Will the AL East flag fly north for the winter?

Over the next few days, we will be previewing the upcoming season for the five teams of the American League East, ending with the defending champion Baltimore Orioles.

Next up, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays

2014 Record: 83-79

3^rd in AL East

2014 Season Review:

Heartache. That is the only word that can be used to describe the feeling in Toronto over the past two seasons. After tearing the proverbial roof off of the offseason prior to the 2013 season, the Jays stumbled to an embarrassing last place finish with a stacked roster that should have made a World Series run. Last year, things seemed to finally fall into place after the team got off to a torrid start, including 20+ wins in the month of May. But that familiar feeling of disappointment returned as the team faded down the stretch. The front office inexplicably did nothing at last year’s trade deadline, despite splurging prior to 2013, and making some big moves again this offseason. Players were frustrated and an air of defeat seemed to consume the team as they faded drastically in August and September.

Disappointment has been the name of the game for Blue Jays
fans the past two seasons, as they continue to wait for the team's
first playoff berth in 22 years. (Photo credit: Globe & Mail)

Things were made even worse when the Kansas City Royals made their improbable World Series run, leaving Toronto as the only major league team without a playoff appearance in the Wild Card era.

The season was not without bright spots though. Jose Bautista was his usual dominant and reliable self; Edwin Encarnacion hit 34 homeruns despite missing a month with a quad injury; Mark Buehrle started the season 10-1;  and the season saw the emergence of young pitchers Marcus Strohman and Aaron Sanchez, who have the organization and its fans salivating for the future.

Key Losses

Brett Lawrie, 3B

Brett Lawrie was a paradox. The team and fans loved his pedal-to-the-metal fire, but it was that same fire that often rubbed people the wrong way and got him into trouble. Throw in the fact that he could not keep himself on the field and it was hard to figure out what the Jays had in him. He was surprisingly traded to Oakland this offseason for Josh Donaldson, in a deal that included prospects. Fans were initially upset by the news, but I think Lawrie’s replacement will leave them pleased in the long run.

Casey Janssen, RP

This one is tough to figure out, especially given that Janssen signed with the Nationals on a 1 year, $5M deal with an option for 2016. Janssen has been a rock at the back of a sometimes-shaky Jays pen for the last 4 seasons and the Nationals got him at a bargain. Why the Blue Jays wouldn’t match that offer doesn’t make much sense. His numbers climbed a bit last season but were still respectable, and from 2011-2013, never had an ERA above 2.56 or a WHIP higher than 1.10. Throw in their apparent lack of bullpen depth and they may be kicking themselves for letting Janssen leave.

Adam Lind, 1B

Lind improved on his strong 2013 season, posting a line of .321/.381/.479. Problem was he only played in 96 games due to injuries. With a $7.5M price tag for the coming season, the Blue Jays felt it not wise to gamble on a full healthy season from Lind and traded him to Milwaukee for pitcher Marco Estrada.

J.A. Happ, SP

Happ was traded to Seattle to acquire Michael Saunders. Happ was dependable, but mediocre in his time with Toronto. With the Jays current stable of starters, he likely won’t be missed.

Brandon Morrow, SP

Morrow signed a contract with the Padres in the offseason, ending a tumultuous career with the Jays that saw absolutely jaw-dropping performances frequently mixed with vomit-inducing performances and DL stints.

Key Additions

Russell Martin, C

Russell Martin brings lofty expectations
of a post-season return to Toronto.

Called by some the most influential signing of the offseason in all of baseball, I might be inclined to agree. There’s no question the Jays can bash with the big boys, but next to injuries, inconsistent pitching has dogged them the last few years. Martin is known for being able to get the most out of his pitchers, and with a relatively young staff, he should work the magic necessary to get the Jays over the hump this season. His .290/.402/.430 slash line from last year doesn’t hurt, and the power allies in Toronto should be kind to his doubles totals.

Josh Donaldson, 3B

Acquired from Oakland in the Brett Lawrie trade, Donaldson gives Toronto one of the best young third basemen in the game. He brings good defense, which will be tested on Rogers Centre’s turf, and a powerful bat that should shine in the Dome. This pickup signifies how serious the Jays are about putting the bad taste of the past two seasons out of their collective mouths.

Marco Estrada, SP

Estrada is likely only here to keep a rotation spot warm for Aaron Sanchez. He allowed an astounding 29 homers in 150 innings with Milwaukee last year, which can only mean one thing – fans in the bleachers at Rogers Centre better bring a helmet.

Justin Smoak

Smoak is a low-risk, high-reward guy who wasn’t realizing his potential in Seattle. He will see time at first base to spot Encarnacion and his switch-hitting ability will give John Gibbons some good late-game PH matchups. His power should see a resurgence in Toronto.

2015 Season Outlook

Living north of the border, I definitely feel some empathy for Blue Jays fans. The last two years, in addition to the long playoff drought, have produced a level of disappointment I’m all too familiar with in my life as an Orioles fan. After two straight seasons of “This is our year!” optimism, the Jays and their fans are banking the third time is a charm.

The Blue Jays swap of third basemen with the Athletics proves
that GM Alex Anthopoulos is done messing around. Will it put
the Jays over the top?     

