Friday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles aren’t getting better

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

You’ve got to give the Orioles credit: they have a plan, and they’re sticking to it, for better or for worse. They won’t let their rebuilding effort be sidetracked by veteran signings or trade acquisitions that might marginally improve the club’s record in 2020. They’re building for sustained success several years down the road, no matter how awful the present-day version of the club might be.

That makes them a bit of an outlier among 2019’s losing teams, many of whom have taken steps — some modest, some dramatic — to improve their rosters for 2020. Take the White Sox, who were 72-89 this past season and have had seven straight losing years. They’ve been among this winter’s most active teams, most recently signing veteran DH Edwin Encarnacion to complement their previous acquisitions of Dallas Keuchel, Yasmani Grandal, Gio Gonzalez, and Nomar Mazara.

Or how about the Rangers? After a 78-84 season, they’re going for broke, restocking their rotation with Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson, and Jordan Lyles. The Angels (72-90) just shelled out $245 million over seven years for Anthony Rendon. The Orioles’ fellow AL East also-rans, the Blue Jays (67-95), inked ace Hyun-Jin Ryu for $80 million after previously acquiring Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson for their pitching staff. Even the lowly Tigers, the only team worse than the Orioles in 2019, signed a couple of veteran sluggers in C.J. Cron and old friend Jonathan Schoop.

Obviously, many of those teams were in a better position than the Orioles to begin with. With the possible exception of the Tigers, those clubs are closer to contention and already have a solid core in place, something the O’s sorely lack. I’m not suggesting the Birds should have acquired all or any of those players, given the current state of their franchise.

Still, as other teams make incremental improvements, the O’s seem destined for a 2020 club that’s just as bad or worse than this year’s, perhaps putting them on track for the No. 1 draft pick in 2021. It could pay off in the long run. But the short-term future won’t be pretty.

Links

Diner Question: Who is on your all-time Orioles team? - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff is fielding suggestions for a 26-man roster of the best players in Orioles history. Apropos of nothing, I once put together an all-time Orioles team in which every player had a last name beginning with a different letter. An all-alphabet team, if you will. Imagine having to choose just one of Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, or Cal Ripken?

Holt on Bailey: “There’s a lot to like” - School of Roch
We’ve reached that special time of every year when we hear a lot of praise for the Orioles’ latest Rule 5 pick. Remember the glowing articles about Richie Martin last winter? That’s not to say Brandon Bailey won’t pan out, but there’s probably a reason he was eligible to be picked in the Rule 5 draft to begin with.

Baltimore Orioles Pitchers Faring Well In Winter Ball - Birds Watcher
Time to start buying your Marcos Diplan, Francisco Jimenez, and Dioneges Almengo jerseys, y’all!

Orioles past and present give back for holidays - Orioles.com
Let’s put the snark aside for a moment. A lot of Orioles players are doing a lot of generous things for the community, and it’s wonderful.

Orioles birthdays

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles share your day: speedy 2016 outfielder Michael Bourn, who turns 37, and the late 1956-58 righty Connie Johnson, who would have been 97 today. He died in 2014.