Jeff Zrebiec Talks To Andy MacPhail

I think by the 2011 season they will be an above .500 team. That division will be even scarier than it is now. Toronto will probably be the basement dweller by then.

"With Andy MacFAIL running them, they will never be competitive, believe me."

Yes you are so right because he hasn't made any good trades or rebuilt their system at all. Really someone please needs to explain why he would need to be called MacFail??? what exactly has he done wrong for the O's??

I'm still waiting for him the 'Buy the bats.' Wigginton was fine. But Izturis is not exactly known for his bat same for Zaun.

Andy might have had the best off season of any team...

Injuries could make the Yankees offseason the best ever or the worst ever...

Orioles although did not sign big name free agents they went out and got guys with tons of potential for basically nothing.. (see Pie and Hill) Also signing Nick M to extension...

In addition, the Orioles took steps to establish themselves internationally by signing Uehara.

Adding players like Freel and Wigginton does not hurt either. Maybe two best players to have come off the bench being they can play multiple positions.

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching the Orioles will have 37 pitchers in ST so a rotation will be made the question will be how long it last..

I give the O's and Andy MacPhail an A+ off season for all the things they established

How is this news? I don't see the Yankees or Red Sox mentioned.

Gee, why would I call him "NAcFAIL"? I don't know, perhaps it has something to do with the way he ran the Chicago Cubs when he was in Chicago. Check the team's W-L record while he was in charge. True, they have a long history of losing, as we all know, so please don't reply with the obvious insults, I've heard them all. But he didn't do anything to turn things around, either. More to the point, the farm system, which Dallas Green and Gordie Goldsberry built up with players like Maddux, Palmeiro, Grace, and others was left in complete shambles. He was very cheap. As we saw after he left, it wasn't the Tribune Co. that was cheap, it was Andy the Clown, who refused to go in there and challenge them to spend money on the payroll like the big market they are. Instead, he was more interested in saving his own butt. And I'm not just talking about buying free agents. They had the smallest organization in baseball in terms of scouting and development. They simply didn't spend money to properly staff Latin America and other scouting. Yes, he had success in Minnesota but that was a different time, a different era. And they already had a solid organization in place. He is a loser.

The inside info on the Teixeira negotiations or lack thereof is enlightening. Any Os fan who still thinks Teixeira was serious about coming to Baltimore is kidding themselves. The Os made their offer and said they'll negotiate upwards but Boras and Teixeira never responded. This matches up exactly to how events unfolded.

I guess that going back home thing did not work out for the two biggest names in FA this offseason.

Coop: you are contradicting yourself saying he was successful with the Twins b/c they had a good team and young talent but he wasn't with the Cubs b/c he had young talent??? I'm not sure i understand that lack of logic. How do you know what money he had to play with at the time when he was with the Cubs? I mean Maddux and Palmeiro were long gone by the time McPhail got to the Cubs in 95. Not to mention of your current team McPhail acquired, Zambrano, Lee, A-Ram, Dempster, Marmol, Soto, Theriot, Fontenot, Hart, and the Shark....not bad considering he hasn't been part of the last 3 drafts or FA classes. Maybe just Maybe if you had McPhail this past season he would have been able to make the move to put you over the top.

"Not to mention of your current team McPhail acquired, Zambrano, Lee, A-Ram, Dempster, Marmol, Soto, Theriot, Fontenot, Hart, and the Shark...."

Oh crap. I didn't know that.

That makes McPhail with Cubs look better.

"I have a feeling someone gets desperate at the deadline. My hunch is White Sox. I could see Brandon Allen and/or Aaron Poreda changing hands at the deadline."

If Kenny makes that deal I'm going to beat him in the face with a mallet.

Roberts is a very good player, but he's going to be expecting a pretty lucrative contract next winter, something like 4/40 or so.

Considering that, there is no way I give up Poreda, not to mention Allen as well, for Roberts.

Poreda has huge upside as a power lefty starter, and even if he doesn't pan out in the rotation he seems like the kind of electric arm guy who could succeed in the back of a bullpen.

