Pulk_Pull

See, I think you have this backwards. I think ALL of this could of been handled better if Angelos played nice in the proverbial Business sand. Instead, his stubborn refusal and inability to treat DD as a professional being offered a promotion is what has caused this to drag out. Add in the optics that this creates around the Orioles organization and no one suffers more than the O's.

1) Beeston isn't liked by everyone... 2) MLB wants to show that they are supportive of individuals who strive for promotion. There is no anti-Orioles bias here. Angelos is forcing MLB's hand to get involved by being stubborn. 3) Dan Duquette wants to come and has all but said this on record. MLB knows this and wants to ensure there are no road blocks for individuals like this

I would much rather have Dirks on a minor-league contract with an invite to ST than 4-5 mil on Aoki given the other needs on the team.

Although unlikely we trade with a division foe in the first place, DD taking the CEO job in Toronto would almost certainly cement any deals from happening between the two teams while Angelos is alive.

Peter Angelos, the consumate professional. Loyalty in sports is overstated. Players, managers and execs all move teams to earn more cash and/or an increase in title. Being a professional is as much about honouring contracts, as it is about allowing others to succeed as well.

I can understand why O's fans would be upset with this. While it is a natural course of business, it still stings knowing your GM may be leaving mid-offseason for a division foe. Especially after a somewhat uneventful offseason so far.

Doesn't that scare you as an O's fan? Wouldn't you want your GM to be happy? (Asking your opinion given we assume Angelos doesn't care either way)

Yes, I am saying he can't be traded. Hence why the term 'compensation' is used in this process. Note how the second one ended in a stalemate in which the MLB decided. Showing Boston in this case, really had no control as the MLB was brought in to mediate (albeit they settled outside of some form of arbitration). "Farrell’s long-rumoured return to the Boston Red Sox is a done deal. The Blue Jays confirmed Sunday that they have released Farrell from the final year of his contract and received infielder Mike Aviles from Boston as compensation. The Jays also sent minor-league pitcher David Carpenter to the Red Sox." "The Chicago Cubs are sending relief pitcher Chris Carpenter to the Boston Red Sox as compensation for hiring Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations. The Cubs and Red Sox will also exchange players to be named at a later date. The sides had been unable to agree on compensation since Epstein left as general manager of the Red Sox in October. The matter was eventually passed on to commissioner Bud Selig and both sides submitted written arguments to Selig last week. But Epstein indicated Tuesday that the sides finally agreed on their own."

Execs aren't players, my Oriole friend.

He gets what he wants, eh... how about that 2016 All-Star game?

Thanks Angelos. Although, I think BTS and I have it right. Angelos' hard-ass ways are not greater than how the MLB and career advancement work. Compensation is often provided in these cases as a 'thank you', not as an actual bargaining chip. If I was an Oriole fan, I'd be more worried about the O's cock-blocking DD and pissing him off than actual comp. Jays fans have been through a similar situation with Farrell. As soon as it was known he preferred the Red Sox job, he couldn't leave fast enough (Although there were some Jays fans who thought the comp for him would be more than it was...). If the Jays give up anything of consequence, it will be a massive fail on their part as they have the leverage (assuming Dan wants the job and the Jays want him).

What I stated was for those that are trying to complicate this issue with potential comp packages and PA's resistance to letting DD go. Both of which do not matter when it comes to DD being a replacement for Beeston. Sorry for providing such simple 'insight' you LongTimef***tard.

There are only two reasons DD won't be the Jays' CEO in less than a year: 1) Dan does not want the job. 2) The Jays don't want Dan for the job. Compensation will not be a roadblock. Comp for exec movement is often just a formality for optics and/or appreciation. If both of the above points turn out to be false, the Orioles will be dealing from a position of weakness. They may have 'contractual obligations' on their side, but the MLB and DD would be opposed and that can create a pretty toxic environment. It would be in their best interest to let this process resolve itself ASAP so they can either find a replacement or move on and focus on the offseason. PA's responses come off as childish and unprofessional, although it explains a lot about why the Oriole fans act the way they do.

