First Step in the Dance
Andy McPhail took the first step to bring The Orioles back to the stature they enjoyed as one of the premier baseball organizations in the Major Leagues when he traded Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros for 5 players.
The names of the 5 players aren’t household names, but they will give the ballclub much needed depth and the hope that they will grow into pieces of the winning team everyone wants to see on the field at Camden Yards.
Ten years of sub .500 play doesn’t satisfy anyone, Owner, GM, Manager, Players or the Fans, so there was no reason to stay the course.
Tejada has been a great player in this league and may be in the NL as well but how much does he mean to a team that needs a major over haul? He means five players.
These five players are the first of many new names and faces we will see in spring training when Manager Dave Trembley greets the 2008 Orioles in Ft. Lauderdale in February.
Rebuilding a storied franchise is not an easy task and there will many tough moves ahead, like trading a former MVP, but Andy McPhail is the right guy to direct the rebuilding process. He is patient, he is confident, he is an evaluator and he is well educated in the school of baseball.
Andy McPhail knows what it takes to win, he did it in Minnesota from the ground up. It may be a difficult period for the fans as they will say goodbye to some favorite players they have watched over the years. Those players are more valuable to the Baltimore Orioles now in what then bring in return than what they can do on the field.
Don’t judge Andy McPhail on the single transaction of the Tejada trade. Be patient. He has a lot more on his desk and I think you will like the end results.
The next ten years will be much better than the last ten.
Buck,
It is hard to think of the Orioles without him. For me. I am 12 and I got into baseball in 2005. Every year Tejada had been a leader. It was a great move. Just the team leader was Tejada(one of them)
Great move, but kind of shocking to me. I mean they have talked about trading him for years. Then one day he is gone. Not even a warning. he was not doing much and he was takeing too much money. The Orioles will win a World Seires again(Hopefully), and I hope it is in 2008. I say we have a chance if we get better relife pitching. Everything eles is fine.
As long as these players stay O's we will be fine.
From the biggest O fan,
Austin: Age 12:LaPlata Maryland
Buck,
There is no doubt that the Orioles need some depth in the system. As a fan we have been patient over the years and hope that when this does come to fruition that Angelos will let McPhail make the best baseball decisions for the franchise. Tejada is declining and would not have been here to help anyways by the time this franchise is ready, but I can't say that about Bedard. He is legit #1 and should be locked up like Roy Halliday was for the BlueJays. You need an Ace and there is no one more deserving to keep around but him and Markakis. These are the future leaders and they need to remain an Oriole. Thanks