At this point last season the Baltimore Orioles were celebrating their first AL East division title since 1997 and were one of the best teams in the MLB. One year later, rumors indicate the club is experiencing tension with two key power figures.
Manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette are reportedly not seeing eye to eye.
"Showalter is frustrated with Duquette and wants greater involvement in personnel decisions, sources say," writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "The team, in the view of at least one club official, cannot continue with the same organizational structure.
"'If it doesn't change, it will be a disaster,' the official said."
"Showalter wants to remain manager as opposed to becoming GM, sources say, and is sensitive to the perception that he is trying to usurp power, a charge that was leveled against him earlier in his career."
Showalter and Duquette insist things are fine between them, but such a report is alarming, especially given the current state of the Orioles. A year after going 96-66 and reaching the ALCS for the first time since 1997, the O's are just 76-76 and have one of the worst starting rotation ERAs (4.59) in the MLB.
Although their offense is still tops in the league, perhaps Showalter is displeased with the fact that Duquette failed to replace or re-sign productive players such as Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz, both of whom departed in free agency this past offseason. Additionally, Duquette traded two key pitching prospects - Eduardo Rodriguez and Zach Davies - in the past year for reliever Andrew Miller (who also left in free agency) and Gerardo Parra (who is expected to do the same this offseason).
These could be big reasons why Showalter is rumored to want more involvement in the team's personnel decisions.
Rosenthal also notes other potential catalysts of "unrest," including Duquette's offseason acquisitions (Wesley Wright, Everth Cabrera, Delmon Young and Travis Snider) that have failed to pan out; the "deteriorating state" of the organization's farm system (via the previously mentioned trades as well as injuries to top prospects Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey); the influence of pitching development director Rick Peterson; Duquette's interest in pursuing the CEO position with the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason; and the fact that most of Showalter's coaching staff is not signed beyond 2015.
And it may only get worse. The Orioles are about to endure a consecutive tumultuous offseason where they're likely to lose Parra, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Darren O'Day and Wei-Yin Chen in free agency, which is more than likely to put further strain on the Showalter/Duquette relationship.
Duquette is signed through 2018 (at $2 million per season, according Cot's Baseball Contracts) and Showalter's contract is also the same duration, but at $3.5 million per year.
If it's determined the two cannot coexist, it's not insane to think either Showalter of Duquette would be gone before 2016. With a large turnover in managers and general managers this season (and more to come in the offseason), there will be plenty of employment opportunities elsewhere for these two.
