman contract might be Going Rate for Musgrove at top of market.    Last month Bassitt settled his last Arb year and gave the Mets a $19mm option on him for 2023.