It would have been cool if the Sun article had discussed who these new faces are, rather than rehashing a well-known history of Tejada. I suppose that is forthcoming, but I didn't know who these people were..

I checked out a couple of these guys and I think it's a good trade. I loved Miggy when he got here, but the lying and consistant losing I think wore him out. He was promised we would build around him and that never happened. I check out these guys we got and it looks like atleast three of them should make the opening day roster. Scott, Albers, and Sarfate, maybe Patton. Constanzo strikes out a lot but has some power. I still like Moore for third.

So much for my concern about MacPhail making any moves. I know he reads this blog and he’s paying attention to what I’m saying in particular and I knew I could spur him into action! Ha ha, I kid! I don’t know the particulars on all these players from Houston, but I guess we can at least credit MacPhail on quantity if not necessarily quality.

I wonder (and I’m sure everyone else does too) how much this move and what we received was influenced by the Mitchell report coming out tomorrow. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

Roch, the only player worth getting excited about in that package is Patton, but even then he has control issues. This looks like a horrible trade.

Fantastic trade for the Os. This is far more than we should've gotten for Tejada. Nick Adenhart and Brandon Wood were NEVER coming here for Miggy. Bedard, maybe. Not Miggy.

I just like the SS door being opened to a hungry kid. I hope Luis gets a chance, I really do.

I hope that Brob stays and that he and Nick become the TRUE leadership of this team.

I'm happy that this got done and I hope that one of these kids from the Stros can help us at some point.

We still need A CF in a big way.

I like the trade...not flabergasted of course, but this trade will look a lot better tomorrow if Tejada's name shows up on the Mitchell report...

I'm afraid Constanzo's name isn't the only joke that'll come from this trade...

Pathetic. Luke Scott is neither young nor a prospect. He was a major disappointment in 2007.

I think Luis should definitely get a shot at ss. I'm tired of hearing he's a great fielder but never hit in the minor leagues. Well last year he hit real well in the major leagues and he's tearing up the winter league.

I love Wikipedia. Trivia Wiki provides about Luke Scott.

* Scott is fluent in Spanish, and he helped his best friend Willy Taveras learn English.
* Gives haircuts to his teammates.
* He and Taveras used to cook for their teammates while they were in the minor leagues to give them a break from fast food.
* Writes in a journal after every at-bat, taking notes about the pitcher and his pitches
* Fans in Houston cheer "Luuuuuuuuuke" when he is at bat. Visitors often mistake this for booing.
* Is an outspoken Christian who points skyward every time he gets a hit. He also wears a cross under his jersey each game.

Love it, we needed alot & got alot. Get Luuuuke Scott 500+ AB's & he will knock 30+ out. In Andy I trust as of right now. Now lets trade Bedard then Roberts. Great job !!!

Roch,

Are the O's eating any of the remaining contract $$$$ owed to Tejada?

I'm relieved that they didn't get Everett. You can't create that big of a hole in your lineup in the American League, no matter how good he is with the glove. Sad but true; Belanger would never get off the bench in today's game.

Way to go MacPhail! It's exciting just to see new young blood flow through the Orioles. Keep going. Live Arms and Good Workers.

I think this is a salary dump - they are not eating any of his contract and I think that ha s alot to do with the mediocre players coming to us - the one guy has some pop on his fatball...Scott is a decent addition and maybe on the upswing offensively. I think getting rid of an overpaid guy who loafs is addition by subtraction regardless of who comes back.

Gary

The fact that we got 5 players back worries me. The Astros wouldn't have given up that many if any of them were a strong prospect. It's about quality, not quantity, and I'm guessing we didn't get much quality back. But I hope I'm wrong.

Sargfate was lights out for these guys last year (in 7g.). I think I really like this trade. A whole bunch of arms and a guy with 18 jacks. I'll take that for Miggy anyday.

Good luck in Houston Miguel and thanks for the memories.

I'm from Houston. I think we have the short end of the stick. Patton is a star in the making, Sarfate was shutting people down at the end last year and has stuff to his fastball. Scott is sporadic, but when he is hot, boy is he hot, and ok fielder. Can't say much for Costanzo, I just didn't follow him that much. Albers can be an inning eater, but has upside..avg. 4-5 strike outs per game. Patton and Sarfate will be missed. I am surprised that Everett wasn't included.

