Should we as fans be upset at what the Orioles did at the Winter Meetings?
Not really.
The biggest signing that they had was bringing back Nate McLouth for a one-year pact. They also got a pitcher in the Rule 5 Draft, T.J. McFarland, and Dan Duquette did a lot of talking, mainly noting that the franchise has a good to core to work with.
In Nashville, many fans had wanted the franchise to be bold and open up the purse strings and perhaps make Christmas in Birdland a memorable by reeling in Josh Hamilton, Zack Grienke, or any big name free agent you can think of.
Yes, the Orioles were fairly quiet in Nashville.
I thought that Duquette could have done more this week; however, with the prices that some players – notably Angel Pagan, Macro Scutaro, and the Eric Chavez’s of the world –went for, perhaps it was a good thing that the Orioles didn’t go crazy and get a player for the sake of signing one.
I certainly think that the Orioles need to upgrade the roster, because honestly, what happened last season was a tad fluky – especially with their record in one run games and in extra frames.
They cannot stand pat with the team as-is, but at the same time, Duquette has shown himself to be adept at finding diamonds in the rough, players of value who fit a certain role, and taking chances on those who have been overlooked.
Although it would be real nice to see the Orioles sign a high-dollar player who will bring some positive buzz for the fan base, they’ll use the trade market and some players in the organization as commodities.
They still need another arm despite what’s in the system right now – especially with Dylan Bundy & Kevin Gausman – plus another bat.
I expected more; however, it is only the second week of Decemeber and plenty of time still left for action. There will be a move soon, but when – who knows.
The Orioles didn’t need to go crazy at the Winter Meetings. In fact, I kind of appreciate Duquette’s restraint over the past week, but something needs to be done to improve some holes with the roster.
If not, the Orioles will probably not win 93 games in 2013.
