120 replies to this topic

[Pedro Cerrano]

Have at it. Hoping mods don’t close but if they do God bless.

[Pedro Cerrano]

This guy is incredibly stupid and thinks he’s smart. Lethal combo.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I've never thought he was a magician.
I've liked him because he has systematically worked a plan, and that's largely been absent in my time following the Orioles.

I think he's built a team that can have (i expect to have) a sustained run of annual contention.

He wants to keep as much of his controlled talent as possible and fill out the roster with short term deals.

I think the idea is that keeps the window open, more bites at the apple vs going in on any one particular year.

Generally I support that because I think when you get to the postseason, it's largely SSS and a level of randomness.

But you have to get to postseason first of course.

The decisions made this past Winter don't look good. It looks like a poor allocation of available resources.

My opinion... he's smart enough to adjust and I still think this 25 team will recover.


As big as fan as I am with Elias...he's the number one culprit for this poor start. That doesn't make me want to see him gone though.

[Slidemaster]

Most overrated GM in recent memory.

He's in love with his own brain, not winning games.

[Mackus]

Tanking was an abomination.

He's done a good job in scouting and development to add talent to the organization and create a strong core. Great even, I'll grant. The hit rate on his first three drafts was astounding.

I think he's incapable of pushing that core over the top. His skills for identifying amateur talent and hiring coaches who can develop them do not extend to advanced scouting and roster building through free agency or trade.

At this point I hope someone else hires him to be their President. I'd be fine with him as the O's President if he focused mostly on bottom line and minor leagues, but I imagine he'd hire a GM who shares his long-term risk aversion so I fear his flaws would persist even if he's in a higher level position.

He pivoted off of a previous decision with the Wall. That's the one thing that gives me hope that he'll take this as a learning moment and change how he balances risk and reward a bit. Not my expectation, but I think it's possible.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Uh, he moved the wall back in whilst assembling one of the worst starting rotations in major league history. Not sure that’s something to give him credit for. And IIRC, when they originally moved the wall, it seemed like it wasn’t going to be permanent. Even if it wasn’t explicitly stated. Could be wrong about that, but that’s what I always thought.

[cprenegade]

Elias could be overrated.  I give him credit for rescuing an organization that was in the pits.  But, imo, he is too possessive of his prospects.  It feels like he wants to win, but only if his prospects lead to it.  

 

Now some of what I said could be constraints on him by ownership.  Hated the Angelos years and I am not so sure Rubenstein is all that much different.  

 

No matter, we have had enough of a sample since last mid year to know that something needs to change.  It was .500 team last year with Burnes.  Now without him it is a below .500 team.  Change is needed. 

[NewMarketSean]

His tanking plan worked and made us good but couldn’t get over the next step.

[BaltBird 24]

We're in year 6 of the Elias ERA and we've got one legitimate prospect from baseball rich Latin America.

The drafted prospects are vastly under performing, too, at both the major and minor league level.

[BobPhelan]

I've never thought he was a magician.
I've liked him because he has systematically worked a plan, and that's largely been absent in my time following the Orioles.

I think he's built a team that can have (i expect to have) a sustained run of annual contention.

He wants to keep as much of his controlled talent as possible and fill out the roster with short term deals.

I think the idea is that keeps the window open, more bites at the apple vs going in on any one particular year.

Generally I support that because I think when you get to the postseason, it's largely SSS and a level of randomness.

But you have to get to postseason first of course.

The decisions made this past Winter don't look good. It looks like a poor allocation of available resources.

My opinion... he's smart enough to adjust and
I still think this 25 team will recover.


As big as fan as I am with Elias...he's the number one culprit for this poor start. That doesn't make me want to see him gone though.

 

This is exactly where I am. 

Dude needs to learn to let go at the fringes now that we're at the competing for a world series level year in and year out. Mateo, Mountcastle, Perez, Morton - goodbye. Don't play scared, do better.

[weird-O]

I mentioned this before. He gets this off season from me. He's been given an open checkbook (or so ownership says). I maintain that the pitching situation was more about external factors, than his decision to not invest. And it's worth repeating, make Kyle Tucker play elsewhere, for less money.   

