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Soft deadline? B-Rob is definitely in the driver's seat on this one.

At least it wasn't STFU.

Brian Roberts is the man and completely irreplaceable on the Orioles. Lets keep him here as long as possible!

This has to be about the 40th week in a row I've forgotten to listen to Brian on Anita's show. ARGH!!

Tell Roberts there’s like nothing going on in the Hot Stove. Mike Hampton got signed—that was big news like 8 years ago. Somebody’s got to make something up for crying out loud to fill in the blank spaces. And that little thing about no offer on the table—um, that’s not good news.

Speaking of nothing doing, according to the Sun, the Markakis contract extension talks have been put on hold for six weeks so that Markakis can see what happens with the market. MacPhail and Markakis’s agent sound cordial about the whole thing. Of course, the longer this goes on, the chances of extending him grow smaller.

My take on this development is pessimistic. Waiting to see what happens with the market also means waiting to see what the O’s do before spring training to make themselves better. If there’s a whole lot of nothing, the negotiations just got tougher. I’m probably being overly pessimistic here but this just isn’t good. Given the snail’s pace this has proceeded so far, this could easily stretch into the beginning of the season and the talks could easily be put on hold until next offseason (after which another most likely losing season will have occurred). Closer and closer to free agency for Markakis.
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I think we'd all like to see Markakis sign a long-term extension, but why would he rush into it? It's good that the sides are talking, but it's smart business for Markakis and his agent to see how the free-agent market plays out, what other extensions are signed and how much money is out there for comparable players. No reason to be alarmed here. I would have been shocked if Markakis signed this early. - Roch

I'm shocked he gave you his cell#! He wasn't afraid of endless love notes and pleas to stay in Baltimore?
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I found the restraining order a bit discouraging. - Roch

"Brian Roberts is the man and completely irreplaceable on the Orioles. Lets keep him here as long as possible!"

No offense Adam, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to an indecisive front office and losing baseball. Every player is replaceable. While Roberts is a very good 2b, one of the best in the game right now when you factor in everything he can do, he is still a 31 year old 2b.

Roberts isn't really in the driver's seat. The Orioles don't have to trade him and they don't have to re-sign him. They can simply let him play out his contract and get the compensation picks for a guy that will at the very least be a type-b free agent.

The real questions are:

How close are you to contention? Answer: Not very.

Will Roberts be a part of that contending team with the extension? Answer: Not likely if it is only three years.

Will Roberts still be as effective at age 34/35 at the end of that extension? Answer: I hate to say it, but probably not. Sure Brian is in good shape, but father time is not kind to catchers or small, speed based 2b.

Then the last question is, what can we get for Roberts in a trade? Answer: Quite a bit I would think. Might not be the 5 player deal MacPhail was looking for last year, but I think he could net a very good 3 player or 4 player package.

If rebuilding is the plan, you don't do that by extending aging veterans. You trade those guys for as much as you can get for them.

Linday,

Could it just be that it's not really that important to you? They could almost put it on a recording.

Anita: Is this report true?
Brian: No.
Anita: Is that report true?
Brian: No.
Anita: Do you personally know anything?
Brian: No.

The End.

Hot Stove Offseasons in the Age of the Internet is very interesting at this point. Every major local news outlet has a blog or few specializing in covering the local team. Combine that with the many interested posters, like myself, and we got the makings of rumors gaining lives of their own. Last year Adam Jones gets pulled from a Venezuelan League game, and all of a sudden, before its humanly even possible to make a flight to Baltimore, he's supposedly in the Warehouse getting checked out by a doctor and measured for his uni. Sherrill is interviewed in Arizona. His response might have been something like, "What the--? Who-which?"

Considering how that one turned out, just to get the ball rolling, I'll start a rumor right now: SD gets Olson-Marshall-Thomas-Vitters, Cubs get Peavy-Burres, Os get Harden-Marquis-Greene-Pie. We take on a ton of salary, but we give up little talent, keep draft picks, fill 2 major holes (2 SPs and SS), and nab a high potential toolsy athlete for LF.

The big gorilla in the room with Markakis is the bad economy.

It makes no sense right now for him to extend on the heels of a horrid series of bad quarters. Markakis' dilemmna is: A.) should he agree today to a longterm deal that locks him in to today's prices that might be suppressed due to a bad economy? Or, B.) are today's "suppressed" figures the highwater mark and he's better served to lock in now than receive low offers in the future? Either way it is a gamble and he won't get much more assurances in a few months, but, I think the important message the Orioles should send to Markakis is that he is greatly valued by the org and its fans. As long as that message is sent, this should work itself out. Roch, do you have any inkling on the behind-the-scenes sense of that message?

