2026 Orioles

[oriole]

Some guys will be traded, there’ll be outside players claimed, and there’s always gonna be a free agent or two on the roster. It’s really impossible to know exactly what a roster will look like year to year. There’s some givens, like I believe that Rutschman, Rodriguez, and Henderson will be around. It’s probably a safe bet to assume Holliday will be here too. I don’t think any of them will be extended, John cries poor too much to make that happen. But I don’t think they’ll be traded either unless their walk year is a year where the team isn’t in contention. 

 

[oriolediehard]

34 minutes ago, oriole said:

Some guys will be traded, there’ll be outside players claimed, and there’s always gonna be a free agent or two on the roster. It’s really impossible to know exactly what a roster will look like year to year. There’s some givens, like I believe that Rutschman, Rodriguez, and Henderson will be around. It’s probably a safe bet to assume Holliday will be here too. I don’t think any of them will be extended, John cries poor too much to make that happen. But I don’t think they’ll be traded either unless their walk year is a year where the team isn’t in contention. 

 

The O's achilles heel is their ownership.  If they say their so poor, why don't they sell the team to an owner who cares about winning than a major profit?

[maybenxtyr]

6 minutes ago, oriolediehard said:

The O's achilles heel is their ownership.  If they say their so poor, why don't they sell the team to an owner who cares about winning than a major profit?

Because they're making profits. There's no incentive to sell. All Elias can do is work within the framework that ownership gives him.

[oriole]

18 minutes ago, oriolediehard said:

The O's achilles heel is their ownership.  If they say their so poor, why don't they sell the team to an owner who cares about winning than a major profit?

If there were a petition to get John to sell, I’d sign it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way and it wouldn’t make a difference anyways. Millionaires gotta pocket millions, don’t ya know?

[OrioleMagic79]

20 minutes ago, oriole said:

If there were a petition to get John to sell, I’d sign it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way and it wouldn’t make a difference anyways. Millionaires gotta pocket millions, don’t ya know?

I actually think John really wants things to change and is working toward that. I understand that his last name makes people doubt that, but so far people need to remember what all he has done that has led to us being where we are with a positive outlook for the foreseeable future. The guy funded an international program (something his dad didn't want to pay for), he fought to have his brother essentially have no say in the team (a guy that seems much more like dad), and he hired Elias who has gotten just about everything he has asked for. I think Elias believes in his model, and part of that model means waiting to build things up and then spend wisely with long-term success in mind vs. reactionary and not well thought-out spending to appease fans and increase the number of butts in seats. He understands that signing guys like Davis, Trumbo, Miguel Tejada, etc. when you don't have a foundation and well-stocked farm system behind it is wasteful and short-sighted. I believe the plan is to, in fact, sign a long-term lease to stay in Baltimore at OPACY, make plans to upgrade/improve the stadium, spend a little time evaluating which of these young stars is going to be the right guy to sign and lock up (so far, seems Adley would be a fit here) and which are the ones that will be higher risk that might be worth trading for important pieces at the deadlines and in the off-seasons while everyone still sees them as potential superstars (maybe that's Gunnar?). I think waiting just a little bit to see who succeeds and who struggles before we jump the gun and sign someone is really smart. Last fall, Gunnar would have seemed like a no-brainer. Maybe he still is, but if you had to pick one right now, I think most of us would agree that Adley is that guy. Hopefully both of them are, but they are both under control for quite some time. Let's not let the Machado situation overshadow what has changed since then. Now there is one man in charge in ownership (John) and one man in charge in the front office's day to day dealings (Elias). Back when Machado was our young star, we had a power struggle between the Angelos brothers (one who only cares about money and might move the team, and one who baseball backed as the guy who is going to do this in a way that is best for baseball and for Baltimore - or at least much more likely). Right now, and I understand why, nobody trusts a darn thing that John Angelos says when he says the team will be in Baltimore forever and when he says winning matters and they plan to do the right things, but we have had such a poor experience over several decades with his family, so our patience is understandably thin and our trust level is pretty low. If you look closely at what John has been doing, and at how he isn't making rash decisions and spending unwisely, it actually looks like he is really telling the truth and wants to build a perennial winner vs. a bottom dweller or a short-term winner. That's what has me so excited. If he lets Elias get away or fires him, that will dramatically change my optimism into some concerned pessimism in short order. But so far, so good with John (and Scott). Let's enjoy this, particularly because this team is playing better than the stage that we are supposed to be at right now. If we were simply on schedule, there would be even more impatience and angst toward Angelos and Elias. Luckily for those two, the team is doing well. If I had to guess, I think the entire organization sees what is being built here and it's exciting and contagious, which is leading to the premature success and fun that you see happening in the dugout and throughout the entire farm system.

