Roch,

Hope you're right that both Miggy and Mora will be traded. It would be good all the way around - just hope the O's FO brings in fair value. Any word on Corey Patterson?

“The Mets made a strong run at Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard at the general managers' meetings, but at the time Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail was not ready to make a move. MacPhail reportedly gave a similar response to a recent inquiry on Bedard by the Dodgers, but he could jump once he concludes that he can't sign the pitcher long-term. A package of youngsters headed by the Mets' Carlos Gomez or Dodgers' Matt Kemp would be enticing . . .” - Ken Rosenthal
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7498162

i think mora + tejada = bad for Os.

but i think we should move one or the other, not both.

mora to philly, slide tejada to thrid ... seems like a big step in the right direction.

Anyone want to weigh in on the Yankees-Santana rumors? I think the Yankees have hyped up Kennedy and Melky Cabrera well beyond their true worth, so I'd hate to see the Twins buy into it and trade Santana for them. Cabrera is young but well below average offensively and showed no signs of improvement in his second season (he probably got worse, even). Kennedy has one good minor league season under his belt plus the fortuity of a couple good MLB starts. He gets the reputation of a "young Mussina", but seriously how many minor league pitchers get associated with anything but big names? I have yet to read a profile that lauds a minor league pitcher for looking like, say, Brad Pennington.

I just don't understand the why the Orioles would want to trade Eric Bedard. He is one of the few long term pitching projects that has developed into a success. At some point you have to build around the strongest players on the team. To trade him for prospects would start the process of finding good players all over again. Where does the circle stop? Pay Bedard and build around him. At some point there might be a glimmer of hope of fielding a competitive team. I say that the better option would be to trade all of the top brass and ownership of the Orioles for young management prospects with some common sense.

Funny you should mention Victor Zambrano. I was rooting for the guy last year and the one start he had, he had a strong first inning of 1-2-3. Then the wheels fell off the cart in the second and third. As bad as the O's pitching was last year, you can't help but cheer for a new begginning.

Roch - The Orioles seem to be the center of every rumor concerning the signing of a player no one wants.

Barry Bonds (because, wink, wink, Raffy proved the O's are tolerant of steroid abusers), Guillen, Barrett, Weaver, etc.

I am guessing that part of this is from their signing Albert Belle to a ridiculous contract when no one else was bidding for him.

That, of course, was Peter Angelos' own deal. As long as he is the owner and plays a prominent role, the national media is going to fall all over rumors like that.

Can you blame them?

I have trouble taking the Mitchell report seriously. Of course we'll see how comprehensive it is when it finally arrives. Right now it reeks as a hunt for the unfortunate players who happen to pop up in whatever leads the committee uncovers. Who believes it will comprehensively cover all players, the majority of whom have likely used PEDs at some point in their careers? Instead of a witch hunt on past behavior that Bud Selig and MLB passively encouraged (those home run chases brought back baseball!), why not tell us how they'll aggressively stop the behavior moving forward?

Also, why is there only a muffled cry about the fact that Mitchell is on the Red Sox board of directors? What are we to think if the Red Sox come out squeaky clean in this investigation? Or will the Red Sox be targeted because Mitchell must prove he's impartial? Maybe the report will change my attitude, but right now it's rather difficult to view this as something that will help clear up the PEDs issue in baseball. A strong policy for the future would be much more persuasive.

Roch,
My instincts tell me the same thing about Mora and Tejada. I'll bet that plays out exactly as you've suggested. (And Im betting on the Os signing Bedard to an extension.)

But I'm wondering what you've heard lately about Millar and Huff. Seems to me that at least one of them will be traded. I realize some of it depends on who the Os would get back in a Tejada trade -- for instance, James Loney or Casey Kotchman would dictate a move at 1B.
Regardless, a rebuilding team only needs one DH/1B, not 3, which is the way the roster looks now, if you count Gibbons.

Jeff Zrebiec also reported what might be the best news of the winter so far - that the O's are more interested in signing Bredard than trading him and that they plan to talk seriously about an extension.

