Bingo, and that was my point from the get go. Os are clear contenders and signing the extra guy makes the difference
Your wave tops Reddit argument misses the point and doesn’t do much for me, but that’s your prerogative man. Go for it.
Right but the "extra guy" is going to be a mid-tier guy. They're not bringing in Rizzo or any notable player. Like even bringing in a Bumgarner I'd say is sort of trivial in my eyes, especially what you'd have to give up for him.
These contenders aren't bringing in just one guy. They're bringing in multiple guys, over multiple years, keeping some of them long term, and in some cases, paying them ridiculous extensions. You think the Orioles are in the ballpark of doing any of those things?
My argument doesn't miss the point. MLB has literally gone out of their way to encourage cheating for decades. Allowed it, promoted it, turned a blind eye to it, etc. There's nobody that can objectively deny that. So no, I'm not going to get all butthurt when team are like "fuck it, lets see what we can get away with". I view Houston stealing signs on the same level as Tom Brady deflating some footballs. It's just a way to get your name back in the news.
And yes, there will be no shortage of the "get off my lawn guys" who will pound their head into a wall talking about integrity, integrity, integrity. All well and good until its time to show it.