Trembley talks Winter Meetings
The Orioles have made their needs pretty clear for this offseason. Now the time to make acquisitions is near with the Winter Meetings starting Monday.
O's skipper Dave Trembley expects the Birds to be active in Indianapolis and on into the offseason.
"I think the Orioles will be aggressive. But I also think some decisions throughout baseball may go further into the offseason than they have in the past, simply because of the economic situation and [because] the non-tender dates are later in December.
"I would expect us to be meeting with a lot of different clubs and doing what we can to make the team better. Andy has gone on record as saying that's the intent of going to the meetings."
While Andy MacPhail is the point man for the Orioles at those meetings, Trembley said he expects to have an active role as well next week.
"Andy does a great job of getting your input and communicating what he's thinking. He does his homework before he gets there and we pretty much know what our needs are. We've set our targets on who the people we might like in possible trades.
"He makes you feel involved, he asks your input and you sit in on the meetings. Before he makes a final decision, he'll ask me what I think and where this guy may fit in.
"A lot goes into it. You look at video, pull up stats and get reports. Five or six of his top scouting people are there for input and he's on the phone calling other people. He includes me in the meetings when we meet with other clubs.
"If someone has a question on a player, he wants me to give my opinion and he lets me ask about the things we think are important like player makeup, work habits and how this guy could fit in. You spend a lot of time in that room meeting with clubs.
"The one thing I don't do is get involved with the agents and contracts. I don't want to know and that is best handled by Andy."
On another note, John Manuel of Baseball America rated MLB's top farm systems for SI.com. The O's rank anywhere from 6th to 15th as he listed those clubs in alphabetical order. Click here to read that story.
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Categories (click for archive)Orioles News | Steve Melewski |
oops...i assumed they were 9th...hopefully they are higher
They are ranked 9th
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OK, but Manuel says he is listing teams 6 thru 15 in alphabetical order....Steve
In case anyone is interested or can't afford the printed subscription to Baseball America (like me)...
The list is on the SI website:
Best of the rest (6-15 range)
Braves: Depth took a hit in '09, but outfielder Jason Heyward lifts system himself.
Brewers: Alcides Escobar (still barely eligible), '09 draft pitchers keep Milwaukee strong.
Marlins: Still thin on arms, but Florida's bats, led by OF Mike Stanton, still impress.
Orioles: If Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder are legit corner IF bats, O's could be interesting.
Pirates: Impressive depth behind top prospects Pedro Alvarez, Tony Sanchez.
Red Sox: System is very young, but SS/RHP Casey Kelly, OF Ryan Westmoreland could be special.
Rockies: Four impact pitching prospects, led by '09 first-rounder Tyler Matzek.
Royals: Excellent top-level pitching supplemented by strong '09 draft class.
Twins: Solid upper-level hitters aided by influx of draft and international talent in '08.
Yankees: Slugging catcher Jesus Montero ranks among minors' best hitters.
FULL STORY AT:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/01/farm.systems/index.html
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You did some unnecessary work there, Cents. I already linked this at the bottom of this story, don't know how you missed it. Now it's here two or three times.
Steve