MacPhail speaks @ 4:30 Phone Press Conference

[Brady9Fan]

Here's where my problem is:

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Playing a key role in what? Our 10th straight losing season?

I think we just cemented out 10th staright losing year. Yah.

[Mike Devo]

Here's where my problem is:

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Playing a key role in what? Our 10th straight losing season?

I can't believe people are acting like any of the small deals we could have made would have put us in a much better position to become a winning ballclub. We weren't going to get any impact players, so we are going to have just about the same record regardless.

[square634]

I can't believe someone could watch what the Orioles have done for the past decade and not think the little things can be important.

[rolliefingers]

Maybe there are, but there are just as many or more people on the OH who not only didn't want those guys in the first place, but also would have liked to have them gone in exchange for peanuts.

THANK YOU. For the love of all that is good and holy, people, nobody is saying "trade Gibbons and Trax for Albert Pujols". We're saying "RELEASE Gibbons and Trax, so House, Knott and Olson can be evaluated for next year".

How hard is that to understand?

[Mackus]

I can see them wanting to hold onto Millar and Bradford. I won't fault them for that.

But if someone is willing to take Jay Payton and not want us to pay most of his contract, you have to take it.

I agree with this. I think moving Millar and Bradford would be the smart thing to do, but there are justifiable reasons why you would want to keep them around. Not moving Payton is absolutely laughable though, even more laughable than the contract they gave him in the first place.

[Frobby]

Here's where my problem is:

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Playing a key role in what? Our 10th straight losing season?

First of all, a 10th losing season is not yet a certainty by any stretch. Dealing these players for prospects would make it far more likely, though.

That wouldn't have stopped me from making a trade, if the value offerend in exchange had some decent probability of paying dividends in the future. But if not, I'd rather keep the player.

Let me give some specific examples. Last year we traded Javy Lopez for Adam Stern in early August. Then we traded Rodrigo Lopez for Jim Miller and Jason Burch in the offseason. I would not have traded Millar, Bradford or Walker for players such as these. In fact, I doubt I would have traded Payton for them. Trachsel, maybe.

[rolliefingers]

Let me give some specific examples. Last year we traded Javy Lopez for Adam Stern in early August. Then we traded Rodrigo Lopez for Jim Miller and Jason Burch in the offseason. I would not have traded Millar, Bradford or Walker for players such as these. In fact, I doubt I would have traded Payton for them. Trachsel, maybe.

All of them would have fetched better players than those. Especially if we ate some salary.

[BaltimoreTerp]

THANK YOU. For the love of all that is good and holy, people, nobody is saying "trade Gibbons and Trax for Albert Pujols". We're saying "RELEASE Gibbons and Trax, so House, Knott and Olson can be evaluated for next year".

How hard is that to understand?

Apparently for many who see it that way it is, because that is EXACTLY what they are saying.

If they were saying to just release them, there would be no issue. However, they seem to expect that another team is not only willing to take them off our hands, but give us something of any miniscule value for them, full contract paid or not.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I think we just cemented out 10th staright losing year. Yah.

Yeah. I mean, it would be different if we had gone from fourteen under to six under in a month, or if the bullpen was more consistant, or if Trembley looked like a better manager then Perlazzo, but the way things are going now we're pretty much done.