I hate it when we fans hear waay after the fact that the player felt greatly disrespected or snubbed, a la Moose. We need to avoid that scenario with Kakes at all costs.

Roch,

B-Rob's status just significantly dropped by the addition of the "smiley-face" in his text to you.

Last offseason I was all for trading Roberts to help the rebuilding process. This year he changed my mind. Will the Os contend next year...of course not. Will they contend the following year...maybe. Do the Os have any position player in their system that will be a true leadoff man? That I cannot answer, but a leadoff man like Roberts is very hard to come by. How many guys have we tried to plug into that hole over the years? He is also a really good guy and a someone who our young guys can follow. Although I agree with the Mythical One that no one is irreplaceable, I see Roberts as someone you must try to extend. No, he will not be as productive at 35. But will he still steal 25 bases and bat near .300...probably. If the plan is 2010, then Roberts needs to be a part of that. He will still be batting leadoff and doing it well, and he will be a clubhouse leader.

Where did three years come from? The Chicago article said "multiyear contract".
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I'll go back and check. Thought it said three years. Will make the correction. Thanks. Either way, there's no offer. - Roch

Speaking of all your "texting" and phone calls have you ever made or received an erroneous message/phone call? Ever received a message/text from a player or front office person that obviously wasn't meant for you? I once left a voice message but used the wrong lady's name. Needless to say she didn't bother returning my call.

Rich
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Love the question. I'm going to use it for a blog entry. Thanks for the idea. - Roch

Mythical One,

Where is it that 31 is an aging vet.and that a 2nd baseman at 35 have lost their abilities? Sorry but your wrong to compare catchers and 2nd basemen. 2nd base is the least abusive position on the field. So many people are lately saying 31 or 32 is the down side of a baseball career. 31 is still prime. Roberts is not only one of the top 2 or 3 second basemen in the league, but he is also the best clubhouse guys around. His assets are not just on the field. Teams need this kind of player. When your rebuilding, you have to have a mix of vets and young players, its not having 9 youngsters and let them grow up by experience.

just read that the rays are open to trading jason barlett, any chance that we make an offer for the 29 year old shortstop? not a bad hitting SS with good defense. I wonder what they would take for him?
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It's hard to believe the Rays would part with their team MVP and a guy credited for tightening the defense and doing all the little things that helped tranform that franchise into a winner. If you can get him - depending on what you'd have to surrender, of course - you go for it. The Rays don't need starting pitching. Maybe a little bullpen help? - Roch

It appears the worse case situatin is working.
MacPhail is playing tooooooo close to the vest with the bucks. Markekis is a 15 mil guy. If this does not go quickly look for him to play out his options here toooooo.

What will BROB think of this.

Looks like we are starting all the way over from no where to nothing

With all of the talk in hot stove, my least fond memory of last season was watching SS after SS bungle their major league opportunity. I think SS should be our top priority and along those lines, any chance we match up with the Rays?
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According to a report from Danny Knobler at Sportsline, the Tampa Bay Rays may be willing to trade shorstop Jason Bartlett, whom they acquired last offseason from the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Delmon Young in a trade that also brought starting pitcher Matt Garza to Tampa Bay. Barltett batted just .286 with one home run for the Rays, but his stellar defense at shortstop was seen as a big reason the Rays went from worst to first in the AL East and eventually made it to the World Series. For his efforts, Bartlett was voted team MVP.

Why would the Rays be willing to part with such a valuable commodity? According to Knobler:

"[I]t's actually not that hard to understand why they would move him. One of the Rays' top prospects is shortstop Reid Brignac, who played at Triple-A Durham in 2008. Also, the Rays took another shortstop, Tim Beckham, as the top overall pick in last June's draft."

Maybe irreplaceable wasn't the word I should have used, but he's one of the best leadoff hitters and fielding 2b's in the game (I know that no one is denying that) and the only reason he's an Oriole is because he was brought up through our farm system. Look at the SS hole, there's not even a SS on the whole market right now as good as B-Rob is at 2b. Try trading B-Rob, but your gonna have to live with the fact no one we can get or will get in the next few years will be as productive as he is. Starting pitching right now is probably a bigger hole then 2b could ever be for us, but you gotta give B-Rob credit and realize when we lose him, we're gonna have a lot more problems trying to find a great leadoff hitter ANDDDD a 2b that can play/hit at this level. As a lifelong Orioles fan, I wish there were more than 4 guys on the whole team right now I am truly excited about, but I cant say that I am. B-Rob is one of the guys I pay to see when I buy tickets.

