Mike Elias lets Orioles failures slide while claiming everything is under control

At the start of the offseason, Mike Elias laid out a wishlist of roles that the Baltimore Orioles were looking to fill. Chief among them was a top of the rotation starter. It appears the Orioles are done adding to their rotation, and alas, for the second offseason in a row, the Orioles did not acquire a top-of-the-rotation starter.

One would think that failing to accomplish your No. 1 stated goal of the offseason would result in a feeling of disappointment or possibly shame, but Elias met with MASN writer Roch Kubatko to assure everyone he does not feel that way.

"We were really in play as finalists on a lot of stuff, whether that’s trade or free agent, but that’s pretty common," Elias said. "We were really obviously a pretty aggressive [this] offseason, and we were involved in quite a bit of things over the course of the winter. And ultimately I’m happy with what we came away with.”

Mike Elias does not hold himself to a high standard even with his new promotion

This is an example of the kind of mentality that's holding the Orioles back. They came into the offseason with an obvious need, they acknowledged that need, and then, when the dust cleared and the need wasn't met. And they're just fine with it.

Elias can pat himself on the back for being "finalists". There's nothing that matters less in baseball than players that a team almost signed or almost traded for. The Orioles cannot put "almost Ranger Suarez" on the mound in a playoff series.

Spending weeks negotiating with a free agent only to come in second and not get the player can take a lot of time and feel like a lot of work, but if you don't succeed in bringing home the player, then you've effectively done nothing.

Elias said he's happy with what they came away with. How? If you held a press conference before going grocery shopping and said your No. 1 priority was to come home with a gallon of milk, and then you arrived with a quart of heavy cream, you'd look pretty ridiculous. If you then told the media you were happy with the results of your shopping trip, you'd look even more absurd. Yet that is what Elias does every year.

Elias has somehow created an environment where he gets to set his own standards, and then when he fails to reach them, he just tells everyone that it's actually fine. Maybe when the Orioles are eliminated from playoff contention this year, everyone will find out that he got another secret promotion for his excellent work this offseason. All hail Supreme Chancellor of Baseball Operations Mike Elias!