From the moment he signed on as their executive vice president and general manager from the Houston Astros, Mike Elias knew the challenges that would be ahead in competing in the American League East. The Yankees had returned to prominence and would spend to enhance that. The Red Sox were, at the time, World Series champions with a balanced core, though that’s a long way from where they find themselves now.
There was a recent article in The Baltimore Sun that reported the Ravens are considering offering Lamar Jackson a contract extension with one more year on his rookie contract (”Ravens release backup QB Robert Griffin III after three years,” Jan. 18). I would caution the decision makers not to put the Ravens in the same position that the Orioles have done with their Chris Davis decision.
For a variety of reasons, the Orioles before Elias was hired were in a terrible drought of top infielders in the era after Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop came to the majors. In the 2010s, Mountcastle and Cadyn Grenier were the only infielders the Orioles selected in the first round. Mountcastle is now a left fielder, while Grenier has struggled hitting despite a good defensive reputation.
W | L | Pct | GB | |
---|---|---|---|---|
40 | 20 | .667 | 0.0 | |
33 | 27 | .550 | 7.0 | |
32 | 28 | .533 | 8.0 | |
25 | 35 | .417 | 15.0 | |
24 | 36 | .400 | 16.0 |