Looks like we are starting all the way over from no where to nothing.

No sense bring quality talent to this organization. THEY WILL NO PAY THEM!!!!

Markekis is low balled. What will BROB think of this.

Oh and McPhail actually think some free agent will entertain Oriole franchise with this kind of pay scale.

I WAS going along with the rebuild. But wehn you won'tpay what the rebuild costs SORRY!

You need a chisle for the this burned meat. Time to face it
IT IS OVER!

Trade B-Rob, Mora, Huff, Hernandez, Walker, Sherill and Scott for prospects. Stick to the rebuilding phase we are not good enough yet to be serious contenders. Add a couple more prospects to our lineup and build the team around Markakis, Jones, and Wieters.

Basemonkey.

You're giving up Olson and Burress and getting Harden, Marquis, Greene and Pie. Where do I get whatever you are drinking? Must be great stuff.

I agree with warehouse... it's time to get serious about this whole rebuilding thing. I can take a losing season from the young guys, but there's no reason to keep patching up this wound.

ok. everyone take a deep breath.

First, we have to be planning to compete in 2010 at the latest. And to peak in 2011 and 2012. anything else is simply too long a lifetime. no one has that kind of patience and the planning is too difficult and uncertain.

2010 is the FIRST year of a B-Rob extension and he will be in his prime. 2011 is year TWO of a B-Rob extension and he will be older but still nowhere near retirement.

If you want to figure on having solid players at all positions in 2010-2011, you simply have to have some of them in 2009. What else are you going to do? Acquire an entire winning team in a single offseason? Expect all the kids to blossom within 18 months of each other? Not reasonable.

Let's go forward in time to September 2011 (almost three seasons from now). We are closing in on 100 wins. Is every significant player on the team 27 years old or younger? 29 or younger? of course not. There is a 38 or 39 veteran having a solid year, three or more 33-36 year olds playing pivitol roles. And a bunch of guys between 27 and 32 and in their prime. Of the First String (8 position players, 5 starters, 4 key relievers and 1 key platoon guy) there are 18 guys. At LEAST four of the 18 will be 33+ years old.

Now here is the trick - name them. If they are that old then, they have to be in MLB now and 30+ years old. You cannot simply ignore guys because they will slow down and retire in 2012 - 2015. You WILL have some of them on your team as key contributors in 2010 and 2011.

Here are the ones I would name: Brian Roberts. Nick Markakis. Mark Teixierra. Jermey Guthrie. And some quality starting pitcher we got back in December 2008.

You are not deserting the youth movement or the rebuilding plan to get guys locked in now. A couple can be added before the 2010 season. But you will not find 4 or 5 quality 33-37 year olds in a single offseason before 2011. You have to get a couple now, a couple after 2009 and maybe a last one after 2010. The youth make up the other 13 or so first stringers and many of the second string (reserves, long relievers, etc.).

BRob is smart to wait for a few weeks as is Markakis. They want to see the same thing I want to see. They want to see the team sign the cornerstone type of guys - guys who can win it for us in 2011, when the kids can be counted on to fill out a lot BUT NOT ALL of the team.

Here is how I see it: If you do not have 4 or more, high quality, significant 30+ year-olds signed for 3-5 more years on your team, then you are far more than 3 seasons from winning a division. If you stay in that mode for a couple of years (not signing producing 30+ year olds to long contracts) then when that couple of years is over you will STILL be more than 3 years from contending.

A youth movement is only any good if there is a known target year for their arrival.

Any poster who thinks Teix or BRob will not help us should be ready and willing to be a non-competitive team until at least 2012. And that is not acceptable.

Get Teix. Get 2 starters. Then sign BRob and Nick. And pick up a SS upgrade along the way. That is the LEAST we can do this winter if we want to have a feasible amount of work left to do next winter and be ready to contend in 2010 and win in 2011.

Next winter is all about adding another couple of arms or plugging a hole where youth did not produce (left field? catcher? -heaven forbid!, 3B?). The winter after 2010 is about finding the last key piece or two to the puzzle for 2011 and beyond.