On paper, that optimism is well-founded. In 2013, the Jays won the offseason, but many wondered how the big acquisitions would all mesh. They never found their footing, dealing with injuries and poor performances, and tumbled to the cellar. Last year they were primed and hungry, but injuries derailed them again. At one point in their mid-season slide, Bautista, Encarnacion, Lawrie and Lind were all on the DL at the same time. Throw in the Front Office’s inexplicable failure to make any moves at the deadline to help a team that was just 3 games out, and the ship sank fast and heavy.

So what’s different this season? Two words: Russell Martin. There are many reasons for optimism in the Great White North this season, and we’ll get into them, but Martin is the key. Dioner Navarro more than held his own last season, hitting over .300 and doing a decent job with the pitching staff. Martin, however, is known for having a Midas touch behind the plate. His pitch framing ability and work with young pitchers have been praised, which is music to the ears of a franchise expecting big things from young pitchers Stroman, Sanchez and Drew Hutchison. The club must decide what to do with Navarro, at $5M, but right now he has DH potential and would likely be the best backup catcher in baseball, giving the Jays no qualms about getting Martin some rest when necessary.

Lawrie will be missed, but Donaldson brings some thunder, having hit 20+ homers and 90+ RBI in the cavernous O.co Coliseum each of the last two seasons. His average tumbled a bit last year, but no doubt he’s salivating over the Rogers Centre. His 30+ doubles each of the last 2 seasons could push 50 in his new surroundings. Throw in his solid glove and improved emotional maturity over Lawrie, and the Jays should be greatly improved. Donaldson finished second to Mike Trout in total WAR for position players last season, and third behind Trout and Carlos Gomez in 2013.

The Jays have a few possibilities in their pitching rotation this season, but the top 4 are likely set in stone. R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle are locks and if they repeat their 2014 campaigns (3.71 and 3.39 ERAs respectively), the Blue Jays will more than take it. Stroman and Hutchison will be 3-4. Stroman was quite the find last season when he burst on the scene, posting an 11-6 record in 20 starts after moving to the rotation from the bullpen. Hutchison showed flashes of brilliance but was dogged by inconsistency and must find balance to succeed. With Happ being traded, Morrow leaving via FA and McGowan still on the market, Estrada will likely keep the #5 spot warm for Sanchez, though Sanchez could force the team’s hand with a lights-out spring.

With Janssen and McGowan gone, Brett Cecil and Sanchez likely lead the charge in the bullpen to start the season. Steve Delabar, and youngsters Kyle Drabek and Daniel Norris could see some action there, but this will be the team’s biggest question mark heading into spring training.

Second base is the only other glaring hole, which is why the Lawrie trade surprised many. The team traded up at 3B, no question, but they still have a glaring hole on the right side of the infield. For now, the job belongs to Ryan Goins or the returning Maicer Izturus, but another option may be needed as the season progresses. Justin Smoak was brought in to potentially help keep Encarnacion fresh at first base and Danny Valencia provides a solid match-up option at the corner infield spots and DH.

Manager John Gibbons will likely have to manage differently than in previous years, with so many potential young and moving parts, but it’s a good problem to have. The team MUST avoid injuries to compete. Whether it’s the Rogers Centre turf or poor conditioning within the organization, injuries have crippled the Jays the last few years, and at the worst possible times. Gibbons must find a way to keep players fresh while not compromising the team’s ability to compete. This team has potential and in my mind is the biggest threat to the Orioles quest to repeat as division champs.

My prediction: an 88-90 win season for the Jays, with Jays fans getting to witness October baseball north of the border for the first time in 22 years.

--Christopher Mills, cjmills82

American League East 2015 Preview: New York Yankees

This week, we will be previewing the upcoming season for the five teams of the American League East, ending with the defending champion Baltimore Orioles.

Leading off, the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees

2014 Record 84-78

2^nd in AL East

2014 Season Review:

For the second straight season the Yankees missed the playoffs. This coming after an offseason where they spent gobs of money on free agents that included the likes of Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka. They spent most of the year with a black hole at second base after letting Robinson Cano leave. And spent a good deal of time saying goodbye to retiring Derek Jeter.

Their big name free agent players produced mixed results, leading to a less then stellar offense. They finished the year 20^th in runs, 12^th in homers, 20^th in batting average, 23^rd in OBP, 17^th in SLG and 20^th in OPS in all of baseball. This lead to them adding players like Chase Headley and Martin Prado during the season via trades to try and beef up the offense. Add to this a laundry list of injuries to their pitching staff, such as, losing CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova for most of the year, seeing Michael Pineda make only 13 starts, and seeing their best pitcher in Tanaka (13-5 2.77 ERA) miss pretty much all of the second half. The 2014 season also marked the first in the post-Mariano Rivera era. David Robertson took over as closer and had a good season, but they were forced to make many moves to try to fill the pitching staff in, adding the likes of Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano. This led to a staff that finished 18^th in ERA. It wasn't enough for them to keep pace in the division or wild card races, though McCarthy did pitch rather well for them.

Key Losses

Derek Jeter, SS

While the captain had one of his worst seasons at the plate and in the field, the loss of his presence and leadership will be hard to replace. After Mariano Rivera retired, Jeter was the last of the core group of players that helped lead the Yankees to 5 World Series rings. It will be an odd sight to see the Yankees without #2 in the lineup.

David Robertson, RP

He took over for a legend as closer. He had a good year saving 39 games and a 3.08 ERA. But with Dellin Betances appearing poised to take over as closer, the Yankees let him leave for the White Soxs. He now has a year of closing experience under his belt, while the Yankees will enter a second straight season with a closer that has never held the job at the big league level.