I agree that Roberts is a great fit for their lineup, but I'm not sure they can find the right fit without Chicago giving up something it shouldn't.

"And the Bedard heist. PLEASE do another deal like that with Seattle. Or with LA/Texas (if you could get Feliz out of division, I'd love you forever). Please."

For every lopsided deal that ships young studs out of the division (good bye to Jones, Tillman and Sherrill), there is always a deal that brings them right back (hello Feliz, Andrus, and Salty).

Pretty much, its the best way I could see a deal involving Roberts to Sox happening without giving up one of the top guys (Poreda, Allen, Viceido, Jordan Danks, Beckham). Might require a third piece though.

Isn't Josh Fields already in Ozzie's doghouse?

Poreda will probably have to make the rotation mid-season and displace Colon/Broadway (Colon getting hurt, Broadway sucking, etc.).

Who else do the Sox have in terms of pitching prospects? Sorry, don't know their system too well. Their big 6 in prospects is obviously the 6 you mentioned, but who else in terms of lower/mid upside pitchers do they have?

Personally, I'm curious to see who the O's select with the #5 pick in the draft this year. I'd love to get Grant Green, but I have a feeling he won't fall past the Pads or Bucs.

Aaron Crow might be worth a look. Not only would selecting Crow mean we acquired the best LHP and RHP from the 2008 draft, it'd also make the Beltway series between the O's and Nats a little more interesting. ;)

Mmmm.

Richard is pretty much a must in any Roberts deal not involving the big 6.

And then it will probably involve one of Getz/Fields (I don't see a way around that, and Ozzie will help with the Fields thing if its Fields) and one of the lower upside arms mentioned.

I still see Sox as best fit, but it still could hurt the team going forward (6 years of BOR starter in Richard is valuable).

Somebody still owes KW his facial mallet beating from the Swisher trades.

After the season I wasn't sure if he needed a mallet beating, but giving Swisher away was simply brutal.

And I honestly don't make a Richard, Marquez and Getz/Fields deal if I'm Kenny. I'm just really not ready to move a starter out of our rotation considering the shape that our staff/farm system is in.

And it's not like the GM has any choice over how cheap he needs to be. The owner determines how much money McPhail gets to play around with, and apparently the Tribune wasn't giving McPhail nearly as much money as they've been giving Hendry.

McPhail has done everything you could ask of him as Orioles GM, there is no doubt in my mind that that organization is going in the right direction.

All things considered I can't blame some Cub fans' disdain for McPhail. Though in fairness every GM is going to have a set of successes and failures. It ultimately amounts to what you choose to focus on. If Prior, Wood, and Angel all came a fraction of their potential we wouldn't be speaking in such disdainful criticisms of McPhail. In 2003 these same Cubs fans were all proud of their management. It's much easier to blame everything that went sour on the guy who just left town, than to look in the mirror. It's easier to coin a "McFail" moniker than to initiate self-reflection that may produce the discipline necessary to change the vicious circle of rushing and hyping prospects, to put them in the majors before they're ready, resulting in either attrition disasters and/or growing pains of youngsters that fans have no patience for, resulting in trading/wasting them away for nothing. It seems like the only possible way a youngster has a chance at Wrigley is if they're the rare kind who hits the ground running or there's no hype associated with him so he's allowed to develop reasonably.

The only difference in Baltimore is that it's a fairly Player Developmental and Baseball fundamentals saavy town. Call it the Ripken Sr. Legacy. When I was a kid there would be random esoteric baseball factoids on random things like restaurant napkins that tell me how to zigzag back on a high flyball or how to keep my lead shoulder in against an offspeed pitch. Think about that! Baltimore has a lot of patience for that kind of thing in general even today.

I want to get an Orioles fans take on this, how much would it cost to get Luke Scott? Right now best bet to me is getting anderson for 3 mil or so (unless the yanks willing to send swisher/nady over for a reasonable price, which hearing their fans they won't) but like to keep options open.

So how much you think it would cost to get Scott? Would Brandon Hicks (3B) work or would there need to be more? I really don't want to lose hicks as he is the best in house bet to take over for chip, but if we could get a LF I would consider it.