If I were Markakis, I would only sign a long term extension this year if I were very worried about the economy tanking to the extent that player salaries (and revenues) are down 30% next year. So the economic worries would spur me to sign it now while clubs are pretty much acting like there is no "financial crisis". But absent that economic crisis worry, what incentive do I have to sign an extension. I have lots of money, I know I can produce in the league, and I know I can see more a year from now and have more leverage a year from now or 2 years from now. So why do it? I will be neither surprised nor dismayed if he does not extend this year. It is an omen of nothing.

B-Rob is different. He can make his decision this winter. Once he gets to the end of the year, he has way too much reason to file for free agency and then way too much liklihood of changing teams. If he wants stability and believes in the team's direction he will sign. If not, he is opting out now. And he knows he will be traded now or in July. The 2 or 3 weeks he wants to wait makes perfect sense. If we sign a couple of great teammates for him to count on, then he may extend a year or two to give us more chance to prove it will really happen in 2011. Otherwise, no hard feelings, see ya later.

Both Nick and B-Rob are perusing the situation ,they want to see if the O's are serious about getting competitive for a change. This off season will give them an indication if the O's mean business or not. They both are in the drivers seat and Peter the Great can't be liking this. It's finally time for the O's to bring out the check book and prove to the fans and Nick and B-Rob they are serious , but don't hold your breath on it.

Roch -

Brian Roberts' text number for Christmas?

And number two, just read about Markakis. It's too bad but I agree that it's smart business. Force the Orioles to continue their re-building process, show us that they are serious, and then see who gets what in the free agency class. See who we get too.

Then by that time, I bet Markakis will continue with the process, and finally sign. I feel the same way about Brian Roberts. I think we re-sign both before the season.

Roch

No LOL that's sad did you want him to say LOL ...
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Nooooo. Not at all. That's why I mentioned it. But don't change the subject here: It's your birthday. Shouldn't you be doing something crazy right now? Something you'll seriously regret tomorrow? - Roch

I sort of like the direction the O's are *finally* going. I still don't understand the trade Roberts remarks. Keep him for at least another 5 years, same with markakis. How are you going to lure free agents here when every year looks like a rebuilding process. Besides the lack of pitching, the position players are a good fit. B-Rob to me is the best 2nd baseman out there...why would you even consider dumping him? For more prospects...? Please. Enough of the trading for prospects. Get a big bat (Tex would be good) & pitching. I don't care for Sherill, but I'd hold on to him. You never know...he could turn out to be a Randy Myers-type pitcher.

Plus, if the O's seem serious about signing core players like Roberts & Markakis to longer deals, that at least would attract better free agents & make them see that Baltimore seems serious about their future. If we keep trading off out good players for prospects, then we are nothing more than the Pirates, who will NEVER see .500 baseball again.

Roch, could you please explain / give your thoughts as to why there is no offer on the table from the O's for Roberts ???? This is more than I can comprehend. What are they doing / thinking / smoking ????
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Wish I had an answer. Both sides are talking, which is a positive. But I honesty don't know why there's no offer. It's still early, though. First week of December. I'd be more concerned if it was March 2. - Roch

And here comes the inevitable parade of "dump everybody and start over" and "see, the organization won't pay anyone to play here" posts. I used to think that Orioles fans were among the most intelligent in baseball. Now I'm not so sure. It's still the first week of December for crying out loud. Spring training doesn't start for another 2 1/2 months. There's plenty of time, people. Relax, have a cookie.

I'm on the fence with trading Brian. On the plus side, he's the most tradable player we have, and I think with the right trading partner he could bring us somewhere between the Tejada and Bedard hauls. On the minus side, he's arguably the most popular player on the team, a consistent All-Star caliber player, and we have NOTHING with which to replace him. Right now I'd lean towards keeping him if we can extend him three years. I don't see his skills degrading that quickly.

I've posted this in other places, so here goes. If the Orioles are willing to give up Olsen to get Pie (already crowded OF), wouldn't it make more sense to send him to KC for Billy Butler? Butler is in their GM's doghouse for some reason, and he fits our needs more than Pie does.

