Are the Orioles committed to winning?

[TiredofLosing20]

Whats funny is the one thing I have never really questioned is that the O's are committed to winning. I just think we have gone about it the wrong way. In years past we have followed the JTrea method of signing mediocre FAs so that we can put a mediocre to bad team on the field to make rebuilding marketable to fans. Well you know what that didn't work the last 10 years. Lets try something different and really attempt to rebuild.

I can't for the life of me understand why someone would remain a fan of a team that they have determined in their own mind has no intention of winning. I mean whats the point.

It is one thing to question methodology it is a whole other to question intentions.

[Satyr3206]

Well, someone needs to be committed.

And a smiley wearing a straightjacket.

[Sports Guy]

Here is what can not be denied:

1) The Orioles have assembled some of the best young talent in baseball.

2) Because of #1, the Orioles have done an exceptional job of laying a foundation for the long term.

3) Now, what has to happen is AM needs to finish the job...This is where the doubt comes in...Will AM do enough to where we can compete year in and year out with Boston and NY? That is the big question.

[tvz1997]

Right now, I don't see any proof to the contrary, just that we are going with youth, and hopefully the majority will develop so that we can add some parts via FA and compete.

Otherwise, we will have wasted the past 3.5 years of the ML team.

That's not much of a committment to winning to me.

I'm still a fan of this team, and that's why I follow it.

If you can't see progress in any other terms than W/L and $, I don't know why people are even trying to convince you about the huge strides that are being made TOWARDS winning. Moose is right to just let JTRea continue his "are we there yet" tantrum, knowing that it will not end until he falls asleep or we pull into the parking lot.

[JTrea81]

Just because you fail to see it, doesn't mean its not there.

Now, don't get me wrong...I feel AM needs to bring in outside talent and he should start doing that this offseason but I think there is a difference in what I want and what you want...You just want to spend to say we spent...like Moyer last offseason.

Look at the time, Moyer made sense, I admit, that would have been a poor signing, but it wouldn't exactly have crippled the team.

I mean we are just looking for guys to eat innings at this point. Moyer could have done that.

It would have been a bit of a gamble, but don't forget I also wanted Wolf, who's doing extremely well in LA.

And I haven't heard MacPhail say he's going to bring in that outside talent this offseason, that he's just going to play the kids and cross his fingers, and then he might add some outside talent.

That's what I've heard, so that's why I'm concerned and questioning the committment from this organization to winning games.

How many MLB teams say before the season starts that it isn't about winning games. I mean look at this September, and MacPhail basically he's tanking the rest of the season. I mean if he's going to do that, you might as well drop all ticket prices right now. Why even expect people to bother to show up?

These are people spending their hard earned money on a team to see them win games and then it seems like the FO could care less about the product they put out there.

I reference the Padres again, who are going with youth, but they are trying to win every game they can, and it shows as they are a young exciting team to watch this month. Their younger guys are learning to win games, even when they have no chance of going to the postseason.

Our young guys are hearing that the team has given up already and is just looking to play out the string. What kind of message does that send?

[Hans Moleman]

Good organizations are ALWAYS rebuilding.

Good organizations reload, not rebuild.

[Moose Milligan]

He's back. Huzzah! :clap3:

No, I'm not back. I just had a Josh Hamilton moment. It's a shame two women weren't involved.

Keep fighting the good fight, Trea. Your posts just keep getting better and better.

[Frobby]

Andy MacPhail is committed to building a team that not only can win for a short period of time, but can keep winning, in a division where the competition is very tough and two teams can easily outspend us in any given year. To build the team that he thinks can do that, he has to take some hits for a few years and probably sacrifice some wins along the way. If he has to shut down his best young pitchers for a few weeks to make sure they don't sustain injuries that could affect them for years to come, then that is what he'll do. If it means signing a mediocre stopgap he can sign for 1 year instead of a pretty good player who would require 3 years, cost money that is better spend elsewhere and block a prospect who's a year away, then he'll do that.

You may disagree with how MacPhail is going about his job, but please don't question his commitment to winning.

[Hans Moleman]

Here is what can not be denied:

1) The Orioles have assembled some of the best young talent in baseball.

2) Because of #1, the Orioles have done an exceptional job of laying a foundation for the long term.

3) Now, what has to happen is AM needs to finish the job...This is where the doubt comes in...Will AM do enough to where we can compete year in and year out with Boston and NY? That is the big question.

Now, the question is, can that assembled talent succeed at the MLB level for an extended period of time?

[JTrea81]

Here is what can not be denied:

1) The Orioles have assembled some of the best young talent in baseball.

2) Because of #1, the Orioles have done an exceptional job of laying a foundation for the long term.

3) Now, what has to happen is AM needs to finish the job...This is where the doubt comes in...Will AM do enough to where we can compete year in and year out with Boston and NY? That is the big question.

Yes the foundation has been laid, and we do have young talent.

But that means nothing as far as a commitment to win.

Having good young talent does not mean you are going to win in the AL East. It just means you have good young talented players.

You can still lose a majority of those games with those good young talented players. We are seeing it now as we've had Wieters, Jones, Markakis and Reimold up here as well as Berken, Hernandez, Matusz and Tillman and we are 14-32 since the AS break.

[Hank Scorpio]

Here is what can not be denied:

1) The Orioles have assembled some of the best young talent in baseball.

2) Because of #1, the Orioles have done an exceptional job of laying a foundation for the long term.

3) Now, what has to happen is AM needs to finish the job...This is where the doubt comes in...Will AM do enough to where we can compete year in and year out with Boston and NY? That is the big question.

This is 100% correct. #3 is the next step and the one that JTrea continually doubts we'll do and screams aloud about.

While he's completing #3, he needs to continue #1. #1 ABSOLUTELY needs to be a constantly evolving thing. Always, always rebuilding.

[Hank Scorpio]

Yes the foundation has been laid, and we do have young talent.

But that means nothing as far as a committment to win.

Having good young talent does not mean you are going to win in the AL East. It just means you have good young talented players.

You can still lose a majority of those games with those good young talented players. We are seeing it now as we've had Wieters, Jones, Markakis and Reimold up here as well as Berken, Hernandez, Matusz and Tillman and we are 14-32 since the AS break.

Man, I'm convinced that you really don't get it.

For a long time I thought it was an act, just to rile people up or incite a riot, but you really, honestly don't understand how this works.

[Satyr3206]

Yes the foundation has been laid, and we do have young talent.

But that means nothing as far as a commitment to win.

Having good young talent does not mean you are going to win in the AL East. It just means you have good young talented players.

You can still lose a majority of those games with those good young talented players. We are seeing it now as we've had Wieters, Jones, Markakis and Reimold up here as well as Berken, Hernandez, Matusz and Tillman and we are 14-32 since the AS break.

A long term, patient approach means nothing?

[Sports Guy]

Yes the foundation has been laid, and we do have young talent.

But that means nothing as far as a commitment to win.

Having good young talent does not mean you are going to win in the AL East. It just means you have good young talented players.

You can still lose a majority of those games with those good young talented players. We are seeing it now as we've had Wieters, Jones, Markakis and Reimold up here as well as Berken, Hernandez, Matusz and Tillman and we are 14-32 since the AS break.

Well, there is always a getting acclimated time period with young guys...When you bring them all up at once, you are going to have growing pains.

But that's why you do it now and not when you expect to contend.

[Hank Scorpio]

Good organizations reload, not rebuild.

No, major league teams reload.

Organizations rebuild.