Baltimore Orioles: Prioritizing current success or long-term success?

The Baltimore Orioles are a team that many feel the window is closing on, with several key players becoming free agents in 2017 and 2018.

The number of days until players report to spring training is almost to the teens, which is a very exciting prospect. Then, we can focus on who is playing, not what the future holds after 2017.

But, before we get there, I want to pose a question to Baltimore Orioles fans:

If you had to choose a team that makes it to the World Series in 2017 or 2018, or a team that makes it to the playoffs and is competitive for the next ten years, which would you choose?

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Notice, I said makes it to the World Series, not wins it. I think we all would take a World Series champion over long-term success as Oriole fans.

But, it is not that long ago that the Orioles were in the basement each and every year. Some of the names that were trotted out as starters wouldn’t make some other team’s rosters.

So, let’s play armchair GM. The Baltimore Orioles are leading the AL East in 2017, but it is clear they are missing that one pitcher to compete in the playoffs.

Do you make a trade for a top starter like Sonny Gray, even if it means giving up Chance Sisco and one of the Orioles’ top SP prospects, such as Cody Sedlock, Hunter Harvey or Brian Gonzalez?

Are you willing to go all-in and take the steps to try to push for the World Series, no matter whether you win or not? It is an intriguing question.

Or, say the Orioles are a wild card team again in 2017, but lose in the Divisional Series. Chris Tillman is a free agent, and it is clear that he is not coming back.

Meanwhile, Manny Machado is coming off an even better year in 2017, and Zach Britton is again the best closer in baseball statistically, even though he is not perfect as a closer in 2017.

Do you take steps to trade both of those players in order to build your team for the future?

I don’t have an answer here. I want the Orioles to win a World Series, but I also want them to be competitive in 2020 and 2021.

Who knows, maybe the team doesn’t trade Britton or Machado and is able to re-sign one of them. Maybe the prospects are all much better than the national publications rate them and the team is a contender even if they go for it all in 2017 and 2018.

I, for one, am someone who thinks that the team has a lot of capable players in the minor leagues.

While I don’t agree with every move that Dan Duquette makes, this is what he, and Buck Showalter and Peter Angelos have to deal with. What can we do in 2017 to make our team successful, but also have the chance of being a great franchise in 2019 and 2020 and 2021.

As discussed on Wall-to-Wall Baseball on Saturday afternoon, the second Wild Card has made it much easier to keep your team together and push for the playoffs if your team is a contender.

Next: Orioles may be interested in re-signing Matt Wieters

So, Orioles fans, I pose the question to you. Would you rather have a team that makes a World Series in the next two years, or would you rather have a team that has the potential to contend year in and year out after 2018?

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