I am curious as to what that Mitchel report will say about Tejada.

Was this a the-Mitchell-report-is-coming-act-now panic trade? ANd someone tell us who these guys are, please?

This trade looks horrible... not a real prospect in the bunch. Hopefully, we are on the other side of a Glenn Davis like trade this time... but it doesn't look like it.

I agree Roch. Not getting Everett doesn't make sense. He has to have more deals in the making. He won't start the season without a prospect in the mix at short. Otherwise three young arms, 2 4 the pan and 1 starter, an OF with some power and corner infield prospect. Not bad. Constanza was the Phillies #1 pick a year ago, but was traded to houston in the Lidge deal. Can Scott play CF, if not he's traded.

FINALLY!

I'm happy that we've moved Tejada, and think the package probably is the best we could get. Tejada's numbers have been declining during the time most players are supposedly at their peak.

On a related note, if we did trade Roberts, who would play second? I could see us waiting until next season to move him (my favorite player, wah), when the market might be hotter...anyone else agree? And to answer Jennifer's post about why there is speculation around Roberts and PEDs, its not just Grimsley, its all the press surrounding his "miraculous" recovery from having his elbow bent back the wrong way... :(

Looks like a decent trade to me. Looks like some decent talent, maybe a little long in the tooth. But what do you want for for an older disgruntled player with declining numbers?

It will look even better if Tejada's name is on the mitchell report.

Article was very weak not giving ANY info on the players we got. Then ask in a poll what we think of it......

Kind of hard to have an opinion.

Maybe the rush to tell us the news, they did not yet research the traded players.

My opinion, even after I/we learn a little more about them, will be wait and see.

Cannot hate it till the players Fail, cannot love it till they are all all stars on our 2011 World Series team!

Glad something Happened. Hopefully we traded our "Glen Davis".

AND

Tejada was not gonna get top players anyway. That opportunity was lost 2 years ago, and again after his injury.

hey ... I'm a O's die hard fan living in Houston and I can tell you that local media and sport talk shows are in shock ... because the price the paid (Troy Patton is the real deal) and the Tejada remaining salary .... I'm not going to miss the Tejada from the previous 2 years, he's mind was already away from Baltimore ...

Baseball America listed Patton pretty high in their prospect class, and there was an article last year about how he was part of the "future" for Houston.

Yikes! Tejada wanted to go to a winning team and the Atros were about as bad as the Orioles last year. Except for Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman, the Astros were weak. It will be interesting to see new Astro Kaz Matsui at second and Tejada making double plays.

Well, I think maybe Roberts will go next. With what he said on the Anita Marks show yesterday (he was in studio), he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Miggy being traded - apparently they're pretty close. And while Roberts loves Baltimore, he's made it clear that he wants to win (and rightly so) - he'd like to win here, but obviously, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

I'd rather not see Bedard or Roberts go, but it's obvious that something else needs to change to get this team going in the right direction. If I had to choose, I'd rather they trade Bedard, as, like most people have said, they'd get more talent in return for him.

Just a thought, could Scott get bundled with Bedard for Kemp, et al?

It doesn't look like that there is a single blue-chipper in there. Not a good trade.

I think I like this deal. Looking up Baseball America's Top 100 prospects... the Astros had three on that list. Albers and Patton were in this deal. Hunter Pence was the other one. Plus, we get Luke Scott... and two others. I like it.

So Roch, with deals like this, do you know if the O's are keeping everyone in deals like this, or will we use players in the deals to spin them off to other teams for other parts? Just curious...

Thanks...

Looks good, 5 chances to end up with a quality player versus one potential steroids accusation being attached to the O's (again, you'd think they would have been better) Now if only they can trade Mora.

What, no Chris Richard in this deal? Another lateral move by the O's.

costanzo's double-a numbers look good. patton had an arm injury last september. sarfate, a live arm. scott, well, maybe playing more will make him serviceable. there's nothing bad about being streaky, if the good streaks are great.