While Bedard is not the pitcher's Cal Ripken, he is a #1 starter. Replacing him will cost signifacantly more than any contract extension would. And he will need to be replaced. #1 starters do not fall for trees and we are not going to be able to trade for one unless we give up the guys we are counting on lifting the team.

If Bedard is extended for 3 years it means the O's have him for 5 more years. In today's game, a 33 year old pitcher is no real concern.

And, if it turns out Bascom, Arietta, or even Guthrie becomes a #,1 he can always be traded later.

In 2 years any contract he signs today is going to look like a bargin.

I disagree with you, Wayward. Trade both Tejada and Mora for as much as you can get.

Put Moore at 3B - Huff can play there if Moore tanks, but 2008 is going to be a rebuilding year anyhow.

Sign a FA on a cheap one-year deal to play SS - for insurance, if/when the O's find that Luis Hernandez can't cut it.

The Orioles should also be looking at diamonds in the rough to pick up during the Rule 5 draft.

"e" is for extensive housecleaning between now and Opening Day.

I do not understand the arguement that no quality free agent will want to sign with Baltimore because of the team's recent losing record.

If this logic is correct, ALL of the free agents are ONLY going to want to sign with the Yankees. And, maybe, the Red Sox.

So how did the Tigers get better? Colorado? Cleveland? Seattle? All teams with recent losing histories, all teams that improved in large part from key Free Agent additions.

We do not need ARod to get better (although it wouldn't hurt!) and what would be a bigger ego boost than turning a franchise around?

Who in their right mind really considered that rumor to be even remotely true?

Fine , trade Mora, the O's will be a mostly AAAA team next year anyway if that new "plan" is truly being applied. I just have a major problem with dealing him for AA guys that won't get past Bowie, ever, even during the next 2 years. Mora in LF & Moore at 3B is better than Moore at 3B & 2 new twits at Bowie & no answer for LF. I still wouldn't give Tejada away either. Murray, er, um, I mean Tejada ,is still a good hitter.

I bet most ,if not all ,of the names will get a bad rep at best. Plenty of boos & shaking heads, etc. but that's it. Supposedly, when they did those enhancement drugs, they were not technically banned or illegal in baseball....yet.

I'll say it again, potter has as much desire to $ign Bedard for 4-5 years at $17-20M per, as he does in taking steriods himself. Might as well consider the offers now.

I hope the Orioles will make a full-on effort to sign Erik Bedard before trading him. When he was healthy, there simply wasn't a better pitcher in the major leagues last season. Bedard is going to be sensational if he switches to the National League. The Orioles should keep this in mind before they trade him.

Mora and Tejada should both leave. Scott Moore and Luis Hernandez can't give us a season much worse than the one we just had.

As an aside, I pity the team that ends up giving Aaron Rowand 6 years and $84 million. (And that team will probably be Texas.) He's a more expensive version of Gary Matthews, Jr. and I'm glad the Orioles aren't going to be burdened by his imminent lead balloon of a contract.

ROCH - A couple excellent points.

Mora to Philly makes sense. His playing OF this winter only increases his value to a NL team. (And, if the O's don't trade him, anything to keep Payton's indifferent defense out of LF is a plus!

And, unless they get him to play 3B in winter ball, moving Tejada to 3B in spring makes no sense. 3B and SS are two entirely different animals.

I think the fact they have not approached Tejada about a move is evidence that they are going to take the best deal for him they can.

Why move him to 3B and let another team see issues, if any, that may come up? Better to leave it as an unknown and let the shift be their problem.

However, I am not convinced the O's are sold on Moore at 3B. Is anyone in the minors even close?

The Cards may have some interest in Tejada?

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/A7DCC0988AE88FBC862573A10019914B?OpenDocument

Don't know much about what they would be able to send back in return.

Food for thought:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:izf98hp75NEJ:rallyfried.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/2008-preview-baltimore-orioles/+%22baltimore+orioles%22+top+prospects+2008&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

The Orioles had better be looking for a viable option for 1B. The BOOB brothers ( Millar & Huff ) are not the answer.

I agree tejada,mora, payton, huff,could all be gone..We should approach A's to see availability of haren..We should get some good return for tejada,2 or 3 players and huff, mora at least one good player each. Not all major league ready yet but close..Keep bedard, and hernandez until july or next winter unless overwhelmed by the offer..I admit the talent being thrown about by the dodgers come close to that. I am glad I don't have the job of making that decision if the names are right..

