The Orioles? roster could be changing. And very soon.
Baltimore, which is swiftly heading toward a 10th straight losing season, could decide within the next month to make significant changes to roster or maintain confidence in a team and its $95 million payroll.
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This will be the first player-personnel decision by Andy MacPhail, who the team hired last month as its president of baseball operations.
According to some national reporters, MacPhail?s first task will be to get out of a holding pattern that has plagued the Orioles since they last made the playoffs in 1997 ? the last time the team finished with a winning record.
Is the club rebuilding or is it going to add a key piece to the puzzle in hopes of contending soon?
“They?re certainly not rebuilding. They?re not trading any veterans. They need to decide where they are,” FOXSports.com senior writer Ken Rosenthal said in a phone interview from the All-Star festivities in San Francisco. “They?re in the middle. They need to ramp up the spending or get younger and trade some of those guys.”
But Rosenthal said shortstop Miguel Tejada?s broken wrist could hamper the club?s ability to make a significant move before the trade deadline on July 31. That day is also when MacPhail said he will begin considering long-term options for the managerial position, which is currently help by Interim Manager Dave Trembley.
Last year, speculation surrounded the club?s talks with other teams ? namely the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels ? about Tejada, but a deal never materialized.
This year, at 38-49, the Orioles are 15 games behind first-place Boston in the American League East and 13.5 behind Cleveland in the wild card standings. With the tenth-highest payroll in baseball, according to figures on ESPN.com, the Orioles could move some of their role players, such as Kevin Millar, Corey Patterson and Jay Payton. Veteran starting pitcher Steve Trachsel could also draw interest.
And teams will undoubtedly ask about the Orioles? young starting pitchers ? namely Erik Bedard, Jeremy Guthrie and Daniel Cabrera.
MacPhail has given no indication which way he?ll go.
His biggest task might being trying to prove to a skeptical fan base the Orioles are serious about fielding a winning team.
However, the team is set up to contend in the near future – not now. And it is apparent to the players that the Orioles have a three-year period to turn into a contender.
“I think a lot of people would look at it that way with our contracts and the way they are,” Orioles? lone All-Star Brian Roberts told The Examiner recently. “Its not like this organization ends in ?09, but, I would say with the nucleus we have here, that?s probably the best chance we have with the guys we have here.”
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