5-for-1 indicates the stros got andy to accept at least one or two throwaways, or that andy's going to turn around and use them for future tradebait. or that andy got the stros to assume tejada's salary, which they had agreed to in one previous trade proposal, according to the sun.

that would give the trade further value, allowing the o's the cash to go after one worthwhile free agent, or to simply keep bedard and pay him what he wants.

much more actual detail would certainly be nice. i assume it's on the way.

I guess we won't really how well this trade looks until a couple of years from now but Tejada had to go and the fact that we got something for him is good enough for now. I wouldn't be surprised if we held onto Bedard and Roberts for now and tried to trade Mora. I don't think the value for Bedard and Roberts drops until after the trade deadline but Mora needs to go.

Sometimes addition by subtraction is the best idea. Tejada had to go. Landing 5 guys, even if 2 work out is an improvement and the Glenn Davis reference is a stretch! No one here believes Tejada is the next Schilling, Finley, etc.

Patton is listed as the #3 overall prospect for the Astros according to Baseball America. Costanza is #6.

Albers was listed as 2011 #2 SP and Patton #4 starting pitching with Costanza the starter at 3rd base.

Godspeed Tejada. That short left field porch which you pummeled in the HR Derby should treat you well. This is the type of trade that we needed to make, although I am not up to speed on the details of the players we acquired. At the very least it adds depth to a razor-thin system for one player who (as we saw) can be replaced without effecting the bottom-line. This is in no way to suggest that L. Hernandez is better than Miggy. I think the Astros are getting a good deal and we are now a better organization for the trade.

I think many of us have wanted to give MacPhail some credit and now have the chance to. Much like Dave Trembley who I believe will have success eventually, it has been hard to heap on the praise given the state of the franchise. With both men, there has been little to judge. Is this a first step?

I would like to point out that if Luke Scott plays regularly, his production will dwarf that of Jay Payton. People will whine especially if Miguel has a good year, but this trade just makes sense (dream all you want about the Dodgers and Angels--keep waiting and nothing gets done!), but I'm pretty content and I don't often feel that way about this team. Thank you, Andy, for allowing me to feel something positive about my baseball franchise. And thank you, Roch, for reporting it!

jettisoning tejada is addition by subtraction, from the standpoint of up-the-middle defense. i was one of many who loved hernandez's glovework and overall play when tejada was out for a month last august. something oddball happened at least once a game when the ball got hit to miguel, and he bounced the throw whenever he had to charge and throw on the run. luis has a much better arm, and obviously young, quick legs.

I'm guessing we have to assume MacPhail knows what he is doing. But this seems like a garbage heap for Tejada when you consider all the other names we've heard. I'd rather have 1 really good all-star potential prospect than 5 guys who aren't any better than what we have now, and don't get me excited about the future. If we aren't better for it now or the future, than what the heck?

But again, I assume this was the best we could do. I sure hope BRob and Bedard bring a load of talent to Baltimore.

I gotta think the announcement that the Mitchell report hits tomorrow played a factor in the timing of this deal. Good for MacPhail then..... let someone else deal with Miggy's baggage.

Gotta love O's "fans"!! Trade somebody, anybody, please! McPhail gets a three arms, a 22, 24, & 26 year old. Two with major league experiance. A 29 year old OF who is a genuine good guy and has power. And 24 year old 3B. All for a 31 year old who hit 19 hrs last year and who's defense has declined. Now these same "fans" are crying, not enough, we got nobody. Got to love it!

Some of you may think this is a bad trade or even a mediocre one, and I agree, in terms of getting help at the ML level. However, I think that this trade gives us a lot better depth in the minors and gives us good injury replacement players as the season goes along. Face it. Fahey and Fiorentino and the like dont deserve to be in the majors anytime soon...they are too streaky and too small.

If the Bedard and Roberts trades happen, thats where we will get our quality players. If one or neither happens, then fine by me. But if they do, I have a feeling we will get more help at the ML level in each one than in this, even it is only 2 or 3 players in each.

Here's to hoping that we got a good future out of the Tejada trade, and I wish the best of luck to him when the Stros arent playing us.

Baseball America projects Albers as the Astros #2 starter in 2011 and Patton as the #4. They also project Costanza as the starting 3B then. So if we get three players who will be playing four years from now, I think its a good deal.

