The offseason is winding down, and what an offseason it has been for the O’s. After the debacle that was the 2015 offseason, the Orioles’ front office was highly active in 2016 and proved they are willing and able to spend money on free agents they like. While this offseason has been eventful, it wasn’t always fun to follow from the fan’s perspective.
As baseball fans, the most important thing that we long for during the offseason is insight… “Are we really pursuing Player X?”… “Where are we in the negotiations with Player Y”… “Who did we offer to trade for Player Z”… these are all questions that we the fans may ask at any given time during the months of November through February.
Obtaining this aforementioned insight can oftentimes prove a very difficult task. In order to do so, we harass follow local beat writers and national sports writers on Twitter, browse numerous blogs and websites, and watch countless hours of MLB Network (all while annoying our significant others in the process). While these various media sources can be helpful, one source that’s usually not very helpful to Orioles fans are Orioles executives – namely, any interviews involving Orioles EVP of Baseball Operations, Dan Duquette.
For the record, I think Duquette has great baseball mind and he has certainly experienced tremendous success in Baltimore. His ability to shop in the “bargain bin” for under-the-radar players who can contribute to a winning ballclub has been one of his strong suits throughout his entire career. However, as any Orioles fan knows, Duquette tends to keep his cards close to the vest when it comes to potential roster moves…of course, this characteristic tends to be frustrating for us insight-craving fans.
A few classic examples of Duquette’s caginess when answering questions can be found below:
Example 1: Speaking in Broad Generalities.
On gauging the free agent market:
- “I hope it goes like we sign good players and they do a good job for us next year, but we’ll have to wait and see. The market develops pretty quickly and I think it will develop pretty quickly this year.” – Dan Duquette, October 6, 2015 (Baltimore Sun)
Example 2: Remarking on seemingly endless possibilities.
On potential moves during the MLB Winter Meetings:
- “I think we’ll be able to do some things to help the team that we’ll work on this, try to get them done by the end of the week… There’s a few things we’ve got in the works.” – Dan Duquette, December 7, 2015 (Baltimore Sun)
Example 3: The optimistic spin without giving a definitive answer.
On whether or not the Orioles would sign Chris Davis:
- “I could tell you this, we’re going to have a good ballclub either way and we’ll have to find some left-handed hitters to staff our team and balance our lineup.” – Dan Duquette, December 12, 2015 (Baltimore Sun)
And last, but not least…
Example 4: The circumventing, non-direct answer.
On the Orioles’ potential interest in Yovani Gallardo:
- “The question for us is ’Are we willing to give up our first-round pick?’ and so far that answer has been no.” – Dan Duquette, January 22, 2016 (MLB Network)
Hey… I get it. Major League Baseball is excruciatingly competitive and Duquette needs to maintain an advantage. That said, his vague interviews can be torturous for us fans. In fact, I’ve always wondered what it’s like when Duquette is ordering food from a restaurant:
Waiter: “Okay, Dan – what’ll it be today?”
DD: “Well, I’m exploring possibilities and have a sense of what I’m looking for… my top priority is to maintain balance.”
Perhaps I’ve watched far too much election coverage this offseason, but I have a theory that Dan Duquette is secretly planning a political campaign. He’s already got the politico-speak down cold…broad generalities, optimistic spin, non-direct answers…I mean, the guy is a natural! If Duquette was running for President, he may not even need a writing staff. Just imagine the following press conference:
On gauging the free agent market a Potential Running Mate:
- “I hope it goes like we sign good players bring on a strong candidate and they do he/she does a good job for us next year, but we’ll have to wait and see. The market election develops pretty quickly and I think it will develop pretty quickly this year.”
On potential moves during the MLB Winter Meetings Key Policies:
- “I think we’ll be able to do some things to help the team country that we’ll work on this, try to get them done by the end of the week term… There’s a few things we’ve got in the works.”
On whether or not the Orioles would sign Chris Davis Choosing a Cabinet:
- “I could tell you this, we’re going to have a good ballclub administration either way and we’ll have to find some left-handed hitters outside the box thinkers to staff our team and balance our lineup.”
On the Orioles’ potential interest in Yovani Gallardo Balancing the Congressional Budget:
- “The question for us is ’Are we willing to give up our first-round pick reduce our spending?’ and so far that answer has been no.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m still undecided about who I’m going to vote for in 2016. Dan Duquette might be a longshot, but I think he may have what it takes to go the distance in this election. Let’s just hope that the O’s have what it takes to go the distance in this upcoming season as well.
God bless the Orioles, and God bless the United States of America!
