A few interesting comments from Elias

[Orioles0615]

Watch them make the playoffs and Elias sets the playoff roster up for failure 

[LookinUp]

38 minutes ago, Baltimorecuse said:

Except we got a LOT better faster than anticipated.  

It’s kind of self-contradictory to say the guy who built the team that got better faster than anticipated shouldn’t be trusted in his plans for organizational development.

That said, I understand some hand wringing around the trade deadline. It’s natural, especially with a player who has gone through what Mancini has gone through, and a team that has been legit fun to watch for the first time in years.

[Roll Tide]

7 hours ago, Frobby said:

Here’s a few snippets from Roch’s report of Elias’ comments on the Mancini trade:

“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can discuss with Trey Mancini as a free agent.”

“we’re going to be in a position to see what free agency brings us both for Trey and for us.”

”it certainly is a bittersweet moment and it’s very emotional for me personally, and all of us saying goodbye to Trey for the next couple of months.”

“we’ve got another 24 hours or so before this trade deadline is expired.”

Elias said he’s having a “full spectrum of conversations” regarding other trades, with the deadline arriving Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“Things are moving very fast around the industry,” he said. “I can’t prognosticate anything right now, other than we’re listening and working on all types of possibilities.”

“ultimately, I have to tether my decisions to our outlook and the probabilities for this year. We have a shot at a wild card right now, but it is not a probability that we are going to win a wild card. We have all different ways of looking at that. And moves that we can make that can strengthen our chances for next season and the season beyond and the one beyond that are something that we have to continue to consider despite the tremendous progress that our players have made this year, and our coaches have made. And so ultimately, that’s why we did it.”

To summarize:

1.  Elias three times hinted they may try to bring Trey back as a free agent.  Maybe he was blowing smoke, but to say it three times, I have to believe there will actually be such discussions   Honestly the comments almost seemed like tampering, considering that Trey is now under contract to another team and has a mutual option.

2.  The O’s probably aren’t done trading.

3.  Elias didn’t really think we had a good shot at the playoffs this year and is still prioritizing the future.

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/elias-on-mancini-trade-and-reaction-from-orioles

 

 

Elias’ actions usually are in line with what he says. I wonder out loud if he’s saying the stuff about Trey to appease the impatient and casual fans who thought we should mortgage the rebuild to compete this year. I’m not saying it’s impossible to bring Mancini back but I think it’s extremely unlikely.

It also sounds like they are nearly ready to spend some real money in free agency which is a positive sign for those who are concerned about that. I doubt Houston files a tampering complaint with the league and expect that their interest in Mancini runs out at the end of the season.

[Daddy-O's]

I will try to state this clearly. I am not hand wringing about Mancini.  I understand this management team is not going to sign over 30 year old players to long term contracts.  When they traded Mancini, the Major league team lost a level of production.  This production could be replaced from within the organization and the team could proceed with it's improbable chase of a wild card berth.  This group of guys has busted their hump to achieve the improbable, why not throw them a bone and try to help them out with a promising player from your vaunted farm system.  

[Roll Tide]

8 minutes ago, Daddy-O's said:

I will try to state this clearly. I am not hand wringing about Mancini.  I understand this management team is not going to sign over 30 year old players to long term contracts.  When they traded Mancini, the Major league team lost a level of production.  This production could be replaced from within the organization and the team could proceed with it's improbable chase of a wild card berth.  This group of guys has busted their hump to achieve the improbable, why not throw them a bone and try to help them out with a promising player from your vaunted farm system.  

You sound bitter, which is understandable. But, the Orioles have been mostly bad since 1983. They’ve had a few spurts where they were competitive for a few seasons but didn’t have the chips to help the teams that could’ve challenged for a World Series. Elias is building this thing for long term sustainability.  Everyone says Stowers is ready and Diaz was likely just warming the seat since he was on the taxi squad. Buying really isn’t/shouldn’t be in the cards. 
 

You seem like a fan who dearly wants to see the Orioles win this year. And I doubt you’d find a poster here not wishing for the same. It seems we are finally out of the toilet after a few unwatchable seasons. So it’s easy to be hasty if you are an arm chair GM. But, I think most would agree that we’d like a long term winner. I think that is what Mike is doing. 
 

The team looked good last night and the trade doesn’t seem to have taken the wind out of their sails.

 

Hang in there man! 

[Daddy-O's]

28 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

You sound bitter, which is understandable. But, the Orioles have been mostly bad since 1983. They’ve had a few spurts where they were competitive for a few seasons but didn’t have the chips to help the teams that could’ve challenged for a World Series. Elias is building this thing for long term sustainability.  Everyone says Stowers is ready and Diaz was likely just warming the seat since he was on the taxi squad. Buying really isn’t/shouldn’t be in the cards. 
 

You seem like a fan who dearly wants to see the Orioles win this year. And I doubt you’d find a poster here not wishing for the same. It seems we are finally out of the toilet after a few unwatchable seasons. So it’s easy to be hasty if you are an arm chair GM. But, I think most would agree that we’d like a long term winner. I think that is what Mike is doing. 
 

The team looked good last night and the trade doesn’t seem to have taken the wind out of their sails.

 

Hang in there man! 

