Is it possible that we (the Hangout fans) are just not patient enough??

[DrinkinWithFermi]

37 minutes ago, Sanity Check said:

Believe me, I also wanted to see some reinforcements added.  There is still a good bit of offseason left, but the "good" options in free agency are, sadly, mostly gone.

I wanted us to maybe sign Benintendi and Eovaldi after Abreu was gone - these aren't sexy picks, but I was also staying realistic with the Orioles MO.

If we don't do any meaningful trades, then I'd agree with everyone on here that this would be a "fail."

I should have known that we were still in the "old days" when we tried to improve our team by actually taking a Rule 5 guy.  I'm praying that picking someone was essentially insurance for not being able to get anything else done.  But it's still very worrisome in terms of the possible mindset in the warehouse.

I simply see an ever-dwindling number of options to improve the team in any meaningful way and no sense of urgency from the FO, which coupled with various other discouraging data points, makes me suspect that competing in 2023 is not actually a priority for the organization, regardless of whatever obligatory lip service Elias provides in interviews.

But there's still time, so hopefully I will be fed a nice, big plate of crow by opening day.

[Three Run Homer]

I don't think it's a sign of impatience that some of us think the O's needed to acquire a front-line starter this offseason.  We have a promising young core in the majors and a lot of good prospects bubbling up, but it's almost all position players.  Our starting pitching overachieved in 2022, and even so it was clear that we didn't have someone who could go toe-to-toe with the likes of Verlander, Cole or Manoah in a big game.     

I think most of us have been very patient with the team since 2017, understanding that the team needed to rebuild its farm system and that wins would come later.  But now it's later, and it's time to win.  

[tabletop]

22 Astros - 8th in payroll

21 Braves - 10th in payroll

23 Orioles - likely bottom 3-5 in payroll

One of those things is not like the others.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

11 minutes ago, Three Run Homer said:

I think most of us have been very patient with the team since 2017, understanding that the team needed to rebuild its farm system and that wins would come later.  But now it's later, and it's time to win.  

I vigorously defended the tank-n-save rebuild strategy for years with the expectation that when it was go time, the team would spend, albeit in a smart and calculated fashion, and obviously within parameters reasonable to our market size.

Well, it's go time. 

[tabletop]

2 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

I vigorously defended the tank-n-save rebuild strategy for years with the expectation that when it was go time, the team would spend, albeit in a smart and calculated fashion, and obviously within parameters reasonable to our market size.

Well, it's go time. 

Not yet. The computer says the AL East odds are low this year. Hopefully it’ll be higher next year.

[Just Regular]

Poking around the last 10 World Series champions, all had at least a couple mercenaries.     One of the cheapest was the 21 Braves Drew Smyly for 1/11, so maybe he's just the thing.    I was looking here for Players the Club essentially bought on the market to help make the team a champion.     The numbers are what Cot's gives as what those guys took in that year.

22 Astros - Verlander 25, Brantley 16

21 Braves - Morton 15, Smyly 11

20 Dodgers - Mookie 27, Turner 20      (I don't count their David Price sloppy leftovers from Boston)

19 Nationals - Scherzer 37, Corbin 13     (Max at last getting some of his deferred chunks while Corbin waited below AAV)

18 Red Sox - Price 30, JD Martinez 23

17 Astros - McCann 17, Beltran 16

16 Cubs - Lester 25, Heyward 21

15 Royals - Rios 11, Guthrie 9

14 Giants - Pence 16, Tim Hudson 11

13 Red Sox - Lackey 15, Dempster 13      (that lookup also activated memories of gnashing of teeth around here the 2012-13 offseason when BOS and not our 2012 up-and-comers got those guys - the Arrieta for Feldman deal would happen July 2013.

Edited December 13, 2022 by Just Regular

[turtlebowl]

I am trying to stay patient and see how this all shakes out.  Something has just seemed off this whole off season.  You had a lot of rumors that the O's were being very aggressive.  You had Scott Boras even make a comment that seamed to indicate the O's were in on the big boys.  How did we go from that to nothing?  

I'm still not convinced the Elias doesn't have some kind of man crush on Correa and we are in a holding pattern until that sorts itself out.  I was not for this plan but if he is putting all his eggs in that basket that opens the door for him to be ultra aggressive in the trade market to get pitching.  

The organization has definitely shown that they don't like to take risk with pitching by the way they draft so that probably goes for free agent pitchers also since the money and years are outrages.  I honestly have seen very few signings this off season for pitchers that really would of made sense after you saw the years and numbers they signed for.  

Maybe he views Correa as that guy that would take a lot of the pressure off Adley and Gunner as he would initially become the face of the franchise.  I realize this could be way off but until he is signed I just think this is still possible.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

2 minutes ago, turtlebowl said:

You had Scott Boras even make a comment that seamed to indicate the O's were in on the big boys.  How did we go from that to nothing?  

Counter Theory: Boras was trying to use the media to pressure the Orioles into actually spending some money because he is annoyed that they have had such low payrolls for so long.

23 minutes ago, tabletop said:

Not yet. The computer says the AL East odds are low this year. Hopefully it’ll be higher next year.

You're right, wouldn't want to try to "juke the odds" too hard and end up crippled by a two or three year deal for a mid-level free agent.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Counter Theory: Boras was trying to use the media to pressure the Orioles into actually spending some money because he is annoyed that they have had such low payrolls for so long.

You're right, wouldn't want to try to "juke the odds" too hard and end up crippled by a two or three year deal for a mid-level free agent.

Man I love Juke the odds.

Between that and lift-off at least Elias has been giving us meme fodder.

[Frobby]

53 minutes ago, tabletop said:

22 Astros - 8th in payroll

21 Braves - 10th in payroll

23 Orioles - likely bottom 3-5 in payroll

One of those things is not like the others.

We are more akin to the 2016 Astros, who coming off their first winning season, had a payroll of $89 mm.  Interestingly, they had a $93 mm payroll in 2015, and actually trimmed $4 mm the following year.   But then in 2017 they hit the accelerator.

Right now, even $89 mm would be a big increase.  

[forphase1]

4 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Both of those teams were extending their own players.

If the O's were to lock up Adley and Gunnar you might see a different response.

I'd love to lock up Gunnar long-term.  Not a sure about Adley.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

29 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Man I love Juke the odds.

Between that and lift-off at least Elias has been giving us meme fodder.

Hey, at least this offseason has been extremely productive on the meme front:

-liftoff

-juke the odds

-the "first year" thing

Better than nothing, I guess.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

Hey, at least this offseason has been extremely productive on the meme front:

-liftoff

-juke the odds

-the "first year" thing

Better than nothing, I guess.

[Moose Milligan]

I don't think it's just the OH fans that are not patient.  Elias is getting draaaaaaaagged on Twitter.  

 

[Moose Milligan]

Also, there's a line between being "not patient" and being upset about how this offseason has gone.  The line can get a little blurry at times, but it looks like a lot of fans took that "liftoff" comment very seriously and are pissed.  Especially coming off the season that we had where we surprised a lot of people, took a quantum leap forward in the win column and can see the minor league system paying off...it felt like this was an offseason where we could pull up a chair to the adults table.

So yeah, I think it's easy to confuse "not patient" with being pissed.