Winning the Offseason

Every year, we quip about which team “won the offseason,” knowing full well that signing the most players and spending the most money rarely results in winning the most games. Until recently, it was pretty clear that the Orioles were losing the offseason, and in doing so, losing points with its fan base. And the fans have been brutal – Bird’s Eye View included. We’ve vented our frustration over a team that failed to improve upon its talented nucleus in order to remain relevant in the 2014 playoff picture.

In this case, good things came to those who were forced to wait. The Orioles addressed their most pressing needs by signing Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz. They also added Suk-min Yoon. With a few swishes of the pen (and a lot of money), the Orioles have gone from a team that was going to compete to stay out of the cellar to a team that may be able to land a playoff spot in the American League.

Regardless of what happens on the field starting on March 31st, the Orioles have won the offseason in the hearts of many Orioles fans. It’s harder today than it was two weeks ago, to argue that the Orioles don’t care about winning. It’s harder to argue that they’re cheap. It’s harder to argue that they don’t have a plan for how they’re going to get better.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not as though these three signings have us saying “everything is awesome.” We fans still have a hefty wish list – fans, as a group, are not generally reasonable beings. They want The O’s to resign their own players, including Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, and J.J. Hardy. Some fans would like to see the team press on to add talent like Ervin Santana or Kendrys Morales.

But that aside, the home team is back in the good graces of Baltimore. At least for now, they’re back to winning the offseason.