Poll: Are you disappointed with the lack of international signings?

[DuffMan]

MacPhail was hired on June 20, 2007.

It is now July 15, 2009.

2 years isn't enough to make any progress? Oakland had never given as much as a six figure bonus to Latin talent before 2007. They signed Ynoa, and now they are players down there in one year. We are still waiting to sign our first Latin player for six figures, let alone seven and it's two years and counting.

When are you going to stop making excuses for MacPhail and realize he is not being as aggressive as he should be given the resources he has?

Or maybe it's because this organization was quite a mess and it takes some time to truly clean it up right and put things in the place they need to be. Can't complete step 10 until you've gotten past steps 7,8, and 9

[Sports Guy]

Maybe, maybe not. You can only imagine how much political and legal wrangling this would require. The organization's time and money are finite resources.

I'm not saying they shouldn't do it, just that it isn't that simple to just say "let's go into China."

Yea, I agree...Obviously, have to see if we are allowed to first.

[Great 2BA FL Gator]

I agree that we should be doing more internationally. I'm not really sure how it works as far as developing relationships and such in order to really make an impact, but I agree that if we don't make a few signings, I will be annoyed. But like I said, I don't really know how it works and I'm not sure that any of us really do.

I think throwing way more money at a 16 year old prospect than what others teams will to WOW him into coming to us, is not at all how AM operates and I tend to agree with it. Now the fact that we are in the running is good news. That's definitely the first time I've heard that we've been in the running for a top dominican prospect.

As far as us taking a hit in talent when we are bringing up our top guys.. I agree with Moose, it only makes sense that that would happen. I think there's only a few systems in baseball that can reload as fast as some of us on here want the O's too. We're just not to that point yet. Hopefully we will get there soon.

[Sports Guy]

Or maybe it's because this organization was quite a mess and it takes some time to truly clean it up right and put things in the place they need to be. Can't complete step 10 until you've gotten past steps 7,8, and 9

Money tends to move things along quicker.

[Great 2BA FL Gator]

Or maybe it's because this organization was quite a mess and it takes some time to truly clean it up right and put things in the place they need to be. Can't complete step 10 until you've gotten past steps 7,8, and 9

Completely agree. I think some have already forgotten how dysfunctional the O's really were..

[wickedwitch]

It's completely unacceptable. We've signed NOBODY since July 1. Seriously, is there literally not one person worth giving $20,000 who isn't signed with someone else? Not a single soul?

Even pre-MacPhail we were able to sign a player or two. What makes this year different?

[Tony-OH]

So are the Pirates, Twins and Rangers, but that's not stopping them from signing international talent.

This is the crux for me. When I see small market teams start signing higher profile guys, I start thinking that nothing has truly changed. I said before that I was told that the Orioles don't think the high profiles guys are worth the risk because they don't pan out all that often and it's lost money.

OK, I certainly understand not throwing money around, but if you send the right scouts down there to evaluate them and determine their worth, I can't see how we never sign any high profile guys while teams like the Pirates and Twins are.

I know we didn't put any money into the DR program for many, many years, and we've suffered for that by limiting our talent streams.

What I want to know is if the Orioles were planning to spend $20 million+ on Teixeira this season, why not put some of that money into the DR guys and sign some of the higher profile guys the scouts like.

Of course, I would also competely start over with our Dominican scouting team since it has done little to nothing over the last 20 years.

[wickedwitch]

Or maybe it's because this organization was quite a mess and it takes some time to truly clean it up right and put things in the place they need to be. Can't complete step 10 until you've gotten past steps 7,8, and 9

But we've made amateur international signings in Latin America before. This is step 3, not step 10.

[Moose Milligan]

But we've made amateur international signings in Latin America before. This is step 3, not step 10.

Just not the big sexy ones that Trea wants us to make.

[JTrea81]

Just not the big sexy ones that Trea wants us to make.

Is it a bad thing for me to want the Orioles to conduct baseball ops like the Twins and A's are doing?

Aren't we supposed to be building like they are?

And to make things worse, the Yankees and Red Sox are throwing money in Latin countries, Asia, the draft and they also have resources and the recruiting ability to sign FAs.

Shouldn't we be at least trying to compete with them in the arenas where we can?

[Sports Guy]

Just not the big sexy ones that Trea wants us to make.

Are you capable of having a discussion here without bringing up your obsession for Jtrea?

What ww is saying is that we have made signings BEFORE MACPHAIL, why aren't we now?

[Sports Guy]

Is it a bad thing for me to want the Orioles to conduct baseball ops like the Twins and A's are doing?

Aren't we supposed to be building like they are?

If you are publicly admitting that Tampa is the model you want to follow, then how about actually following it?

[DuffMan]

It's completely unacceptable. We've signed NOBODY since July 1. Seriously, is there literally not one person worth giving $20,000 who isn't signed with someone else? Not a single soul?

Even pre-MacPhail we were able to sign a player or two. What makes this year different?

Now there's a great idea sign a bunch of random guys just to say that we signed some players that's smart strategy right there.

[wickedwitch]

Now there's a great idea sign a bunch of random guys just to say that we signed some players that's smart strategy right there.

Yes, because that is exactly what I suggested to do. :rolleyestf:

[JTrea81]

Now there's a great idea sign a bunch of random guys just to say that we signed some players that's smart strategy right there.

It would have been smart strategy to identify those players that you wanted ahead of the July 2nd date. And then moved aggressively to sign them to get them into your system and playing baseball.

We didn't get in on Sano until the very last minute. Where were we when the Pirates were courting him? The Yankees worked him out before we did.

Why does it take forever to make a freaking move in this organization?