Ed So PA Fan,

I need to take some Xanax to read your blog...could you be any more negative? Are you an Oriole fan or a Phillie fan?
How quickly we forget Eli Jacobs, who did spend NOTHING on the team. Peter actually put his money where his mouth was when he bought the team, but it all went to his head when he made the playoffs so quickly. Peter thought he had it all figured out by himself. How many good players, other than Mussina did we actually lose because of money? None that I can recall that were worth having anyway. I believe in Andy Mcphail, and I won't blame Peter's wallet if Boston or NY overspend, as they can.
I once thought I would pass before the Terps ever won the National Title. I didn't, and I think I'll be around to see the O's make it back to prominence also. Sometimes you just got to believe if you're a true fan.

roch, that shotgun line today on masn was your best line of all time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks David. It got absolutely no love at all on the show. Maybe I'll recycle it in the blog or Thursday's Playmakers show on MASN. I've been known.... - Roch

Hey Roch,
This is off topic and way early, but is there anyone you like for the 2009 draft? At the very least, it gives you an opportunity to think about June.. and the warm weather that accompanies it.
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Hmmm. You're gonna have to give me some time to research the draft. But I appreciate the warm thoughts. Seeing my car covered in ice at 7 a.m. made me want to cry. - Roch

anything with the words "Brian Roberts" is worth skipping about 20 minutes of class for (would have wrote it sooner...but was really late for classes tehe)

but anyways...roch old buddie old pal....is my chirstmas gift or my 21st birthday gift Brians number?!?!? (id love you forever!)

becky the class skipper from lutherville!

The o's are in a tough spot. I don't understand these fans that say sign
B-Rob sign Nick over pay for Tex get 2 top of rotation starters and a great starting short stop,I've had my problems with Peter but he's not made out of money.I would love all of the above to happen but we have to
be realistic.Winning baseball is all about great pitching.

I would have to kindly disagree with several responses to my previous post.

Brian Roberts is a very good 2b, very good lead off man, and his defense has improved quite a bit at 2b. Still, he is not on the same level as these guys:

Dustin Pedroia
Ian Kinsler
Chase Utley

and other guys that are right with him:

Placido Polanco
Kelly Johnson
Jose Lopez
Mark DeRosa
Dan Uggla (sacrifice in avg, but uptick in power and run production).

I am not comparing catchers to 2b. It is a well known fact that catchers really fall off the table after age 32.

Speed-based small 2b also decline fairly rapidly after age 32 as well. 2b is actually the second most damaging position in the infield after catcher. Why? Because they are most often the pivot man on double plays and constantly have guys sliding into their knees. They also cover the bag most often on stolen bases because most batters in the game now are right handed.

Of all the skills a player has, speed is the quickest to go. If Roberts loses his speed it will take most of his game away from him. His range (defense) would suffer, his amount of doubles would decrease, his stolen bases would decrease, those infield singles would decrease, and he never was much of a power hitter.

Roberto Alomar was still a very good 2b at age 33, but even then you could see the speed going. His hitting was still very good, but doubles decreased, so did his Sbs and SB%. The very next year at age 34 he was on the way to being done. Delino DeShields had a pretty good season for the O's when he was 31. The very next season he was done. Craig Biggio's last really great season came at age 32. After that year he never hit .300 again, never stole more than 30 bases and only stole 20 or more once after age 32. Chuck Knoblauch had a pretty good season at age 31. At age 32 he still stole over 30 bases, but his double production dropped to only 1 more than his all time low, and his average plummeted to .250. By age 33 he was done.

Think of nearly every good 2b and check his numbers and I can pretty much assure you that nearly all of them will show some pretty dramatic drop offs. Placido Polanco of Detroit will be a guy to watch this season as he enters his first season over age 32.

That, RichD, is where I get this from. It is fact, not opinion.

The supposed "prime" years if you subscribe to that is age 27-32, adjust for position. Catchers are a bit faster to decline. 2b are usually right on the button, and OF'ers and corner INF usually last a bit longer.

Thing is, Roberts' stock is high now. It won't get any hotter and can only go lower from this point forward. You sell high. True, it will be tough to replace a fan favorite and the lead off man that has sparked the offense for years, but for short term fix there is 28 year old Felipe Lopez who would love a chance at a starting job again. He's not Brian Roberts, but he isn't completely awful. Roberts can help you get the talent you need to rebuild the infield.

Also, I am not saying dump everybody. You simply can't do that. Mora has a no-trade clause, then there are players nobody wants from this team. Roberts is your most valuable and tradeable (from Orioles standpoint) commodity. They aren't going to trade Markakis, Jones, Wieters, or any serious pitching prospects that other teams would want.