In addition, I think Sarfate and Scott can make contributions this year. They aren't ever going to be stars, and not sure the others are either.

We continue to add depth to the minor league system, which will be rewarded if we are patient enough.

Sign me up for liking this deal, especially if Glenn Davis is thrown back in.

I just listened to the press conference in Houston. The media and fans are livid about the trade! They think they got the short end of the stick and gave up their future pitching. Everet will be a non-restricted free agent tomorrow. Perhaps the O's will get him that way!

I trust McPhail's judgement of players' value and believe it to be his best skill. He knew that Tejada's value is at its lowest point and we'll see that come to fruition in the next 200-300 games if Miguel makes it that far. I consider it a master stroke to get ANYTHING at all for the right to not overpay the aging infielder. There's a reason Houston has talented players and never finishes in the top half of the standings. The Orioles have capitalized on Houston's desire to bolster their lineup at the system's expense.

I don't necessarily trust the O's scouting department, there have been some recent duds, however we got 5 guys whose value is only going up (moderately or hopefully more) for one pricey guy whose value is low and peaked years ago. This is an excellent sign for the future and maybe Troy Patton can be a big part of it.
I agree with the poster who said definitively that Adenhart/Brandon Wood were in no way coming to Baltimore in a Tejada deal, and think the Orioles front office did as good a job as they could with this move.
Dodgers fans loved getting rid of Pedro Martinez and his control issues because he wasn't as talented as his brother Ramon. Falcons fans wanted anything they could get for a wild Brett Favre. In years we'll look back and see that Tejada was worth just about nothing in the offseason of 2007.

Just taking a quick look around to get some perspective on the trade, it seems that so far people on both sides have mixed feelings on it. Initial anecdotal impressions I see: the Astros gave up too much, Patton is the keeper in this deal, the other players seem to be average, the O’s could’ve done better, the O’s should’ve traded him before when they could’ve gotten more, the O’s got nothing, the deal was great for both sides. As you can see, a mixed bag.

My impression is that if you’re looking at this deal in terms of the players we received and their big league experience, you’re sure to be disappointed in someone like Luke Scott. This isn’t going to be where the value of this deal is going to be (though he might be helpful in 2008). It’s going to be in guys like Patton, Albers, and Sarfate.

If someone like Patton emerges as a solid starter, this deal will be a steal. Tejada might have something left in the tank, but he’s at the point where he looks to be in decline, he’s not happy playing here, the O’s aren’t going to improve enough to make him happy, and he’ll be gone in two years anyway. Good luck to the Astros with him, since he’ll have to play the field and probably will have to move to third. The Astros play in the weakest division, but it’s hard to see how they will be a contender, and we know how losing 85-90 games sits with Tejada.

Houston fans seem to think they got robbed, by reading the national blog sites. Some O's fans think we got robbed. It will probably be a wash.

If one of them become Major league talent that it was a good trade.

Only time will really tell. Debating this is almost pointless. I like that we have done something.

If Bedard goes for little to nothing that would be bad, but this seems like a fair deal.

Doug

Costanzo played for a summer collegiate team in Bethesda in 2003 (same team that John Maine, Steve Schmoll, Bobby Livingston and others played for--- www.bigtrain.org). I worked for the team and got to know Mike well enough. He's a great character guy with a great family and he's a tremendous talent. It took him a bit to adjust to AA this past season, but once he did, his numbers took off. If he can lower the strikeout totals he might end up being the steal of this trade. He can hit the ball a mile.

I can picture it now. Scott's at bat, bottom of the ninth, O's down a run, with a runner at second base. Trembley yells from the dugout,

"use the force, Luke !!"

Ballgame.

Hopefully this works out to be the reverse-Glenn Davis trade between Baltimore & Houston: A handfull of younger players for someone on the decline.

And By the way John Maine was a throw in on the O's trade with the Mets for Benson. 5 for 1 with a couple of potential starters, power bat and RP with a lot of upside. What more did you want for a malcontent, PED SS whose power numbers are declining.

