Orioles Fan: Happy we didn’t get Hanley
Another writer for this awesome website recently posted an article trashing the Orioles for not pulling the trigger on the rumors they may have been interested in now LA Dodger Hanley Ramirez.
While valid points were made like the one about the Orioles inability to not pull in big talent via free agency — its true the Orioles have had issues not bringing in top free agents — they have also however, not over paid for other teams 5 hitters, like for example what the Nationals did with Jason Werth (or maybe 7 years 126 million for a career .265 hitter is a bargain… I don’t know I am not a GM).
After thinking about the Orioles and the situation they are in right now, the Hanley Ramirez deal makes little to no sense.
Hanley is in my opinion on the down turn. Last season he hit .243 and this year he is only at .246. If you want to make the argument that he hit .300 on the dot only 2 seasons ago, go ahead because even though he hit .300 in 2010 his average still dropped 42 points from 2009. So if he is having trouble hitting NL East pitching — which outside of the Nationals is nothing special — he sure is not going to get any better trying to hit in the AL East. Not to mention the fact that it is no secret he has zero interest in playing 3rd base, and wants to be a shortstop. The Orioles already have one in JJ Hardy who has a much better glove and is leaps and bounds a better club house guy. There is also the fact that big time SS prospect Manny Machado is not far away, so even if Hanley was at SS once Machado comes up he gets moved over and Hanley goes back to being the selfish player he has shown himself to be time and time again in Miami. Hanley Ramirez seems to be suffering from a serious case of getting paid then getting lazy. Giving away prospects for a player that might work with a change of uniform is not an option the Orioles have right now.
The farm system is not loaded with talent, and giving up what they do have for an experiment is not the right move at all. If they are going to make trades at the deadline it needs to be for a cheap veteran that they will not have to “sell the farm” for. The Orioles do not have the talent pool in the minors to be trading anyone, and what GM in their right mind is going accept a deal for a big named player when the Orioles have Brian Matusz or Jake Arietta as the top prizes to give away?
I hope the Orioles make a run however unlikely that might be.
Although if they do not, it won’t be because they didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for Hanley Ramirez.
5 Comments
Since we seem to have hit a nerve here at BlogSoHard Sports, I wanted to throw my two cents in with regard to my beloved Orioles.
Bill, I agree with you that Hanley may not of been the option/solution. The Orioles haven’t been to the playoffs since ’97, and this is the first time in a very long time, that we have an opportunity to even come close to ending the drought. We have done it unconventionally. -48 in run differential, ranked 14th out of 16 teams in the AL in ERA, not one batter is over .300 and we lead the league in errors. We have however, won 10 straight extra inning ball games, and have a winning record (do not know it off the top of my head) in 1 run ball games. Comparing our stats to other teams in the wild card, we quickly stand out.
We need to address our defense. Having terrible corner infielders needs to be addressed. We have tried a plethora of fielders at 1B and 3B (Reynolds, Betemit, Davis, Tolleson and I know I’m missing a few) but with all the same results.
Picking up someone like Hanley doesn’t solve this equation. He does not want to play 3rd. I won’t repeat Bill’s article, but he is right.
Secondly, outside of the corner infielders, pitching needs to be addressed. We have the 4th best bullpen in the AL, and have Jim Johnson leading the league in saves, but we need starters to get us there. Out of our 5 opening day starters, 4 have been sent down to AAA at some point, primarily for sucking. As big of a concern as this is, I don’t think we need to go after someone like Dempster of the Cubs, who has 1 year left on his contract and will inevitably leave after this year for another team. Borrowing a player for the rest of the season is not the answer or the solution, but the problem. We need to continue to build our base.
I agree with Derek as well though. We need to stop the Washington Redskin mentality of, “Retire here with a big paycheck” mentality to pull in washed up vets as well. My recommendation for this is to go after the top 4 scouts in the bigs. Throw money at them, and have them join the Orioles organization. The Orioles don’t have the money to compete with the Red Sox or the Yankees, but neither do the Rays, and they battle for the wild card spot almost every year on 1/3 of the budget. They have an excellent farm system, that constantly generates MLB caliber players. If we can build up our farm system with the right players, it will not only help the Orioles directly on the field, but also with the trade market.
Based on statistics, the Orioles may not be able to hold on to the wild card this year, but our future is looking brighter than it has in a very long time. Signing Jones and Markakis to long term deals, building up our bullpen, and winning the close games have all been strong highlights, but there are still too many holes that need to be addressed in order to see the Orioles playing in October, and one player trade won’t solve it.
Now that there my friend is a reply
Angelos might hire Miles as a scout cause hes so cheap
I bet RG3 can play third
He may be alright at SG for the Wiz too