McPhail: Bullpen to require attention this offseason

[wildcard]

Yes, the main disagreement is you see things that aren't there.

You think we are close when we are miles away.

"Blow it up" is a sure way to be worse off than we are now.

Oh and we don't have a #2 starter either.

Fixed that for you.

Mazzone think he has a #2.

From today's Sun:

pitching coach Leo Mazzone said.

"To see your No. 1 starter and your No. 2 starter go down with side pulls... this thing has snowballed so much,"

The O's have not had the parts that they have right now in 10 years. Bedard, Guthrie, Roberts, Markakis and Tejada are a heck of a core to go forward with.

Injuries have just been very tough on this team.

[Sports Guy]

Fixed that for you.

LOL....How does that sand taste?

Mazzone think he has a #2.

From today's Sun:

pitching coach Leo Mazzone said.

"To see your No. 1 starter and your No. 2 starter go down with side pulls... this thing has snowballed so much,"

Good for Mazzone...Take away those first 10 starts and tell me that Guthrie is a #2.

The O's have not had the parts that they have right now in 10 years. Bedard, Guthrie, Roberts, Markakis and Tejada are a heck of a core to go forward with

Tejada is declining some....Besides Guthrie, we had the same core this year....We added a closer(even though he was going to be a set up guy), 2 vet arms in the pen, a vet starter, Huff and a new LFer....How did that work out?

It amazes me that you even remotely continue to promote the same ideas that we have been doing. I guess you just don't care about the future of the team.

You want us to be tied into more bad contracts, lose draft picks and get older. Your plan says to try and win now and forget about the future.

Injuries have just been very tough on this team.

Injuries are apart of the game...Every team has had to endure them.

[Sports Guy]

No, Mazzone didn't say he has a #2 starter. He said his #2 starter went down. Just because a pitcher is his team's #2 starter that doesn't mean he's a #2 starter (when using the term as most tend to use it).

Every team has had injuries, so that isn't a good excuse.

As usual, good point and well said.

[scOtt]

Since Aug 1:

Bradford: 10 ER in 15 IP

Walker: 8 ER in 13.2 IP

Bell: 25 ER in 22 IP

Baez: 13 ER in 15 IP

WC....Everyone has sucked the last month or so...Open your eyes.

That was my point - everyone has sucked. And we've lost two guys for the year. I'm not talking about signing an elite closer, or even someone who will cost draft picks. Just a vet who won't be a deer in the headlights on the mound. I'm all for giving some young guys a chance, all the ones you mentioned, but not all young guys.

Even if they really do blow it up, you can't just ignore the pen. We're two bodies down and weak anyways. You have to ad at least one guy you're not afraid to put in a tough situation. If the pen blows 3 out of 4 leads, the yard will be empty by June. Attendance will drop to a million. And THAT has to be taken into consideration.

[Sports Guy]

That was my point - everyone has sucked. And we've lost two guys for the year. I'm not talking about signing an elite closer, or even someone who will cost draft picks. Just a vet who won't be a deer in the headlights on the mound. I'm all for giving some young guys a chance, all the ones you mentioned, but not all young guys.

Even if they really do blow it up, you can't just ignore the pen. We're two bodies down and weak anyways. You have to ad at least one guy you're not afraid to put in a tough situation. If the pen blows 3 out of 4 leads, the yard will be empty by June. Attendance will drop to a million. And THAT has to be taken into consideration.

We have vets...We have guys who won't have the deer in the headlights look and besides, those young guys don't get rid of that look until they actually gain REAL experience....not 10 innings.

The attendance has no shot of dropping to a million...Highly unlikely that stadium ever draws under 1.8 million. Between give away games, interleague play, Boston and NY games and OD, that is enough right there to keep us from falling under that number.

[RShack]

WC is essentially saying the Orioles should continue to do what they have been doing for the last 10 years.

I think he's saying that the O's should do a *good* job of doing what they have done a *lousy* job of doing in the past, i.e., fixing clearly known weaknesses.

[Sports Guy]

I think he's saying that the O's should do a *good* job of doing what they have done a *lousy* job of doing in the past, i.e., fixing clearly known weaknesses.

Losing picks, getting older and spending more money on bad contracts is NEVER a good idea when considering the future.

We are going to be 20-30 games out of the playoffs this year. I think people forget how awful that really is.

[wildcard]

What about third base, left field, DH, and possibly starting catcher?

Very good question.

Mora normally has a good first half and dies in the 2nd half. He had a 790 OPS in the 1st half this year. He plays good defense. I think you start the year with him. Put Moore and Jimenez at AAA and see how they do. By July you make a decision. Is Moore ready to take over 3rd or is Jimenez a ready DH and you move Huff to 3rd. All this depend on how Mora is doing and whether some kind of split time between Mora and some one else makes sense.

Huff is terrible the first two months of the season and is darn good most of the rest of the year. The O's need to add someone that can DH until June. Is that Moore. Maybe, maybe not. Moore should fight it out in Spring Training with someone else that the O's add. This does not have to be a expensive player. Phelps could have done it. Knott if he had not gotten hurt could have done it. House might be able to fill in for a couple of months. We are talking DH here, not C or LF.