Am I the only one hoping that Mora will NOT be traded ?

With all of the holes on this team, I don't think that he's one of them, and I don't think that we'll get much back in return for him. He's probably on the tail end of his career anyway, so it isn't a long term problem, either.

Doesn't he have any value as a solid veteran to provide some leadership for the youth movement that is sure to come ?

Moving him to left seems like a great solution - he might fight it, but he'll do it, if that's what's needed.

It has been excruciatingly slow, but at least the O's haven't done anything stupid!

If there is one guy to overpay - it's bedard. Just get it done.

Mora can go to the Phils, I'm sure they are looking for a guy who has the ability to knock a few walk-off bunts.

I think the equation is right, but the interpretation is wrong.

mora + tejada = bad for O's...but only if they are still here on OD.

Personally, I'm in favor of moving both...but no one asked me.

Tejada at 3rd is a terrible idea, get rid of him instead. 3rd base requires good hands but no range. Tejada has no range and no hands.

I hope everybody remembers that the Orioles played their best games this year when both Tejada and Mora were on the DL.

Ken Rosenthal certainly knows more than I do. But I had assumed McPhail is proceeding slowing with Bedard for reasons other than what Kenny states.

I don't think he has any intention of extending Bedard's contract. Rather than contract talks slowing things down, I think McPhail is waiting for Santana's status to be resolved. With so few free agents on the market, McPhail knows that demand should be very high for Bedard once Santana is gone. And, Bedard's value is probably at it's highest.

At 28, it probably doesn't make sense to pay a lot of money to Bedard when he is McPhail's best bargaining chip in his rebuilding plan. More valuable than Tejada.

Thanks Roch,

The horrible mental image of Lee Elia’s braided back hair is going to cost me a sleepless night. Thanks.

(That’s ‘e’ for ech!)

Tom D....

Signing Albert Belle was actually a good move. And he was being heavily recruited by many other teams. Albert Belle's numbers = Kirby Puckett's numbers They both were very good players, even if you don't like one of them

Anthony - you put into writing what I've been thinking for a while but held off saying because of the backlash. I felt our team mentally elevated their game (really, there is only one way to go when you hit bottom) when they couldn't rely on Tejada's bat. I'd rather watch a team of lesser known position players fight for every at-bat, than the prima-donna vets we are loaded with now.

there is a ton of Red Sox hate on this board, but how can you not look the vitality of their farm system and drool. youkalis, ellsbury, pedroia, lester, papelbon - all KEY players for them this year that came out of nowhere. did signing beckett, ortiz and ramirez help? sure, but you can only lure those type guys if you save money by having home grown players on your team as well. Look up the salaries of the guys listed above - staggeringly low.

i would be stunned if Bedard chose to stay. At this point, its not about how much they offer him. They could throw the bank at him but he'd still have an equal offer from another team, one that is 3 years closer to the playoffs than our O's are.

Ghost: You are absolutely right. Belle was and is a monster jerk. Short a fluke hip injury the guy produced. Before he was hurt he had H.O.F. numbers IMO.

C"mon Tom D...get real on the Bedard deal. Zito signed for 7 years, Santana wants the same. You write about a 3 yr deal. If he's the #1 that you say, it will take a minimum of a 6 yr deal to get him to sign. Again, if he's the #1 as you say (without throwing 200 innings ever in his career), the asking price is $108 million over 6 years based on the framework of the Zito deal.

If he's offered a 3 yr contract, he's laughing his way out of town!

