Are Orioles one of the top teams in MLB? | MAILBAG

Question: I have seen from media sources that the Orioles are ranked in the top 10 (but not the top 5) of the best teams in baseball. In your opinion, do you agree with this assessment at this point? From: Timothy Fowler 

Answer: Timothy, I received another relevant question from Joe Meglen, who wonders whether the Orioles will be a .500 team this year. He doesn’t think the team has enough talent.

I would be surprised if the Orioles finished below .500, and I certainly think they’ll be a contender this year. Let’s see how the rest of spring training goes before we start ranking the Orioles, but I see them as at least a playoff team even if the Yankees and Red Sox have made some interesting additions.

Question: In Orioles history I cannot recall any blockbuster minor league trades. Do you remember any? From: William LeRoy

Answer: William, that’s a most interesting question, one I’ve never considered before.

I can think of two examples of good trades the Orioles made where they traded a major leaguer and received minor leaguers who performed well.

The most prominent was B.J. Ryan, who had pitched in only one major league game for Cincinnati in 1999 before he was traded to the Orioles along with pitcher Jacobo Sequea for veteran right-hander Juan Guzmán in August 1999.

Ryan pitched in 404 games, fifth most in Orioles’ history, and was an American League All-Star in 2005 when he saved 36 games. Guzmán pitched in only 13 more games after the trade.

Another trade that I think fits is the acquisition of reliever Jorge Julio from the Montreal Expos for the late infielder Ryan Minor in December 2000.

Julio saved 83 games, sixth most in team history from 2002-2004 and was a teammate of Ryan’s for five seasons.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.