5-4 Start not horrible but should be better

[Bemorewins]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Just trying to brace you for the inevitable.  You will never ever be satisfied as long as the Mike Elias regime lasts.   

If we win a chip doing it this way, I will be as happy/satisfied as can be. I just want to experience one parade with this team before I leave this planet...lol

I was too young to remember the last. But IMO it will make all the long suffering worth it.

[Sports Guy]

I have an issue with some decision making here and there and I felt they waited too long to go for it but overall, everything Elias has done has been brilliant. He’s the best GM in the sport imo and one of the best in any sport.

Now, he has to show he can get some other things done but the org is lucky to have him and his team. 

[interloper]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

I have an issue with some decision making here and there and I felt they waited too long to go for it but overall, everything Elias has done has been brilliant. He’s the best GM in the sport imo and one of the best in any sport.

Now, he has to show he can get some other things done but the org is lucky to have him and his team. 

Hard to argue with this take.

For me, his biggest task this year remains upgrading the bullpen significantly. It will be shocking if he can't upgrade it with the amount of players at our disposal to trade. And especially without Felix. I'm confident he will address it by the deadline. 

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, interloper said:

Hard to argue with this take.

For me, his biggest task this year remains upgrading the bullpen significantly. It will be shocking if he can't upgrade it with the amount of players at our disposal to trade. And especially without Felix. I'm confident he will address it by the deadline. 

Who do you want replaced/upgraded in the bullpen?

[Bemorewins]

9 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Problematic?  It’s the best way to do things. 
 

Ironically, that was asked of Eric DeCosta yesterday and he said the same thing.

The Os and Ravens FO are identical in their thinking. 

I think there is a strong similarity based on the ties/friendship between DeCosta and Mejdal.

However, IMO the biggest difference between the 2 orgs has been organizational leadership provided by the two owners. It's evident in the on-field results in the last 25 years and the Hall of Famers that one org has had vs. the lack thereof from the other.

I never get the sense that the Ravens are not committed to excellence/chasing a championship (though their methods may be unconventional and I may not always understand/agree with their approach). I haven't felt that way about the Orioles in a long time, probably going back to the late 90's.

You say "it's the best way to do things." And I respect your opinion. However, I struggle to find the recent champions who operate this way. I don't see the Rangers, Astros, Dodgers, Braves (all the teams who have won a ring and we are currently chasing/competing with) operating in this manner. To me, it is clear that all these teams want to win and are willing to do whatever they believe it takes to get there.

That is not to say that we are going to carry a 300 million dollar payroll like LAD. But I'm not very confident we can win, especially longterm with a 100 million dollar payroll either. I believe we can (and at least should) be able to operate at a payroll commiserate with a team like the STL Cardinals (similar market size) and still pursue championships.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Who do you want replaced/upgraded in the bullpen?

If we can land a legit setup man, Andrew Miller style, it almost doesn't matter as long as it isn't Kimbrel, Cano, or Coulombe. 

Whoever is in Baumann's bullpen spot is a candidate. Whoever is in Perez's bullpen spot is a candidate. Webb. Any of these guys are expendable if the upgrade is an Andrew Miller type of guy. 

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, interloper said:

If we can land a legit setup man, Andrew Miller style, it almost doesn't matter as long as it isn't Kimbrel, Cano, or Coulombe. 

Whoever is in Baumann's bullpen spot is a candidate. Whoever is in Perez's bullpen spot is a candidate. Webb. Any of these guys are expendable if the upgrade is an Andrew Miller type of guy. 

Sounds like Kopech.

[Bemorewins]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Who do you want replaced/upgraded in the bullpen?

IMO, the bullpen (in particular middle relief) is not important to our success if Burnes and Grayson (and hopefully Bradish at some point) are going to be 6-7 inning pitchers consistently. It keeps everyone fresher and prevents them more from being overused/wearing down.

We just can't have 4/5 "5 and dive" type guys and thrive without a good/great bullpen that includes effective middle relievers. With the presence of Burnes and what it appears that Grayson is becoming, I don't think that will be a problem this season.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Sounds like Kopech.

That'll work!

[interloper]

1 minute ago, Bemorewins said:

IMO, the bullpen (in particular middle relief) is not important to our success if Burnes and Grayson (and hopefully Bradish at some point) are going to be 6-7 inning pitchers consistently. It keeps everyone fresher and prevents them more from being overused/wearing down.

We just can't have 4/5 "5 and dive" type guys and thrive without a good/great bullpen that includes effective middle relievers. With the presence of Burnes and what it appears that Grayson is becoming, I don't think that will be a problem this season.

It might not be a problem for the majority of the season, but the playoffs are a different beast. Guys get yanked REAL quick, and there's a huge emphasis on a battle between back-end arms. 

