Any chance MacPhail becomes a buyer as prices drop?

[clapdiddy]

I just don't see MacPhail spending much money. Sheet could drop to 2/20 and MacPhail wouldn't budge. His top end is 1/4 or 2/8. If he can get a Wigginton, Hinske, a Japanesse pitcher or two, maybe a Redding then he could go for it. A catcher for next to nothing is likely. These are all stop gaps.

I think the trades are much better opportunities for MacPhail. The problem with FAs is that when they drop to the level that the O's are interested, then several other teams will be interested also. Last place teams don't win in that situation.

That's true...I could see the Sox or Yankees going after Sheets if his price gets down. They could trump any other deal out there.

[24fps]

All signs are that Andy MacPhail is holding tightly to his wallet this winter. But I'm amazed at how many free agents remain on the market. Roch posted a list today and I can never remember this many decent free agents being on the market after New Year's. That makes me think that prices really are going to drop significantly, as some have predicted. So, does Andy become a buyer once the price of some mid-level free agent drops? Or will he continue holding on to his wallet?

The large number of positions that have to be filled by opening day 2010 can't ever be far from AM's mind. Maybe he does change the plan a little if a truly good deal or two presents itself. I have to believe that that if BRob is going to be traded, that will determine a lot in this regard.

[TonySoprano]

Stop complaining that the Orioles are cheap. No one has any money!!!! It's the economy, stupid (said with affection).

No one has any money? What were we offering Teixeira then? Confederate dollars left over from Syd Thrift?

Now I'm not saying we should spend all, or even most, of the $140 million. But since our Tex offer, so far we've spent $1.5 million......while cutting about twice that by dropping Cabrera.

[Singleton]

The only thing that I think you miss here, is that the Orioles are guaranteed to make $130M in revenue. They have very little risk. As long as they don't spend so ridiculously as to have that amount not be able to cover their expenses, they cannot lose money.

I don't know what their exact spending would be and how much more than just the team's payroll it is, but I'd have a hard time believing we can't afford an extra $20-30M on top of what we've already got this year, if its spent smartly.

You're still focused on baseball. The revenue stream you are referring to is not new and has likely already been accounted for in the budget.

This is much bigger than baseball. The stock market is down something like 35%. If Uncle Petey had his money in the market like most people did and he suffered these kinds of loses, he will have millions and millions less today then he had 12 months ago -- much like every other owner in professional sports.

The idea of spending $45 mil on a "bargain" probably doesn't make him warm and fuzzy. That's why Dunn, Manny, Lowe, Abreu, OCab, etc are still on the market and scrambling to find a team that will pay them a fraction of what they would have earned previously. Again, this is not an Orioles issue.

[Mackus]

You're still focused on baseball. The revenue stream you are referring to is not new and has likely already been accounted for in the budget.

This is much bigger than baseball. The stock market is down something like 35%. If Uncle Petey had his money in the market like most people did and he suffered these kinds of loses, he will have millions and millions less today then he had 12 months ago -- much like every other owner in professional sports.

The idea of spending $45 mil on a "bargain" probably doesn't make him warm and fuzzy. That's why Dunn, Manny, Lowe, Abreu, OCab, etc are still on the market and scrambling to find a team that will pay them a fraction of what they would have earned previously. Again, this is not an Orioles issue.

The money they would be spending isn't his. It is solely an Orioles issue. He hasn't put his own money into the team since the day he bought it, as someone else said recently.

I'm not talking about Angelos spending more money out of his own pocket. I'm talking about the Orioles spending $130M this year. They obviously can afford to do that, because they are guaranteed to have that much coming in. That doesn't mean a $130M payroll, but $130M in operating costs. I don't know how much exactly the operating costs are on top of payroll, but I am quite confidant we can easily afford to add someone like Dunn to our roster and not be over that $130M mark.

[Singleton]

No one has any money? What were we offering Teixeira then? Confederate dollars left over from Syd Thrift?

Now I'm not saying we should spend all, or even most, of the $140 million. But since our Tex offer, so far we've spent $1.5 million......while cutting about twice that by dropping Cabrera.

Ok. Lets go the other way. If teams have money, why are Manny, Abreu, Lowe, Ocab, etc. still on the market with little buzz? Why haven't the Red Sox responded to the Yankees moves and the White Sox slash payroll by giving away Swisher and Vazquez. Why did the Cubs have to give away DeRosa in order to sign Bradley? Why did so many teams not offer arbitration to players who were likely to sign elsewhere? Why is Pat Burrell only able to get a 2 yr deal for $16 mil?

[connja]

I'd love that, not so much for the moves themselves, but for the large portions of crow that would be served up by the people implying or stating outright that he's a dawdling do-nothing pawn of the penny-pinching bossman who doesn't know diddly about baseball.

(you know, despite grandpa & daddy having plaques in the HOF)

grandpa and daddy were never employed by Peter the Horrible.

[RShack]

That would be a smile.:laughlol: But hey, just because your grandpa & daddy having plaques in the HOF doesn't mean you know more about baseball than SG.

Can you imagine growing up like that?

When Dad came home and told Mom about his day, it was Oriole GM-talk at the kitchen table.

Listening to the stories of both his Dad and Granddad meant he was hearing two HOF GM's talk about building and running noteworthy ballclubs.

One thing I don't understand, especially from the folks who expected Tex to want to "come home to the O's", is how they don't recognize that very thing in AM.

Our GM came home to fulfill the kind of "from when I was a boy" Oriole dream-wish that we wish players had.

