It's time for the next step

[J.D.]

No...it is not the time.

This is incredibly short-sighted. Simply having young guys is not enough, you must also get a feel for what they are actually worth...not projected to be worth.

Maybe Bell is legit but Snyder is not...1B is a hole...or vice versa and 3B remains a hole.

Maybe Tillman/Matusz are legit but Hernandez/Bergesen/Arrieta is not...or some other combination.

Maybe Reimold progresses and Jones stumbles or the other way around....need another OFer.

JTrea is starting this movement of competitive next year or bust and it's a complete joke.

For 10 years we've watched this franchise ruin prospects, make awful trades, hold on to players too long and make putrid FA investments. We FINALLY have a core of young players to get excited about and before we even get more then a glimpse of them together we are trying to trade them or block them.

Aside from not signing Tex, McPhail has basically done EVERYTHING we all wanted. Young 3B--check. Young pitchers promoted and getting major experience--check. Wieters called up--check. Spent a lot on bonuses in the draft--check. Improved international facilities--check. Traded for young high--ceiling/low risk players like Pie/Hill--check. Dealt almost all the deadweight--check. Extended Markakis--check. Exploring Japanese market--check. New spring training facility--check.

THERE IS NO URGENCY. STOP SETTING A PREMATURE CLOCK ON CONTENTION.

Add a young SS, get some bullpen help....if you can sign a Lackey, Glaus or Holliday fine. If not, let the youngsters keep playing. Don't buy this drivel about the pitchers feeling too much pressure because there is no offense blah blah blah...it's one poster with a vendetta because he looked like a fool leading up to and after the Tex signing.

There's so much win in this post that the mere bounds of a message board can not contain it.

[caljr]

How about signing Glaus to be our DH next year? I see no reason why we can't keep Pie as a 4th outfielder and Riemold as our starting leftfielder. This way we can keep Scott at 1st until Snyder is ready and then trade him. I like the idea of adding Glaus. We need another power bat. We just don't have enough offense to compete and I am not willing to hedge my bets on getting enough improvement from guys like Wieters, Jones, and Riemold to make up the difference.

[JTrea81]

JTrea is starting this movement of competitive next year or bust and it's a complete joke.

No, I'm saying we need to give our young guys some support and not completely rely on them to win otherwise there is a chance they could fail and we'd have no backup.

THERE IS NO URGENCY. STOP SETTING A PREMATURE CLOCK ON CONTENTION.

So when do you want to compete? We've had 11 straight losing seasons soon to be 12. When will there be "urgency?" Maybe you are used to losing. If we don't add any parts, and some of our young talent doesn't pan out as a result, we aren't going to win anything anytime soon.

The lack of urgency is our exact problem. There needs to be an urgency otherwise, we'll just continue to tread water and stay in 4th or 5th place and maybe if things break right we can finish 3rd. But there has to be an urgency to improve and get to the playoffs, otherwise it will not happen IMO.

Nick Markakis is signed to a 6 year deal, we've already wasted 1, next year we will waste another. So now we are down to 4 years of having Markakis under our control. We have Roberts for the next 4 years, which next year we will waste one, so now you are down to 3 years of Roberts. These things have to be taken into consideration as well as the number of consecutive losing seasons and continuing decline of attendance.

The clock is ticking, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.

[QBsILLEST1]

How about signing Glaus to be our DH next year? I see no reason why we can't keep Pie as a 4th outfielder and Riemold as our starting leftfielder. This way we can keep Scott at 1st until Snyder is ready and then trade him. I like the idea of adding Glaus. We need another power bat. We just don't have enough offense to compete and I am not willing to hedge my bets on getting enough improvement from guys like Wieters, Jones, and Riemold to make up the difference.

Why block the DH role? Pie is actually starting to show somethign to us that is more useful than just a 4th OFer. He looks like he may be able to be a .300 hitter at the ML level with a plus glove. This enables us to improve the OF by keeping Reimold off the field but his bat staying in the lineup. And having Scott man 1B. Now, when Snyder is up, its gonna be a logjam at the DH role between Reimold and Scott and Snyder, theres no need to jam it up even more with Glaus who may perform the weakest but end up costing the most. Glaus isnt the same Glaus he used to be when the dude could hit 40 bombs a year. IMO its pointless and almost a step backwards moneywise. And we arent hedging our bets on winning for Reimold, Wieters, and Jones to improve as they get more experience. What we do is see how good they become as they gain mroe experience, then augment that with another big bat, but you put that big bat at a weak spot in your lineup so you are not losing a quality bat for a slightly better one. For example, lets get a Yunel Escobar type bat for SS, this would be a significant upgrade over Izzy.

[33rdst]

No, I'm saying we need to give our young guys some support and not completely rely on them to win otherwise there is a chance they could fail and we'd have no backup.

So when do you want to compete? We've had 11 straight losing seasons soon to be 12. When will there be "urgency?" Maybe you are used to losing. If we don't add any parts, and some of our young talent doesn't pan out as a result, we aren't going to win anything anytime soon.

The lack of urgency is our exact problem. There needs to be an urgency otherwise, we'll just continue to tread water and stay in 4th or 5th place and maybe if things break right we can finish 3rd. But there has to be an urgency to improve and get to the playoffs, otherwise it will not happen IMO.

Nick Markakis is signed to a 6 year deal, we've already wasted 1, next year we will waste another. So now we are down to 4 years of having Markakis under our control. We have Roberts for the next 4 years, which next year we will waste one, so now you are down to 3 years of Roberts. These things have to be taken into consideration as well as the number of consecutive losing seasons and continuing decline of attendance.

