You can't fix the team by getting rid of the all-stars Ted. We need to get rid of the expensive non all-stars. Some of that will take care of itself next year with expiring contracts.
One issue I see has changed from the first time buck put on the orange and black, is that he doesn't hold the players accountable for poor play...or bad baseball plays or decisions...I remember when he came here he would sit people who weren't in the right place making the right judgment on the field...I see none of this anymore therefore this lackluster play comes from lack of fear that their spot on the field isn't guaranteed...
The current Orioles play and record can be attributed to poor management decisions. I'm sorry, but every fan on here that follows O's baseball closely knows our pitching was junk. Picking up Feldman and Norris (small sample size) has not helped as they are not #1 or #2 types. This staff has NONE of those type pitchers and it doesn't take 162 games to figure that out. We also picked no one up to protect Davis in July when it was needed. Throw in the fact that our BP did not hold up their end of the bargin this season at all and this is what you get. Teams in front of us, Boston and Tampa are clearly better than we are and we have to accept that. Who will be responsible for this mess? No one it seems...Butt's in the seats is all the front office cares about.
While I do agree with this statement, I also think there's a caveat: If there is sufficient evidence that an all-star player might be having just one good year, it might make sense to "buy low / sell high" in the off-season by trading him for someone with good career stats who's having a below-average year by his standards (provided that the bad year isn't a result of aging-related decline or a major injury that he would never recover from, of course).
Indeed... if I were the manager, I might set up the following policies to discourage poor play:
For position players: either of the following may result in being benched for the next game if possible.
* Striking out in 3 pitches, if at least one of the pitches would otherwise be a ball; or
* Swinging at all with a 3-0 or 3-1 count when the pitcher is unable to throw strikes at the moment.
For pitchers:
* 1 blown save = removal from closer position for at least the next save situation
* Putting two consecutive batters on base during close games = immediate hook (if possible)
* Any reliever that gives up runs in two consecutive appearances may be temporarily demoted to mop-up role (with possible exceptions for inherited runners)
1 blown save? nah that happens...but a refusal to adjust will get u demoted...the one thing that baseball has become and i cant stand is this closer thing...if someone comes out in the 8th and is lights out, u can best believe that the same pitcher should be out there in the 9th...its insane how quick these managers are to get the closer