While all of you are enjoying the New York Yankees' first appearance in the World Series since 2003, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and his staff will be mapping out the coming offseason and trying to figure out whether they have what it will take to make the team significantly more competitive than it was this year.
You have to wonder.
It's not like the Orioles are just a medium move or two away from putting a scare into the rest of the American League East. They need at least one big bat for the heart of the lineup and one of the corners of the infield. They could also use a veteran starting pitcher of decent quality and a couple of dependable relievers. This is not a modest shopping list.
The next step in MacPhail's rebuilding plan isn't going to complete the picture - far from it - but it has to help transform the Orioles from a divisional doormat into something formidable enough to energize the fan base and create real hope for a contending team in 2011.
MacPhail hasn't made any promises, but the signals he sent out when he rehired manager Dave Trembley seemed to confirm his intention to make some meaningful additions over the next two or three months.
If you recall, he said when he picked up Trembley's option for 2010 that the manager would be judged on wins and losses, and he indicated when he re-signed Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis last spring that the plan was to turn a competitive corner this winter.
Trouble is, the offseason landscape isn't particularly inviting. This year's free-agent market features some attractive hitters but nobody that would be a perfect fit in the Orioles' cleanup spot. The top starting pitcher - John Lackey - is all but certain to be out of the question, and this is one team that is going to be wary of spending too much for free-agent relievers.
So, what's a president of baseball operations to do?
Well, he already has ruled out doing the one thing that might make it possible to acquire a marquee power hitter. When rumors began to circulate that San Diego Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez and Milwaukee Brewers star Prince Fielder might be available via trade, MacPhail made it pretty clear that he would not be willing to part with any of the Orioles' core prospects to make that kind of deal.
There will be lesser power guys available on the free-agent market, but nobody equivalent to, say, Mark Teixeira last winter and few viable possibilities who would fit the Orioles' position needs.