Thanks for any replies

The Orioles would probably be willing to trade Scott if they can get a upside young starting pitcher. If they can get an arm that can compete right now for a rotation slot that is better in track record or potential than, say, Rich Hill, then I think the Braves instantly have the Os ear. The main problem the Os have in ST will be that they have so many out-of-option guys with upside and/or arms with good potential that they may have to eventually cut a pretty good arm. If the Braves can offer something that trumps what they already have, it's a done deal. Other options might be to trade position prospects who play on the infield.

"Yeah it's the GM's fault that the owner wouldn't spend money. He should have went to those newspaper guys and put a gun to their heads...ridiculous."

Funny how they immediately started spending as soon as Andy left and John McDonough took over as Cubs President. Get your facts straight.

"Rememberthecoop you are a moron..."

Nice. Name calling really shows your level of maturity. Look, I care because he is a fraud who doesn't deserve the praise. And anyway, it IS part of the GMs job to try and influence upper management and he didn't even try. He was a lackey for them, only intersted in kissing their ass. I'm not even a fan of spending big money on free agents, but at least have a payroll that is representative of a big market like Chicago. And spend what is necessary to build your organization. He may be doing ok for you now, but either he finally got the message or he will disappoint. He had more than 10 years in Chicago!

"If Prior, Wood, and Angel all came a fraction of their potential we wouldn't be speaking in such disdainful criticisms of McPhail. In 2003 these same Cubs fans were all proud of their management. It's much easier to blame everything that went sour on the guy who just left town, than to look in the mirror.

Well, I have to agree and disagree with what you are saying. I agree if Prior, Wood and Guzman were not injured and the Cubs won in '03, the MacPhail bash would not be loud in Chicago. Winning hides many faults. But that is the same in all sports, all sport cities. As far as Cub fans liking management in '03, no. I did not like Dusty in '03. That was Hendry's signing and at the time I was for it. Two months into '03 and I knew Dusty was not a good manager. They were winning though. The fact is that MacPhail already had many years in Chicago before those guys and before '03. You also have to remember that he was the team president here, then GM. That's because Andy hired a dope in Lynch. When Lynch was let go as GM to scout for the Cubs in AZ, Andy then became President/GM for about 1 1/2 years before he moved Hendry in the GM role. Hendry got full reigns about 2003. Andy made no friends in City Hall, few local residents or fans with his arrogance when he was in Chicago. His 'country club' attitude did not win people over. Anyone here remember the famous 'wind screen' or fights with roof top owners or fights with bleacher redesigns with City Hall? These were all McGuire and MacPhail decisions.

Then add in poor draft choices from scouting and not much in player and developement, along with signing lower level FAs. Like I posted, Tribune would kick in some more, but he always had a lower budget in mind. Andy had profits and bonuses on the mind. Andy never seriously went after top FAs under his watch in a big market baseball team with Chicago. Money was spent in a bad way.

"It's easier to coin a "McFail" moniker than to initiate self-reflection that may produce the discipline necessary to change the vicious circle of rushing and hyping prospects, to put them in the majors before they're ready, resulting in either attrition disasters and/or growing pains of youngsters that fans have no patience for, resulting in trading/wasting them away for nothing."

I think to look in the mirror on Andy and self reflection is to say that he did do a bad job in Chicago overall. What else is there to say? Bad Cub scouting and player developement was not invented by MacPhail. He just added to the merry go-round under his watch. There is a list of guys rushed, only to fail (no pun) under MacPhail. I don't understand your point there. I agree guys are rushed in Chicago. I agree fans need to quit feeding in the hype. Bottom line, Andy had 12 years in Chicago and no World Series apperances or wins in 12 years...enough said. Anyone with that long with a club should be judged on team success. Maybe the atmosphere in Baltimore is better for MacPhail and he learned some things not to do. Baltimore is a solid baseball organization and maybe he builds them back. Personally, I think Andy was lining himself up for the next commish. Selig was going to step down. He did not. Baseball, thus Selig, was making more money and the talk of Bud stepping down is now at the end of this deal. We'll see. Realizing Bud was going to hang around, he got himself his job with Angelos. I really feel Andy was not preparing for another GM role after the Cubs, but things happen. No facts, just my opinion.