For those seeking info on the folks the O's got for Tejada, go to the WBAL radio website, they have posted the Orioles press release that gives details on each player. I can only say that I hope this trade turns out to be a reverse of that Glenn Davis fiasco way back when. Other than Boston's dealing of the Babe, I'd say it was the worst deal in baseball history for us. Some of you are moaning that this trade stinks, others say it's great. Well, at the very least, the O's just got a whole lot younger and in youth, there is hope. What's in old age? In baseball years, two things: Ben Gay and retirement.

This is a good trade. It's amazing. People on here are complaining that we didn't get enough. But go to the Houston Chronicle website and look at the comments. They're all complaining that they gave up too much! If nothing else, Luke Scott will produce what Tejada did offensively. And if any of the other players are decent, it's worth it. Patton seems like a good prospect.

Outfielder Luke Scott (almost as old as Tejada), pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third-base prospect Michael Costanzo.
"It's true," Patton told the Houston Chronicle. "It's kind of really disappointing, honestly."

Well, we got an OFer far less productive as Tejada & just about the same age & JUNK. If ONE of these guys besides Scott ever plays for the O's for month than 3 weeks, I'll be amazed. One of these clowns is already disappointed! So are we fool!

I guess the moniker MacFail can now be applied , right TVPDX? He wasted one of his "chips" on another underachieving, run of the mill OFer & some AAAA junk. Rebuilding huh? MY @ss, this is a salary dump by potter, nothing more. I KNEW they would dump Tejada's salary for a bushel of maybes & wannabes. Why all the Ps? I thought the O's had all these young arms coming up.... I guess that is bs too? Why not position players as they said they needed? You see, it's all bs, dodge & weave, sell that bill of goods....
Why rush this for crap? Also, Z's article stated Tejada was open to playing 3B if it improved the club or if they were winning etc. That's the FIRST time I have heard that version of that end of the season metting between MacFail & Tejada, we were told he flatly refused.... think you guys got used to make Tejada look bad here Roch, or did you guys just sit on that info?

I just dont get it - We finished in fourth place last year so this year we're attepting last - Miggy was disgruntled but even on his most disgruntled day he is fifteen times better then Luke Scott - with all due respect to Luke.

i do believe we should have seen this coming. mcphail has said that he wanted/needed to restock the bullpen with cheap competition. i'm guessing scott to be just a patch, like redman, in the OF. i imagine some more big names will be traded as the season moves along. but i like roberts and bedard. seems with markakis that those three could be your cornorstone. dump huff, ramon and payton. with some of our pitching we may just get some heavy return during the season. am i wrong in thinking that castonzo is the big "prospect" in the deal. sounds like some power numbers????

I don't think it's a blue-chip trade, but then again Miggy is no longer a blue-chip player. I think we did get a lot of pieces that we can work with, though. None of these guys have over 2 years of ML experience (Scott has 2). Their ages as of Opening Day next year are as follows:
Albers 25 -
Patton 22 - SP (LHP)
Sarfate 27 - RP (RHP)
Scott 29 - OF (LH hitter)
Costanzo 24 - 3B (LH hitter)
The two hitters both have pop (Scott had 18 homers in 370 AB's and Costanzo is a 3B who had 27 in 500 AB's in AA). Patton is a legitimate prospect, and he's only 21 (and a lefty). He's the guy I look to really help us out down the line. Sarfate was lights out in the Astros' bullpen last year, and we all know that we can use the help there! He struck out 14 in 8 IP, which tells me he's got some pretty good stuff, or at least throws hard. Albers is okay - I don't look for him to do too much, but he's a good fill-in starter and he's still young.
I'm not surprised that we didn't get Everett in the deal. Hernandez did very well when he was in Baltimore and he is continuing to do so in the Mexican winter leagues. I'd rate this deal a B+ right now, with a chance to be much better depending on how the young pitchers pan out.

P.S. Andy's timing was pretty good, considering the Mitchell report is going to be made public tomorrow.

f = finally!

I'm guessing the reason there is no detail on the guys we got is that Zrebiec already wrote a piece on Tejada so he would be ready when/if a trade happened, and could just stick the trade details in and get it up quick. I'm sure we will get some info about the new O's pretty soon. Obviously he couldnt write about who we got until we got them. Can't blame him for wanting to let us know ASAP.