[oriole]

14 minutes ago, OrioleMagic79 said:

I actually think John really wants things to change and is working toward that. I understand that his last name makes people doubt that, but so far people need to remember what all he has done that has led to us being where we are with a positive outlook for the foreseeable future. The guy funded an international program (something his dad didn't want to pay for), he fought to have his brother essentially have no say in the team (a guy that seems much more like dad), and he hired Elias who has gotten just about everything he has asked for. I think Elias believes in his model, and part of that model means waiting to build things up and then spend wisely with long-term success in mind vs. reactionary and not well thought-out spending to appease fans and increase the number of butts in seats. He understands that signing guys like Davis, Trumbo, Miguel Tejada, etc. when you don't have a foundation and well-stocked farm system behind it is wasteful and short-sighted. I believe the plan is to, in fact, sign a long-term lease to stay in Baltimore at OPACY, make plans to upgrade/improve the stadium, spend a little time evaluating which of these young stars is going to be the right guy to sign and lock up (so far, seems Adley would be a fit here) and which are the ones that will be higher risk that might be worth trading for important pieces at the deadlines and in the off-seasons while everyone still sees them as potential superstars (maybe that's Gunnar?). I think waiting just a little bit to see who succeeds and who struggles before we jump the gun and sign someone is really smart. Last fall, Gunnar would have seemed like a no-brainer. Maybe he still is, but if you had to pick one right now, I think most of us would agree that Adley is that guy. Hopefully both of them are, but they are both under control for quite some time. Let's not let the Machado situation overshadow what has changed since then. Now there is one man in charge in ownership (John) and one man in charge in the front office's day to day dealings (Elias). Back when Machado was our young star, we had a power struggle between the Angelos brothers (one who only cares about money and might move the team, and one who baseball backed as the guy who is going to do this in a way that is best for baseball and for Baltimore - or at least much more likely). Right now, and I understand why, nobody trusts a darn thing that John Angelos says when he says the team will be in Baltimore forever and when he says winning matters and they plan to do the right things, but we have had such a poor experience over several decades with his family, so our patience is understandably thin and our trust level is pretty low. If you look closely at what John has been doing, and at how he isn't making rash decisions and spending unwisely, it actually looks like he is really telling the truth and wants to build a perennial winner vs. a bottom dweller or a short-term winner. That's what has me so excited. If he lets Elias get away or fires him, that will dramatically change my optimism into some concerned pessimism in short order. But so far, so good with John (and Scott). Let's enjoy this, particularly because this team is playing better than the stage that we are supposed to be at right now. If we were simply on schedule, there would be even more impatience and angst toward Angelos and Elias. Luckily for those two, the team is doing well. If I had to guess, I think the entire organization sees what is being built here and it's exciting and contagious, which is leading to the premature success and fun that you see happening in the dugout and throughout the entire farm system.

I give Elias the props for the success of the organization right now. Sure, John signed off on bringing Elias on board…congrats to John for that…and he also approved the international stuff which is pretty bare minimum considering how the organization compared with the rest of MLB. 
The whole “I’ll open up the books” thing shows the man is a straight up liar with no shame about it. I’m just speculating here of course, but Elias is as calculated as they come and he does not mince words. “Lift off” was not a misunderstanding. He likely believed that he could spend when the time came and John likely retracted that sentiment. The man is money hungry in addition to being a liar. He will forever cry poor and I am looking forward to the day he joins his wife in Nashville, away from the Orioles. 

[OrioleMagic79]

13 minutes ago, oriole said:

I give Elias the props for the success of the organization right now. Sure, John signed off on bringing Elias on board…congrats to John for that…and he also approved the international stuff which is pretty bare minimum considering how the organization compared with the rest of MLB. 
The whole “I’ll open up the books” thing shows the man is a straight up liar with no shame about it. I’m just speculating here of course, but Elias is as calculated as they come and he does not mince words. “Lift off” was not a misunderstanding. He likely believed that he could spend when the time came and John likely retracted that sentiment. The man is money hungry in addition to being a liar. He will forever cry poor and I am looking forward to the day he joins his wife in Nashville, away from the Orioles. 

Well, we will just have to agree to disagree on this one. We are too far apart. I see it as John saying something (about opening the books) and being told "hey, that might not be a good idea" by someone who knows better, or he maybe reconsidered when fans decided he was his father and refused to give him a chance. 