Please trade for Adam Jones. Pick up the phone Flan. I'm sure your not still exhausted. Belichick will NOT run it up on Billick. Anybody but Billick. - False rumor, Todd Heap keeps a machete under his bed.

hindsight is 20/20.

both mora and tejada were highly sought after when we got em.

keep miggy, and if he hits 90/20/100, everyone would be loving it. i mean seriously, the guy had 150 rbi's in 04, 98 in 05, and 100 in 06. IF you divide it out: (when nobody was screaming trade), in '06 he had .62 rbi's a game and hit a HR every 6.75 at bats. Last year, he drove in .62 rbi's a game with a HR every 7.39 at bats. That's less then one additional at bat. Far from slumping, and who knows how healthy he was after recovering from the hand issue.

the guys 31 for christ sake. Hell I'm 31! and I can still roller hockey with 17 year olds. this guy works out 5/6 days a week and can still be productive, as well as the leader of this franchise...he just needs to remember thats who he is. run out ground balls, stay focused, and play to win for 9 (or how ever many) innings it takes.

IF we get 2 / 3 GOOD MLB players (I hate the term prospect, prospect does not = player), yes.

IF we get a bunch of nobodys who hit .280 in double A and went 5-7 in the MLB's DON'T DO IT.

I'll agree on the mora trade (and I wasn't one to call to "pay the man"), he seems conceited and never looks like he's having fun.

If we trade tejada and he bops 90/20/100, don't come back here screaming what a bad trade it was because we have 3 nobodys down in delmarva.

Roch, I have to agree that Billy Martin should be in. Davey Johnson? Close but no. And the news that the O’s going after Jose Guillen was not true is encouraging and expected. To me, Guillen is the kind of guy you get when you’re contending, and he’s the kind of guy you let someone else sign and you trade for (and not give up much) when you’re contending. It made no sense that the O’s would be going after him.

It would be great if the O’s could extend Bedard. I just don’t see it happening. If they did, it would be a great move in many ways. Not only would they retain a top pitcher for the foreseeable future, but they would also have done something they haven’t done: sign a pitcher to a long-term, high priced deal (you figure Bedard’s going to get $15 million to $20 million per season for at least 5 seasons). If that happens, maybe that sends a signal to fans of the team and players around the league and on their own team that they are serious.

I hope I’m surprised, but they waited to long to extend Bedard and now he will get away. He’s two years away from free agency, can plainly see that contending teams want his services if he hears the trade rumors, and can plainly see the O’s immediate future is fairly bleak. They needed to sign him at least a year ago before he had his not quite Cy Young worthy campaign.

Hopefully, it will be a lesson to not let this happen again. Extend your worthy young players well before free agency is in their view. For instance, right now, are they even thinking about extending Nick Markakis? He has four years before free agency, which may seem like a long time, but they should be proactive in extending him now. Don’t wait until two years from now to even approach him.

Just read where Tampa Bay is close to trading Delmon Young to Minnesota for Matt Garza. If all it takes is an under .500 pitching prospect to obtain a 22-yr stud outfielder, then why didn't the O's try to acquire Young? Having Young patrol left field for the next 5 years is well worth losing a pitching prospect or two (namely Cabrera).

I know this is a Baltimore post, but I wanted to throw something out regarding the S. Taylor passing.

Several weeks ago, a player (I believe on the Vikings) lost his grandmother (who essentially was his "mother") and the team's intitial response was to dock him a week's pay. Does anyone else recognize the hyprocrisy of management and owners.

S. Taylor is murdered and everyone is talking about re-scheduling so the team can cope with there loss. What about this player who lost his mother who raised him for 18 plus years? Where was R. Goodell sticking up for him. I know that he was eventually given his game check which he subsequently donated to charity, but I want to know why there was not an outcry from league executives and teams regarding his loss ("mother" and paycheck).

I am sure this will not happen, but what if a Redskins player was too upset to play on Sunday? Would they dock him his pay? Would it even be considered? Probably not. Who is more important, a mother or teammate? I am not qualified to answer that question.

While I respect and understand those fans that believe that Bedard, Tejada, and Roberts should not be traded; I think it’s important that we all face reality.

I have been one of the fans over the last two years that thought we were just a few players away from respectability. I made that assumption because I thought the players we had in our farm system were legitimate prospects. I think we must all accept that this team does not have a legitimate position prospect above Class A.

We have holes in left field, centerfield, first base, and will shortly need to consider upgrading at third base and catcher. Many of the fans are depending upon Reinhold, Snyder, Weiters, and Rowell. Reimold has never shown an ability to hit for average or control his strikeouts above AA. Until he does he can not be considered a serious prospect. Snyder and Rowell haven’t even made it to AAA yet much less shown they can hit at a major league level. Weiters is probably the best prospect of all of them but he’s at least a year and a half away.

