I am beating a dead horse by now, but the Orioles couldn't have gone after Gonzalez? That is a damn good price for an extension. This move, above all else, has made me extremely frustrated as an Oriole fan. We could have matched that price with another young arm and/or gotten Jair Jurrjens from the Braves, but we did neither to improve the pitching. Dumb decisions. And now, I just read a report that the Orioles are interested in Francisco Cordero.
So, if we we were a little ballsy at the winter meetings, we could have a rotation, in theory, headlined by Jair Jurrjens and Gio Gonzalez for the price of a younger arm and Adam Jones. Bring in Cordero and a replacement center fielder for Jones. So at least the pitching is above average when you add in Wada (Japanese import) and Guthrie. Then, that might convince Prince Fielder to sign, and boom, a respectable club on the field right away.
All a pipe dream and I'm getting myself worked up over nothing, but shattered dreams are all Oriole fans have right now. I know the team is heading in the right direction, especially with international scouting and a focus on developing pitchers with their new hires, but its about time to step up for the major league club.