Brandon McCarthy, SP

After a mid-season trade to help sure up their injury riddled rotation, McCarthy pitched to a 7-5 record with a 2.89 ERA. The Yankees seemed to want to keep him, but he left for Dodgers, at 4 years and $48 million.

Shane Greene, SP

He made 15 starts for the Yankees. He was decent. 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA. He was traded a three team deal that would bring the team Jeter's replacement.

Hiroki Kuroda, SP

For a team that had so much trouble fielding healthy pitchers they sure let a bunch go. Kuroda had his highest ERA since 2009. But he still was able to give the team innings, with 199. Kuroda decided to go back to Japan and pitch there this year.

Key Additions

Andrew Miller, RP

Miller had his best season. He was traded to the Orioles at the July 31^st trade deadline. He then was dominant for the Orioles the rest of the season and when he pitched in the playoffs. He is partnered with Betances to make what could be the best one-two punch at the end of games in all of baseball. Neither he or Betances have closed before. And it's not 100% clear who will be given the closer's role or if they will share it.

Chase Headley, 3B

Headley was acquired midseason in a trade. He came over and was a big help on defense and his bat was okay, but not great. He will never match his 2012 offensive production again, but the Yankees decided his plus defense was enough to give him a 4 year, $52 million contract.

Didi Gregorius, SS

Gregorius was the return in the three team trade that saw Shane Greene leave. Gregorius has a reputation as a plus defender, which should be a giant upgrade over Derek Jeter, though not many in New York are likely to say that out loud. The problem here is he is all glove and almost no bat. And he's replacing a legend.

Nathan Eovaldi, SP

Acquired in the Martin Prado trade, Eovaldi is an interesting young arm with some promise. He is coming off a season where he went 6-14 with a 4.37 ERA. But he was able to throw 199.2 innings. If nothing else he's a younger arm with some upside that should be able to give innings.

Alex Rodriguez, INF

LOL!!!!!!

2015 Season Outlook

The Yankees offseason saw them land one of the best free agents in Andrew Miller and bring back Chase Headley. While not adding to their rotation they seem to be counting on their injured pitchers coming back strong. They have added a better defensive player to replace Jeter but his bat won't help a team that was in the bottom half of the league in most offensive categories. They also have lost Jeter's leadership.

Then there is the rotation. CC is coming off a serious injury and may be in full decline. After a 4.78 ERA in 2013, he pitched to a 5.28 ERA last season, though only in 8 starts. Tanaka was great the first half. But after his injury he only made one start and there is the still looming possibility that he will need to have Tommy John surgery and be lost for the entire year. Ivan Nova is coming off of Tommy John himself and won't be ready at the start of the year but should be ready to go at some point in the first few months. Michael Pineda pitched well in 13 starts he made in 2014, posting an ERA of 1.89. He may be the teams best and most healthy starter for the upcoming season. This is a rotation that is counting on the returns of several pitchers from injury and banking on Tanaka not needing TJ. Pineda and Tanaka could be a formidable top two. But the rest of the rotation is shaky at best.

Miller and Betances might be the best one-two punch at the end of games in all of baseball. But can either of them close? And will they be able to get to either of them with a lead? The rest of the pen is a bit of a question. David Carpenter comes over from Atlanta and looks to be one of the set up men. He had an excellent 2013 but took a step back in 2014, allowing 9 hits per 9 innings pitched and seeing his ERA jump from 1.78 to 3.54. Adam Warren had a 2.97 ERA overall, but it climbed to 3.26 in the second half. They also have signed Andrew Bailey to a minor league deal, hoping he can stay healthy and show some of what made him a Rookie of the Year winner in 2009.

For a team who's offense was in the bottom half of the league in most categories they did nothing to improve it. The hope here must be that players like Brian McCann, who had the worst year of his career in OBP and OPS, and Carlos Beltran can return more to what they have done in the past. Didi Gregorius replaces Derek Jeter, and while he can't be much worse than Jeter was last year at the plate, he isn't exactly a giant upgrade. Also there is the oh so fun circus of Alex Rodriguez coming back from a year long suspension. Where does he play? Can he even field? Is there anything left in his bat? He will more than likely spend time at DH, a spot they must use to rotate several of the older players through.

Defensively they should be an improved club, espically the left side of the infield. Headley and Gregorius will be much better than what they had last season. Gardner and Ellsbury well have left and center field covered well.

So has this team improved? Defensively they have upgraded. The back end of their pen could be nasty. Their offense is counting on players coming back from down years and otherwise has done little to improve. The rotation is banking on injured stars coming back and being effective. There are a lot of if's with this approach. I see them as a team still in the 80-85 win range. A team that will still miss the playoffs.

Matthew Baggette @mlb930

Baffled in Baltimore: The Dan Duquette Saga

It started before the Winter Meetings and now keeps coming back up over and over again, like a dish of bad Mexican food. In early December it was announced that the Blue Jays wanted Dan Duquette to be their new team president – despite Duquette being under contract with the Orioles. It’s not uncommon for teams to make a request for an interview, but somehow this became public quickly and threatened to derail the Orioles offseason. To date, Peter Angelos has been the only one sticking to a concrete stance – Duquette is under contract and isn’t going anywhere. Duquette has done nothing to calm things or throw water on the fire, suggesting he may be trying to force his way out of a team he has led to two playoff appearances in the past 3 years, most recently a 96-win season that saw the Birds finish at the top of the AL East. So what are we to make of all this?