At least we got rid of his attitude. But like others are wondering who these players are that we got back. If I'm not mistaken Luke Scott is a CF. The others I have never heard of.
Roch, as far as Adam Everett, I think he was already traded but not sure to whom. Looks like Luis Hernandez is the SS for now maybe platoon with Brandon Fahey.
letter "g" for good trade. it was about time.

i think the trade is a push. Miggy will add power to their lineup but he also comes with a steroid cloud. the O's will stink no matter what they do, so who cares?

The people on the Astros boards seem really pissed. They think giving away Patton was too much. We have done pretty well with this deal.

Welcome to Baltimore, Troy Patton! Here's a quote that sums it all up:
"It's true," Patton told the Houston Chronicle. "It's kind of really disappointing, honestly."

If he's disappointed, how should us O's fans feel knowing that he's disappointed joining our team?

one more side benefit - it gives the talk shows something to do other than twiddle their thumbs and keep repeating how bad the Ravens are at the moment.

Put me down as "w00t"...I like everything about this trade...Patton and Costanzo appear to be real deal(future not tomorrow) I still like Moore at 3rd, but another kid with power...Gotta like it things start to improve....Thanks Andy Mac.

It looks like MacPhail got bullpen depth, a nice platoon LF, and a prospect. I dreamed of more, but this probably does help us.

Another way to think of this: we got 4 good years of Tejada for $46M total (a bargain), and netted these five guys for having made that signing. On the other side of the ledger would be a forfeited draft pick (2nd rounder?). That again makes the Tejada signing a major victory for us.

I'm impressed. Troy Patton (LHP) and Michael Costanzo (3B) look like real prospects. And Luke Scott had a better offensive year in 2007 than Tejada, and costs $12 million less. Plus, they get two relievers, one of whom could even help at the major league level.

I have to believe that this was the best deal on the table. The team got help now (Scott) and in the future (Patton and Costanzo), and $12 million in payroll flexibility both this year and in 2009, when it could go towards a free agent or trade acquisition.

On top of that, if Tejada bounces back, he's in the National League where he can't hurt us. And I'm not sure if two of Tejada's best years could justify twelve years of Patton and Costanzo, and three years of Scott.

Well done, Andy MacPhail. I can't wait to see what you bring back for Bedard and Roberts. (I'm hoping for Kemp, Kershaw, and Loney.)

Hooray!

Gotta like it.
Sarfate 14K's 1 BB in 8+ innings- sounds like he may get a shot in the back end of the pen
Scott- 28 2B's 5 3B's 18 HR- doesn't hit for avg & K's too much- welcome to LF
Costanzo- 25+HR's @ AA- will he get a shot at 3rd base this year.
Patton- 22 yr old lefty & one of their top prospects.
Albers- Not much success at ML level. Seems like minor league depth at best.

Still it seems like a lot for Tejada. I think 3 of these guys make the team next year.

It's about a year old, but this is worth a read. It's a post from the Chronicle's baseball blog about Patton. Sounds like he has potential:

http://blogs.chron.com/baseballblog/archives/2007/01/troy_patton_pre.html

Flanagan must have made this trade. I was rushing out to get season tickets but picked up a lady hitch hiker instead on the Blvd. So we bought 2. Flanagan was a big fan of Willie Maranda and is sure Louis will be the next.

I was an Astros fan until now. Be happy, Orioles. We gave you half our team right there. Patton won't disappoint, Sarfate was looking really good last year in limited time, and Scott has lots of power. Maybe I'll be an Orioles fan...

I guess it is a decent trade. I know that Roberts and Bedard are out there and can bring some good returns. Why doesn't MacPhail do what the Marlins had long been doing? Offer Bedard to the Dodgers but they also have to take Aubrey Huff. Offer Roberts to the Cubs, but they also have to take Jay Gibbons with us eating half the contract. As for Ramon "I don't hustle" Hernandez and Melvin "He didn't call me yesterday to tell me I wouldn't be in the starting lineup" Mora, they can probably bring some Rookie League prospects in return.

Thoughts?

Great trade for the O's who get young players who are ready to contribute right away, for a man who obviously did not want to be here anymore.