Also, to me, "lift off" was exactly what Elias meant and fans heard what they wanted to hear. "Lift off" means the beginning of something exciting, it doesn't mean "crescendo" or the "peak" splash/move that everyone wanted to believe he meant. Building the farm system was preparing for launch, "lift off" means "here we go toward something new/big" ... we haven't even broken the Earth's atmosphere (achieved step 2) or passed the Moon (step 3), and we certainly haven't touched down on Mars (winning a World Series) or established civilization on Mars (maintaining a consistent contender for a WS title). But we have passed the preparation stages that were agonizing to some people at times, particularly those who don't understand what Elias is doing and why "it's taking so long." Those were the same people who asked "how long does a rebuild take? He's been on the job for 7 months and look, this team sucks!"

[oriole]

2 hours ago, OrioleMagic79 said:

Well, we will just have to agree to disagree on this one. We are too far apart. I see it as John saying something (about opening the books) and being told "hey, that might not be a good idea" by someone who knows better, or he maybe reconsidered when fans decided he was his father and refused to give him a chance. 

Also, to me, "lift off" was exactly what Elias meant and fans heard what they wanted to hear. "Lift off" means the beginning of something exciting, it doesn't mean "crescendo" or the "peak" splash/move that everyone wanted to believe he meant. Building the farm system was preparing for launch, "lift off" means "here we go toward something new/big" ... we haven't even broken the Earth's atmosphere (achieved step 2) or passed the Moon (step 3), and we certainly haven't touched down on Mars (winning a World Series) or established civilization on Mars (maintaining a consistent contender for a WS title). But we have passed the preparation stages that were agonizing to some people at times, particularly those who don't understand what Elias is doing and why "it's taking so long." Those were the same people who asked "how long does a rebuild take? He's been on the job for 7 months and look, this team sucks!"

Being one of the lowest pay rolls despite this obviously being a year where contention is on the radar shows me all I need to know. Plus Johns comments about conducting business as if if they are a small market team…it’s very clear the man is in this to pad his pockets til the inevitable (hopefully) sale. Elias is just too good as his job. I’m not saying anyone should have expected some big contracts last off season but it definitely a sobering off season. This team was able to have a middle of the pack type of payroll not all that long ago and now the de facto owner is already saying extensions are too rich for what they can afford? BS, this man doesn’t care about anything but money. Which, of course, is his right as a business owner. But it sucks for the rest of us.

[Frobby]

3 hours ago, oriole said:

Plus Johns comments about conducting business as if if they are a small market team…

They are a small market team.  There’s a reason we get extra comp picks and extra allotments for international signings — it’s precisely because MLB has determined, by its criteria, that the O’s are a small market team.  I promise you, it’s not happening because the other owners feel like giving the O’s an unwarranted competitive advantage.  

Mind you, I’m not arguing that the O’s can’t afford a bigger payroll.  Of course they can.  But let’s not kid ourselves about the size of the Orioles’ market.  
 

[One eyed Bird]

6 hours ago, oriole said:

I give Elias the props for the success of the organization right now. Sure, John signed off on bringing Elias on board…congrats to John for that…and he also approved the international stuff which is pretty bare minimum considering how the organization compared with the rest of MLB. 
The whole “I’ll open up the books” thing shows the man is a straight up liar with no shame about it. I’m just speculating here of course, but Elias is as calculated as they come and he does not mince words. “Lift off” was not a misunderstanding. He likely believed that he could spend when the time came and John likely retracted that sentiment. The man is money hungry in addition to being a liar. He will forever cry poor and I am looking forward to the day he joins his wife in Nashville, away from the Orioles. 

Yep you nailed it, the apple and the tree, man I wish they could be forced to sell, they rank right up there with the ole Bottle Bob Irsay 

[oriole]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

They are a small market team.  There’s a reason we get extra comp picks and extra allotments for international signings — it’s precisely because MLB has determined, by its criteria, that the O’s are a small market team.  I promise you, it’s not happening because the other owners feel like giving the O’s an unwarranted competitive advantage.  

Mind you, I’m not arguing that the O’s can’t afford a bigger payroll.  Of course they can.  But let’s not kid ourselves about the size of the Orioles’ market.  
 

I understand what you’re saying. But the level of payroll they currently have is below what they could maintain. From a business standpoint, that’s great…especially if they’re gonna be winning as they are. But if the Rays and Pirates can afford extensions with their young players, why is John taming  expectations on extending O’s players? 
 

I’ll also be the first to admit, I can’t stand the man. I didn’t think too much of him until this off season. The way he has handled the media has soured me on him. The fact that no real additions were made is all the evidence I need that no additions will be made. The payroll will increase from arbitration, but any time there’s a chance to add a good free agent we all know what the line is going to be.