Well, the players might not have it, but our GM does. I can't believe people can't see this.

• AM has repeatedly said that running the O's was his dream job. He said it to other GM's before he said it to fans.
• He grew up watching his Dad do it.
• When he was a kid, he named his dog "Brooks", for cryin' out loud.

When people claim AM's is some kind of hired hack who doesn't care about the O's being good, it makes me wonder how people can believe this.

Are people so cynical that they can't recognize it when they're watching a guy actually live out his "from when I was a kid" dream job?

It's right under their nose, but they can't see that?

I don't know if AM is gonna succeed or not, but I am completely sure that this is gonna be his signature job.

Whether he goes on to higher places, I have no idea. But this is the job where he puts his name on a franchise.

If you don't think so, then I think you're not seeing something important.

[Singleton]

The money they would be spending isn't his. It is solely an Orioles issue. He hasn't put his own money into the team since the day he bought it, as someone else said recently.

I'm not talking about Angelos spending more money out of his own pocket. I'm talking about the Orioles spending $130M this year. They obviously can afford to do that, because they are guaranteed to have that much coming in. That doesn't mean a $130M payroll, but $130M in operating costs. I don't know how much exactly the operating costs are on top of payroll, but I am quite confidant we can easily afford to add someone like Dunn to our roster and not be over that $130M mark.

Please explain the sentence, "The money they would be spending isn't his."

[Boy Howdy]

Can you imagine growing up like that?

When Dad came home and told Mom about his day, it was Oriole GM-talk at the kitchen table.

Listening to the stories of both his Dad and Granddad meant he was hearing two HOF GM's talk about building and running noteworthy ballclubs.

One thing I don't understand, especially from the folks who expected Tex to want to "come home to the O's", is how they don't recognize that very thing in AM.

Our GM came home to fulfill the kind of "from when I was a boy" Oriole dream-wish that we wish players had.

Well, the players might not have it, but our GM does. I can't believe people can't see this.

• AM has repeatedly said that running the O's was his dream job.
• He grew up watching his dad do it.
• When he was a kid, he named his dog "Brooks", for cryin' out loud.

When people claim AM's is some kind of hired hack who doesn't care about the O's being good, it makes me wonder how people can believe this.

Are people so cynical that they can't recognize it when they're watching a guy actually live out his "from when I was a kid" dream job?

It's right under their nose, but they can't see that?

I don't know if AM is gonna succeed or not, but I am completely sure that this is gonna be his signature job.

Whether he goes on to higher places, I have no idea. But this is the job where he puts his name on a franchise.

If you don't think so, then I think you're not seeing something important.

Generally speaking, I hate stickies.

That said, this post ought to be a sticky.

[Fairfax Bird]

No chance, the entire front office is a cluster.

[Bradysburns]

Folks, you have to make the connection between the economy and your ball team. Burrell for 2 years at $16 million is a "cheap" price if this were last year. This year, it's all he can get. Owners are much poorer today than they were last year or the year before or the year before or.....

The Red Sox haven't spent any money. The Blue Jays haven't spent any money. The White Sox have cut a lot of salary. The Cubs had to cut salary to sign a FA. The Angels payroll is much lower. In a normal year, teams would be falling over themselves to sign Derek Lowe -- a solid, reliable pitcher with good playoff experience. This year he has exactly one team interested. No one wants Manny Ramirez who is a legit MVP candidate.

Stop complaining that the Orioles are cheap. No one has any money!!!! It's the economy, stupid (said with affection).

My only problem with this line of thinking is that all these teams are solid already. And the Sox made a sick offer to Texeira - so it's not like they ain't trying to spend the millions.

These "thrifty" teams actually have legitimate power bats in their lineup already (and please don't tell me Huff is an elite hitter - he stinks it up for the first half of the season then gets "hot" when his team is out of it). They also have, erm, starting pitching rotations and crazy stuff like that.

The O's are barely an MLB team at this point. I love 'em - but seriously, they don't have a starting rotation and we're supposed to be excited by Izturis, who is the second coming of Mike Bordick without the mighty hitting prowess.

But again, not having a rotation in place, that's just totally unacceptable - even in a recession.

[Mad Mark]

Stop complaining that the Orioles are cheap. No one has any money!!!! It's the economy, stupid (said with affection).

Brian Cashman (who tore a hamstring tripping over a sack full of hundreds late in 2008) begs to differ! The Yankee$ have more money than even they know what to do with! (Rumor has it they're building forts with it in their offices.)

:angryfire:

[Mad Mark]

The only thing that I think you miss here, is that the Orioles are guaranteed to make $130M in revenue.

Source? I thought MLB had only guaranteed a sale price number.

[TonySoprano]

Ok. Lets go the other way. If teams have money, why are Manny, Abreu, Lowe, Ocab, etc. still on the market with little buzz? Why haven't the Red Sox responded to the Yankees moves and the White Sox slash payroll by giving away Swisher and Vazquez. Why did the Cubs have to give away DeRosa in order to sign Bradley? Why did so many teams not offer arbitration to players who were likely to sign elsewhere? Why is Pat Burrell only able to get a 2 yr deal for $16 mil?

How is Burrell able to get any money? You said no one has any.

Lowe was offered 3 - $36 million by the Mets and is holding out for $16 million/year. Manny turned down 2 - $45 million from the Dodgers. The Red Sox offer to Teixeira was second only to the Yankees. There's money out there alright, just not enough to some player's liking.