The Orioles will need a setup man and a closer. They could use a veteran starting pitcher and still lack a powerful bat in the middle of their order. The most accomplished hitter they have, shortstop Miguel Tejada, would rather be traded than change positions, while their best pitcher, Erik Bedard, is entering a critical offseason in determining his future with the club.
And after Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail figures out how to overhaul a roster stocked with seemingly immovable contracts, he'll have to turn his attention to a minor league system that is struggling to provide immediate help and a front office that is filled with uncertainty.
"Besides George Bush, I think Andy MacPhail's got the next-hardest job in America," Orioles reliever Jamie Walker said. "He knows that. He's a smart baseball man. We have to reroute this ship. There are a lot of changes that are probably going to be made."
As soon as the final pitch was thrown in the Orioles' loss yesterday to the New York Yankees, a 10th straight losing season was over and one of the most important offseasons in franchise history had begun. Manager Dave Trembley vowed to no longer take questions on the 2007 campaign, which the Orioles finished with a 69-93 record.
A week from today, team officials will gather in Sarasota, Fla., and officially turn the page. MacPhail, who took the helm of the Orioles' front office June 20, will preside over organizational meetings, which he hopes will end with the floundering franchise having a better plan for moving forward.
"I think that we clearly have multiple issues that we need to address to get ourselves where we need to be on the field at the major league level and as a organization," MacPhail said. "Clearly, where we are now, this is not working. I think it's just logical that you try something new. We have some work to do yet, and we have some time to determine what path we're going to go."
MacPhail, a longtime baseball man, saw pretty much what he needed to see over the final 3 1/2 months of the season. The Orioles' pitching was decimated by injuries, revealing a disturbing lack of depth in the organization. Several of the veteran position players lost focus, an annual rite of passage at Camden Yards as the losses and the frustration start to mount.
"When you've had the kind of season that we have, you have to consider all options," MacPhail said. "I'm obligated, I think, for our fans to consider everything."
