Andy MacPhail - Disappointing GM

[SilentJames]

AM's 2 WS titles are great but only hold so much value right now in the context people use them.

AM's foundation is what makes him good. The way he wants to build things is correct.

However, when he won his titles, he won them in an era where the money wasn't the way it is now.

Its a different time...The question is, in this different era, does his way still work?

For the most part, it does...But in our division he needs to go outside of his philosophy at times.

Exactly, I only brought up the WS titles to give a more complete picture of his work. Hell SG the money game is vastly different than it was in 1999.

I get the impression that AM has a plan for this team and when the time to buy the right FA comes along then he will do it. Right now we are still trying to see what we really have in our system and how it translates to the MLB.

Next year if we end up with a rotation made of the young guys and Guthrie (just for argument's sake) and we see that rotation approaching better than league average, then that is probably a sign to start buying the big bat and trading away some of the organizational depth you have accrued.

Now is not the right time for that unless something really special comes along.

[ChaosLex]

[Shopay]

There is no guarantees in anything Trea. This is a better option for the team right now. Going out and trying to lure older 30+ FA bats does not fit this team's needs right now. We are not a bat away from contention, we need to solidify the rotation first.

We have solid arms in Bergesen and Tillman. we need to find out if Matusz sticks, then maybe its a choice between Guthrie and Hernandez. There is always Arrieta and Patton down in the minors as well. Not too mention the pipeline of talent that MacPhail has been trying to build.

You are thinking about one move for next year, MacPhail is thinking ten moves ahead two years down the road.

He's playing a deliberate and thought out game of chess and you're yelling "King me!"

Silent James: I hope you don't mind if I steal this for my signature line -- it's a classic.

[WordtotheBird]

He passed on Rios because of his price tag.

We could have easily found room for Rios on the team.

OR...passed on Rios because of his dwindling production in relation to his price tag.

It's one thing to say that a player's price tag scared a GM off, it's another to say that a player who has been a very average player for 2 years now had a price tag that scared you off.

[baltfan]

You need to read the post again, because not only has he not signed premium bats but premium arms as well, and he's having the whole team's future rely on the arms and position players from within. And that method has yet to be proven successful in the AL East.

And why wait for the pitching to develop? Shouldn't we acquire impact bats and impact arms to take the pressure off our younger guys so they don't have to shoulder the burden completely? Why do we have to go soley on young talent until we are "ready?" I'm sure Matusz and co would have loved to see Teixeira or Dunn batting instead of Ty Wigginton.

I'm not blaming MacPhail for losing, just realistically looking at what he needs to improve to make the playoffs starting in 2011. I don't see us coming close with the track we are on because of the teams that stand in our way, especially if our homegrown talent falters in any way. He needs to adjust his plan and account for potential failure, and support and augment the team via premium talent, both pitching and hitting wise and there is no evidence to the fact that he will do that other than his words.

And actions do speak louder than words. And since MacPhail has been a FO exec, he has yet to show those actions.

Is Billy Beane a great GM? What big free agent did he sign? How about Terry Ryan? Is he a good GM? Tell me about his big free agent signings.

[Crazysilver03]

LOL...That's only because you aren't reading. Reimold to DH, Rios to LF and Pie to LF...If you want to know Scott, then you put him at first...If you DFA Mora, Huff goes to third while you wait to trade him.

You still have answered how you get Rios in the line-up, as well as Pie.

[Bradysburns]

I actually agree with JTrea here, but mainly because Andy's lack of FA pitching signings is hurting the plan everyone seems so enamored with - developing our young pitchers at a normal pace, and not rushing them.

Andy, as much as I respect what he's done, finds himself in desperate straights because he failed to sign enough FA pitching talent to get this team through the year. Neither Uehara nor Eaton was legit MLB starter material - not proven, anyway. I thought relying on them as the "veterans" was a poor choice.

And I didn't think it was a poor choice because better pitchers would have gotten us to the playoffs. It was a poor choice because getting better, innings-eater-type pitchers would have allowed the "plan" to unfold properly. In other words, a couple solid, legit FAs could have kept us from having to rush all these pitchers to the majors.

And yes, there also comes a time when getting a team to 80 wins - even if it takes an expensive free agent starter or two - would be worth it. If for nothing else but organizational pride.

I've been watching a rebuilding here since, um, 2000? We're going on our 10th year of rebuilding. Can't we also be vaguely competitive along the way, too? Does it have to be either HORRIBLE and rebuilding or DIVISION CHAMPS?

[Crazysilver03]

I actually agree with JTrea here, but mainly because Andy's lack of FA pitching signings is hurting the plan everyone seems so enamored with - developing our young pitchers at a normal pace, and not rushing them.

Who was rushed of the young pitching? The only one who has an argument is Matusz, but he wasnt really rushed either.

