Andy MacPhail - Disappointing GM

[carolinaoriole]

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.

This is just SILLY.

[JTrea81]

This is just SILLY.

Care to say why?

[carolinaoriole]

Care to say why?

Because he is not finished yet.

And where this team is now compared to the mess it was in when he started to call him a disapointing gm imo is silly

I agree with many of the things that you discuss on the hangout but one of the things that I do not agree with is your opinion that we or any team should overpay for players.

the economics of baseball have changed more in the last year than in the previous ten years combined

and I think that is a good thing for the orioles.

A.M is one of the most respected executives in baseball.

And is the best thing that Angelos has done since he bought the team.

[JTrea81]

At the very least, you need to admit that we really have no idea. Thinking that his free agency approach is flawed is just flat out wrong.

Interested to hear your thoughts on Moises Alou as well.

It's not wrong, it's an opinion. And considering he's yet to land any premium talent, by saying his approach isn't wrong, you are saying that it's okay for him to keep approaching FA as he does even though his approach doesn't seem to produce any results. So I guess you are okay if we never land a premium FA under MacPhail?

As for Alou, it's hard to call a 35 year old a "premium bat." Alou was good, but hardly premium talent IMO.

[JTrea81]

I guess I need to point out that while the thread title said, "Disappointing GM" that was more to counter the extreme of the "Magnificent GM" thread.

Now don't get me wrong, I certainly don't think MacPhail has been magnificent. But I don't think he's been a total disappointment either.

I am however disappointed and frustrated with certain practices he seems to have. And that is what this thread is highlighting, much like the "Magnificent GM." highlighted only his strengths.

It just seems that people seem to ignore the fact that he has not been successful for the majority of his tenure in MLB as a FO exec, and has several weaknesses that will be a detriment to this team in trying to compete in the AL East, a division in which he's never seen the talented teams that he has to compete with now. And it seems he's not willing to adapt past strategies to adjust to the level of competition he's facing thus far.

His concentration soley on pitching blew up in his face in Chicago, as did his inability to lure a premium FA bat or arm. And it seems like those same strategies are being employed in Baltimore. So it's reasonable to ask why they will be successful here in a tougher division than the NL Central and AL Central when MacPhail was a FO exec with those teams.

[RShack]

It's not wrong, it's an opinion.

You seem to have this bizarre idea that calling something "an opinion" somehow protects it from being evaluated and judged to be wrong (or worse). It doesn't. Opinions can be dead wrong, and often are. They can also be worse than wrong: they can be ludicrous, groundless, warped, biased, and entirely fabricated out of nothing.

[Pat Kelly]

Minnesota ownership has never spent very freely and neither did the Tribune group in Chicago. AM worked with less free spending ownership and neither group spent tons on the draft. I also think if you are going to analyze the spending you need to look at everything not just FA. Were Derrick Lee and A. Ramirez obtained during AM's Cub tenure, Sosa? Did Chicago have to spend significant amounts to keep them?

[TonySoprano]

Minnesota ownership has never spent very freely and neither did the Tribune group in Chicago. AM worked with less free spending ownership and neither group spent tons on the draft. I also think if you are going to analyze the spending you need to look at everything not just FA. Were Derrick Lee and A. Ramirez obtained during AM's Cub tenure, Sosa? Did Chicago have to spend significant amounts to keep them?

Giving credit to the guy who did the research:

In 1995, the Cubs payroll ranked 12th.

In 1996, the Cubs payroll ranked 14th.

In 1997, the Cubs payroll ranked 14th.

In 1998, the Cubs payroll ranked 10th.

In 1999, the Cubs payroll ranked 10th.

In 2000, the Cubs payroll ranked 13th.

In 2001, the Cubs payroll ranked 14th.

In 2002, the Cubs payroll ranked 12th.

In 2003, the Cubs payroll ranked 11th.

In 2004, the Cubs payroll ranked 7th.

In 2005, the Cubs payroll ranked 9th.

In 2006, the Cubs payroll ranked 7th.