Let’s take a look at the key participants in this debacle and the role they’ve played.

Peter Angelos

For once O's fans can't blame ol' Pete
for Orioles' front office turmoil.

The consummate bad guy. Easy to hate and blame for anything and everything that goes wrong with this team. So far, he has dug in his heels and refused to let Duquette leave his post as Orioles General Manager – and shockingly has drawn criticism for it. Regardless of your views on ol’ Pete, he’s not in the wrong here. Yes, it is common practice for teams to allow their executives to leave for positions with other clubs that would be deemed a promotion, but it’s not a rule. Angelos is not the first owner

to deny his employee the ability to leave his contract, and he won’t be the least. Angelos isn’t even the only GM in this very case to deny his employee: Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox forbade Kenny Williams from interviewing with Toronto for the same position, but no one is on his case.

Duquette did amazing things his first two years as Orioles GM and was rewarded by Angelos for his with a 4-year extension, so it’s understandable he’s not rushing to let Duquette out of that same contract a year later. And I’m sure the fact that things became so public has not helped soften him on the idea.

Dan Duquette

Duquette’s behaviour in all this has been curious. He’s said nothing to quell the rumours and put out the fires, which would suggest he’s okay letting this circus play out so he can leave town. It’s possible Duquette has been working with the Blue Jays to try and force Angelos’s hand, but there’s nothing to prove that. At very least though, he’s allowing that perception to be created; a perception that he is trying to force his way out of town and undermine his current employer in the process. His reputation is taking a huge hit and he doesn’t seem to care. I understand his style of keeping information close to the vest, but this is one instance where he should have spoken up.

Duquette is still with the Orioles in body. Is his heart here too?

I’m incredibly disappointed in Duquette’s handling of this situation. I totally understand wanting a promotion, but it’s not a given (or a rule) that employers have to oblige. So if Angelos says no, you leave it at that and do your job. But it’s become very clear this debacle has affected the Orioles offseason

as they’ve let some prime outfield options waltz off the market at very reasonable terms and prices. All Dan had to say was that he’d expressed interest in the position, but now his focus was 100% with the Orioles and building for 2015. But he could not even do that with any kind of authority.

MLB

Many rumours have circulated that the Blue Jays were working with MLB to get this deal done. While I don’t doubt MLB wants to see it happen because it’s a promotion for Duquette, Jon Morosi reported today that MLB views this as an issue between clubs and is unlikely to get involved. Nor should they.

Toronto Blue Jays

In my mind, Rogers Communications, the owners of the Toronto Blue Jays, are the real culprits here. They began trying to poach other team’s executives (yes, I use the word poach because that’s what it amounts to) a week before the winter meetings. Kenny Williams and Dan Duquette were apparently approached by the Blue Jays, who leaked this information to the media to put pressure on Reinsdorf and Angelos. For some reason Reinsdorf has slid off into the background but Angelos still remains on the fire, but I digress. And not to mention all of this occurred without the knowledge of Paul Beeston. Who’s Paul Beeston, you may ask? That would be the Blue Jays president, signed through 2015. Yes, that’s right – Rogers tried to fill a position that was already filled, without informing the man who was currently filling it.

I’m sure there are many facts we don’t have in all this, but from what we do know so far, the Blue Jays have been very unethical in all this and may even be guilty of tampering. They approached GMs employed by other teams and leaked it to the media to put pressure on those GMs’ respective owners. Then when that didn’t work, they went to MLB like a kid tattling on a playground, hoping the teacher will take their side against the mean, unfair bully who, in actuality, is not the bully at all. The Blue Jays are the bullies here.

Solution

I don’t see any way to repair this situation and I think Angelos knows that as well. Even if Duquette came out now with a strong pro-Oriole statement, no one would buy it. The Blue Jays have gotten the result they were after all along, which was to create tension and havoc to the point where they’d ultimately have to be given their way.

If I’m Angelos, I’m putting an offer on the table for the Blue Jays that heavily rewards the Orioles. “I will let you have Duquette for XX – take it or leave it.” Make it public and put it in Toronto’s court. Then take what you get, send DD packing and get a replacement in pronto to start taking care of business in preparation for the upcoming season.

According to recent articles in the Baltimore Sun, there are some solid (though not spectacular) candidates lined up, including Omar Minaya, Ned Colletti and Kevin Towers. It’s also possible that Buck Showalter and Brady Anderson would jointly fill the role. Either way, it’s important for Angelos to step up and alleviate this uncomfortable situation and return some stability to the front office as soon as possible. It’s not his fault this situation is where it is, but he has the power to end it quickly for the sake of his franchise and its fans, and possible earn himself some goodwill in the process.

Send Duquette to Toronto and let him have a front row seat as the monster he created in Baltimore destroys his new team and continues to reap their recent success.

The Orioles will be just fine, everyone. Just fine.

--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82

Not that worried

 

This offseason has not been fun. I am right there with all of the other frustrated Orioles fans. After a 96 win, AL East winning, ALCS reaching season, to watch in the span of one week, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis ( the most painful of all for me, I can't lie I shed tears when the news broke Nick was a Brave) and Andrew Miller leave via free agency, has been nothing but painful. Add to that seeing other teams in the division make moves and watching all the outfield options vanish one by one, and it has not been a joy at all.

Even with all this bad news, I still feel good about the 2015 season. No, I really do. I am not insane...well not completely insane. There are a lot of reasons to feel good about the Orioles in 2015. Even though the rest of the division has been busy making moves, I am not all that worried about the rest of the division. And, well, here's why.