[Mike B]

Elias and the Orioles are at a critical point, and it is what he does from this point on, will decide whether his time with the Orioles will be looked at as a success or failure.  His last two deadline performances were for the most part bad and his past off season looks right now to be a total failure.  There is also one major flaw in his overall plan, and that is his approach to building a pitching staff designed for long term success.  His refusal to draft or sign legitimate major league starters is the main issue with this year's Orioles team., In year 7, he has had one drafted pitcher make it to the big-league squad, The draft strategy needs to change.

All that said, Elias is certainly not "stupid" and with a more aggressive approach especially in the off season can right the ship.  My fear is this season is a loss because the pitching is likely not fixable.  The rotation may be the worst in baseball and if you cannot pitch you can not win,

[bmore_ken]

I simply can't blame Elias because the team can't win playoff games. Call me crazy. I guess my one criticism is the lack of spending on the rotation. Not sure who to blame for that though. 

[Mike B]

I simply can't blame Elias because the team can't win playoff games. Call me crazy. I guess my one criticism is the lack of spending on the rotation. Not sure who to blame for that though. 

I think the pitching mess is on Elias.  The Orioles spent money this off season.  My issue is that there was no plan B to Corbin Burnes, and the where the money was spent is the big issue.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Hubris.

I think it’s time to move on. There’s no easy way out of this pitching mess. Wasting a year and likely more with this young core is simply unacceptable. In $$, it’s more costly than signing an expensive FA or two and not working out… something he’s petrified of doing.

No more Angelos, good young core, give the next guy autonomy like Elias had… this should be a great gig that a lot of smart and talented people would want. We don’t have to be terrified of losing him anymore.

[bmore_ken]

I think the pitching mess is on Elias.  The Orioles spent money this off season.  My issue is that there was no plan B to Corbin Burnes, and the where the money was spent is the big issue.

I guess if Elias had the free hand that's been reported, you're right. But do we actually know that to be fact though?

[makoman]

They spent money. Ownership did its job making payroll available.

They spent $29M on O’Neill, Sanchez, Laureano for 2025. And over $33M on Morton, Sugano, Gibson. One can argue about whether that’s the best use of $60M. I don’t hold Kittredge (9M) against anybody, that’s bad luck.

I don’t think Rubenstein was ordering anybody to sign Charlie Morton. He’s said Elias is free to make decisions, I believe him.

[BaltBird 24]

Going back a year plus, they've spent plenty of money on Eflin, Dominguez, Soto, Morton, Sugano, Kittredge, Sanchez, O'Neill, Laureano, etc.

Plenty of money spent, very little commitment.

Can't knock them on being cheap.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

This is exactly where I am. 

Dude needs to learn to let go at the fringes now that we're at the competing for a world series level year in and year out. Mateo, Mountcastle, Perez, Morton - goodbye. Don't play scared, do better.

Do you call this year "competing for a world series"?  Those guys you mention indeed should'nt be on a roster trying to win a WS. But guess what. Neither should Morton, Gibson, Sugano, Sanchez..... Those are all moves Elias made.

 

He lost a TOR starter and ok can't fault him for that. AZ was where his heart was at. Fine. But he replaced him with Morton and Sugano. Give me a break.

 

He lost Santander and replaced him with TON. Of fine but we all knew the injury risks with TON.

 

He did sign Kitteridge and him going down was just a bad deal.

 

Replaced McCann with Sanchez. I'd rather have kept James but ok whatever.

 

But no matter how you slice it the ONLY move Elias made during the offseason to improve the club from last year was Kitteridge.

 

Epic fail IMO. Epic.

[weird-O]

I guess if Elias had the free hand that's been reported, you're right. But do we actually know that to be fact though?

Rubenstein said there is no payroll limit. He said that in plain terms, and it wasn't taken out of context. Separately, he said that he has no interest in interfering with Elias doing his job. I know you like direct quote type confirmation, and Rubenstein gave both of those. The phrase "perfect storm" is used in so many areas of life. I think Elias met an imperfect pitching storm, last off season. But that isn't an annual excuse to be used co cover for his aversion to commitment.