The one area that we have shown some ability to develop is pitching although our best prospects are still about two years away. I don’t see the purpose of keeping the three good players that can bring both quantity and quality of young players from other teams if there is nothing in our farm system to build with before 2009.

I want to win now as much as the next fan but, after watching the disasters of the last three years, I recognize that this team does not have the nucleus is to build around, nor the young players to build with. If the Baltimore Orioles are going to become a winning team in the near future it is going to be for a rebuilding program and not a series of patch jobs.

The biggest bone of contention seems to be what to do with Erik Bedard. If he is willing to sign an extension he could become the anchor of a good rotation, or considering his injury and maturity issues, he could become another Sydney Ponson. I see the urgency to sign Bedard instead of trading him the same as being concerned that your return trip on the Titanic has been properly booked while you’re standing in line for the lifeboat.

For those that say “just sign him”, isn’t that what we all said about Mora a couple of winters ago? I know I did because I thought we needed him to be a winner. It turns out that we were going to lose with him or without him. That money could have been used in another direction. Now we’re trying to find a place to move him. What’s to say that Erik Bedard in 2010 will not be the Melvin Mora of today?

Look at Cleveland, Colorado, Milwaukee, and Arizona; they traded away their marketable veterans for young players and rebuilt. The exception is Detroit who was willing to take the chance on some big contracts for impact players and did well. Of course, they had solid prospects to build around. Spending big bucks on a couple of players is no guarantee that the rest of the organization will be ready before their contracts are over.

The Baltimore Orioles will not be a playoff team during the next two seasons even if we keep Erik Bedard. Why not get what we can for him now, while his value is the highest it will ever be, so we can be a playoff team by 2010?

I just read online that Brady Anderson and Harold Baines will be going head to head on the next installment of Dancing With the Stars!!! How exciting!!! Brady can finally put those big guns to use! HAHA! I'm just kidding... but the more I think about it, the more I would like to see that happen! ; )

Sorry, I get annoyed with all these rumors. Let's just wait until something is officially released before we get our panties in a twist!

PS: Anthony "I hope everybody remembers that the Orioles played their best games this year when both Tejada and Mora were on the DL."

THANK YOU! That's what I've been saying all along! I thought I was the only one!

To quote the infamous david spade SNL skit, Total Bastard Airlines.... "Uh Buuuh Bye! Yeah, okay, Buh Bye" is all I have to say to Mora and Tejada!

Enter O for Oh how will Monday night's game end? I'm expecting a total Pats collapse. HAHA! One could only hope! HAHA!

GhostofPhil(the worst O manager ever not named Ray Miller)Regan,

Au contraire. No one with the Orioles wanted to be within 100 yards of Belle (well, except Angelos).

NY was using him to get Williams to sign (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE5D91E31F934A25752C1A96E958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Belle,%20Albert) (Note how the article talks about Belle's destructive influence in the clubhouse and how big a concern this was).

Boston tried to use Belle to get Vaughn back, but stopped talking to Belle when Vaughn signed with the Angels (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5DA1039F93BA15752C1A96E958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Belle,%20Albert).

Note, also, the ChiSox refused to take him back, even after he essentially begged them.

The O's (actually, Peter Angelos) were bidding against themselves.

The story is, from several sources, that Angelos walked into Frank Wren's office and asked, "What do you think about signing Belle?" Wren and others expressed their desire not to sign him; Angelos replied "we have a contract offer on the table."

It took Belle about 2 weeks in spring training to upset the team when he refused to make a scheduled trip for a game, then had a tantrum during another game and threw a major hissy when the Sun reported the tantrum.

Later he made everyone even happier by refusing to take his bat off his shoulder during the Cuba game at the Yards and refusing to run after balls in the OF. You see, he wanted the day off, so he took one.

In fact, and I am surprised this did not get any attention here because it is the #1 Cardinal Sin here - he was taken out of a game by Miller because he decided not to run to 1st (pre-injury) at all!

