For O's, the new year begins amid similar concerns, questions

As the new year arrives, the Orioles have some of the old problems. The calendar may have changed, but it is the same offseason from one day to the next.

So today I wish everyone a happy new year along with a wish that in 2018 the discourse could always be nice and pleasant here. That is the wish anyway.

I also wish for a resolution soon of the situation with Manny Machado. Until the Orioles make a public statement saying otherwise, they certainly appear still open to dealing the third baseman. Since the odds they re-sign him are small, get the best package headed up by at least one talented starting pitcher and get on with it.

If the Yankees or Red Sox make the best offer, take it. Why not take some of the top young talent away from a direct competitor? Keeping Machado away from that duo for a year to me is not worth bypassing the best trade package.

Maybe Machado goes to New York or Boston and stays for 10 years and plays great. Maybe the player or players that come to Baltimore help the Orioles get back to consistently winning. Maybe they become stars on Baltimore's watch. Nothing wrong with taking a top prospect or two from those teams, in my opinion.

I wish we could see the 2018 Orioles close the gap with the top clubs in the American League East. That task seems daunting and there has been little action in that regard so far. But I am willing to give Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter more time to show us what they have in mind. They have earned that. They have won here. Call me crazy, but I don't discount the winning that began here in 2012 just because it didn't end with a World Series win. Or just because 2017 went poorly.

I wish the Orioles would pursue a long-term deal with second baseman Jonathan Schoop this calendar year. Whether they are reloading, rebuilding or some combination, he's a player worth keeping. And he will come at a more affordable price than Machado. So this is a different situation. Do it now.

As 2018 begins, the year ahead for the Orioles is filled with questions and uncertainty. None of us know exactly how this will play out and what next season will hold. But it promises to seldom be boring.