Orioles Hot Stove Update

Three acquisitions before Christmas? Thanks Andy! Today the Orioles added Garrett Atkins, formerly of the Colorado Rockies. This comes a couple days after signing potential closer Mike Gonzalez, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, and a week after Acquiring Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers. With Felix Pie already in town, it seems like Andy MacPhail is trying to build a team full of bad box hits from 2007. Seems like damn near every product from 2007 has a Pie & Atkins game used or autograph in it, and they're all numbered out of 60,000.

It's nice to see the Orioles making some moves, but compared to the moves made every offseason by the Red Sox and Yankees, they always seem insignificant. Almost like mini-moves. I like the Atkins signing, and lord knows the bullpen needs some help, so Gonzalez can't hurt. I've already posted about Millwood's leadership potentially being key next season. All that's left now is getting our hands on Adrian Gonzalez, and Matt Holliday to solidify the lineup. With an offense that potent, it wouldn't matter so much that our young pitching staff is still adjusting to the big league game.

I know it's not going to happen, but humor me here. Below is a projected lineup IF the Orioles were in fact able to sign both Holliday and Gonzalez.

1. Roberts
2. Jones
3. Markakis
4. Gonzalez
5. Holliday
6. Scott/Pie
7. Wieters
8. Atkins
9. Izturis

Tell me that lineup wouldn't be able to keep up with the Yankees and Red Sox? That would be the sweetest Baltimore starting nine in decades! There are so many ways to re-arrange it as well, to ensure that someone is always going to be seeing pitches to hit, which has become a real problem for the Orioles the past few seasons.

Alas, all of this dreaming will be for naught. It would be awesome if the O's could even manage to land one of the two, which they most likely will not. But I say who cares! It's nice enough as it is to be thinking about baseball in December. When does spring training start again?