BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - Less than a year after taking the job, George Fitzpatrick has found himself in the center of Orioles controversy.
His decision to trade 27 year-old All-Star 1B James Anketell to the World Champion Toronto Blue Jays did not sit well with many Orioles fans as well as the local media, with many questioning the rationale behind the move. Before the press conference to announce the trade officially, a number of bloggers and Orioles beat writers questioned the move, including long time Baltimore Sun reporter Peter Schmuck:
I was around for George Fitzpatrick's first run with the organization over 25 seasons ago, and back then I was impressed by his boldness, creativity, and ability to think outside of the box. However, today's trade is a move I cannot defend. It seems bizarre to me that Fitzpatrick, a man who covets superstar talents like Anketell and desperately tried to acquire players of his caliber during his last reign in Baltimore would so willingly give one up, especially to the team standing most in the Orioles' way.
Schmuck's editorial seemed absolutely glowing compared to that of Chad Bryant IV, the lead blogger of popular team blog "Money, Cash, O's," who said the move was proof that Fitzpatrick was not cut out for the job:
Today's trade is a low point for the Orioles organization and is a microcosm of the damage George Fitzpatrick has caused to the franchise in just 8 months.
I was willing to give him a pass for trading prospects for an arm (Gary Gaskins) even while the O's were out of the race last season, considering the team's need for pitching. But the decision to trade Anketell today was obscenely stupid - and there can be no rational defense of it. This trade comes after the decision to hand a 31 year-old Sean Cargill a $107.8 million deal over the next four seasons - meaning that he decided to keep the older, less productive, more expensive first baseman (and one who was a DH nearly all of last season) as part of his long term strategy instead of the 27 year old hitting the prime of his career. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
This mistake alone was compounded by the fact that all he acquired back in the deal were a 26 year-old second baseman who is known more for his glove than his bat and an injured first baseman who may not be ready for Opening Day with a career OBP of .289. Do the Orioles owners just have so much blind faith in Fitzpatrick that they signed off on this deal without looking at it? That's quite honestly the only way I can imagine how this deal could have possibly happened.
After the trade, #FeastOrFired was trending on Twitter worldwide, with Oriole fans using the tag to symbolize their frustration with the organization and their opinion that General Manager Fitzpatrick should be fired if there is not significant improvement from last season's 82-80 record.
Fitzpatrick vehemently defending his move in the press conference today, stating that the trade was "...a major step toward the goal of bringing Oriole fans their first World Series win since 1982," and added that "Chad Noah and Brent Stawell are perfect fits with the team," citing Stawell's tremendous power from the left side of the plate fitting in well in Camden Yards, as well as Noah's incredible defense at second base. "James Anketell is a tremendously gifted athlete who could improve any team, but the additions we made today solidify us as a contender both this year and beyond. If people think this is some sort of surrender move, they will be very disappointed."
Fitzpatrick also stated he was not worried about the negative reaction from the fans, stating that "Orioles fans are the best fans in the world, specifically because they have tremendous pride and passion for winning baseball - we have the same goal in mind, and that's to see the Orioles bring a World Championship to Baltimore. I believe in myself and my abilities enough that I'm not afraid to make an unpopular move if it improves the team, and once our fans see [Chad] Noah and [Brent] Stawell in Orioles black and orange, they will absolutely love this move."
He refused to answer questions about whether or not the move was related to team finances, stating that "ownership does not want team financial information out in the public."
Only time will tell if this controversy will simply be a blip on the radar screen of a successful run by GM Fitzpatrick or the catalyst to an early end to his second tenure in Baltimore.
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