[Sports Guy]

8 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

I think there is a strong similarity based on the ties/friendship between DeCosta and Mejdal.

However, IMO the biggest difference between the 2 orgs has been organizational leadership provided by the two owners. It's evident in the on-field results in the last 25 years and the Hall of Famers that one org has had vs. the lack thereof from the other.

I never get the sense that the Ravens are not committed to excellence/chasing a championship (though their methods may be unconventional and I may not always understand/agree with their approach). I haven't felt that way about the Orioles in a long time, probably going back to the late 90's.

You say "it's the best way to do things." And I respect your opinion. However, I struggle to find the recent champions who operate this way. I don't see the Rangers, Astros, Dodgers, Braves (all the teams who have won a ring and we are currently chasing/competing with) operating in this manner. To me, it is clear that all these teams want to win and are willing to do whatever they believe it takes to get there.

That is not to say that we are going to carry a 300 million dollar payroll like LAD. But I'm not very confident we can win, especially longterm with a 100 million dollar payroll either. I believe we can (and at least should) be able to operate at a payroll commiserate with a team like the STL Cardinals (similar market size) and still pursue championships.

This is the exact way the Braves and Astros operate.

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

IMO, the bullpen (in particular middle relief) is not important to our success if Burnes and Grayson (and hopefully Bradish at some point) are going to be 6-7 inning pitchers consistently. It keeps everyone fresher and prevents them more from being overused/wearing down.

We just can't have 4/5 "5 and dive" type guys and thrive without a good/great bullpen that includes effective middle relievers. With the presence of Burnes and what it appears that Grayson is becoming, I don't think that will be a problem this season.

Even if those guys average 6, you can’t cover 7-9 with Coulombe, Cano, and Kimbrel each night.  It’s pretty important to have at least 6 go to guys out of the 8.  Webb and Akin have looked good so far.   Tate, hmmm.  Baumann, not so good.   If both Means and Bradish come back that sends Irvin and Wells to the pen and Heasley to the minors.   Someone else would have to go.   I still nominate Albert Suarez as a secret weapon out of the bullpen at some point.

[Frobby]

40 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

I don't have a problem with criticism nor people (such as yourself) expressing different viewpoints than myself.

Yes, I do have criticism of some of Elias' inability in the recent past to take advantage of ALL of the methods for talent acquisition. However, I am hopeful that some/most of those decisions were impact by the awfulness of an uninterested owner who's main concern was not the results on the field but the amount of profits that he could stuff into his pocket.

I don't want it to come across like I don't like Elias. I appreciate (like most fans) the amazing job he and Sig have done at rebuilding the org though drafting and developing talent at an incredible. However, I believe that there is another part of the job that a great GM must be good at. And that is striking while the iron is hot and being able to improve the team in other ways beyond the minor league system and the waiver wire. He did that with the Burnes trade. However IMO he failed to do that when he did not seize the opportunity of adding one of the lower costing, impact starters in Montgomery or Snell (even Cease for that matter).

I try to keep 2 things in mind when making my assessment of Elias. 1) No GM is perfect 2) No GM is above critique/criticism

I try to praise the good that I see (we all can see). But not turn a blind eye to things that I think could be done better. 

This is a complex issue.  Elias wants to build a team that can be sustained winner while operating within its means.  He’s not a “push all the chips to the center of the table to try to win one championship” kind of guy.   But that doesn’t mean he will continue operating exactly as he has for the first five years as GM, either.   The team is in a different competitive position now, the ownership situation is different, and so adjusting the approach is a logical thing to do.  There are moves he will be able to make that  improve the team in the short and medium term that don’t hamstring the team in the longer term, and in fact may help the team in the longer term.  But he needs to be thoughtful about how he does it.  The cold truth is we are a smaller market team, and while I expect new ownership won’t be nearly as restrictive on spending as John Angelos was, we’re also probably not going to run payrolls that compete with larger market teams on a regular basis.  So, we can sign some players to long term deals, and we can trade good prospects for more expensive veterans, but we can’t have a steady diet of those things because it’s not sustainable.  Elias needs to pick his spots, and I’m sure he’ll do so carefully.     

[Bemorewins]

23 minutes ago, interloper said:

It might not be a problem for the majority of the season, but the playoffs are a different beast. Guys get yanked REAL quick, and there's a huge emphasis on a battle between back-end arms. 

That definitely is a factor in the postseason. But hopefully, having a few excellent front-end-arms will mitigate the need for many great back-end-arms. 

[Sports Guy]

The Ravens goal is to be competitive every year. They don’t go big in FA because they don’t believe you win your division in March.

This is how Elias thinks. You build from within and keep your own..make smart trades. Use the draft.  Sign cheaper FA that can still help you out a lot.
 

The Os have to show they can keep their own but basically, it’s the same philosophy.