Not only that, but the optics it sets within the O's organization. What exec, GM, coach would want to work for a team that will limit their future opportunities based on a contract? It's a well known precedent and unspoken law within ALL professional sports that employees are allowed to explore promotion opportunities. PA may be stubborn but he's not dumb. His rants about not letting him go is sheer bargaining. Oh, and to those that say this is bad timing on the Jays part, if the Angelos simply just let the Jays interview him, this whole process would of been finished 2 months ago.

Holy crap, that weams guy over there needs to take the bird seed out of his ass. Really stretches the meaning of 'managing editor'...

Wait, I thought you gentlemen were down on the roster? 85 wins is above their current projection. http://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=Standings

Brilliant, so to make Baloo happy, we simply have to add 4.0 WAR of potential over the next 3 months (included in that 4.0 would be whatever Navarro returns). Given we have 'spots' open in the BP, 2B, OF, and potentially as depth SP, this shouldn't be too difficult. Stock up AA! it doesn't matter if we have spots open for them or if they are pre-disposed to injury, Baloo will take their potential value all the same! The way some people are talking in this thread, it's almost as if no one else has any question marks...

Well, the DERP around our offseason was seriously lacking (which points to a good job done by AA). Glad to see this thread is making up for it...

I'm enjoying this approach from the Jays. They got their work done early and can now sit back and wait; take calls if necessary and hope a few bargains land on their lap in the next couple months. The aversion to trading pieces from what feels like a newly stocked farm, and avoidance of signing RP's for FA money is making me happy. I will be interested to see how this all shakes out. Specifically around Boston, a team that appears to enjoy spending every other year with mixed results. Here's hoping Miley is a backend starter at best in the AL East and Masterson continues his decline.

I really enjoy the hindsight some people have on the 2013 season. A lot of people did not like it for 'futures' reasons, but very few thought the team would fall apart the way it did. Acting like we knew those moves would results in a terrible 2013 season (not for future seasons) is pretty bold.

I actually think Lunch's point was well made. If this was some random joe blow, most people would be wagging their finger saying 'that's the risk he took for speeding'. The collective public far too often over sympathizes with celebrities in death, especially when it's by their own hand. I will mourn for OT, but I will mourn MORE for the families and potential all-star career he left behind because of an idiotic decision. Absolutely tragic and completely preventable. /douchebagout

While this may be 'no big deal', a trend I have noticed in Toronto sports that may be contributing to their inability to grow season over season is a lack of continuity. A lineup that has some of the pieces to be a top 5 lineup in the AL will now be taught by different hitting coach in 3 consecutive years. Understanding that coaches only impact a small portion of the way players approach the plate, the inability to get comfortable with one system or one approach from your hitting coach must be annoying and slightly disruptive to the team, no? It's these small moves that seem to pile up over the offseason for the Jays that end up setting them 5 steps back before the season even starts.

While the inflation argument holds, the optics of raising ticket prices is a real downer given how the past season played out, where on multiple occasions ownerships investment in the Jays was questioned. Looking at ticket averages is a fallacy given the sheer size of the 500 level and other costs around the park. "In 2014, Jays’ ticket prices were below league average. But their fan cost index — a measure that looks at the total expense for a family of four to attend a game — was $5 higher than the MLB average (mostly due to higher parking costs)." http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2014/10/23/blue_jays_increase_ticket_prices_for_2015.html Furthermore, while winning may be the best way to attract fans, slight ticket increases will hurt attendance when this club ultimately fails again. Come late August when a family of four wants to go to the game and tickets cost ~$20 more for 4 (which would of been the parking expense) you may second guess going. If the club is doing well, then these slight increases will only mean a larger bottom line for Rogers; if this team does poorly, I fully expect attendance and consumer confidence in this team to continue to decrease.

I like the call-ups but my god is it hard to get excited at all these days. Morrow coming back in about 2 months too late...

I state this and get called out for being stupid and not to be banned. Cranky pants in here since 9am.... knew I should of brought that aged sharp welsh chedder today.