Elias and Hyde address the media today

[BirdCakes22]

44 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'll agree that some folks don't respond well to stress.

I think that not being able to respond well to stressful situations is going to weed out the vast majority of those individuals before they get to the Majors Leagues.

I think it is very hard to be so supremely talented that you can reach the majors despite wilting under pressure.

I agree. And a lot can happen to change someone's mindset. A bloop single can relax a player. A line drive that goes right at someone can then tense them up in their next at bat because they start pressing. You need to have a steely mindset in any sport. I feel like our top guys have it and will improve. Jackson Holliday may end up being the toughest of them all after what he's gone through. Last, but not least, as I've mentioned before on this board. I believe the next few years will be our best years. Our young guys will get comfortable, our closer will be back, lots of depth on the staff. Maybe sign one starter to pair with Grayson, Efflin, Kremer, Wells, Bradish (part of year), Rogers, Povich. Bull pen will be fine with Bautista back. I still think Adley was playing hurt.

[interloper]

If that Ramon piss missile to LF doesn't get caught by a the OF who literally warped to it, I think the game changes dramatically. As unclutch as they were overall that game, they also had some pretty bad luck. Gunnar nearly had a double that went inches foul as well. 

[SilverRocket]

 

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, LGOrioles said:

Seemed to not side step the question as much as he has in the past.

 

 

No, but he gave himself an out.  "And if it doesn't happen for some reason..."

I expect there to be an increase in payroll spending, but that's due to arb negotiations and maybe a trade or two.  I don't expect us to be key players in free agency at a big level.

IMO, the offseason plan will be to once again hope for the development of prospects.  Hope that Holliday and Mayo get their stuff together and can contribute next year.  Hope that Cowser can come back and cut down on the strikeouts and increase the K rate.  Hope Adley can get back to 2022 and 2023 levels.

Let's not forget that the supposed core of this team is on the upswing and haven't reached their ceilings yet.  IMO, that's what they're going to be banking on as well as the return of Felix and G-Rod.

I'd love to be wrong.  @Sports Guyis already ringing the Nick Pivetta bell, I'd be good with that signing.  I just don't ever see us making big splashes and sexy signings in free agency.

[TopGunnar]

11 minutes ago, interloper said:

If that Ramon piss missile to LF doesn't get caught by a the OF who literally warped to it, I think the game changes dramatically. As unclutch as they were overall that game, they also had some pretty bad luck. Gunnar nearly had a double that went inches foul as well. 

Why would you think a double, which puts a runner at 2nd with 0 outs would have changed the game. They had bases loaded 0 outs with 3,4,5 hitters up and they all decided to have piss trickle down their legs, resulting in 0 runs lol.  

[Bemorewins]

55 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

They've literally done this multiple times.  What makes you think they won't do it again?

I haven’t seen them do what is required now. Elias and co have proven they can rebuild an org from top to bottom. They have even proven they can build a division winner/playoff team (in the AL East). 

However, what they have yet to show is how to build a team that can be successful come October. I know some believe that playoff success is due primarily to luck. But I don’t think the reason that we collapsed in the second half or scored a single run in 2 postseason games at home is because we were just “unlucky”. We weren’t good enough.

[Fiver6565]

2 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

I haven’t seen them do what is required now. Elias and co have proven they can rebuild an org from top to bottom. They have even proven they can build a division winner/playoff team (in the AL East). 

However, what they have yet to show is how to build a team that can be successful come October. I know some believe that playoff success is due primarily to luck. But I don’t think the reason that we collapsed in the second half or scored a single run in 2 postseason games at home is because we were just “unlucky”. We weren’t good enough.

OK, so what is required now?  a TOR ace?  He's done that before, and in fact our likely #1 starter next year was acquired this way, in addition to our #1 from this year.  A MOO bat?  Who is available for money the O's are likely to spend?  Hell, who's available for any money at all other than Soto (LOL sure) or Alonso (no thanks to whatever contract he'll get). 

