Offseason Prospectus #24: The Baltimore Orioles

In the last decade, the Baltimore Orioles pretty much disappeared from the national consciousness.  They were a force to be reckoned with in the mid-nineties, but the Orioles haven't even managed a winning season since 1997 and, of course, they are buried in the toughest division in baseball.

For too long, Peter Angelos and his revolving door of general managers attempted to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox by going after big-ticket free agents like Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez, and Albert Belle.  Not only did they make some unwise and unlucky choices, but Angelos, though he craved the big names, was never quite prepared to spend the big money, so the Orioles ended up with very limited depth, especially on the pitching staff, a weakness that was routinely exploited by the thunderous AL lineups they squared up against throughout the regular season.

In 2007, Angelos brought Andy MacPhail on board and there was a decisive change in priorities.  Veteran players like Tejada, Ramon Hernandez, Kevin Millar, Erik Bedard, and, most recently, Melvin Mora were allowed to walk or, in some cases, were shown the door.  In the process, MacPhail began rebuilding the farm system.  Now the Orioles have a very different look, loaded with young, exciting talents on both sides of the ball.  The question remains, however, will the results be any different?