New York Yankees

The Yanks got Andrew Miller. We as Orioles fans know just how good Miller can be, getting to see it the last two months of the season and in the playoffs. Miller and Bentances should make for quite the one two punch at the back end of their pen. But neither one of them have ever closed. So while I'm not saying neither won't be able to get the job done, it is still at least a question mark heading into the season. And hey, it's great to have lock down guys at the end of the game, but will they be able to get to either of them with a lead? They lost several starting pitchers, including Brandon McCarthy via free agency and others through trades. CC is coming off an injury, Tanaka could end up needing TJ still, and the list goes on. Their rotation is nothing to get excited about in my opinion. 

Then look at their infield. Desperately re-signing Stephen Drew because they had no second basemen. Injury concerns at first and catcher. Didi Gregorius gets the task of trying to replace Derek Jeter ( wait....wait...you mean to tell me that even though the mighty Derek Jeter retired there is still going to be a baseball season!!?? ) with his all glove and no bat. Also they have the fun circus that is Alex Rodriguez coming back. Color me not worried about them.

Toronto Blue Jays

Russell Martin is a good add. No doubt about it. Solid hitter, real good defense. Donaldson instead of Lawrie should be a plus. But at the moment they still have no second basemen, no closer and some holes in their pen. Stroman is a really good looking young pitcher, but after that I am not overly impressed with the rotation. The could have a vary good offense. But right now I still don't think they have enough pitching to win the division.

Tampa Bay Rays

They have lost their GM, their manager and then traded away almost every player who's name you know . They still have Longo and...well, that's about it. And they do still have darn good starting pitching. Their pen is a question. And again (how is this different from any other year?) they are all pitching and no offense. They seem to be in a transition phase. Their pitching could still make them annoying. But I don't think they are threat to make the playoffs.

Boston Red Sox

Maybe the most active of the teams in the division. They added two big bats, even though Sandoval's numbers have gone down each of the past few seasons, and Hanley Ramirez, who is a tremendous hitter, has had a problem staying on the field. They are moving him to the outfield, somewhere he has never played. Does that mean he can't do it? Of course not, but it is at least a question mark to start the year. They could have a fantastic offense, but then there is this other part of the game everyone that is in a panic over the moves they have made seems to forget: It's called pitching. They have made some moves, adding Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, and Justin Masterson, but I'm not sold. Porcello is a good addition, but I wouldn't call him an ace. Miley has had a couple solid years, but again doesn't really scare me. The Soxs have probably fixed their offense, but to me what their rotation appears to be right now is not impressive at all.

Now for the Orioles. Why should you actually not be too worried about the team? Well even though I will miss Nick Markakis, Alejandro De Aza could replace his production. Admittedly I am not the most thrilled person about the idea of Steve Pearce as the other starting corner outfielder. I feel his best role is playing 3-5 times a week and moving around between first base, the outfield and DH. But maybe I am wrong and he will be as productive, if not more so than he was this past season.

The Orioles also have three key players coming back from injuries or down seasons in Matt Wieters, Manny Machado and Chris Davis. I'm sure most people roll their eyes when they see this come up again, but really, I mean really a healthy Wieters and Machado and even a 2012 version of Chris Davis would be giant pluses for this team.

Manny Machado got off to a slow start in 2014. May and June were not great. But look at what he did in July and August. In July he hit .333/.356/.565. And in August .378/.429/.511. In just 327 ab's he hit 12 home runs. In 2013 he hit 14 in 667. Manny could easily be a 30 home run hitter this season. That will certainly ease some of the pain of losing Cruz and his 40 homers.

Matt Wieters changed his batting stance in 2014. And it worked wonderfully. He was off to by far his best season with the bat. The biggest change was noticed with Wieters hitting left handed. His numbers had always been less than stellar from the left side. Though he did seem to have better power left handed, 58 homers left handed and 34 right handed. Granted he gets more ab's from the left side since there are less left handed pitchers. But in 2013 Wieters hit .214/.270/.358 from the left side. After the change to his stance Wieters was hitting .325/.367/.482 left handed. That is one heck of a jump. If this change to his stance allows him to keep hitting like this left handed his bat will help make up for the players the Orioles have lost.

Chris Davis had one heck of a disaster of a season in 2014. The batting average under .200. The suspension for something he had approval to take before and now has approval to take again ( anyone else confused by all of this? I know I am ) . There is just no way he could be as bad as this past season. Davis was approved by MLB for Adderall use this season (the drug he was suspended for using last season - go figure) and new hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh has expressed confidence in a renewed Chris Davis this season. Also both he and Matt Wieters are in walk years, and will be looking to get paid big time.

Something else to think about: JJ Hardy had a back issue last year that may have lead to his down year, power-wise. If his back issues are gone we could see the return of the 20-30 homer JJ. As well there is the hope that Jonathan Schoop improves at the plate. He hit 16 homers as a rookie, but his BA was not great and at times he appeared to be swinging for the moon. If he can become a bit more selective and maybe just try and make contact instead of trying to kill the ball all the time he could have a good season and easily hit over 20 homers.

One theory as to why the Orioles have not gone after any of the free agent outfielders is that Dariel Alvarez may be on the verge of joining the big league club. He hit .309/.332/.487 with 14 homers in 359 AB's in double A last year. I don't think he will make the team out of spring training, but he is someone to keep an eye out for and he could make a big impact in 2015.