Do you really think Elias is not capable of analyzing and identifying weaknesses and filling them via several different routes?  Do you really think that task is THAT different than what he's dealt with the last couple years?  The man built a team that won 192 games in two years - the most for this franchise in decades, if I'm not mistaken.  And your issue is player acquisition?  There's just not much to back up that take, in my opinion.

[LGOrioles]

6 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

No, but he gave himself an out.  "And if it doesn't happen for some reason..."

I expect there to be an increase in payroll spending, but that's due to arb negotiations and maybe a trade or two.  I don't expect us to be key players in free agency at a big level.

IMO, the offseason plan will be to once again hope for the development of prospects.  Hope that Holliday and Mayo get their stuff together and can contribute next year.  Hope that Cowser can come back and cut down on the strikeouts and increase the K rate.  Hope Adley can get back to 2022 and 2023 levels.

Let's not forget that the supposed core of this team is on the upswing and haven't reached their ceilings yet.  IMO, that's what they're going to be banking on as well as the return of Felix and G-Rod.

I'd love to be wrong.  @Sports Guyis already ringing the Nick Pivetta bell, I'd be good with that signing.  I just don't ever see us making big splashes and sexy signings in free agency.

To be fair, there’s not much in FA at least in terms of position players. There are definitely some pitchers available though, both RP and SP’s that would be fits. Robertson, Treinen, Martin, Holmes, Kahnle, Scott, Ottavino, Yates, Hoffman, and Leclerc all would be good pieces to add to the pen (some more likely than others). Scherzer, Manaea, Severino, Eovaldi and Pivetta would be decent mid-back of the rotation starters, but unless they’re paying up for Snell/Fried, they are probably gonna have to get a real difference maker on the trade market. 

[Bemorewins]

37 minutes ago, foxfield said:

I dont mean to use your post...but something uncharacteristically negative happened has me thinking about a question I want to ask but feel it will cause a political storm.  So I am not raising this question to start a debate on an issue, but I am genuinely curious.

What happened to the Orioles sometime in June seemed to be that they no longer were a cohesive unit.  Yes there were injuries.  But injuries can also bring tight groups together.  This group that has seemed tight almost seemed to splinter.  Sure winning is fun and when it stops nothing is as fun.  But it seems like something could have happened that internally split this group apart.  Did it?  Whatever IT would be happened sometime in June before the All Star Break.  Until then things were rolling and Gunnar was raising the question of whether he was having the best season by a SS ever.  

So what started the slide?

Did it start after the Yankee Series in NY after a 17-5 win on June 20 with the Orioles leaving town after taking 2 of 3?  The Orioles went to Houston and lost three straight before returning to Baltimore and losing 2 straight to Cleveland before righting the ship and taking game three.

Then Orioles played well at times after but never again played like a team in command.  So I went back and saw that the Texas series began on 6/27 with an 11-2 game started by Burnes (7 innings 88 Pitches) and included HRs by Mullins, Kjerstad, Rutschman and Cowser and in looking at all of that I saw something that I honestly had completely forgotten about.

On June 27, the Orioles hosted the Rangers and began an MLB sponsored Pride Week.  Not really a bid deal, most all MLB teams and professional teams do.  Like it.  Hate it.  They all do it.  But I also saw the post that Austin Hays put out that same day on instagram.  He didn't say anything specific about the Pride events, he shared a religious point of view that spoke about evil.  The links were not direct, but obvious.  

Cut to today.  The Orioles have never regained the superiority they held over everyone prior to June.  Hays...is gone.  I know he was an obvious trade candidate.  I thought the idea of trading him was fine.  But my question is did the events around Pride Night June 27 somehow cause a fracture in a clubhouse?  

And please I am not saying it did.  I am simply a fan who is stuggling to see what broke.  I mean I see what broke.  But why?  The Red Sox collapse in 2011 had pizza and beer and locker room drama that came out after the fact to explain their epic collapse.  The didn't become excellent chokers magically on Sept 3 with a 9 game lead and then totally miss the playoffs when the Great Andino drove in the final nail. Something broke, it spread and it ate everything.