well, studio, I consider you to be one of the more level headed Cubs fans here and I can honestly say that I've learned a lot thru your posts about the Cubs via a Cubs fan's perspective. After looking on it a bit, I'll agree with you that at the end of the day, results matter. MacPhail didn't deliver. Period. That being said, I still think the net gain/loss overall was more or less a gain after he left. I appreciate the significance of the "losses" under MacPhail in the fans' psyche, because they tend to be significant markers, but in the larger picture, I'd argue they're more emotional losses than actual ones. I might equate it to the Orioles non-sign of Texeira, which in the minds of some Os fans may be one of those things that might make Baltimore fans say "McFail."

All in all, I think the baseball culture and history of Baltimore vs. Chicago differs enough that MacPhail has a good margin to manuever. I find that the "Lovable Losers" mythology and romance around the Cubs generates a very particular dynamic of urgency and intensity that might be counter-productive by creating distractions, vicious circles, and unrealistic expectations. I thoroughly believe the Cubs will win a WS soon enough. The revelation will be that, the Cubs team that does it won't have a future Hall of Famer or All-Star at every position, in spite of every Chicago media affiliate that seems to think is required, or at least prognosticate it's homegrown players to become in short order.

Yeh, I guess what I find about media affiliates out of, say, Cleveland and/or Minnesota tend to be fairly straight (even downright skeptical) with it's fans when talking about prospects and their chances. I think it probably has a lot to do with their particular emphasis on developing young players, which results in a deep immediate experience with them. The primary frustration with a farm strategy focussed on developing arms first is that the attrition rate will make you pull out your hair. I don't know how much of that can be attributed to MacPhail alone. The draft and player development directors for the Cubs in the last decade has drafted for tools and potential for a long time (I.e. As opposed to sounder bets but less sexy college picks). That's where the farm strategy matches up with the media market. It's muuuuch easier to sell Hope when it comes wrapped in the extremely young potential represented by a Corey P, or even a Josh Vitters. I'm not suggesting Vitters won't be good, only that he's set up to fail somewhat. Its possible that the Cubs may rush him to the Show before he develops necessary strikezone judgment or power. By the time he reaches the majors, if he doesn't show power or hits immediately, the tide will start to turn against him within 3 years. A 3 year timeframe is a decent expectation window to expect production, but not if the kid is rushed. With pitchers it's usually downright impossible to evaluate in that short of time. Pitchers take the longest to adjust, just to get their armstrength up to ML standards. A lot of these kids go to the majors of having career highs in IP a hair over 100. Now theyre expected to double that as soon as they hit Wrigley. I've personally blamed the way management has handled some of their better pitching prospects. Some of that is McPhail; some goes to Dusty. Some to Hendry. I guess what I don't see enough people talk about is that all three guys doing it exhibits a pattern that may be a product of unique pressures that would otherwise not exist in other clubs.

My guess is that the next Hall of Fame homegrown pitcher from the Cubs will be from a player not expected to be. All that being said, Baltimore had a successful development director and draft genius already in place before MacPhail got here. So if MacPhail is to blame for the Cubs failed draft picks then Eddie Jordan will compensate for that. Jordan has a large staff of scouts located in every corner of the country that starts compiling scout reports and videos the day the draft finishes to prepare for the next one. MacPhail has taken his lead and is funding an expansion into other countries. The fruits of that are yet to be seen. All in all i think MacPhail has a lot of room to work with in Baltimore. The less sexy stuff is still received with excitement here. For instance the recent Greg Zaun signing was well received because even though he doesn't bring huge numbers, but he will give the new kid some flexibility to grow. It's hard for me to imagine a Cubs fan getting excited about Greg Zaun, but definitely annount the coming of Matt Wieters. If Wieters was in the Cubs system, sports talk radio would already be shining his bust in Cooperstown (don't get me wrong though. O's fans are really excited about the kid).