Here is where Elias’ job gets hard

[LookinUp]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Would you have a problem with Stowers straight up replacing Santander?    I don't and I think that is more likely.

Nope. I think that needs to happen.

It's the Mancini thing that would be a problem.

I said in some other thread that trading Mancini and moving Santander to mostly DH would be acceptable, but somewhat of a more bitter pill to swallow just because it's Mancini. In the middle of a pennant race, that would taste even worse.

[AlbNYfan]

A good GM (or whatever Elias's title is) cannot let emotions get in the way of bettering his team. He is not going to give Mancini away for a salary dump or because he may choose free agency. Many fans want the O's to remain "loyal" to the O's. Remember, Mancini filed for arbitration last year (his right), but not usually done. He was using his "special" situation to up his deal (as any good agent would do). Baseball is a business, both sides know that and use it to their advantage. Elias, IMO, is a pretty smart guy. I always wondered about his apparent obsession to draft outfielders and not pitchers. Suddenly ???, in January???, the left field dimensions change. The O's seem to be blessed with some pretty decent outfielders at all levels. I watch other teams come in and look like slugs in the outfield. My point is Elias has both a short and long -term plan. The Astros are doing well long after his departure. He is not going to do anything stupid.

[drjohnnyfever1]

On 7/11/2022 at 1:01 PM, LookinUp said:

Nope. I think that needs to happen.

It's the Mancini thing that would be a problem.

I said in some other thread that trading Mancini and moving Santander to mostly DH would be acceptable, but somewhat of a more bitter pill to swallow just because it's Mancini. In the middle of a pennant race, that would taste even worse.

I think Mancini is a likely trade candidate.  It is a bitter pill, but I don't think he'd be traded just to shed salary.  He'd likely go to some team competing for a Playoff run, not just a salary dump where he would sadly wind up some place in worse position than us. 

[Roll Tide]

1 hour ago, drjohnnyfever1 said:

I think Mancini is a likely trade candidate.  It is a bitter pill, but I don't think he'd be traded just to shed salary.  He'd likely go to some team competing for a Playoff run, not just a salary dump where he would sadly wind up some place in worse position than us. 

They aren’t giving him away ….they need to get something to deal him. Plus I think he has value. Sadly, we aren’t extending him and I don’t want to go into the offseason hoping he’d agree to that extension to prevent us from getting nothing for him.

[sportsfan8703]

Watkins should be optioned after his start tonight for an extra player for the TB series. We won’t need a 5th SP until after the ASB. Watkins gets the Chen treatment. 
 

We could use an extra bullpen arm or a bat off the bench. With Hays banged up I’d likely go with Stowers for the TB series. However, you can never have enough pitching and Vespi could be useful as another lefty in the pen. 

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Watkins should be optioned after his start tonight for an extra player for the TB series. We won’t need a 5th SP until after the ASB. Watkins gets the Chen treatment. 
 

We could use an extra bullpen arm or a bat off the bench. With Hays banged up I’d likely go with Stowers for the TB series. However, you can never have enough pitching and Vespi could be useful as another lefty in the pen. 

Speaking of Bruce Chen …. Doing pieces for MLB Network

 

 

[LA2]

This thread started when the team was 42-44. Some of the posts were predicting the team would plummet over the following weeks against stronger opposition, especially because of ten games July 15-28 vs. the Rays and Yankees. Lo and Behold, the team has gone 24-15 (.615) instead and already seems to have put far behind it the days when merely playing .500 ball was the great hope. We have won 10 of the last 17 games, of which only one could be considered against a weak team, the Cubs--and we lost that one. (The Red Sox we played four times were bobbing just under .500.) We've overcome considerable challenges (Means, Grayson, and Wells down and our All-Star closer and top OBP hitter and moral team leader gone) with a treacherous 37-game stretch before us. If 22-15 will get us into the post-season, then that's a winning percentage (.595) below our record since the morning of July 10th, but I worry that we may need anywhere from 1 to 3 wins more than that to make it.

The good news is that there is no reason on paper why we shouldn't be able to. Certain hitters have improved (Mateo, Rutschman, Urias, Santander), compensating for the decline of others (Mountcastle, Hays). The defense and pitching have remained stable, although it does need Akin to return to his earlier form and we hope to benefit from the return of Wells and perhaps the emergence of Grayson and Hall in the final weeks against Houston, Boston, the Yankees, and Toronto. This team has remarkably avoided routs or absurd spells of ineptitude in the field. All around the league, It has earned a reputation for fighting to the end. The manager and coaches are deeply trusted by the players. I don't see why any of that will change.

So it seems we are guaranteed a wonderful, crazy season to the very end. I don't think it is wise to wish for more from this mysterious, intricate terrestrial movement of spheres that amuses and haunts us daily for a full half of our annual orbit around the original burning mound--this covenant, as Buck repeatedly called it in his first speech to the Oriole faithful. 

[Frobby]

We’re not guaranteed anything.  I’ve seen too many twists and turns over the years to make assumptions about how the team will play the final 37 games.  We were 70-67 on 9/3/17 and were on a 22-13 roll.   Then we closed 5-20.   There are no guarantees in baseball.  

[LA2]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

We’re not guaranteed anything.  I’ve seen too many twists and turns over the years to make assumptions about how the team will play the final 37 games.  We were 70-67 on 9/3/17 and were on a 22-13 roll.   Then we closed 5-20.   There are no guarantees in baseball.  

Haha we shall see. The baseball gods have barely awoken.

[Baltimorecuse]

It seemed to me that going into this season it was more like a series of individual auditions rather than a season of team accomplishment.  Turns out we got both.  Elias is certainly continuing to evaluate every position, except catcher.  

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Baltimorecuse said:

It seemed to me that going into this season it was more like a series of individual auditions rather than a season of team accomplishment.  Turns out we got both.  Elias is certainly continuing to evaluate every position, except catcher.  

He should 100% be evaluating the Catcher position.

He isn't going to give Adley a heavy workload behind the plate so an upgrade at backup could be significant.

[Baltimorecuse]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

He should 100% be evaluating the Catcher position.

He isn't going to give Adley a heavy workload behind the plate so an upgrade at backup could be significant.

I meant in the sense Adley is the only player with a guaranteed job.

[Frobby]

On 8/27/2022 at 7:03 PM, Baltimorecuse said:

I meant in the sense Adley is the only player with a guaranteed job.

Henderson is guaranteed a job.  Just a matter of how he’s deployed.