I just think it is more likely something interpersonal happened in the clubhouse than the franchise approach that was working stopped.  Or that all of MLB found a way to turn Henderson from a player on a 12 WAR pace to one who struggled to field, throw, hit and run.  

So my question to the GM and Manager would be.  Did something happen in mid June that affected the psyche of this team and was it related to the June 27 post by Austin Hays on the first night of Pride Week?  Thank you and I'll take your answer off line.

With all due respect. They’ve done the pride thing for a few years now and it surely didn’t seem to negatively affect the 22’ and 23’ teams.

But if what you are saying is true and pride week/day/month caused this kind of collapse then we have a bunch of weak players who have no ability to handle adversity or the slightest hint of distraction. I sincerely hope this is not the case because we are not winning anything with such fragile players who have no resiliency.

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, LGOrioles said:

To be fair, there’s not much in FA at least in terms of position players. There are definitely some pitchers available though, both RP and SP’s that would be fits. Robertson, Treinen, Martin, Holmes, Kahnle, Scott, Ottavino, Yates, Hoffman, and Leclerc all would be good pieces to add to the pen (some more likely than others). Scherzer, Manaea, Severino, Eovaldi and Pivetta would be decent mid-back of the rotation starters, but unless they’re paying up for Snell/Fried, they are probably gonna have to get a real difference maker on the trade market. 

I don't disagree with any of this.  I'm really looking at bullpen upgrades over the course of this offseason.  I want a lockdown pen next year.  Felix coming back plays a big part of that, of course but I'd like 3-4 legit options in front of him.

[Fiver6565]

Even implying that the 'collapse' is somehow due to Pride Night is one flaming hot Cheetos-ass take.  Not to mention wildly offensive.  Wow.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't disagree with any of this.  I'm really looking at bullpen upgrades over the course of this offseason.  I want a lockdown pen next year.  Felix coming back plays a big part of that, of course but I'd like 3-4 legit options in front of him.

Some of them with options, so they can be sent down when a fresh arm is needed.

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, Fiver6565 said:

Even implying that the 'collapse' is somehow due to Pride Night is one flaming hot Cheetos-ass take.  Not to mention wildly offensive.  Wow.

Wait, where was that mentioned?

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Some of them with options, so they can be sent down when a fresh arm is needed.

Options are everything.

[Bemorewins]

3 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

OK, so what is required now?  a TOR ace?  He's done that before, and in fact our likely #1 starter next year was acquired this way, in addition to our #1 from this year.  A MOO bat?  Who is available for money the O's are likely to spend?  Hell, who's available for any money at all other than Soto (LOL sure) or Alonso (no thanks to whatever contract he'll get). 

Do you really think Elias is not capable of analyzing and identifying weaknesses and filling them via several different routes?  Do you really think that task is THAT different than what he's dealt with the last couple years?  The man built a team that won 192 games in two years - the most for this franchise in decades, if I'm not mistaken.  And your issue is player acquisition?  There's just not much to back up that take, in my opinion.

To the first question, that I bolded - IMO that is/will be a serious problem. The Orioles are going to have to spend in order to reach the ultimate prize. Look at the spending history of the World Series winners of the past 20 years. There is too much competition and our chief competitors have their own super smart guys with great analytic departments.

Next, I posted a list yesterday of many of the better available FAs. You can go to spotrac to see a comprehensive list.

Last, Elias can analyze and identify weaknesses all he wants. But the question that has to be answered is what is he willing to do to fix said weaknesses.

Yes it is inarguable that he has built a team with enough depth to sustain regular season success. But when you go Ofer in the playoffs over two consecutive seasons losing primarily at home, you have to seriously ask is what he built good enough to succeed in October?

[Gurgi]

So someone one here thinks the Orioles collapsed because Hays hates the gays and somehow that caused a disruption on the clubhouse?  

I think its likelier Hays was just mad his playing time was being cut because he sucked in the first half and Cowser was out playing him.   

But go with the gay hate if you want.  As long as we are throwing crap at the wall.