Andy McPhail has not made any blockbuster moves this off season but I'm ok with that. He has worked to fill needed holes in the infield and outfield. He ventured overseas to Japan to find a starting pitcher, Uehara. He found a solid short stop in Izturis to fill the most glaring infield need and picked up a few utility players while he was at it. While the starting rotation is still very much in the air the O's look like they are going to have a solid bullpen with hopefully some players maturing into a starting material.
McPhail is slowly and quietly making this a legitimate team. He has no intention of rushing minor league prospects. And it seems after being terrible for so long we might actually have prospects in our farm system. Maybe this year the O's will manage a winning season. I'm hopeful. I've come a long way from last year thinking the O's would be lucky to win 50 games. They managed to win a few more than that and I think this team has only gotten better. I don't see playoffs in their future for a couple more seasons, but I'd be happy still watching good baseball in August and September.
So far McPhail needs to be given a lot of credit. He is not looking for a big name player to be a quick fix. He really is trying to rebuild the team. He has made good moves so far. Take Miguel Tejada for example. He was traded right before his value dropped markedly. He was named in the Mitchell report only days later. Then it came out that he had lied about his age and was actually two years older. And now he is facing time in a federal prison because of the steroids and lying to Congress. In the course of one season he has lost a considerable amount of trade value. McPhail managed to get rid of him and take some of the bad press spotlight off of the Orioles and their players.
He also negotiated the steal that was the Bedard trade. So what if he didn't get Teixeiria, it would have been nice but he is only one player. The Orioles have made that mistake too many times. I'm happy to see a team being developed. Maybe I'll be cursing this team again in April. I'm fickle and I admit it. But I think McPhail has earned the fans' trust. We need to support his efforts to stay away from the big blockbuster names and find solid players to help win games. New uniforms, new season, new hope.
Here's hoping for some Orioles Magic.
Photo: http://www.chicagotribune.com
3 comments:
You wont be missing Tex when Matt Wieters shows up on the O's lineup card. That guy is a beast. When he gets called up, there is no going back to the minors for that guy.
I can not wait to Boo teixeira when he comes back to B-more. I never really wanted him here in the first place. I just want to boo him. The O's are coming back this year. Now all we need to do is trade swimsuit model Aubrey Huff before his stock drops when he's batting .225 in april and may.
The farm system's good - ranked 9th overall. The defense is solid. The hitting should perform.
Sure, pitching is questionable, but no more so than in any other year and at least we're waiting for guys to step up and force a hand instead of waiting for guys to finally fulfill their potential as in past years.
It's a great time to be a fan. The games will be high scoring, exciting and the O's may actually have a shot at winning some of them.
People who thought that landing Tex was even a possibility for the O's were clearly fooling themselves. I went to high school with Tex. He's a good guy and a hell of a baseball player, but, honestly, he wasn't looking to come to the Orioles. I mean, he didn't even make a counter offer. McPhail made the offer he had to to appease the public but there was no way Tex was taking it. To quote Andy (cause we're on a first name basis), "He got the contract he wanted, where he wanted."
And I don't hold it against Tex. He's deserves what he's gotten and I'll never boo him just because he went to the Yankees. Get the most you can, while you can has to be the motto. These guys never know when their career will end.
Things are looking up in B-more. And just like every other year, I'm excited. We may not be contenders but I can't really remember the last time we were (excluding '96-'97). I was two when the O's last won the world series.
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