During the NFL off-season, Baltimore was freaking out because of the amount of players the Ravens lost. Back in June, I wrote a blog for our sister-site, Russell Street Report, saying that Cooler Heads Prevailed as Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Ravens, had a plan and we had to let it run its course before we could really judge the Ravens off-season.
Yes, their season hasn’t turned out the way most Ravens fans thought it would, but they did fill a lot of the holes that they lost. Except if you remember correctly, they lost 9 starters from the Super Bowl winning team before they signed anyone. So fans were ready to jump ship.
I am trying my hardest to stay optimistic with my Orioles, as I did with the Ravens. I’m hoping that we can trust Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter enough to let their off-season plans run its course before we all go crazy and jump ship.
But the difference is their track record.
It was extremely easy for me to sit back and say “chill out” during the Ravens off-season because Ozzie Newsome has been nothing but superb in his job. He has transformed the Ravens into one of the most respected front offices in the NFL. Buck and Dan have done a great job at firing up a fan base and changing the culture in Baltimore, but they have not built up the years of excellent moves to make us fully trust them yet.
“In Duquette We Trust”, just doesn’t have the same ring to it…
So losing Scott Feldman and Nate McLouth, trading away Jim Johnson, and having signed only a couple of players that most Orioles fans have never heard of (Francisco Peguero, Ryan Webb) have been enough to really frustrate Birdland.
The Orioles haven’t made an offer to any of the players that fans want the Orioles to go after. And according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun , he doesn’t see the Orioles being players for Shin-Soo Choo, Ubaldo Jimenez, or Nelson Cruz. If that’s true, it will fan the flames of a doubting fan base.
Right now, Brian Roberts is a free agent, so the Orioles are in need of a second baseman. With Manny Machado’s injury, you’d think they’d want to have a quality back-up at 3rd, but the Orioles might be okay with Ryan Flaherty there for now. After McLouth signed with the Nationals, the Orioles now need a Left-Fielder. They also need a quality DH, and a Closer. The Orioles said they wanted to sign an innings eater Starter, but now it appears they may need two (with Feldman leaving).
If the Orioles fill their holes with quality players that could be considered an upgrade (as the Ravens did), then fans will get excited again. But right now, teams are throwing around money and signing all sorts of players, while the Orioles sit quietly and watch their team become weaker.
I’m just as frustrated as most Orioles fans, but I am trying to remain optimistic that a plan is in place to make the Orioles a competitor again in the AL East.
But so far, I’m not seeing it.
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#oriolesstillsuck
“In Duquette we trust” does not have the same ring to “In Ozzie we trust” because Duquette is hampered by an ownership group who couldn’t care less about winning. Duquette is a brilliant baseball mind, as is Buck, but Angelos is simply the anti-Bisciotti. Dan can only do so much.