It does not matter if he has the greatest stats in history, signing a clubhouse cancer is going to wreck a team. Belle had no regard for the team. Not in Cleveland, not in Chicago and certainly not here.

If all that matters to you is stats, he was a great signing except for that nasty hip thing (but wait, Belle was good but for the injury but you can't use the injuries as an excuse for the 2007 season.... I’m so confused!!!). I am sure his OPS, OMB, COBRA and LTMFT were awesome.

If you pay attention to the things that make a baseball team succeed, it was horrible.

I.e., it was a horrible signing.

Roch,

Any word on Daniel Cabrera?

He needs to be gone by next season. He might show up in some other city on some other team and suddenly become a Cy Young candidate, but his time here is through and MacPhail has to recognize that.

I know his trade value is sinking, but his value to this team is non-existent. He doesn't belong on this team, in this system.

So when do I get to hear the Cabrera trade rumors?

Has anybody noticed that the O's have had hot prospects who are "a couple years away" for about TEN YEARS?
Is there something about the air or water in Bowie that makes them fizzle?
Who was the last home grown O's position player to tear up the IL? Larry Sheets?
So what is it? Bad drafts? Bad scouting? Ignorning foreign players? Bad instruction? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
We all know where the buck stops.

Jeff - Good point.

My thinking was extending him BEYOND the reserve period - that would mean a 5 year deal. Didn’t explain that too well….

Actually, it would probably be in Bedard's best interest to sign a 3 year deal. If MacPhail is going to dismantle the club as he is signaling, Bedard is smart enough to know that having a winner in Baltimore during the next 5 - 6 years is unlikely.

If he signed a 3 year deal, for instance, he would be a free agent right after his reserve time ends. If the O's look like 2007 with fresh new faces he can bail. If they look like Arizona or Colorado of 2007, he can work a new deal.

If he signs a 6 year, Zambrano deal he is richer faster but also locked into the team. If they suck in 3 years he would still have to hang around another 3 years after that. If he signs no deal he gets traded and is still locked into 2 more years at less than ace money.

However, you are right, the economics of the game being what it is, 6 years is probably what it will take.

Do it.

By the way:
Bedard, 1st 4 years - 658 innings pitched.
Pedro Martinez (#1 pitcher on all charts), 1st 4 years - 660 innings pitched.
Roy Halladay (#1 etc.), 1st 4 years - 560 innings.
Santana (#1, etc.), 1st 4 years - 623 innings pitched (combinibg his 1st two actual seasons into 1 to be fair).
What's your point?

ohfahn - Who were the solid prospects Detroit built around? Granderson is too slim to count as more than one guy. Verlander is big, but he is only one guy, too. Bonderman was a trade, but I will give you him. OK, so 3 guys out of 25 (well, 40)?

Who did Colorado trade? They did not have any marketable players to trade.

Cleveland? They went out and got a bunch of "young" guys - Byrd (36), Westbrook (29 - no longer young according to the Great Bill James), Borowski (36), Betancourt (32), Fultz (33), Delucci (33), LOFTON!!!!!!!(40), Trot Nixon (33). Well, not exactly "youth," right?

They kept Hafner (30), Casey Blake (33), Sabathia (26, soon to no longer be young!) and Martinez (28). These were the majority of their older, marketable players and they KEPT them!

They added their own youth - Sizemore (24), Perlata (25), Garko (26), Barfield (24) and Carmona (23).

The O's average age in '07 was 29. Cleveland's was a post-youthful 28. This is a youth movement?

In fact, I think all this sounds familiar to what I have been arguing in favor of!

Thanks for making my point for me!!!!

Tom D - MacPhail did approach Tejada about a move to third during the final week of the season. He flat out refused. Said he would move if traded. In Jennifer's words this is why he's going "buh bye".

This was all part of MacPhail's plan(you know - the one he doesn't have). It was also part of his plan to see if Melvin Mora would waive his no trade clause when he talked to him several weeks ago.

It's also part of his plan to see if Bedard is interested in staying. Like you, I believe the team should keep him, I'm just hoping they make a fool-fledged effort to do that.

Jake - You must have missed Mora's response about his status a few weeks ago. He demonstrated zero leadership in what he had to say and for this will likely be moved.

