J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Mark Reynolds, Vlad. Should the Orioles trade them all?
The O’s got wallopped by the Texas Rangers last night and are back to 10 games below .500 and 13.5 games out of first. Not that the team was ever truly expected to contend, but they were expected to be better than this – right? Hey, it wouldn’t be a baseball season in Baltimore if the Orioles weren’t experiencing between 4-10 worst-case scenarios right?
Lets run the list: Tillman and Bergesen stunk; Matusz was hurt then stunk; Markakis forgets how to hit or take walks for a month and a half; Vlad can only hit singles; Mark Reynolds leads the universe in errors (not helping the struggling pitchers); Lee gets hurt and can’t hit; Luke Scott gets hurt but stubbornly tries to play through the injury not helping anyone and Buck Showalter is proven NOT to be the real-life embodiment of Albus Dumblebore – Does that about cover it?
Andy MacPhail’s plan and his core players have seemingly failed. The core that we were to build around is not getting any younger and they certainly aren’t helping anything. J.J. Hardy has been a great surprise and Reynolds’ bat has been wonderful to watch but should they be the biggest pieces in an all out firesale?
My heart says no, of course, but the logical region of my brain is seriously beginning to think about it. Listen O’s fans I am going to level with you here: This is the lowest I have been as an Oriole fan in a long time. I am lower now than this time last year. Why? Because this year was LEGITIMATELY supposed to be different, but it seems year after year the Orioles just find way to rip your heart out. Hell they find new and exciting ways to rip your heart out. Fancy different exotic ways to rip your heart out. Heart ripping ways so mysterious and forbidden that you usually need a fake passport, 20 bucks and a blind Taiwanese guide through the back alleys of Bangkok to experience them.
There is no silver lining here guys; there is no more help coming. Tillman is pitching slightly better in Norfolk, but he isn’t putting up numbers that scream he is ready to go. Brian Matusz will make his first start since being sent down tonight for the Tides. He needs to dominate and get his command/ velocity back and soon. He means a lot to this team right now. If he can not become the pitcher that he was supposed to become than the Orioles have a really big problem.
So here we are. 10 games under .500 and the season virtually over before the all star break. Again. I will never stop loving the Orioles, I have tried in the past but I can’t I will always be there because I know that someday I will be rewarded. Some day I will see meaningful baseball in August. Some day, I will see a team that I don’t have to justify my adoration for. But right now we are where we are.
What would be worse: standing pat and treading water or suffering through another three to four year rebuild?
