Baby Steppin'

Peter Schmuck's article in the Baltimore Sun addresses how the O's did not make a big splash in free agency but did enough to make significant positive progress nonetheless.

I would have to agree here. This team is cannot be fixed with one big Carlos Lee or Alfonso Soriano signing. They have deep organizational issues that are just now being rectified by internal player development (Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Chris Ray, Erik Bedard), Rule 5 signings (Jay Gibbons, Adma Donachie), successful scrapheap salvage cases (Corey Patterson, Kris Benson, Jaret Wright) and strategic mid-level free agent signings (Aubrey Huff, Jay Payton, Ramon Hernandez).

The big signing of Miguel Tejada, although he remains our best player, wasn't enough to get us out of fourth place in the AL East. Tossing $22.5 million to Javy Lopez didn't improve the record. The Orioles have a lot more work to do on the foundation of this team before signing an Andruw Jones-type player (hint, hint) will put them over the top. Maybe next year...

P.S I'm glad Randy Johnson's gone and think this significantly weakens the Yankees for no other fact than Johnson may have rebounded and had a fine season for the pin-stripers. Anything that weakens the Yanks is good for the O's...