Baltimore Orioles: A Top-Down Makeover?

The near certainty of a 90-loss season shouldn't logically bring about optimism from a fan base, but any fan who still cares about the Baltimore Orioles clearly doesn't use logic to guide all of their decisions. Despite the pending on-the-field futility, reason for optimism in Crab Town abounds.

It's obvious that the team has experienced significant changes in both its front office and roster, but has the biggest change taken place in the owner's box?

After years of a rebuilding effort that could be called 'patchwork' at best, the two-headed monster of Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette is effectively gone, replaced by former Cubs/Twins architect Andy MacPhail in June 2007.

The Birds' new COO brings experience and confidence to the front office; traits O's fans haven't seen in their GMs since Pat Gillick. With a promise of full autonomy from owner Peter Angelos, Macphail has spent his first offseason with the club changing the direction of the long-suffering organization.

Rather than throwing "Confederate money" at mid-level free agents, MacPhail seems committed to fully rebuilding the team along the lines of the Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers. While many Orioles fans have been calling for such an effort for years, previous GMs (Frank Wren, Syd Thrift, Mike Flanagan, and Jim Beattie/Duquette) instead signed overpriced and over-the-hill players such as Marty Cordova, Javy Lopez, Aubrey Huff, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and the $42 million bullpen bust of 2007.

MacPhail's offseason moves prove that he truly intends to overhaul the team, using the time-tested formula of trading the team's current stars for prospects capable of developing into productive components in the future.

First, he sent SS Miguel Tejada to Houston for five players, including promising pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton, and Dennis Sarfate. MacPhail's timing with the trade was impeccable as Tejada was named in the Mitchell Report the following day and currently faces a Justice Department probe into whether he lied to investigators in 2005.

On February 8th, after weeks of rumors, MacPhail dealt ace SP Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners, bringing star-in-the-making CF Adam Jones, highly-touted SP Chris Tillman, and three other pitching prospects to Baltimore. While two more years of Bedard might have translated into an additional ten wins a season, the only impact he would have realistically made was whether the team would have made the race with Tampa Bay or Toronto for fourth in the AL East close.

By trading Bedard, the O's have found a legitimate number three hitter (Jones), two potential rotation members (Tillman and Tony Bulter), and a useful reliever (Kam Mickolio) for its 2009 and 2010 teams.

In addition, RP George Sherrill, who will serve as the team's closer this season, could possibly be traded at the 2008 trading deadline for even more prospects.

2B Brian Roberts is the overwhelming favorite to be the next Oriole traded. A deal with the Chicago Cubs for a package including prospects SS Ronny Cedeno, SP Sean Gallagher, and one or two more players has been rumored for months. MacPhail seems intent on receiving maximum value for Roberts, and with the second baseman signed through 2009, can afford to wait for suitors to meet his asking price.

The Tejada and Bedard trades—as well as the potential Roberts deal—are significant for two reasons. First, and more obviously, is the direct consequence on the team's chances at being competitive in 2009 and beyond. Jones, Tillman, and the others are top prospects who can potentially lead the O's, starting in 2009, for 10 years.

More imperceptible, yet perhaps even more important, is the apparent change in the organization's MO, inferred from MacPhail's recent dealings. Angelos has a long history of meddling in the team's baseball operations, and many fans questioned the supposed free reign MacPhail received upon his hiring. Reports surfaced during the weeks leading up to the Bedard trade that Angelos was behind the lengthy hold up, but MacPhail denied them emphatically.

The trades of Tejada and Bedard, as well as MacPhail embracing the role of team frontman, seem to point towards Angelos taking a backseat in the daily handling of the team. An owner who historically has cared more about the team's wins and losses on its balance sheets than wins and losses on the field surely resented the departure of two stars.

Maybe Angelos has matured as an owner and realized that baseball decisions are best left to baseball people. Indeed, he would object to MacPhail's offers of assistance with one of his legal cases. However, it is too early to anoint Angelos as a changed man.

Two critical tests of Angelos's involvement remain. Roberts has long been a favorite of Angelos, who values his community involvement and worth as the face of the franchise (despite the steroid admission) perhaps as much as his leadoff abilities. Trading Roberts would be a substantial step for MacPhail, proving that he can, in fact, make deals without input from the owner.

In addition, if the O's field a competitive team in a few years, Angelos must show that he is willing to spend the revenue earned from his MASN tv deal. Angelos would point towards the 2003 signings of Tejada (six years, $72 million) and Lopez (three years, $22.5 million) to prove that he does ante up for marquee free agents. Detractors, though, would note his refusal to pay ace SP Mike Mussina following the 2000 season as the classic example of his stinginess.

While the 2008 Orioles will likely resemble the 2007 version in terms of wins and losses, the environment surrounding the organization appears to be vastly different. As long as Angelos stays out of MacPhail's way, O's fans should be willing to sacrifice another year or two of losing baseball. For today, at least, the organization is on the right path.