Why Won’t The Orioles Go After Manny Ramirez?

Is there an echo in here regarding the Orioles and trading or pursuing free agents? Oh that’s right, the Orioles don’t pursue superstar caliber players.

With all of the trade bait the Orioles have been dangling around the league all season, this could be a good move for them. In Ramirez, you would get a rated ‘G’ version of Barry Bonds, a bonafide hitting legend that can’t field a lick. And with that, you would pique the interest of your fan base and the attention of teams around the league with a seriousness about contention in Charm City.

It’s nice that the O’s went and got Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff in the last few seasons, but those guys haven’t put you into real contention in the AL East, which is what the Orioles should be looking for. With Tampa Bay having surpassed the Orioles for third fiddle behind the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, not making this move puts even more steam behind the moves those three clubs are going to make every single July from here on out.

No, Manny Ramirez won’t bring you a World Series. Probably won’t even get you to the playoffs this year. And he’d likely be an luxury Rent-A-Bat for the next two seasons. Those are the reasons why you shouldn’t sign him. But standing pat each and every trade deadline gives no excitement to the club or city, and basically amplifies the slow nature of your player development system. Nick Markakis and other young players have been coming along nicely in the last two seasons, but the Orioles surely aren’t the Florida Marlins or Detroit Tigers in that respect.

And since they aren’t, the Manny Being Manny show would be best shot in Baltimore. At least for a season.

Comments

By Truth About It Dot Net on July 31st, 2008 at 9:55 am

Hmmm….you think the BoSox would trade him within the division?

They probably want to see the least amount of that D-Bag as possible.

By JC on July 31st, 2008 at 9:56 am

If it were the Yankees, absolutely not. The Orioles? Yeah, I think the Yanks believe they are insignificant enough.

Especially if the Orioles were offering a sweet deal.