And that's where there has been a disconnect between MacPhail and the fans who want - and probably deserve - some instant gratification after 11 straight losing seasons.
Here's a little news flash: The unfortunate thing about long-term plans is that, by definition, they take a long time. Orioles fans are understandably short on patience at this point, but the solution is not to pressure the team to make the same kind of knee-jerk adjustments that have kept the franchise in a perpetual state of disarray for the past decade.
There are people who are angry the Orioles didn't trade for shortstop Khalil Greene, even though he's eligible for free agency after next year. There was grumbling that they didn't try harder to sign Edgar Renteria, though he would have been an aging and expensive Band-Aid that doesn't fit into the bigger picture. There will certainly be a backlash if they fail to sign Teixeira, which is understandable because of his local roots and probably unfair because he's going to come here only if the club gives agent Scott Boras a blank check.
Certainly, it would be nice if the Orioles did go all-out for Teixeira, because it would give the fan base a big lift and he would fit into the general framework of MacPhail's rebuilding plan. It would make little sense, however, to roll out big money for stopgap players when there is little chance of the Orioles' climbing over three of their four division rivals to compete for a wild-card berth next season.
That's why nobody should get too excited about the winter meetings. The Orioles will be on the lookout for a middle-rotation starter who might be straining his current team's budget and a steal in the Rule 5 draft. MacPhail will continue to seek a moderately priced shortstop and, presumably, gauge interest in a late-winter deal for Roberts in case the second baseman decides he doesn't want to sign an extension.
In the end, it will probably be an unsatisfying week for the fans, but rebuilding is not an exciting process, and it certainly doesn't get done in a year and a half. Maybe MacPhail can make enough moves over the next two months to mollify the masses, but heaven help the Orioles and their fans if he does that by going against his instincts and losing sight of the horizon.
I know this much. The fans who are willing to give up on him this quick are much more aligned with the management philosophy that got the Orioles into this mess than any approach that might get them out of it.
Listen to Peter Schmuck on WBAL (1090 AM) at noon on most Saturdays and Sundays.
