Are the fans who are questioning the Orioles right now correct?

Dan Duquette should have some built up some good will among Orioles fans. That is what two playoff appearances in three years and winning the American League East by 12 games with 96 wins should get you. Fans can question his moves, but his record in Baltimore is pretty good. Unless you prefer 14 straight losing seasons to playing for the AL pennant. It was Duquette, not Brian Cashman or Ben Cherington by the way, that took home Baseball America's Executive of the Year award at the Winter Meetings. But despite the wins and awards, some fans are getting restless already. I didn't need to return to the East Coast to notice that. Are those fans on to something or are they just impatient? Or something in between? Fans noticed this week that Duquette said the Orioles don't often go after high-profile free agents. He also said, "Can you believe some of the money these guys are getting for a couple outs?" He talked up Dariel Alvarez. He added not one, but two Rule 5 selections yesterday. We know the Orioles can't spend with the Yankees and Red Sox and we also know they have beaten those teams with less. But if the Orioles are counting on Rule 5 picks, minor league prospects and low-dollar free agents, can they repeat as AL East champions when others are throwing cash around left and right? Duquette is right about a couple of points he made this week. The Orioles do return most of their team from last year. They do return a strong pitching staff and excellent coaching staff. They are getting some injured players back, they do build their team year-round and not just during the Winter Meetings. Is Duquette saving some dollars now that will later be spent on long-terms deals for Chris Davis or Matt Wieters? Or an extension for a young player like Chris Tillman, Manny Machado or Kevin Gausman? It is hard to see a clear plan at this point, but the Orioles are still a good team despite losing Nick Markakis, Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller. But they did lose those players and the Orioles are shopping for replacements at Walmart right now, it appears, while New York and Boston are at Neiman Marcus. This doesn't seem to bother Duquette, but Buck Showalter did wonder if those clubs have run out of money yet. The Orioles are the top dog now in the AL East, but the other teams are gunning for them. Boston has made some nice additions. I see the Red Sox as a major threat right now and they may not be done. The Orioles have plenty of time to, as Duquette would say, "build their team." Duquette should have earned fan's confidence by now and he took home more award hardware from San Diego. But the Orioles got close to the World Series last year and shouldn't they be adding players to get them back next year? Are they not too close to be depending on low-dollar talent? The Orioles' payroll for 2015 will likely be higher than it was for their playoff teams in 2012 and 2014. With the help of Showalter and a clubhouse full of talented, high-character players, Duquette has proven he can win without spending big. If he does it again, more awards will be waiting. If he doesn't do it next year, will we look back 12 months from now and wonder why the Orioles got so close, but failed to do what it took to win it all. Steve on the radio: I was on 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore this morning talking about the Orioles and the Winter Meetings. Click here to listen to that interview.