Thanks, more angry then bitter.  I will be forever grateful for what Elias has done for the Orioles, they now have a strong farm system, a good international program and payroll flexibility, The future looks bright. I just don't understand how the promotion of Stowers, to help this team that refuses to throw in the towel, jeopardizes the future.

[2001OriolesFan]

31 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

You sound bitter, which is understandable. But, the Orioles have been mostly bad since 1983. They’ve had a few spurts where they were competitive for a few seasons but didn’t have the chips to help the teams that could’ve challenged for a World Series. Elias is building this thing for long term sustainability.  Everyone says Stowers is ready and Diaz was likely just warming the seat since he was on the taxi squad. Buying really isn’t/shouldn’t be in the cards. 
 

You seem like a fan who dearly wants to see the Orioles win this year. And I doubt you’d find a poster here not wishing for the same. It seems we are finally out of the toilet after a few unwatchable seasons. So it’s easy to be hasty if you are an arm chair GM. But, I think most would agree that we’d like a long term winner. I think that is what Mike is doing. 
 

The team looked good last night and the trade doesn’t seem to have taken the wind out of their sails.

 

Hang in there man! 

Yea.  There are many casual fans, who see a taste of improvement and success, and instead of appreciating it, they act like they are entitled to have Orioles WS tickets sent to their house for this October.  They want an immediate success, the moment they hop on the bandwagon, and piss on anyone who doesn't see it that way.

 

[LookinUp]

2 minutes ago, Daddy-O's said:

Thanks, more angry then bitter.  I will be forever grateful for what Elias has done for the Orioles, they now have a strong farm system, a good international program and payroll flexibility, The future looks bright. I just don't understand how the promotion of Stowers, to help this team that refuses to throw in the towel, jeopardizes the future.

So you’re not mad about Mancini? You’re mad Stowers wasn’t the one immediately promoted? Am I getting that right?

If so, I’d give this 2 days to shake out. Tomorrow’s roster will be interesting, IMO.

[sportsfan8703]

Just lip service by Elias about a fan favorite. I don’t think spending money on a DH is what Elias wants to do. 

[Daddy-O's]

1 minute ago, LookinUp said:

So you’re not mad about Mancini? You’re mad Stowers wasn’t the one immediately promoted? Am I getting that right?

If so, I’d give this 2 days to shake out. Tomorrow’s roster will be interesting, IMO.

Nope I am not mad about Mancini, I think it was the right move to add young pitching to our farm system.  I hope you are correct and they do decide to find help from within for this years Major League team. 

[LookinUp]

2 minutes ago, Daddy-O's said:

Nope I am not mad about Mancini, I think it was the right move to add young pitching to our farm system.  I hope you are correct and they do decide to find help from within for this years Major League team. 

So 1) you’re mad about Mancini, but 2) you’re happy they got young pitching. Ok, that’s the trade off part of the trade I’d guess. 
 

Re: help from within, I’d also hope it comes soon re: Stowers, but also by September re: Westburg, Hall and Henderson. I want them getting real reps this year rather than having to initiate that transition next year. 

[oriole]

Highly improbable that Elias would actually consider signing Mancini as a free agent unless Mountcastle is traded, and that’s not something I see happening. When you’ve got a catcher that hits as well as Rutschman does, you’re going to want to keep the DH open. 
 

I thought it was a pretty dumb to move Trey but now that it’s happened, it seems like the right thing to do. I’m not exactly overjoyed with getting a right handed Tanner Scott and another pitcher who won’t play til 2024 but I do recognize that they’re a good return for a player like Mancini. 
 

It’s also interesting to get a glimpse into how a GM approaches this new expanded playoff world. It seems like the rules were changed so there was more competition towards the end of the year but Elias seems pretty disinterested in fighting for a WC spot. He has his eyes set on deep playoff runs, which is good but feels counterproductive. Especially when you’ve been as bad as the Orioles and finally start to get a taste of success. 
 

 

[interloper]

I'm so glad we have a GM who can look at this team and have the guts to say "this one ain't it". Because it ain't! Doesn't mean it's not great progress and we shouldn't feel good about it. But this team is not likely make the playoffs much less go deep. No amount of buying would change that in any meaningful way without completely destroying the farm. So keep building. This is what the Rays do. And then one day you look up and you have a constant stream of talent fueling a long run of competitive years.

Thankful the days of trading for Parra to prop up a cursory sniff of the playoffs are dead. Let's do this right. 

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by interloper

[foxfield]

This is a move a good GM makes.  It could work out amazingly well or it could not be much at all.  At the end of this season, Mancini's departure was something we had to deal with anyway.   I would be very surprised to see him brought back, but that possibility does exist.  When you look at what we got for a few months of Mancini, and even if you take the lowest rankings of the prospects, it's a good move.

 

[Roll Tide]

39 minutes ago, Daddy-O's said:

Thanks, more angry then bitter.  I will be forever grateful for what Elias has done for the Orioles, they now have a strong farm system, a good international program and payroll flexibility, The future looks bright. I just don't understand how the promotion of Stowers, to help this team that refuses to throw in the towel, jeopardizes the future.

He has a near .900 OPS at AAA this year. Part of the rebuild is figuring out if these guys can play. He has nothing left to prove in the minors.