What is the real reason for our off season?

[sportsfan8703]

10 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Best we can hope for is an impact trade or two. 

A trade could happen if we find someone willing to give us a comp pick for bullpen pieces again. 

[oriole]

Pure speculation but I bet ownership thought the rebuild would take longer and never actually intended on spending money. They probably figured by the time the team seemed potentially competitive then they’d have been sold by then. I can’t imagine Elias would have taken the job if he’d have been under the impression that he had to continue playing a team with a bottom 5 pay roll even when the core was ready. 
 

I expect Elias to be out as soon as he is able. This is a very calculated person we’re talking about and I just can’t see any real reason he’d have to use the language he did (“lift off”) if he didn’t expect to back it up. He seems like a professional so I doubt we’ll ever know. But this off season has made him look like a cheap lying scaredy cat. 

[Yardball85]

Ownership is cheap. 

[Yardball85]

*Ownership is cheap and cowardly.  Scared that every contract will turn into Ubaldo or Davis again, and then... what ever will they do?

[RZNJ]

20 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

The part of the offseason where the team can be meaningfully upgraded through free agency certainly is over. 

And? Elias said the upgrades could come from FA and/or trades.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

16 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Best we can hope for is an impact trade or two. 

I do not believe there are any realistic potential trades out there that could salvage this offseason.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Just now, RZNJ said:

And? Elias said the upgrades could come from FA and/or trades.

See

Just now, DrinkinWithFermi said:

I do not believe there are any realistic potential trades out there that could salvage this offseason.

 

[NCRaven]

I get the feeling that Elias places a firm value on players.  Our players, other teams' players, and free agent players.  If another team doesn't match that value a trade won't happen.  If a free agent wants more than Elias believes he is worth, a signing won't happen.  I think that this is every bit as much Elias as it is Angelos.  Having said that, I obviously disagree on some of the decisions he made - particularly in not trying harder to sign certain players.  But, my value judgments clearly don't match Elias's.

[Aristotelian]

I have come to believe they are preparing to be sold. I don't think they are tanking per SE but they may have a strict payroll ceiling and /or prohibition on multi-year contracts.

[RZNJ]

1 minute ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

See

 

Must be the case if you said so.

[RZNJ]

1 minute ago, NCRaven said:

I get the feeling that Elias places a firm value on players.  Our players, other teams' players, and free agent players.  If another team doesn't match that value a trade won't happen.  If a free agent wants more than Elias believes he is worth, a signing won't happen.  I think that this is every bit as much Elias as it is Angelos.  Having said that, I obviously disagree on some of the decisions he made - particularly in not trying harder to sign certain players.  But, my value judgments clearly don't match Elias's.

I think this is it.

[Emory Eagle]

This is a very frustrating off-season for a number of reasons, the primary one for me being that we have seen nothing yet that indicates that worst case scenarios are not in play (e.g. FO unexpectedly hamstrung by ownership, FAs out and out refusing to sign with the Os for market contracts, etc.).  And if they are, then any reasonable expectation for an extended run of competitive baseball in Baltimore must be significantly curbed.

On top of that is the mismanagement of fan expectations and the failure to take an opportunity to boost season ticket sales following an up year with a decent / big name signing.

[Frobby]

I don’t enjoy speculating about things that I’m never going to know the answer to.  It is what it is.   

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Just now, RZNJ said:

Must be the case if you said so.

Just my opinion. You're certainly free to disagree.

[Emory Eagle]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Did we spend money just to hit the salary floor?  

Is there such a thing?