The Baltimore Orioles find themselves atop the American League East, a position few expected them to be in at this point of the season. Despite the unexpectedness of their hot start, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette doesn’t sound ready to call this run merely a flash in the pan. Duquette told Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com that he is actively seeking upgrades for his club.
Duquette said he is looking to upgrade the team in general and specifically add pitching depth. While the Orioles have had one of the league’s top bullpens this season, their starters continue to be inexperienced and shaky. Baltimore’s team ERA among starters ranks in the bottom third of the league, and outside of Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen the O’s rotation has been bad.
For this reason some speculate that the Orioles will look to add a veteran starter to their rotation. There figure to be several options available this summer, but the O’s find themselves in a tricky spot when it comes to buying and selling.
Entering the season most expected the Orioles to resume their perennial spot in the basement of the AL East, something they have refused to do up to this point. While their start has been impressive, their offense still struggles to get on base (.310 OBP as a team) and their rotation is full of question marks.
In this type of situation the Orioles have to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves how sustainable their current run is. Also, the Birds will have to decide if they should dip into their already thin minor league system in order to bolster their chances for 2012.
Orioles fans have waited a long time for a competitive club, and it’s understandable for management to look to please a fan base that once again has a reason to be excited about their team. However, Baltimore needs to keep in mind that the goal is to build a sustainable team that is competitive year in and year out, not simply one that can play at a high level for a quarter of the season.
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