MacPhail Claims O's Had No Chance to Match Offer for VMart

[Woody Held]

McPhail has many detractors in this site. He can't land the big one or can't booze and scmooze players. However continually through multiple GM's we keep hearing the same thing

THEY DON'T WANT TO COME HERE.

Whether its confederate money or not being able to match offers it always comes down to they don't want to come here.

One thing will change that. Turning this team around from the inside and it isn't going to happen overnight. We have a manager who I think can help do that. Throwing a ton of money at a free agent isn't going to convince them to come here until the perception of this team changes.

If we can pickup a few good(not great) players with the core we have we might be able to do that this season. If we can then maybe we can be in the bidding for Feildler and Gonzales as free agents next year.

[TiredofLosing20]

It was a competitive offer, but sometimes your first impression is your only impression.

Though without knowing how high the Tigers would have gone to match or if they'd have an opportunity to match any offer, it's hard to completely analyze this one.

All we know is the Orioles failed to land one of their primary offseason targets - again.

You can argue about the merits of said target, but he was their goal, and they failed to execute.

Excuses don't win games.

I think you are right on point now. Martinez was not someone I was super thrilled about so I am not necessarily upset we didn't get him but the time to be the king of negotiations is done. You have targets, you come out with your top offer whatever it is. Too many times now we have thrown out an offer with the hopes that they would come back to us only to be told not to match the offer. If AM has a number in mind offer it. No more offering what AM hopes will get it done, anticipating a call back to match trying to save a couple million dollars. That strategy works if you are a desirable place to come, we aren't.

Dare I say it, its time to come out of the blocks with our "wow" offer.

[JTrea81]

McPhail has many detractors in this site. He can't land the big one or can't booze and scmooze players. However continually through multiple GM's we keep hearing the same thing

THEY DON'T WANT TO COME HERE.

Whether its confederate money or not being able to match offers it always comes down to they don't want to come here.

One thing will change that. Turning this team around from the inside and it isn't going to happen overnight. We have a manager who I think can help do that. Throwing a ton of money at a free agent isn't going to convince them to come here until the perception of this team changes.

If we can pickup a few good(not great) players with the core we have we might be able to do that this season. If we can then maybe we can be in the bidding for Feildler and Gonzales as free agents next year.

It's just a lame excuse that nobody should buy into. The Orioles have never tried hard enough under MacPhail to change anybody's mind.

Carlos Beltran didn't want to be a Met, CC Sabathia didn't want to be a Yankee. Good teams figure out how to overcome players not wanting to come to their team.

[Baroquen131]

I agree with the thought that "they don't want to come here".

But our organization seems unable to try and address that. A problem-solver would focus on how to overcome that objective. How to "sell" the team. It seems like our FO is too timid/traditional/conservative and always demurs to the FA or other teams. I'm glad to hear MacPhail imply that the O's may have countered and been more aggressive in the pursuit of their target (not debating whether -this- target was wise/unwise). But it still seems like settle on mediocrity rather than fighting for and/or paying for better talent. (The Koji decision and passing on the Japanese SS would be other examples IMO).

Grrrr/argh.

[Dr. FLK]

The O's are not a good team. Players aren't typically going to come back to the bad team that made a mediocre offer and hope they can beat the offer from a good team. If you determine that Player X is your top FA target, then make him your best offer right away. Don't low ball him first and hope he comes back to you later. If you really want a player and view him as a difference maker, then go get him.

I'm not saying I really wanted to get Vmart, but it sounds like AM and Buck did. If that was the case, it sounds like they didn't try hard enough.

[Dipper9]

Says VMart was club's top FA target.

Zrebiec Article in Sun

Sounds like Martinez really wanted to go to Los Tigres.

So if Martinez was our TOP target, and MacPhail couldn't ven get the TOP priority accomplished....ugh!

[Dipper9]

Dear VMart-

Thanks for saving us money to spend elsewhere on a contract that wouldn't be worth it since you are incredibly overvalued if you play first base.

Sincerely,

Me

Dear YardBirds,

We didn't spend the alotted Tex money elsewhere, what makes you think we would spend the alotted VMart money elsewhere?

Sincerely,

Mr. MacPhail

PS: Don't forget to rush to the box office and buy those season tickets as stocking stuffers!!!!!!

[Dipper9]

From what has been reported McPhail was honest and straightforward with Martinez and his people. It seems clear that they offered him a legitimate contract right out of the gate and then did not get the chance to increase as it said in the Sun article.

