While hope springs eternal in most major league camps right now, the Orioles might as well be quoting Judge Smails from “Caddyshack” to their fans after four last-place finishes in the last five years.
“You’ll get nothing and like it!”
Since the lockout ended two weeks ago, the most notable moves made by general manager Mike Elias have been the signings of 37-year-old catcher Robinson Chirinos and 30-year-old journeyman infielder Chris Owings to go with the pre-lockout additions of starting pitcher Jordan Lyles and infielder Rougned Odor. Despite acknowledging at the end of last season that it’d be “very overly optimistic” to assume Baltimore had enough in-house pitching to be competitive after so often struggling just to get through nine innings in 2021, Elias essentially swapped out Matt Harvey for Lyles as the only meaningful rotation move. In other words, that crop of pitchers already in their mid-20s who looked completely overwhelmed last season better improve or … they’ll continue to get the ball every fifth day because there’s nobody else to pitch?
Entering Year 4 of an exhausting rebuild, the Opening Day infield looks as unimpressive as ever with the exception of Ryan Mountcastle at first base. The current likelihood of starting a 27-year-old third baseman with a .615 on-base plus slugging percentage in 386 career plate appearances in the majors and an ordinary .741 career OPS in the minors is uninspiring to say the least. In case you were suddenly feeling nostalgic for 2019, Rio Ruiz is currently with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization League.
When exactly is this going to start being fun again?
At what point will the club begin spending money for some established talent to augment and support a core that’s already begun arriving in the majors? Why not take on a bad contract to “buy” a prospect from another club or sign a veteran or two with designs of flipping such players at the trade deadline?
The Orioles know finishing with the worst record in baseball no longer guarantees the top pick in next year’s draft, right?
Contrary to what some would have you believe, there’s quite a range of roster-building strategies between spending like the Los Angeles Dodgers and being as conservative — and miserable — as possible to save every nickel that ownership may or may not spend in the future.
In fairness, a more promising tomorrow does continue to approach with top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez making his Grapefruit League debut a few days ago, outfield prospect Kyle Stowers homering Tuesday, and infield prospect Jordan Westburg even making a start at third base against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. We’re likely to see a number of notable prospects at some point in 2022, which is reason for optimism even if the coming season again won’t be fun in the win-loss department.
But even the future isn’t going according to plan this spring.
Instead of forcing the organization’s potential service-time-manipulating hand by playing his way onto the Opening Day roster, star prospect Adley Rutschman is dealing with a strained right triceps that leaves him “more weeks than days” away from returning to game action, according to Elias. The Orioles executive reiterated Wednesday “there’s nothing structurally going on” with the 24-year-old catcher’s throwing arm, but the injury has dampened what little enthusiasm existed for a 2022 club again expected to finish last in the American League East. Making matters worse was Wednesday’s news that 2020 first-round pick Heston Kjerstad — who missed all of 2021 with a concerning bout of myocarditis — will likely miss two to three months with a significant hamstring injury suffered less than two weeks ago.
Injuries and setbacks are part of the game, of course, but it’s other organizational decisions that continue to alienate a restless fan base.
By way of their regional sports network, MASN, citing COVID-19 safety, the Orioles are believed to be the only major league club not sending their television or radio broadcast crews out on the road to begin the 2022 season, a practice that will save plenty of money and further water down the product. And there’s the potential for even bigger problems if the game feed goes out for broadcasters calling games remotely as it did on at least one occasion last season. Frankly, it’s insulting to the professionals trying to do their jobs at the highest level and MASN subscribers who continue to get less bang for their buck.
The Orioles and MASN can say it’s about safety, but the perception screams otherwise.
That brings us to Elias confirming Wednesday that the club would go to arbitration with starting pitcher John Means and slugger Trey Mancini. With a projected Opening Day payroll of just over $41 million ranking last in the AL, the Orioles haggling with two of their best players — one who’s less than two years removed from defeating stage 3 colon cancer, mind you — over a combined $1.025 million certainly won’t sit well with fans trying to remain patient after so much losing over the last several years.
It didn’t help that Elias danced around a question about whether he’s engaged in recent trade talks involving Mancini, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2022 season. One can certainly question the merits of a rebuilding club extending a 30-year-old first baseman rather than dealing him to a contender, but taking Mancini to arbitration in the meantime is a public relations loss no matter how you slice it.
“We are ‘file to go’ [to arbitration hearings]. We have been I believe even before I got here and almost every club is now, so we’ll adhere to that,” Elias said on a video call with media on Wednesday. “This process is one that has existed for quite some time across baseball to help determine the salary ranges of players and these classes of service. We do everything that we can to avoid going to these hearings. That’s why we use the word ‘avoid’ when we reach a settlement. Nobody really wants to do that, but when you don’t see eye to eye and you’re at an impasse, that’s the process that’s set up.
“The [MLB] Players Association has worked to sustain this process even in this last [collective bargaining agreement], and sometimes you’re just not able to get on the same page and you have to use the system that has been set up.”
All things being equal, Elias is doing his job like any other general manager and doesn’t want to set any precedents that could hamper future negotiations with Means, Mancini, or other players. Even the Yankees are preparing to go to arbitration with star outfielder Aaron Judge, and Atlanta will go to hearings with a few key players from its World Series champion club. Arbitration is very much a part of the business, but other teams aren’t suffering from the same poor optics as the Orioles, who aren’t going to receive the benefit of the doubt so deep into a rebuild that’s saved the Angelos family millions of dollars amidst all the losing.
Observers will see the Orioles trying to lowball a beloved cancer survivor and the pitcher who just tossed their first solo no-hitter in over 50 years. And fans will wonder when — and if — they’ll spend real money to bring joy to the major league club again.
Until Orioles ownership shows otherwise, who can really blame them for having such doubts?
Especially in the midst of a spring that’s been anything but fun.
