614 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

The O’s have been eliminated with a Cal Raleigh walk off home run off the foul pole down the RF line in Seattle.

Damn. It was fun though. Can’t wait til next year.

Let’s get #82 though.

[BSLMikeLowe]

If and buts, but sure would like to have seen how it would have gone if they had found them a little help at the trade deadline.

[85Knight]

If and buts, but sure would like to have seen how it would have gone if they had found them a little help at the trade deadline.

My thoughts exactly. They got no help from the front office when they were only a couple of games out and that will always be my memory of this season. It's hard to stay in it when teams around you are adding and you're subtracting. Kudos to the team for hanging in there as long as they did but this was still a disappointing September.

[weird-O]

Watching the game last night, with the Yankee announcers, they were swooning over Gunner. But they did mention how trading Lopez weakened the team. I agree with them. 

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Watching the game last night, with the Yankee announcers, they were swooning over Gunner. But they did mention how trading Lopez weakened the team. I agree with them. 

Yeah but that is not what killed the team. The offense fell asleep for 2 weeks and that pretty much did us in. Lopez had zero to do with that. Even had he continued to pitch like he had...which he clearly didn't in MN. If you want to pick on a trade in the what if scenario then trading Mancini more fits the bill.

[weird-O]

Yeah but that is not what killed the team. The offense fell asleep for 2 weeks and that pretty much did us in. Lopez had zero to do with that. Even had he continued to pitch like he had...which he clearly didn't in MN. If you want to pick on a trade in the what if scenario then trading Mancini more fits the bill.

It's true that the bats went cold. But there were a few games that had a good chance of going the O's way, if they had that one great arm in the BP. For what it's worth, I didn't think either trade should have been made.

[85Knight]

If not for our September slump the Rays were definitely catchable. So close but yet so far.

[glenn__davis]

Ended up 3 games back of the Rays.  I still go back to that final series against them, where we brought Hall up for the Saturday game and then ran out a lineup with Odor, Nevin, Phillips and Mateo in the Sunday game and nearly got no-hit.  You win just one of those games and then that becomes a 1-game difference, and then obviously we would have managed things a bit differently down the stretch here. I didn't follow the Rays these past few days but I'm sure they were doing some setting up for the postseason as well so maybe it still wouldn't have mattered.

 

But looking back obviously you could pick a number of games that caused you to be short, but those 2 really stuck in my craw both when it happened and now looking back.  Just felt like there should have been more urgency there.

[You Play to Win the Game]

They weren’t trying to get a playoff spot, it wasn’t a probability. It’s that simple. And explains everything. This year wasn’t in the plans.

[85Knight]

They weren’t trying to get a playoff spot, it wasn’t a probability. It’s that simple. And explains everything. This year wasn’t in the plans.

That's exactly what it was. The whole idea that he traded Lopez because he knew he would drop off is so much bs. No GM in the history of the game trades their closer if they're in a playoff race unless it's for another major league player and a position of need. He didn't believe in this team and we finished 3 games out and it stinks.

I can think of 3 games off the top of my head that we could have won including 1 against the Rays and made the playoffs. Not to mention that if we had Lopez we probably win all 4 of those games against the Astros because Bautista ran out of gas down the stretch. Oh well there's always next year. I'll believe it when I see it.

[glenn__davis]

That's exactly what it was. The whole idea that he traded Lopez because he knew he would drop off is so much bs. No GM in the history of the game trades their closer if they're in a playoff race unless it's for another major league player and a position of need. He didn't believe in this team and we finished 3 games out and it stinks.

I can think of 3 games off the top of my head that we could have won including 1 against the Rays and made the playoffs. Not to mention that if we had Lopez we probably win all 4 of those games against the Astros because Bautista ran out of gas down the stretch. Oh well there's always next year. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

I think it's more likely that Lopez blows a few games that Bautista saves and we end up around the same spot or worse. But we'll never know for sure, and I'm sure we're all tired of the argument.

 

Looking forward, we should not expect the bullpen to repeat this year's performance next year.  The far bigger sin to me was not the trade deadline, it was going into 2022 treating it like it was the same as previous years.  You never know what's going to happen in baseball and now we wasted an unexpectedly great year from our bullpen. 

 

As I said previously the frame of a good team is here, now Elias needs to finish it.

 

(Which, by the way, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not here next year.  After a season like the Orioles had, and with the farm system humming the way it is, I would imagine some other teams will be interested in him.)

[weird-O]

There are only 12 Prez of baseball ops positions in the league, he'll be here next year. Even if he is eyeing an eventual promotion, I can't imagine he'd leave before seeing this project through. But I understand the concern. O's fans have been programmed by the Angelos group to expect anything good about the team to be taken or given away.

[You Play to Win the Game]

You guys think there are a litany of organizations that want to lose 330 games over the next 3 years to get a good farm system? 

 

I mean, yeah, there probably are. They love the cost savings too. Hopefully he wants to finish the job here. I could see Sig leaving before Elias. Sig admittedly doesn't enjoy this phase of running a team, just the losing and accumulating talent phase. Pittsburgh would be a perfect fit for him.

[dude]

I can't imagine he'd leave before seeing this project through. 

 

Do you think Mike Elias' priorities are the Orioles or Mike Elias?

 

There's only risk at this point for him and it's at a time where you see the Ownership getting more involved.

[weird-O]

Do you think Mike Elias' priorities are the Orioles or Mike Elias?

 

There's only risk at this point for him and it's at a time where you see the Ownership getting more involved.

I know Dude, there's always that sub rosa layer to baseball that only you understand, but can never explain.