MacPhail: "We've taken a giant step backwards."

[Tony-OH]

I think it's pretty tough to argue his ability to work a 'for prospects' trade. He's awesome there. Undeniably.

When you look at the Orioles roster two years later, who are the impact players MacPhail got for trading Bedard and Tejada?

Yes, I know Tillman still has a ton of potential, but Jones has been a below average player since last June, Sherrill brought us Bell, a guy who can't hit against left-handers, and the Tejada trade didn't bring us one impact player unless you want to count Scott at times.

I've lauded those trade when they happened, and I still think they have the potential to work out in our favor, but Seattle is a contender again and we're the laughing stock of baseball.

It's always risky to trade for minor league players and MacPhail did a great job in getting a lot of guys in order to help minimize the risk, but the jury is still out on whether those trades really helped turn this organization around.

Jones was a huge part of the bounty and his numbers since last June are not good. This is beyond a slump, this is a concern, especially for a guy with poor plate discipline. Tillman still has all the potential to make that trade a good one but until he produces at the major league level the jury will be out on MacPhail's ability to trade for prospects.

What we do know is MacPhail is not very good at signing free agents since he's yet to sign an impact one since he's been here. The Millwood trade may end up his best overall move if Tillman and Jones don't pan out.

[SilentJames]

I applaud you for your patience...but really, when have we been proven wrong by this team? When have they ever dug themselves out of a hole? When have they ever gone on an elongated period of good baseball??? You think they are going to recover from a 4-18 start?

Maybe I am just being too negative again...but come on. We are 4-18!!!

It's time to fire Trembley and every other coach aside from Kranitz. It's time to try something different to save this season...and then next off season, I think the O's should go to a self-help seminar or something. Go see Tony Robbins.

something.

No 4-18 is terrible. I do not criticize anyone for that view. Trembely is most likely gone by the middle of May barring a 10-game winning streak.

The only hope I have is the pitching. For the first time in years the Orioles have a staff 1-5 that gives the team a legitimate shot each day to win a game. And if your pitching keeps giving you chances to win eventually the offense comes around.

There is offensive talent on this team, there is. It has been proven, it IS there and it will come out eventually. I mean it has to, if it doesn't then this could be one of the most under-acheiving teams of all time.

[DocJJ]

When you look at the Orioles roster two years later, who are the impact players MacPhail got for trading Bedard and Tejada?

Yes, I know Tillman still has a ton of potential, but Jones has been a below average player since last June, Sherrill brought us Bell, a guy who can't hit against left-handers, and the Tejada trade didn't bring us one impact player unless you want to count Scott at times.

I've lauded those trade when they happened, and I still think they have the potential to work out in our favor, but Seattle is a contender again and we're the laughing stock of baseball.

It's always risky to trade for minor league players and MacPhail did a great job in getting a lot of guys in order to help minimize the risk, but the jury is still out on whether those trades really helped turn this organization around.

Jones was a huge part of the bounty and his numbers since last June are not good. This is beyond a slump, this is a concern, especially for a guy with poor plate discipline. Tillman still has all the potential to make that trade a good one but until he produces at the major league level the jury will be out on MacPhail's ability to trade for prospects.

What we do know is MacPhail is not very good at signing free agents since he's yet to sign an impact one since he's been here. The Millwood trade may end up his best overall move if Tillman and Jones don't pan out.

I was ecstatic by these trades when they happened, but 2 years later I see they weren't nearly as great as I'd hoped.... Time for Plan B! Ooop...we don't have a plan B....

[msporter4]

Maybe quite simply our guys aren't as good as we like to think.

[Going Underground]

I think by Memorial Day we won't be able to beat up Trembley. We might have to beat up the people above him then.

[BrunoCherrytown]

When you look at the Orioles roster two years later, who are the impact players MacPhail got for trading Bedard and Tejada?

Yes, I know Tillman still has a ton of potential, but Jones has been a below average player since last June, Sherrill brought us Bell, a guy who can't hit against left-handers, and the Tejada trade didn't bring us one impact player unless you want to count Scott at times.

I've lauded those trade when they happened, and I still think they have the potential to work out in our favor, but Seattle is a contender again and we're the laughing stock of baseball.

It's always risky to trade for minor league players and MacPhail did a great job in getting a lot of guys in order to help minimize the risk, but the jury is still out on whether those trades really helped turn this organization around.

Jones was a huge part of the bounty and his numbers since last June are not good. This is beyond a slump, this is a concern, especially for a guy with poor plate discipline. Tillman still has all the potential to make that trade a good one but until he produces at the major league level the jury will be out on MacPhail's ability to trade for prospects.

What we do know is MacPhail is not very good at signing free agents since he's yet to sign an impact one since he's been here. The Millwood trade may end up his best overall move if Tillman and Jones don't pan out.

I was just trying to be positive...since I'm negative about everything else with the O's nowadays.