[McNulty]

I dare you, Sly, to not use the word "premium" for the next week.

I also think its hilarious that you wouldn't stop whining about how horrible the draft was on draft day. That sure has gone away.

Perhaps you should learn a lesson from this years draft. You really don't have any idea how things are going to play out until they actually do. People can evolve and learn from past mistakes or weaknesses (except for you, of course).

I realize none of this will sink in. As always. Just droppin in to give my two cents, then disappear from your little world without getting my blood pressure up. Enjoy your day.

[whatdoiget000]

Does anyone really care that JTrea REALLY wanted Tex and that he REALLY wanted Smoak? Because he's been complaining about it for forever. Guess what, Smoak's still in the minors, yet to prove anything, and Teixeira is hitting just .259 with 11 HR's away from that bandbox they call a stadium in New York. The difference in numbers is Coors Field-ish. Not exactly setting the world on fire.

[JTrea81]

Does anyone really care that JTrea REALLY wanted Tex and that he REALLY wanted Smoak? Because he's been complaining about it for forever. Guess what, Smoak's still in the minors, yet to prove anything, and Teixeira is hitting just .259 with 11 HR's away from that bandbox they call a stadium in New York. The difference in numbers is Coors Field-ish. Not exactly setting the world on fire.

SG asked the question so I answered it.

And for the millionth time, it's not about landing Tex, but rather how we pursued him and how MacPhail pursues premium FA talent in general. The way he handled the Teixeira pursuit fits with his track record of never landing a premium FA.

[PitchingWins]

SG asked the question so I answered it.

And for the millionth time, it's not about landing Tex, but rather how we pursued him and how MacPhail pursues premium FA talent in general. The way he handled the Teixeira pursuit fits with his track record of never landing a premium FA.

Well Trea, we got off on the wrong foot, and I gotta say, I'm not riding on your bus. That being said, I can respect the fact of you don't approve with the approach AM takes to land premium FA's. I could see how it seems like he makes a futile attempt just for appeasement of the fans. I don't think he does, I think he offers what he feels is fair, and that he thinks we are not in a place to splurge. Again though, I can see how you feel the way you do about it. Honestly I can, I'm just not on your side on this one. Maybe in the future though. None the less, I do appreciate different views because sometimes I tend to look at things through orange colored glasses.

[PitchingWins]

Does anyone really care that JTrea REALLY wanted Tex and that he REALLY wanted Smoak? Because he's been complaining about it for forever. Guess what, Smoak's still in the minors, yet to prove anything, and Teixeira is hitting just .259 with 11 HR's away from that bandbox they call a stadium in New York. The difference in numbers is Coors Field-ish. Not exactly setting the world on fire.

Well I also think this is a crapshoot no matter how you play it. Lord knows, (and he knows because I constantly ask him why I thought it) I thought Jeffry Hammonds was going to be a stud. We all make bad calls with young players, hell that's half the fun.

[MemorialStadKid]

SG asked the question so I answered it.

And for the millionth time, it's not about landing Tex, but rather how we pursued him and how MacPhail pursues premium FA talent in general. The way he handled the Teixeira pursuit fits with his track record of never landing a premium FA.

How many times is this guy going to have to repeat his POV? If you are new to the thread and are too lazy to read through it, here is the deal:

1) JTrea81 feels that AM's approach to signing elite level free agent players is too laid back and conservative to get players who have other, more attractive destinations in the AL East.

2) He is not referring to Tex alone, but also AM's track record of not signing FAs with the Twins and the Cubs.

3) No one is trashing AMs work at rebuilding the franchise infrastructure.

Geesh.

MSK

[Anonymous]

I didn't bother to read yet another JTrea-initiated thread. I can't help it ... but my initial and overwhelming reaction obviously has been ... JTrea - Disappointing Poster.

The ironic thing is that the Trea obviously has an active and high-quality brain, as well as an unsurpassed passion for our mutually beloved team. Yet he consistently uses these admirable traits toward nefarious ends in a most curious and impressively illogical/slanted manner. Oy vey, J trey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!