Call to the pen
Fansided

Baltimore Orioles must clean house for rebuild

By Ron Juckett

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: Manager Buck Showalter #26 of the Baltimore Orioles talks with Adam Jones #10 during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: Manager Buck Showalter #26 of the Baltimore Orioles talks with Adam Jones #10 during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Orioles have lost 2018. Working an all-time record pace, the time has come to cut their losses and start again. Here is how.

On pace to finish 2018 at 38-124, it is time for the Baltimore Orioles to clean house.

With the pending free agency of Manny Machado hanging over the organization’s head, the team has frozen itself and is performing at a historically bad level. Worse than the 1962 New York Mets AND the 2003 Detroit Tigers. Only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders with their 20-134 record carried a lower winning percentage.

Although the Spiders .130 record is safe, any non-expansion team flirting with those 1962 Mets is in a heap of trouble.

The saddest part of the Orioles mess is good baseball people are in the right spots. Dan Duquette, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, rebuilt the O’s into an American League East contender. Manager Buck Showalter guided Baltimore to three playoff appearances over the last nine seasons.

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As recently as 2014, the Orioles won the AL East and made the AL Championship Series. They were swept by the Kansas City Royals.

Not as glamorous or rich as their pair of divisional rivals, the Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, Showalter and Duquette managed six consecutive winning seasons in Baltimore.

The longest stretch of great baseball in the Charm City since their 1968-1985 run of dominating baseball.

However, all things must end. As little as owner Peter Angelos likes to interfere with the day-to-day operations, the time has come.

Machado is having a tremendous year. With nine home runs, his slash line of .346/.430/.623 will cement a considerable contract wherever he goes — which we know will be any place but Baltimore.

Yet, the Orioles asking price is high enough that no team will bite.

Baltimore, with Machado, holds the ultimate reset button. They can restock their farm system tomorrow and build for the future. Those of you who remember the 0-21 start in 1988 should know in 1989 the Orioles took the Toronto Blue Jays down to the last weekend of the season for the division title.

It can change that fast. This year? Forget it.

As a team, the Orioles are hitting an AL-worst .220. Their 115 runs are a league-low. The team’s OPS+ is 80. Twenty percent below league average production. Ouch.

Pitching? No better.

Yes, Zach Britton is missing. Brad Brach is not the answer at closer. However, outside of the tremendous job by lefty Richard Bleier, the bullpen is nothing to write home about — which is more than can be said for the starters.

Alex Cobb sports a 7.61 ERA in five starts, and Chris Tillman carries a 9.24 over six starts. FIP is kinder to Tillman at 6.59.

Next: 2018 MLB mock draft 2.0

Write off the season. Get what you can for Machado. Give Showalter and Duquette the option to stay through a rebuild and move on. It will get better, but sometimes you need new voices. The Baltimore Orioles are there.

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