Then there is the pitching. The Orioles pitching, especially from June on, was a giant strength of the team. They have all 6 of their potential starters back. Gausman now has pretty much a full season in the bigs under his belt. He could be poised to take a big step and become the ever elusive “ace” of the staff. Also there is the bull pen. Yes they lost Andrew Miller, and yes he was fantastic in his short time in Baltimore. But everyone seems to forget this, the Orioles pen was really really good before the trade for Miller. It sucks to lose him. He was great, but this pen should be fine without him.

So yeah this offseason has been not so much fun. And it isn't over yet. So who knows. But even if nothing else is done, I still think this is a team that can win this division.

Matt Baggette @mlb930

A bittersweet farewell...

It’s the end of an era in Baltimore. The O’s bade farewell to their longest tenured player, as Nick Markakis signed a four-year, $44M contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Truthfully, I’m not surprised. After the Braves traded Jason Heyward, they needed a leadoff hitter and a RF. Markakis, a Georgia boy, made perfect sense for them.

While I’m not surprised, I am disappointed. If there was one guy on the Orioles – and maybe in all of baseball – that I thought could be a career-guy with one team, it was Nick.

The Orioles said farewell to their longest tenured player, as
Nick Markakis signed a 4 year/$44M deal with the Braves.

To me, Nick Markakis was (and still is) the perfect role model. A gritty player who works hard, keeps his mouth shut and performs consistently on the field. You always knew what you were going to get and he set a great example for his teammates and young fans alike. I think his presence in Baltimore will be greatly missed – not just on the field, but in the clubhouse and the community.

With that being said, I wholly trust Dan Duquette. He’s earned that much over the last 3 seasons from Orioles fans. I’m sure there will be overreactions, people wanting to burn DD and Angelos in effigy, but let’s allow things to play out. I’m far more concerned with how the team looks in March than in December. Dan signed Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez last season after many had already declared the off-season (and regular season for that matter) over in Baltimore.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of what this means for the Orioles going forward:

Pros

1.      While I don’t necessarily agree with it, the sense is the O’s were nervous about giving Nick a 4^th year (his age 35 season) due to concerns over an issue with his neck. While Nick doesn’t have a skill set that should decline by then, he also isn’t a guy who tears the cover off the ball and it was suspected that his neck troubles cost him his power the last few seasons, despite his durability. This stings more so because of who Nick is and what he means to Baltimore – as a player, he’s replaceable. Sorry folks, but it’s the truth.

2.       A spot is now open. I’m guessing Dan has a deal on the burner that we don’t know about, that will allow all of this to come into focus. Whether it’s a trade for a Dodgers OF, signing Melky Cabrera, or something else, I trust DD to fill the gap.

3.       It frees up a spot for a young player to get some work with the team. I don’t know how high the organization is on the likes of Daniel Alvarez and Mike Yastrzemski, but this should provide some opportunities for them in the next season or two, if they show they can get it done.

Cons

1.       A huge hole in the locker room, in RF and in the community. Markakis was a soft-spoken, but great leader, and did a lot of charitable work in Baltimore. That is why this hurts for O’s fans right now – and it should. It will take some time to heal from this, regardless of who Dan slots into RF next season.

2.       Who’s up? It’s great if DD does have something on the go, but after letting Cruz walk (and justifiably so), he better come through or we’re looking at the likes of Alejandro De Aza and David Lough in the corner OF spots come next season. That is not the least bit inspiring.

3.       The O’s front office already has a dicey reputation with the fans and this won’t help. A front office should never make decisions just to win favour with the fans, but they also need to be in tune with how upset this is going to make fans (and I’m sure other Orioles players). While I don’t blame them for this situation, I think many will – so they are going to have to do a little damage control.

The biggest thing I want to preach right now, if I may, is patience. I know people will be sad, disappointed and frustrated, and I understand that. But let’s add rational to the list. From a baseball sense, this move has some logic to it and is not going to kill the Orioles chances of competing. I’ve already heard people turn on Markakis and talk about burning his merchandise, and I’ve heard people blast the front office. Most likely it’s somewhere in the middle. I’m sure the front office could have pushed harder, but Nick could have as well. Many get the sense Nick wanted to play closer to home, and I’m fine with that. I feel like in the end, this was a mutual split and there’s no reason to hate either side for it.

I will miss Nick in Baltimore, but the Orioles will be just fine. After all, the Cardinals have managed okay without that Pujols guy.

--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82

My Frist Trip to Camden

This is a story about my first trip to the wonderfulness that is Oriole Park at Camden Yards. As a kid growing up in Northern Virginia, Camden Yards seemed like a dream. While not ridiculously far away, it still seemed to be in a different world.

We went to a lot of minor league games when I was a kid. They were close and much, much cheaper. And hey, I had lots of fun. I got to see Jerry Hairston and Brian Roberts come into town to play. I even got to see Pete Rose Jr. play for my local Prince William Cannons ( now Potomac Nationals ).

We had some family friends from playing little league who went to Orioles games on a semi regular basis. On this one trip in 1998 they had an extra ticket and asked me to go. I was beyond excited. My first trip to a major league park. This was also going to be the 2,500^th consecutive game of Cal Ripken's streak. As Cal is my favorite player I was even more excited.

So I got myself ready. I packed up a glove. I grabbed a stack of cards to try and get autographed. I tried to bring at least one card of every player on the team, as I had a card for just about every player on the roster. We got in the car and headed towards Baltimore.

