About last night, dear
Nothing about this last week of the baseball season for the Orioles is is about this season. It's all about next season -- if, in fact, anything meaningful can be derived from 2007 that be projected into 2008.
If recent games -- such as last night's 11-4 loss to Toronto -- do have any message for next season, it's pretty gloomy. A few days ago, Daniel Cabrera continued his second-half tailspin that has to make everyone connected with the Orioles wonder whether his potential and performance will ever meet on the same street corner. Last night, pitcher Brian Burres -- a guy who was just being praised by manager Dave Trembley as a factor going into next season -- looked awful in surrendering seven runs in 3 1/3 innings.
In addition, the Orioles revealed that relief pitcher Danys Baez will miss all of next year recovering from ligament transplant surgery. Closer Chris Ray is also already out for '08. Whether it has been long periods (Adam Loewen) or much briefer ones (Erik Bedard), pitchers who are expected to make up the strength of the staff next year have spent time on the disabled list, making you wonder whether they'll hold up over the long run.
Bottom-line, team president Andy MacPhail will be a busy guy in the offseason -- and busy translates to expensive. Orioles fans have come to their judgments about owner Peter Angelos. I won't go there. However, I will say this: This offseason needs to be a watershed for the Baltimore baseball franchise. If this team does not make the right significant moves over the next four or five months that at least get it headed toward contention, the franchise is looking at another half decade of the same.
Comments
I totally disagree. (Sorry.)
Regardless we are looking at a 3 - 5 year turnaround to respectability. The team could overpay for mid-level talent, but that's what has gotten them into this 4th place purgatory. Or they could work with the assumption that they won't compete for at least 3 years. Or they can get rid of their deadwood (or players who aren't expected to still be with the team when it's respectable again) and target cheap underappreciated players in other organizations and draft well.-
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Thanks for writing. I'm not sure we disagee all that much. I'm with you on this being a three-year project (I don't think any fan base can tolerate a five-year rebuilding program). Your proposed strategy of going after inexpensive underappreciated players (on Wall Street they would be called value stocks) has merit ... I just don't think there are that many cheap undiscovered gems out there. An upside to that approach is that you can afford to be wrong a few more times. My main point is that this outfit has to mostly be overhauled and not patched up.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: soccer dad | September 26, 2007 9:14 AM
Is it me, or does the Orioles have a higher rate of pitching injuries than the rest of the league? Yes, other teams have dealt with problems. The Cubs have had their share. It just doesn't seam to be as many.
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I haven't looked at it closely but it does seem like more.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Captain Jack | September 26, 2007 9:38 AM
I agree with you Bill-the O's have to shake things up over the off-season but there are so many holes/weak spots that where does McPhail begin?
Their past approach seem to lack any semblance of a 'plan'. Load up on marginal free-agents and scour the bargain bin/waiver wire and hope for the best. We all saw the disastrous results!
I say tackle a couple of spots per year. First priority should be to shore up the pitching staff by trying to tie up Bedard to a contract extension and make sure Loewen & Guthrie are healthy, sign a veteran like Trachsel/Benson and send Cabrera to the minors until he shows some consistency.
My next move would be to shed ourselves of deadwood like Payton, the 2 Victors and guys like Gibbons and even Mora if some team will take him. These moves might cost some $$ but sometimes, addition by subtraction is the way to go....
I could go on but the key is pitching...We have a decent offensive core in Roberts, Markakis, Patterson,Millar Tejada and even Ramon if he gets in shape. Not even a die-hard O's fan like me is dumb enough to think we can compete in '08 but at least we can hope for progress. McPhail seems to have a decent track record so let's give him a chance.
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Terry,
It's a cliche but true nonetheless ... it all starts with pitching. You cannot have too much of it. So I agree ... you can't plug all the leaks so put you're eggs in one basket, meaning pitching. And I realize that's easier said than done.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: TerryP | September 26, 2007 9:51 AM