What do you think the goal of this season should be: win or develop?

[kidrock]

I think this current roster is plenty talented, though not sure there is the consistency needed to win a championship.  I am stuck in the middle as to whether they should add some pieces and make a run of it, or start to bring up some of the young players and get through their initial struggles in the pros.

I think I lean toward getting the younger players experience in the pros so that we can maximize the last few years of Adley’s rookie contract.

 

What do you think the strategy should be?

[Sports Guy]

Both..as it always should be.

[wildcard]

Winning comes first.  Making the playoffs.   Hopefully some of the prospects can help with that.

I expect GRod back after a reset.   Westburg to help after Frazier is traded.   Cowser to be called up at some point.   Hall may help in the pen later this season.

[forphase1]

Doesn't have to be either or.   In many cases I believe the changes that helps the team win the most is also the change that brings up the kids.   Replacing some of the current starters with the some of the kids in the minors will make us a better team,  more worse.  No one can convince me that Ortiz would not out OPS what Mateo has done since May, and with a similar defensive production.  Point simply being that I don't think we have two absolutes we have to choose between. 

[Sports Guy]

The best teams almost always have at least one rookie contributing on the ML roster. You are always developing new talent.  It never stops.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Sports Guy

[ChuckS]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

Winning comes first.  Making the playoffs.   Hopefully some of the prospects can help with that.

I expect GRod back after a reset.   Westburg to help after Frazier is traded.   Cowser to be called up at some point.   Hall may help in the pen later this season.

I’m curious what circumstances you think will arise which cause Frazier to be traded. You have mentioned this multiple times, as if it’s a fact. 

[Bemorewins]

I believe that there is always value in winning. Developing a winning culture, letting young players be a part of winning, and learning how to win at this level.

However, there is always a value in development of young players, in developing a stream of maturation so that you never get stagnant and old.

So count me in the reasonable camp of doing BOTH. It is not an either/or proposition. But in a healthy org it is both/and.

The team has one of the best records in the league, despite not having a single upper echelon starting pitcher, half a bullpen that is no good, several infielders who are not hitting league average, and an injured borderline Allstar CF.

Some of those things we can fix internally, some we will have to address outside the org. But all in all we are doing just fine.

[Jagwar]

If the O's don't shore up the roster with a solid starter and reliever, I'm afraid that there might be more losing than winning. 

[Three Run Homer]

I'm willing to trade some prospects to get help at the top of the rotation and in middle/setup relief.  In that sense, I think this season is about winning.  This team has already shown that it is playoff caliber. 

On the other hand, I think there is playing time available in Baltimore for players currently in the minors--Westburg and/or Ortiz, as well as Cowser.  I think the O's should be willing to move on one or more of McKenna, Mateo, Frazier and Urias to make room.  It's possible that this would result in a little drop off in production in the short term.  So in this sense, I think this season is still about development.  

 

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Both..as it always should be.

I’d say it worked out OK when the Red Sox started two rookie outfielders named Fred Lynn and Jim Rice.  

[RZNJ]

29 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d say it worked out OK when the Red Sox started two rookie outfielders named Fred Lynn and Jim Rice.  

Just last year the Astros had Jeremy Peña as their SS.   This year the Dodgers have Outman in CF, the Yankees have Volpe at SS.   It’s an easy question but there are varying degrees and some gray area.

[survivedc]

3 hours ago, ChuckS said:

I’m curious what circumstances you think will arise which cause Frazier to be traded. You have mentioned this multiple times, as if it’s a fact. 

Frazier would be a weird guy to trade. He is only under contract for one year, so it would almost definitely be to a team that is trying to upgrade, but why would we trade him for anything less than a bullpen contributor?

Only exception would be if they can find a team that wants to dump salary with a useful player a la Gausman/O’Day.

[Royle]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I’d say it worked out OK when the Red Sox started two rookie outfielders named Fred Lynn and Jim Rice.  

How about Al Bumbry and Rich Coggins combining for 20 triples and 40 SB in 110 games ? That turned out pretty nice ! Coggins finished 6th in ROY voting as Bumbry took home the award.

[Bemorewins]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I’d say it worked out OK when the Red Sox started two rookie outfielders named Fred Lynn and Jim Rice.  

No disrespect to their greatness. But that was  3/4 eras ago. The game is completely different now. There were little to No analytics used. No obsession with stuff like launch angles and exit velos. The velocity of pitchers was much different and you may typically see 1-3 pitchers per night when those guys played. Now you may see a different pitcher every AB. It’s still the same game, but way different.

[ChuckS]

39 minutes ago, survivedc said:

Frazier would be a weird guy to trade. He is only under contract for one year, so it would almost definitely be to a team that is trying to upgrade, but why would we trade him for anything less than a bullpen contributor?

Only exception would be if they can find a team that wants to dump salary with a useful player a la Gausman/O’Day.

Exactly. No team is going to be targeting Frazier at the deadline. In additon, he’s entrenched as a our starting second baseman and even if Westburg or Ortiz manage to reduce his playing time at some point, I don’t see the front office opting to trade him because he has no trade value given his salary.  

The only scenario that I see Frazier being traded is if the team completely falls apart in the next two months and we become sellers. Even then, it would be more of a salary dump.