Hernandez had a heck of a 2006 and has had a good RBI year this year when he has played. I don't know if the man is hurt, disinterested, out of shape or what but we know he can play better then what we are seeing. I would spend the money to sign Ramon Castro as a free agent. ( $1m-2m for a year plus an option) He is a much better backup and would be competition for PT with Hernandez. I am sure Trembley could get his point across if he had a better backup. I'd like to see 91 RBI from Hernandez again but would settle for a solid season.

Left field is wide open. Is Reimold ready? Do you resign Patterson for CF and platoon Redman and Payton. Redman hit righties. Payton hits lefties. Reimold is the future. The question is when is he ready. There are guys out there that can be gotten until he is ready if the O's feel they need to do that. Cheap guys that are not getting their chance right on. I said Ryan Spilborghs in Feb but he is probably out of reach now.

[ColumbiaOriole]

I'm amazed that anyone thinks we can add a few players and legitimately contend. In sports, injuries are inevitable so that excuse doesn't fly. We need to trade off what few valuable commodities we have, get younger and look to compete in a couple years. This makes far more sense than adding a couple more overpriced veterans, losing draft picks and hoping an unlikely convergence of circumstances occurs that somehow allows us to compete next year. It shocks me that people see what we've done the last few years and basically advocate doing more of the same. Yeah, it sucks that we've lost for a decade straight and we'd all like to see success ASAP but that's just not realistic. We are one of the worse teams in baseball. What do we have to do to convince people that we're not close? Be one of the worst teams ever?

[Sports Guy]

I'm amazed that anyone thinks we can add a few players and legitimately contend. In sports, injuries are inevitable so that excuse doesn't fly. We need to trade off what few valuable commodities we have, get younger and look to compete in a couple years. This makes far more sense than adding a couple more overpriced veterans, losing draft picks and hoping an unlikely convergence of circumstances occurs that somehow allows us to compete next year. It shocks me that people see what we've done the last few years and basically advocate doing more of the same. Yeah, it sucks that we've lost for a decade straight and we'd all like to see success ASAP but that's just not realistic. We are one of the worse teams in baseball. What do we have to do to convince people that we're not close? Be one of the worst teams ever?

Excellent post.

It truly is amazing.....Do more of the same, it has worked well so far!

[wildcard]

No, Mazzone didn't say he has a #2 starter. He said his #2 starter went down. Just because a pitcher is his team's #2 starter that doesn't mean he's a #2 starter (when using the term as most tend to use it).

Every team has had injuries, so that isn't a good excuse.

I would like to thank you and SG for crawling into Mazzone's brain and figuring out what he meant instead of what he said. It is amazing to think that you can just ignore what he said and just make it up as you go along.

[RShack]

It shocks me that people see what we've done the last few years and basically advocate doing more of the same.

I have never once seen anyone advocate that. I have never seen anyone say that the O's should fail to fix known problems and instead give away draft picks so they can overpay for mediocre veterans. Nobody but nobody wants more of the same.

The idea of writing off two or three seasons to concentrate on assembling unproven prospects is a coherent philosophy. I don't think it's a good one, but it is a coherent one. However, there is nothing worthwhile in pretending that those who don't agree with it are somehow in favor of failure. That's W-logic. It is both wrong-thinking and unfair to some of your fellow-posters. Whatever rationale is behind the approach you favor, diss'ing those who don't agree is not part of it.

[ColumbiaOriole]

I would like to thank you and SG for crawling into Mazzone's brain and figuring out what he meant instead of what he said. It is amazing to think that you can just ignore what he said and just make it up as you go along.

I think it's a little hypocritical that they should accept your interpretation of what he said while you completely disregard theirs which in my opinion is more grounded in reality. He said HIS #2 starter went down meaning the Orioles second best starter was injured. I don't see how you interpret that as meaning he believes Guthrie is a legit #2 although he may feel that way. I hope Guthrie is a #2 we can count on for years and he very well may prove that but to assume that to be the case doesn't make much sense.

[wildcard]

It amazes me that you even remotely continue to promote the same ideas that we have been doing. I guess you just don't care about the future of the team.

You want us to be tied into more bad contracts, lose draft picks and get older. Your plan says to try and win now and forget about the future.

Injuries are apart of the game...Every team has had to endure them.

SG, sometimes you are so full of junk. (nicest word I could think of) If I don't believe what you believe then I am for burying the O's according to you. That is just not so.

I have not said one word about giving away draft choices. Matter of fact, in another post I said that I though that keeping draft choices would be one of McPhail highest priorities. And I agree with that approach.

Nothing I am proposing would be a big contract or cost draft choices. Let's wait for the ratings of the players to be announced after the season and see who does not cost draft choices.

[weams]

Excellent post.

It truly is amazing.....Do more of the same, it has worked well so far!

Trade Tejada. Trade Roberts. Trade Ramon.

That's a start.