[外電] Mailbag: When will the O's take action?
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Mailbag: When will the O's take action?
Beat reporter Spencer Fordin answers Orioles fans' questions
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com
The Yankees have made an offer for CC Sabathia and are looking to make an
offer for A.J. Burnett. When do you think the Orioles will start making
offers?
-- Jonathan M., Woodbridge, Va.
If you're waiting for the Orioles to start acting like the Yankees, you're
going to end up pretty disappointed this and every other winter. The Yankees,
as the high-bidding darlings of the free-market set, can afford to make an
offer to whomever they want. The Orioles, on the other hand, operate with a
little more fiscal restraint.
New York doesn't just make idle offers; it often sets the market. And teams
like the Orioles tread a little more lightly because a bad contract will
wreak far more havoc on their books than it would for the Yankees. With that
said, the Orioles will attempt to make a splash this winter, but they likely
won't telegraph their intentions.
Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, has developed a
long-standing reputation for making conservative decisions on his own patient
timetable. He's not going to rush into making an offer -- or publicizing said
offer, for that matter -- because he knows the process isn't likely to end
anytime soon anyway.
The Orioles will probably start making their offers right around the same
time as the Winter Meetings, when they can gauge the market as it unfolds
around them. MacPhail has said that Baltimore intends on exploring deals for
Burnett and other veteran pitchers, and there's no reason to doubt his word
at this point in the offseason.
Last year Brad Bergesen had a great season at Double-A Bowie. His numbers
were remarkable. Why haven't we heard anything about him coming to the Majors?
-- Nathan C., Lutherville, Md.
You haven't heard anything about him going to the Majors because the Orioles
have no immediate intention to promote him that far. Baltimore wants to give
arms like Bergesen even more time to develop on their own terms, which is why
the organization has made it a priority to remake the pitching staff this
winter.
The Orioles came to that conclusion after watching arms like Adam Loewen,
Radhames Liz and Garrett Olson struggle at the big league level, and they
want their next crop of arms to force a promotion instead of just getting
handed one. That means some time at Triple-A Norfolk for Bergesen, which
won't be a disaster.
The former fourth-round Draft choice had a true breakout season in 2008,
posting a 15-6 record and a 3.22 ERA for Bowie. Bergesen had posted mixed
results the season before, notching a 7-3 record and a 2.22 ERA for Class A
Delmarva and floundering to a 3-6 record and a 5.75 mark after a mid-year
promotion to Class A Frederick.
Now, essentially, the Orioles are telling him to do it again. If Bergesen
continues his trajectory from his breakout year, he'll be in the Major
Leagues at or right after the All-Star break. But Baltimore doesn't want to
have to count on the best possible scenario as much as it would like to
re-think on the fly if everything works out.
There have been talks about trading George Sherrill this offseason, but why
do that when you could have him, Chris Ray and Jim Johnson locking down games
in relief?
-- Bryant H., Sterling, Va.
When you trade, you've got to make deals from your respective strength. The
bullpen has been a problem area in Baltimore for several seasons, but it
began to turn around last year and now the Orioles have a few arms that carry
interest around the league. If they choose to make a trade, they may have to
part with one of them.
Sherrill, who's coming off his first spin as a full-time closer, may carry
the most value of the three. Ray is coming off a season missed due to
rehabilitation from ligament replacement surgery on his throwing elbow, and
Johnson has only had one successful big league season. Sherrill, meanwhile,
has proven his utility over several seasons.
The Orioles also have Danys Baez coming back from surgery on his throwing
elbow, and Matt Albers and Troy Patton returning from respective shoulder
injuries. They have a lot of moving parts and a lot of question marks on
their pitching staff, and they'd like to add some certainty in the form of
reliable veterans this offseason.
If Baltimore elects to move Sherrill, it will likely be in a deal for a
shortstop or a starting pitcher. The team's needs are pretty well defined
right now, and Sherrill could be a key chip in solving some of them. Only
time will tell, and the Orioles will likely be as deliberate in this area as
they appear to be on the free-agent front.
I like Brandon Fahey at shortstop and second base. He seems to improve with
playing time, but the O's seem to not give him too much.
-- John G., Baltimore
Fahey may not play every day, but he's shown the Orioles exactly what to
expect from him over the past three seasons. The 27-year-old has had more
than 400 at-bats in the big leagues and is a .224 career hitter with a .279
on-base percentage and a .307 slugging mark, numbers that don't exactly merit
more playing time.
Fahey keeps getting spins on the big league roster because Baltimore doesn't
have anyone else resembling a shortstop prospect who's ready to take the job,
and the Orioles seem intent on fixing that this winter. Fahey still may stick
as a glove-happy reserve, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him stashed at
Norfolk.
The Orioles went through Luis Hernandez, Freddie Bynum, Alex Cintron and Juan
Castro at shortstop last season, so it's not like Fahey was alone in getting
a shot. Baltimore just wants a player it can write into the lineup every day
at shortstop, an option that went out the window with last winter's trade of
five-time All-Star Miguel Tejada.
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