Some light snow in Baltimore today, so it seems fitting to talk about MLB’s Winter Meetings and what exactly the Orioles might be looking to accomplish in Indianapolis next week.
One thing we know – the O’s have a very talented core of young athletes. I fully expect Wieters to emerge in 2010 as the superstar he really is, and there’s a lot of hype around Josh Bell, the third baseman that came over in the George Sherrill trade with the Dodgers.
But an offense with the likes of Wieters and Josh Bell will only succeed if the O’s pitching can find a way to slow the other team down. Baltimore’s farm system has provided the Orioles with some fantastic arms to accomplish this: Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman to name a couple.
With an arsenal of young arms, the O’s may be heading into the Winter Meetings with the likes of a seasoned vet in their cross-hairs – someone just like free agent John Lackey.
Bringing in an older starter who has already earned respect around the league can be an asset to a team of young arms. Beyond putting more W’s on the stat sheet, a guy like John Lackey can function as a mentor in the clubhouse, helping craft pitchers like Tillman and Matusz into great starters for years to come.
It’s similar to the rumors that were hovering around John Smoltz and the Washington Nationals. Now that the Nationals have Stephen Strasburg – the world’s no-doubt #1 prospect – a guy like Smoltz could share a lot of his wisdom with such a young pitcher.
Not every 150-game winner makes a great mentor. It takes a special breed. Ron Washington has given Kevin Milwood a lot of credit in Texas. Adam Wainwright has often mentioned the way Chris Carpenter has helped him improve. AJ Burnett frequently credits Doc Halladay with helping him find success in the big show.
Specific to the Orioles, just look back to a guy like Ben McDonald – he helped Mike Mussina develop into a first-rate starter.
There’s no doubt some big news will come out of this year’s Winter Meetings, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the Orioles get out of it. Lackey is out there for the taking, it may just require too much to get him. That said, there’s no doubt in my mind the Orioles could use a vet like him to help guide these rookies and this organization out of the bottom of the AL East.
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I don’t disagree that the O’s could greatly use someone like John Lackey – but I wonder if he’d be interested in coming to Baltimore. Unfortunately for us, most accomplished players who have some options on where to go, tend to choose, um, more… accomplished teams. Teams that have a shot at winning. I hope we are able to find someone like though, because my rose colored glasses and I really feel like the O’s aren’t too far away from contending, and a good veteran pitcher might be the key.