It was a day game on a Saturday. We left early in the morning. I enjoyed the trip up. We got to the ballpark a few hours before game time and parked in lot F (now I always go for lot F, G or H). As we walked up to the park, the size of the warehouse was the first thing I noticed. It was even bigger than I thought it would be. Gates were not open yet so we walked around a bit. We went over to the players parking lot and noticed a player arriving. I became hopeful of getting an autograph. 

The player that had arrived was Terry Matthews. Not a player I was super fond of; one I had dubbed Terry “Big Butt” Matthews. But nevertheless, other people were asking him for autographs so we went up. I didn't have a card of his but had a peace of paper and asked him for an autograph. Mr. Matthews was vary polite and gladly gave me his autograph. It was pretty cool, even if it was a player I didn't really care for.

We got in line a short while later. I was not aware but this day was a give away as well. Once the gates opened we walked in and were given a baseball with the entire teams autographs, albeit facsimiles, but still a cool thing that own to this day.

I was trying to take it all in, looking at the plaques on Eutaw Street. We then headed to the left field bleachers to watch batting practice. As someone that had never been to a major league park at this point and had only been to Single A ball games, I couldn't believe how green the grass was; it immediately jumped out at me. The field seemed so large. The dirt was browner. The air somehow smelled fresher. Watching batting practice was fun. I watched as Mike Mussina shagged fly balls. Running all over the place. Making a leaping catch at the wall and throwing the ball to another fan. It was so cool. I was already in love with the park and the game hadn't even started.

We went to get food. Hot dog on this trip. Found our seats on the first base side, down the line. Sat down and just tried to look at everything. The scoreboard, home plate, the bases. Everything. As the game was getting ready to start I noticed that Cal Ripken was signing down by the first base line. I ran down. It was almost time for the national anthem to start. I knew there wouldn't be much time to waste if I was gonna get Cal to sign something. I got down and got in line. Someone had some sort of large poster and Cal was signing it. This guy had Cal sign it in more than one spot. As I waited rather impatiently the national anthem was getting ready to start. Cal finished with this one person and then ran off. Denied a Cal autograph. So back to our seats I went.

I was not aware of the “O” during the national anthem. And it was a little jarring. But I thought it was a super cool thing. The game started. The Orioles were playing the Angels. I don't actually remember much from the game other than there was a ball hit to the outfield with two outs, I think, could be wrong, that it was Ricky Henderson that got the hit. Next thing we know the Orioles are walking off the field after the ball was thrown back in. We were all confused. It wasn't until the next day that I read in the paper (yes, the paper, anyone remember the paper??) that the Orioles had pulled off a hidden ball trick and got the runner out at first to end the inning. Pretty cool.

The real awesomeness came after the game. We again went to the players parking lot. Waiting for a chance at some autographs. The first player I remember coming out was Sidney Ponson. No one said a word to him. Not one person asked him for an autograph. A few other players trickled out but none were signing. Finally Joe Carter came out. And Joe went right to signing. I went through my cards I had brought and found the Joe Carter card I had. I got “in line”. Which was basically being pushed up against the fence of the players parking lot by all the other people trying to get something signed.

After a little bit Joe made his way towards my card. He grabbed it and signed it. I thanked him for it and made my way back out. I was super happy to get Joe Carter to sign my card. I thought it was gonna be the highlight of the day as most people were saying Cal didn't come to the lot. Lenny Webster came out next. I had a Webby rookie card with me and was a fan of the backup catcher. I was next in line with not that many people when the person in front of me dropped their ball. He asked Webby to try to get the ball back for him. Webby got down on the ground as the ball had rolled under a car. He tried but couldn't get the ball. After he was done with that he was done signing. Denied a Webby autograph that would be worth an entire 5 cents today!! Thanks to that fan for dropping his ball.

Joe Carter signed for basically everyone that was there. He was so nice and talked to anyone that wanted to. As he was signing and signing Roberto Alomar came out. And much to my joy Robbie deiced to sign too. Maybe to help Joe out as it seemed he was never gonna go home. I quickly got my Robbie card out. Again in line, mashed up on the fence. He must have passed over my card 3 or 4 times when I was the next in line. I don't know if he didn't like the card or what. But eventually he did grab it and sign it. This was just the coolest. Roberto was one of my favorite players. Right behind, Cal was there with Mussina. This was turning out to be quite the day.

A bit later Rafael Palmeiro came out. Rafy was another player I loved. I had brought with me one of my favorite cards I owned of his. His rookie card from when he was a Cub. I got ready to get in line again. This was apparently the person people were waiting for as more people were up to get something signed by Raffy then any of the other players. I was more smashed into the fence than I was for Joe Carter or Alomar. It was a long wait but eventually Raffy got to me and signed my rookie card.

I couldn't believe it. I had gotten two of my favorite players to sign a card. I was on cloud 9 to be sure. We left a bit later and headed home. On the ride home I used our friends' car phone to call my mom and let her know how the day was and that I had gotten Raffy to sign something as Raffy was her favorite guy. She couldn't believe I had gotten the autographs and was happy for me.

I thought this is how it would be every game. Getting autographs upon autographs. It's never happened like that again. I still have all three cards. The Alomar one is one of my most cherished peaces of baseball memorabilia. I thought the Raffy one would be worth a lot one day. Then he got caught using steroids and broke my heart. It was great day I will not forget. I have been to Camden Yards too many times to count in the years since. I have been in the park for some awesome moments. There isn't a much better place on this Earth to me then a full Camden Yards rocking as the O's are winning. But that first time will always hold a special place in my heart.