I like to think Jones would come through but i was all for trading him for AGon last offseason. Tillman too.

[atom_25]

Maybe quite simply our guys aren't as good as we like to think.

That is a depressing reality that is increasingly looking like its true. I am ready to give Reimold half of a pass, but the rest do not look promising as "franchise saviors".

[Going Underground]

That is a depressing reality that is increasingly looking like its true. I am ready to give Reimold half of a pass, but the rest do not look promising as "franchise saviors".

I know the Orioles said this time our prospects are better because other people say so. I think Cabrera,Loewen, Penn and Olson are the staff we want as the future to compete in the AL East. I at least see some hope with Wieters and Matusz. Hopefully they become elite players like Cano has become. It never seems our players take the next step to stardom.

[Dwight Schrute]

That is a really pathetic quote by AM and its also very disheartening.

He is basically stated what I feared....That the only way he feels we can compete is if all of our young players become very good players...Now, we know our young core has to be good but we have the resources to augment that core much better than Tampa does.

I'm starting to think there's definitely something to him becoming the next commissioner, and in the meantime operating our team as a real life example of why they need to fix the salary structure in baseball. Its like we're his guinea pig. There is no way we are operating on the same economic plane as Tampa Bay. Its laughable. We have 2 RSN's, how many does Tampa have?

[Mackus]

That is a really pathetic quote by AM and its also very disheartening.

He is basically stated what I feared....That the only way he feels we can compete is if all of our young players become very good players...Now, we know our young core has to be good but we have the resources to augment that core much better than Tampa does.

You are taking that quote far too literally.

He doesn't mean we can only spend $50M a year. We obviously don't have the exact same financial restraints as TB. But, we also obviously can't outspend Boston or New York. But, the gist of it is right, we have to develop a home-grown, under-market price core to have any chance of competing. Most of our good players have to be under-6 guys. Now, of course we also will have to add a couple big time free agents to augment that as well as extend a few pieces that we developed ourselves, but the bulk of the roster has to be guys we've developed who are making arbitration or less salaries.

[Tony-OH]

Wieters will be fine. He's seeing the ball well and getting on base. The lack of power has been a disappointment, but I wonder with the team struggling so bad to just find hits that he's giving up something in the power department in order to just get on base. I believe the power will be there in time and he's certainly a big part of our future.

[Hank Scorpio]

I was just trying to be positive...since I'm negative about everything else with the O's nowadays.

I like to think Jones would come through but i was all for trading him for AGon last offseason. Tillman too.

But ultimately, you have to pay him. It's stupid to trade for the guy if you can't hammer out an extension, because it's crystal clear that we're not knocking on any doors to winning, even with him in our lineup.

I just don't see the point.

[Mackus]

Seattle is a contender again and we're the laughing stock of baseball.

And that makes that trade worse in absolutely no possible way.

That trade is still an amazing trade, and any opinion otherwise is just hindsight. We got a phenomenal amount of talent in return for a guy who pitched 160 innings over the next two years.

It sucks that Jones has taken a step back from where he started last year, but that trade still is an amazing trade. Tillman is still a fantastic prospect with a huge future. Bell still has a lot of upside. Sherrill helped us out over the last two years almost as much as Bedard helped the M's.

And stating that we "know" MacPhail isn't good at signing free agents is pretty flimsy logic, IMO. We don't know that. He hasn't done it yet here, but we also haven't been in a position where we should be overpaying for guys, which is the only way you can bring in premium FAs. When we get there, and I think we will be there next offseason, then he'll prove if he can do it or not. Not overpaying for guys when we don't need to doesn't prove that he won't when we do. If we don't go hard after any of the good options this upcoming offseason, then that point will have a lot more basis, but right now it is certainly very premature to conclude he's incapable, or "not good", at signing free agents.

[Going Underground]

But ultimately, you have to pay him. It's stupid to trade for the guy if you can't hammer out an extension, because it's crystal clear that we're not knocking on any doors to winning, even with him in our lineup.

I just don't see the point.

I don't see the Orioles trading for AGon at the trade deadline. He needs to be moved because San Diego does not want to tie up that much money in one player. We probably will be 20 games out by then. AGon would not want to come here and we would not trade prospects for a 1 year rental.

[Going Underground]

And that makes that trade worse in absolutely no possible way.

And stating that we "know" MacPhail isn't good at signing free agents is pretty flimsy logic, IMO. We don't know that. He hasn't done it yet here, but we also haven't been in a position where we should be overpaying for guys, which is the only way you can bring in premium FAs. When we get there, and I think we will be there next offseason, then he'll prove if he can do it or not. Not overpaying for guys when we don't need to doesn't prove that he won't when we do. If we don't go hard after any of the good options this upcoming offseason, then that point will have a lot more basis, but right now it is certainly very premature to conclude he's incapable, or "not good", at signing free agents.

He was not that great at signing free agents in Chicago. Also drafted poorly their for years.You can look at his record for twelve years.