Paul in St. L - You call Mora conceited yet support Miggy(I'll play third for anyone, but the O's)???

Roch, I hope you're right and that Tejada and Mora will both have been traded by Opening Day.

Speaking of Opening Day, Bedard will be 29 years old then. As others have written, he's not going to sign a below-market contract to stay with a losing team.

For a team with holes at every position except right field and second base, the Orioles should be trading Bedard now that his value has peaked. He's a constant injury risk and has had two great seasons in his career.

If Bedard and Tejada could be dealt to the Dodgers for Loney, Kemp, Billingsley, and Kershaw, then the Orioles should make the deal, and consider themselves very, very lucky. Hitters who have suceeded in Dodger Stadium, a pitchers' park, are worth a premium.

Recall that the Orioles will not be competitive until 2010, at best. (Sorry, Tom D, but in the unfair, uncompetitive wasteland that is MLB, the Orioles will not be able to compete with the Yankees or Red Sox by matching their spending.) Stocking up young players who could star in 2010 must therefore be the top priority.

Hey what you think the word on the street for the trading market if all the Orioles who are on the block show up in the steroid report? Would any teams be wanting a postive Miggy, More, Huff, Millar? The Orioles are all ready know for having former players on the *HOT* List!!!! But if I figured the Orioles were all on the juice in the early 2000's why where they not WINNING? Doesn't that make you hit more Homers, Bat for Higher Avg.????

Paul in stl 1 homerun every 6.75 at bats...That works out to just under 90 bombs a season....Where is that production at? I think you mean 1 RBI per 6.75 at bats.... Yeah that looks better...Still not great, but looks better...

Paul, there's no way Tejada is actually only 31. My guess is 36 or 37. Ask some people who don't know him to guess his age next season when you see him playing somewhere. No one will guess below 35.

Mora plays to deep at third. The swinging bunt killed us too many times last year and his is among the worst in the league at taking away the 5.5 hole ball. In LF he would be an absolute statue. I hope Philly bails us out of a big mistake. I would be willing to give them a suitcase of money too.

i love how the lowly DRays are going to hurdle past the O's and will finish rebuilding while the O's are still trying to figure things out. While i'm slightly perplexed why they'd give up a very young, raw but extraordinarily talented Young for Garza, but they are also bringing in Percival who was great last year. With their decent offense and strong nucleus of young players plus a step in the right direction with their bullpen, the O's might be ranked 5th in the east going into the season and could stay there for a long time. It's sad but it's extremely hard to root for a team that continues to digress and panic. This will be another offseason where we shed a few guys who will probably succeed in a different environment (i.e. tejada/mora) and will acquire--as usual--relatively unwanted mid-level prospects who will probably never do anything wearing orange and black. This team might as well trade away BRob and Bedard for some high level prospects and really go all out in this rebuilding process. afterall, besides Markakis and perhaps Guthrie, there's no one on this roster who looks to be a real part of this rebuilding process. Certainly Millar, Payton and Gibbons aren't players who should remain on this roster.

Front office: DO SOMETHING!

Hey Jake...What kind of veteran leadership does Mora provide? I know, complaining to the media when he wasn't notified by the manager that he was not going to be in the lineup. He needs time to mentally prepare for that. Yeah, he's the kind of influence I want on the young players...Markakis is more of a leader and more mature than Mora will ever be. You don't have to be vocal to be a leader. You just have to consistently do what is best for the team. It's called leading by example and neither Tejada, Hernandez, Mora, Payton, Gibbons, Huff, Cabrera, etc. display it.

The Rays are onto something. We should change the team name too. This team obviously has done a number on the good Orioles name and they should no longer be allowed to use it. The city should use its Eminant Domain power to take the name away from Angelos. Make the stadium more environmentally friendly and call them the Algorioles. If they can't be leaders on the field, they can at least lead an alternative energy movement.

Do something before I go crazy! Sign Tom D and Ofahn to be the next perfectly matched dueling GMs!

P is for Big Peter!

Ya'll are wasting your time. The Os will never get better until Angelos sells the team or leaves Andy alone to make all baseball decisions.