Here's to warmer thoughts, Roch.

Four words: Commercial Boulevard Waffle House

Spring Training will be here before you know it.

mark c - Excellent post! Well said and I agree with you completely.

Roch,

Though the trade is not official yet, the Sox do not need Lillibrdige. Maybe he is worth getting now, while his "stock" is down, for SS since they are loaded in IFers, esp. with Beckham in the wings. Do you know if AM has ever liked him?

"Lillibridge entered this past season as one of the top prospects in Atlanta's system. But his stock dropped while he hit just .220 with a .294 on-base percentage in 90 games with Triple-A Richmond. He has been successful in 127 of his 162 stolen base attempts at the Minor League level."

Bill G. I think you should invest in the xanex bottle.

Actions speak. Words blow away with the wind.
History. Last year the O's and Markekis touched base on an extension and Nick was left with a bad taste from the process. Now the O's play hard ball with their "center peice".
The O's want to be the Rays going ahead. But the Rays locked up their talent long term last year. What am I missing here? They did a pre-emptive strike and made the generous market offers to have a relationship of organization and players. What am I missig here?

BRob and Nick with Jones and Guthrie represent the future. Seems the organization needs to learn a lesson in inter-personal skills and relationship building techinques. Yes it is a business. Satisfy the core group. You satisfy the market of other players you want. Image is perception. Perception is everything. Oh yes the perception of the past is the O's do not pay for talent. What am I missing? Is this perception the same for now and the future? What am I missing?

Make the process simple and easy for the core and you make a action statement. That is speaking loudly!

Markakis just keeps making more money by not signing, and the Orioles keep losing it. He's one of the top five players in the AL right now by stat-head metrics. On the open market, I bet he'd get a Teixeira-like contract (he's younger, fantastic OBP, comparable extra base hits).

If the Rays really are shopping Bartlett, they're geniuses. He's an average shortstop in every sense of the word, and his market value is up thanks to the perception that he was a team MVP. We are talking about a guy who got benched as a rookie under the lame excuse that he injured himself using his TV remote. I know lots of teams would love to have even an average shortstop these days, but chances are great right now that the Rays could exchange him for even more valuable players.

If Roberts is in ANY driver's seat, it may be the driver's seat of a Ryder truck to Cleveland...

Roch,

Dan Connelly at the Sun is reporting that talks with Markakis have broken off. This can't be good. What do you know about the situation?
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I'm getting ready to file an entry on this. Stay tuned. - Roch

Mythical One

How can you name 4 2nd basemen and say its fact. Many "Baseball" people wondered why Alomar declined so rapidly and most said it was mental not physical, and Knoblauch was known to have a mental breakdown not physical. DeShields was one point but that is out of the hundreds. Biggio went to centerfield not cause his skills were declining, but thought he could benefit the team better there, and he also started his career as a catcher.
There are many 2nd basemen that we can argue that did very well in their later 30's. Joe Morgan is one. Bobby Grich, Jeff Kent, Willie Randolph, to name a few. Sparky Anderson and Chuck Tanner both said that when they talk about the most physical defensive positions, both said Catcher,then the corners because of the hot grounders and short hops all the time, but both said 2nd base was the less physical because of the ground balls they get are much less abusive and even though turning the double play can be tough,they are usually going away from the slide and are not in as many colisions as a shortstop which comes head on to the runner.
The bottom line is, if we can't sign our home grown players, free agents see this and see no loyalty. I know free agents have no loyalty but they rather see it from the teams more than themselves. If they see Baltimore signing their own players, this means that those players like where they play and believe that they will once be good again. You can not get rid of all you good players for prospects you hope will be good. Then you turn into Pittsburgh, or Kansas City, where your just a Major league team that grows talent for the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox.

Mark C-
"Next winter is all about adding another couple of arms or plugging a hole where youth did not produce (left field? catcher? -heaven forbid!, 3B?). The winter after 2010 is about finding the last key piece or two to the puzzle for 2011 and beyond."
-Are you kidding me about adding a catcher when we have a guy like Weiters absolutely scorching the ball in the minor leauges? Why not try a little patience... It can't possibly hurt when this organization has tried to rush winning for years. Look to the Florida Marlins as a model. Their style of winning is honestly the only hope the Orioles have to be competitive. It's obvious Angelos isn't going to start spending the kind of money the Yankees and Red Sox do, so we have to rely on a youth movement, kind of like, well, the RAYS?