The fans get stirred up, but MacPhail not ready yet to spend big

It should come as no shock to any O's fan by now, that barring something very unlikely, the Orioles are just not going to be offering any megabucks contracts this winter in free agency. Could that change? I guess so, but it sure doesn't seem to be the case. While some fans seem to think the reason for that could be owner Peter Angelos, last night's interview session with Andy MacPhail was another indicator that the O's president just doesn't think the time is now to throw big money around. "There comes a time when you do (spend big), but I think it's the guy that will get you over the hump in a meaningful way, not get you over .500. But over the hump in what you would project is potentially postseason," MacPhail said. The clear meaning is the O's are surely not one player away and now is not the time to spend the big bucks. We know the O's had offers out to Victor Martinez for four years at $48 million and Adam Dunn at four years and $40 million. Apparently the O's were ready to go past 40 for Dunn, but were not going to offer him more than they offered Martinez, sources said. When Chicago offered Dunn $56 million, that blew the O's offer out of the water. I wonder if there are any fans out there that agree with MacPhail, that now is not the time for a huge deal? The fans seem so fed up that right now they just want an O's signing, the bigger the better. They don't seem to care if MacPhail feels that he should hold off on the big deal or not. They want action. Many would love to have seen the O's sign Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal worth $126 million. There are some in baseball circles rather surprised at that contract and wondering if the Nats didn't make a very unwise deal. When asked about offering a big deal, MacPhail said "those out years, they do arrive." Meaning the seasons left on a big contract when the player's talents have diminished while his age is adding up. But isn't that the definition of overspend? How else does a club with 13 straight losing seasons get a front-line player? This is where the O's are right now. MacPhail is saying now is the not the time to spend big, while the fans keep saying, "if not now, when." The fans are putting pressure on the key decision maker. For now, he is not making a move to appease them, seeming to feel it would be the wrong move to make while the club is still trying to rebuild. The fans are frustrated and ornery, but the team president feels the time is not right.