The clock is ticking, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.

I agree with this to some extent. Our pipeline has produced the players we hoped it would. We've signed the players we've needed to sign. It's time to show the team and the fans that we are ready to make a commitment to winning. We should do this during the offseason through the prudent acqusition of free agnet hitters and a quality starter. However, we should by no means trade the farm for a "savior" type like Gonzalez.

[Enjoy Terror]

Markakis is completely replaceable in 5 years. So is Brian Roberts. The clock may be running out for individual players, but the Orioles have until the end of time to become competitive. There is always going to be a war of attrition with players, this isn't something that just popped up when we signed Markakis.

[TyCobb]

Jtrea, I couldn't dissagree with you more.

Do you think A. Gonzalez is like some combination of Ruth and Koufax?

The guy has be a consistant 3-4 Wins above Replacement. We are 27.5 Games out of 1st place. Your trading away young talent (a ton if it) for 3-4 more wins. That is beyond reckless.

[ejf1025]

No, I'm saying we need to give our young guys some support and not completely rely on them to win otherwise there is a chance they could fail and we'd have no backup.

So when do you want to compete? We've had 11 straight losing seasons soon to be 12. When will there be "urgency?" Maybe you are used to losing. If we don't add any parts, and some of our young talent doesn't pan out as a result, we aren't going to win anything anytime soon.

The lack of urgency is our exact problem. There needs to be an urgency otherwise, we'll just continue to tread water and stay in 4th or 5th place and maybe if things break right we can finish 3rd. But there has to be an urgency to improve and get to the playoffs, otherwise it will not happen IMO.

Nick Markakis is signed to a 6 year deal, we've already wasted 1, next year we will waste another. So now we are down to 4 years of having Markakis under our control. We have Roberts for the next 4 years, which next year we will waste one, so now you are down to 3 years of Roberts. These things have to be taken into consideration as well as the number of consecutive losing seasons and continuing decline of attendance.

The clock is ticking, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.

OMG>>>>READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have to see what we have. Most of these guys don't even have a year under the belt. You can't plan around Markakis' contract or Roberts'. You can't plan around any one player.

There has to be a formula of player development moving forward. We havent had that until now. THAT'S WHY WE ARE LOSING. THAT'S WHY ATTENDENCE IS LOW.

By the end of next year, we should have a pretty good idea on 5-6 guys on the roster. That will determine a lot.

To look at this season and determine that we need to actually trade 4-5 prospects for someone like Adrian Gonzalez is beyond stupid.

You just need to admit that you snapped after the Tex thing, looked like an ass, and are now looking for anyway to make McPhail look as bad as you did.

Now please...don't rebuttal...or you can if you want...but I'm not answering.

[QBsILLEST1]

Yeah, people are getting excited/impatient and trying to move the plan up a year.

We will have a ton of talent in 2010, which means we will be expected to be pretty respectable...But it is still a year of evaluation.

After 2010, we pretty much know what we have...That's when we get things ready for hopefully some good years of contention.

And dont forget, we are going to have so much talent in our team next year that IMO we are going to be pretty good. We should atleast be a .500 team. It will be a very exciting .500 team to watch too....

[Sports Guy]

Is seems pretty clear that from what AM says, he expecting 500 or better next year and a contender in 2011...There is no reason the rest of us shouldn't be expecting the same.

That's not some wild expectation that isn't founded on reality...Its just the truth.

[ejf1025]

Is seems pretty clear that from what AM says, he expecting 500 or better next year and a contender in 2011...There is no reason the rest of us shouldn't be expecting the same.

That's not some wild expectation that isn't founded on reality...Its just the truth.

There's a huge difference between having accelerated expectations for the current corp of talent, and advocating a set deadline that must be met and jettisoning off 4-5 prospects for one player in order to accomplish this.

There's also a huge difference in building a consistent winning philosophy and forcing yourself to work around the timeline of a Nick Markakis contract.

[O-Mania]

Are you Glaus's dad or something?This guy is like Sexton he's washed up to say the least.Bell will be the starter at 3B coming out of ST.

[Enjoy Terror]

Is seems pretty clear that from what AM says, he expecting 500 or better next year and a contender in 2011...There is no reason the rest of us shouldn't be expecting the same.

That's not some wild expectation that isn't founded on reality...Its just the truth.

No reason this can't happen. The pitching would be a lot better without Eaton, Hendrickson, and Simon burning up starts, and instead getting full seasons of Bergy, Tillman, Hernandez and Matusz. That could equate to at least 10-15 more wins, improvements to the lineup notwithstanding.

[Sports Guy]

There's a huge difference between having accelerated expectations for the current corp of talent, and advocating a set deadline that must be met and jettisoning off 4-5 prospects for one player in order to accomplish this.

There's also a huge difference in building a consistent winning philosophy and forcing yourself to work around the timeline of a Nick Markakis contract.

There is some level of validity in there though.

You have committed to certain guys and if you aren't going to get to the level of contention with those guys, then why sign them to begin with?

Let's look at BRob...I think we all agree that the best years of his contract are likely to be the first 2...with him tailing off in the second 2.

Well, if you aren't putting a contender on the field in those first 2 years, what exactly was the point of re-signing him?

You re-signed him so that he could be a big piece for your 2010-2011 seasons, when you expect to take major leaps..If you aren't taking those leaps in those years, then the BRob contract ends up pointless.

You have a little more time with Markakis obviously but still, you don't want to wait until year 4 or 5 of that contract to start contending.

[O-Mania]

Are you Glaus's dad or something?This guy is like Sexton he's washed up to say the least.Bell will be the starter at 3B coming out of spring training!