[SilentJames]

I actually agree with JTrea here, but mainly because Andy's lack of FA pitching signings is hurting the plan everyone seems so enamored with - developing our young pitchers at a normal pace, and not rushing them.

Andy, as much as I respect what he's done, finds himself in desperate straights because he failed to sign enough FA pitching talent to get this team through the year. Neither Uehara nor Eaton was legit MLB starter material - not proven, anyway. I thought relying on them as the "veterans" was a poor choice.

And I didn't think it was a poor choice because better pitchers would have gotten us to the playoffs. It was a poor choice because getting better, innings-eater-type pitchers would have allowed the "plan" to unfold properly. In other words, a couple solid, legit FAs could have kept us from having to rush all these pitchers to the majors.

And yes, there also comes a time when getting a team to 80 wins - even if it takes an expensive free agent starter or two - would be worth it. If for nothing else but organizational pride.

I've been watching a rebuilding here since, um, 2000? We're going on our 10th year of rebuilding. Can't we also be vaguely competitive along the way, too? Does it have to be either HORRIBLE and rebuilding or DIVISION CHAMPS?

Uehara was more than capable, injuries are just that, injuries. you can not predict them.

Giving someone like Randy Wolf three years would have been awful.

[Bradysburns]

Is Billy Beane a great GM? What big free agent did he sign? How about Terry Ryan? Is he a good GM? Tell me about his big free agent signings.

The A's are not a good team. They would have an even worse record, I suspect, if they played in the AL East. Beane is a very good GM, but how his approach would work in our division is VERY much open to debate.

[Bradysburns]

Uehara was more than capable, injuries are just that, injuries. you can not predict them.

Giving someone like Randy Wolf three years would have been awful.

Fair enough on Koji. But Eaton, c'mon.

[Mark Carver]

Fair enough on Koji. But Eaton, c'mon.

Eaton was signed because Looper and Redding, both which the Orioles had the highest offer on the table, didn't want to pitch in the AL.

[nemO821]

Fair enough on Koji. But Eaton, c'mon.

We were the highest bidder on two other free agents who didnt sign with us.

[Col. Claypool]

Since there is a lovefest thread for MacPhail, one of many on here, this thread is to counter that and shed light on what MacPhail needs to improve.

Approach to Free Agency:

MacPhail's whole approach to free agency is flawed IMO. I'll break it down.

1. Passive pursuit, waits for the market to be established instead of establishing the market

2. Not willing to sell the Orioles, thinks they should sell themselves

3. Does not "wine and dine" players, poor sales approach

4. Not willing to risk high $ amounts on premium FAs

5. Not willing to significantly overpay to lure FAs here (see #2)

6. Rather would sign multiple lower cost FAs because they are a lower risk than pay for one premium FA.

Heavy emphasis on pitching at the expense of position players.

This is exactly what doomed MacPhail with the Cubs as the Cubs could never produce decent position players from within. I see MacPhail going down the same path with the Orioles as the system is incredibly unbalanced toward pitching, with very few position player prospects from high A to AAA. We've added a bat with Bell, but our trade chips are few and far between unless you start talking about Jones and Markakis and the Big Three, and you know that MacPhail isn't going to trade those guys, so we've got to start adding potent bats via the draft and international signings.

Complete reliance on homegrown pitching - "grow the arms, buy the bats"

The FA market has fewer and fewer quality bats on the market that are in their prime, while more and more quality pitching is being available on the FA market. There will be an enormous amount of pressure put on Matusz, Tillman and Arrieta to peform without having a strong veteran arm to take some of that burden away. If two of those three fail, the Orioles will be sunk. There's way too much riding on the Big Three for success than necessary IMO, when the Orioles have resources to help them out. MacPhail can say that good FA pitchers don't want to play in Baltimore, but it's his job to convince them to do so. Just simply throwing your hands up and ruling out FA pitchers because Baltimore isn't their first choice is a copout IMO.

As for the bats, fewer quality bats means more competition for those bats, and a last place or 4th place team in the AL East is going to have a hard time convincing those bats to play for them, unless MacPhail changes the way he approaches FA (see above). He is going to have to overpay significantly or really make an all out aggressive effort to recruit said FA, getting Ripken and other former players and current players involved etc, something he hasn't done to date.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rSRJsjiBdY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rSRJsjiBdY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[TonySoprano]

Eaton was signed because Looper and Redding, both which the Orioles had the highest offer on the table, didn't want to pitch in the AL.

Put another way, we were rejected by one guy whose career ERA+ is 105 (Looper) and another guy who spent the last two seasons with the Nationals , and had a career ERA+ of 86, with 34 wins in 127 GS. I feel better about MacPhail's judgment and ability to recruit top free agents to Baltimore, now.

Consider those two, bullets dodged.