Matt Baggette @mlb930

All Hail St. Peter

It’s late December 2013. It’s announced that the Orioles are close to signing Grant Balfour to a 2 year/$15M contract to replace departed closer Jim Johnson. O’s fans get giddy with excitement, anticipating another piece of the puzzle falling into place. But then…

Rumours begin to trickle out that Balfour has failed his physical. The rumours turn out to be true and several days later Orioles GM Dan Duquette announces a deal will not be happening. A large group of Orioles fans rage and media personnel start firing their shots, first blaming Duquette, then, deciding Dan is just a puppet, they move on to Satan himself – owner Peter Angelos. I heard it all that week.

“THE ORIOLES DON’T CARE ABOUT WINNING!”

“THE ORIOLES WILL NEVER WIN AS LONG AS ANGELOS OWNS THE TEAM!”

“ANGELOS IS CHEAP! HE WILL NEVER SPEND WHAT IT TAKES FOR THIS TEAM TO CONTEND!”

Those are some of the more tame quotes, but you get the idea.

Fast forward ten months. The Orioles are on the cusp of their first World Series berth in 31 years. As they prepare to face the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, a surprising announcement comes through that the Orioles have extended short stop J.J. Hardy – 3 years/$40M, with a vesting option for a fourth year.

Owner of the Orioles for 21 years, Peter Angelos has taken a
lot of flack from fans and media. With the team's recent turn
around, it's time to finally give him the credit he deserves.

Now before we go any further, I want to make a few things clear. I am not an Angelos apologist. I do not think Angelos is a great owner (nor do I think he’s the devil incarnate). And I do not solely blame Angelos for all the years of losing in Baltimore. Poor decisions by GMs, terrible drafting and weak on-field managing contributed greatly. But now, here we are – Angelos still owns the team and yet they just completed a third winning season, making the playoffs for the second time in three years. And money is being spent.

Truth be told, I have no idea where the “Angelos is cheap!” rumours started. Maybe it was his refusal to pay Mike Mussina back in 2001 (definitely a black mark against him). Maybe it was all the years of losing. But if you look back, you will see that Peter Angelos has always spent money when it made sense to do so.

I understand that people wanted players like Vlad Guerrero (the first time), Mark Teixeira or AJ Burnett (also the first time), but they didn’t make sense at the time. As fans, it’s easy to spend money that is not ours, but spending $50M+ to go from a 68-win team to a 72-win team just isn't logical.

The Orioles were among the highest payrolls in baseball in the late 90s. They were second to the Yankees from 1995-97, first in 1998 and fifth in 1999. They made back to back ALCS appearances in ’96 and ’97 and likely would have returned to the playoffs in 1998 were it not for a slew of injuries. Then the wheels fell off.  For years it didn’t make sense to spend big money, but even then, Angelos decided to take a shot when he felt the O’s were close enough, committing over $125M to Miguel Tejada (a season removed from an MVP award), Javy Lopez, Sidney Ponson and Rafael Palmeiro before the 2004 season.

He signed Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Adam Jones to long, wealthy extensions during the lean years.

This offseason, he gave the okay on a $52M deal for Ubaldo Jimenez (which admittedly hasn’t worked out so far) and $8M for Nelson Cruz – the biggest bargain in all of major league baseball this season.

That’s a lot of money spent over the years by a “cheap” owner. And dare we get into the deals that weren’t made?

Over the years, Angelos and the organization have drawn criticism for not signing the likes of Teixeira (how’s that working out for the Yanks the last couple season?), Carlos Delgado, Ivan Rodriguez, Prince Fielder, Burnett, Jayson Werth, Zack Greinke and this past offseason alone, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Bronson Arroyo, Burnett again, Jim Johnson and, of course, Grant Balfour.

Some of those players performed well on short deals, but most were either way too expensive or did not even come close to living up to their deals. Looking at the deals players from this past off-season received and how they performed, I’d say ol’ Pete is coming up roses. Ellsbury is the only guy who might eventually come close to being worth what he was given. None of the remaining players even finished the season, either due to injury or ineffectiveness.

I understand the emotions that come with being a fan, but restraint is needed. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed when the Balfour deal fell through, but the World Series is not won in November. As fans we need to be willing to let the process play out and see what the outcome is. As it turns out, Grant Balfour will have a comfy seat in front of his TV to potentially watch the Orioles play in the World Series.

I will say again, I am not a Peter Angelos apologist. I think he has some serious shortcomings as an owner, most notably the way he interacts (or doesn’t interact) with the fan base to create a more positive image for himself and more trust between his organization and the city that supports it. But there are far more brutal owners across baseball (and all pro sports) – owners who truly don’t care about winning, who pinch pennies because all their care about is squeezing every last bit of profit out of their teams, and who totally disregard their fans.

No matter how you feel about Angelos, he doesn’t fall into any of those three categories.

Over the last few years, I’ve heard so many people get credit for the winning seasons here in Baltimore – the players, Andy MacPhail, Buck Showalter, Dan Duquette, and so on, all very much deserved. But there’s one person missing from that list and after all the abuse and hatred he’s endured over the years, it’s high time he finally gets credit where it’s due.

As Orioles fans, it’s time we collectively tipped our cap to the man at the top - Peter Angelos.

--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82