In the end Martinez wanted to be in Detroit as he decilined a high yearly salary from Chicago and multiple contracts from the Boston.

Actually, Martinez wanted to be a CATCHER, something the Orioles could not offer him. I do not blame MacPhail for not getting VMart. What I blame him for is making HIM our top target when he clearly did not want to be a full time first baseman.

[Hank Scorpio]

It's just a lame excuse that nobody should buy into. The Orioles have never tried hard enough under MacPhail to change anybody's mind.

Carlos Beltran didn't want to be a Met, CC Sabathia didn't want to be a Yankee. Good teams figure out how to overcome players not wanting to come to their team.

The very nature of this situation refutes your opinion. They never came back to the Orioles with a chance to beat Detroit's offer.

If you go on a date with a chick and she doesn't call you back, she doesn't like you. Move along. It's not an excuse it is a FACT. Do you really believe the Orioles knew what Detroit had offered Martinez? Do you agree that 4/48 for a meh first baseman is an aggressive offer?

[Dr. FLK]

Dear YardBirds,

We didn't spend the alotted Tex money elsewhere, what makes you think we would spend the alotted VMart money elsewhere?

Sincerely,

Mr. MacPhail

PS: Don't forget to rush to the box office and buy those season tickets as stocking stuffers!!!!!!

Exactly. The action of "saving money for something else" is only to be lauded when said "saved money" is actually spent on "something else" of value. Until then, it can only be viewed as money that wasn't spent on things that could have helped you.

[YardBirds13]

Dear YardBirds,

We didn't spend the alotted Tex money elsewhere, what makes you think we would spend the alotted VMart money elsewhere?

Sincerely,

Mr. MacPhail

PS: Don't forget to rush to the box office and buy those season tickets as stocking stuffers!!!!!!

Just because you are allotting 145 million dollars for a superstar doesn't mean you should go and spend that 145 million on 4 average players.

[Kevin Lomax]

The very nature of this situation refutes your opinion. They never came back to the Orioles with a chance to beat Detroit's offer.

If you go on a date with a chick and she doesn't call you back, she doesn't like you. Move along. It's not an excuse it is a FACT. Do you really believe the Orioles knew what Detroit had offered Martinez? Do you agree that 4/48 for a meh first baseman is an aggressive offer?

Twenty bucks says he won't even address this comment because it's dead on.

[Dr. FLK]

The very nature of this situation refutes your opinion. They never came back to the Orioles with a chance to beat Detroit's offer.

If you go on a date with a chick and she doesn't call you back, she doesn't like you. Move along. It's not an excuse it is a FACT. Do you really believe the Orioles knew what Detroit had offered Martinez? Do you agree that 4/48 for a meh first baseman is an aggressive offer?

But, if you really like a chick, you don't make your first date a trip to Checkers and swinging by the Red Box afterward to rent Shrek...hoping she'll come back for the second date at a fancy restaurant.

[Hank Scorpio]

But, if you really like a chick, you don't make your first date a trip to Checkers and swinging by the Red Box afterward to rent Shrek...hoping she'll come back for the second date at a fancy restaurant.

Eh, 4/48 for Victor Martinez is certainly enough.

That's probably more like a nice dinner at say, the Rusty Scupper.

[Dipper9]

McPhail has many detractors in this site. He can't land the big one or can't booze and scmooze players. However continually through multiple GM's we keep hearing the same thing

THEY DON'T WANT TO COME HERE.

Whether its confederate money or not being able to match offers it always comes down to they don't want to come here.

One thing will change that. Turning this team around from the inside and it isn't going to happen overnight. We have a manager who I think can help do that. Throwing a ton of money at a free agent isn't going to convince them to come here until the perception of this team changes.

If we can pickup a few good(not great) players with the core we have we might be able to do that this season. If we can then maybe we can be in the bidding for Feildler and Gonzales as free agents next year.

If you want to use this excuse to let MacPhail off the hook for his inability to sign top free agents, fine.

Please excuse him for not offering arbitration then to get FREE draft picks.

Please excuse him for not spending money in international scouting.

Please excuse him for not aggressively pursuing trades to help fill positions of need.

I am SO sick of the excuses for MacPhail. If people want to say that ANGELOS is the reason he is handcuffed, fine. But that doesn't excuse his inability to do these other things. MacPhail has FAILED to make this team better in his 3+ years here, and I don't see that changing this offseason either. Enough is enough, and its time for a change!