I agree with most of you and Roch that it was dissapointing initially because there were no big names involved, but thinking it through and after a little research, I applaud McPhail for finding this deal

THE NEW PLAYERS DON’T EVEN WANT TO BE HERE! Matt Albers was born in Houston and grew up a die hard Astros fan. His heart must be crushed! Troy Patton told the Houston Chronicle "It's kind of really disappointing, honestly."

"It's true," Patton told the Houston Chronicle. "It's kind of really disappointing, honestly."
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3151849

Of course only time will tell the entire impact of this trade, but it's worth valuing the initial reaction as well. And on that point, I have to say...

This is a pretty outstanding package to get for Tejada at this point. First of all, FIVE players for one is staggering in itself. It would be understandable if they were all terrible, but they are not. Scott is maybe not great, but he alone hit as many home runs as Miggy last season (we forget how far Tejada has fallen, even though he's still a very good player). Add to this THREE legitimate pitching prospects, ages 22, 24 and 26, all of whom have ML experience, two of whom (Patton and Albers) seem legit, PLUS a 24 year old 3B who hit 27 HRs last season in AA. All of this for a great, but definitely declining former all-star, AND the 'stros eat all of the remaining $26 mil, on Tejada's contract.

As we've said, only time will tell the full implications of this deal. But for now, based on what we can see, the only possible conclusion to be made is the following:

This is a fantastic deal. How MacPhail managed to swing a 5 player deal for a declining Tejada is something of a mystery, and something for which he deserves much positive praise. Great Move!!!

Would all you negative O's fans give it a rest? Were not going to know how good some of these guys are going to be for a couple of years. I think MacPhail is going to take this team in the right direction. I think getting rid of Tejada for anybody young is a good trade for us. I would really like to see Luis Hernandez get a shot at short anyway. He's got a much better glove than Miggy.

Dear Lord, can you believe it? Troy Patton has been a Baltimore Oriole for 10 minutes and he's already unhappy? Who in the hell does this guy think he is?

Is there anyway we can tie Jay Gibbons up and hide him in one of Tejada's suitcases?

I like this deal more and more. I mean, Scott hit 18 homers in 369 ABs, the same as Miggy did in 514 ABs. Payton only had 7 homers and 58 RBI's in 434 ABs. I'm sure Hernandez could equal that (though maybe not the HR's). Plus we got 3 solid-looking pitchers out of the deal. It's not Adenhart/Wood/Willits, but it's not bad!

If every one of those Astros players was 2 years younger, I'd be really excited right now. Still, I'm not too disappointed. Luke Scott is a major league caliber LF, which will be a vast improvement from last year. Constanza's minor league numbers look really good, too. Pitchers are more of a crapshoot, but they all look servicible at least.

It's also good to see that both offensive players the O's got draw walks. Hopefully there's finally a front office that understands that's a good thing.

I'm really unconvinced that Luis Hernandez will hit, but here's hoping.

To all - Check the link listed below for additonal information on players received in the Tejada trade.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AoV8wQx_ORaFi5BIeNZesbIRvLYF?slug=ap-astros-oriolestrade&prov=ap&type=lgns

It is not the sexiest trade but we get rid of a player who was was becoming a liability in the field and in the club house. It also brings depth which we sorely need.

It sounds like this guy Costanzo may have a bit of pop. But striking out 20% of the time? Good thing Crowley has been so great in teaching plate discipline....

Other than that, I don't know. Ken Rosenthal seems to think we got the better end of the deal, and that a couple of the arms are going to be pretty good. So maybe all isn't lost.

Tejada's name is going to be on that report tomorrow, so I figure we at least got something out of it.

I've gotta say, I'm really going to miss Miggy. A lot. And the fact that these players are saying they don't want to be here? How is that making a better atmosphere in the clubhouse?

Finally the O’s did something! And it’s Tejada! Thank God! Hopefully Luis Hernandez will get more playing time at SS. I know nothing about the players we got in return, but hopefully they are somewhat decent. If we can just get one quality player out of this trade I’ll be happy.
The whole “miraculous recovery” issue with Roberts is baloney! That is in no way sufficient evidence. If all bodies were built exactly the same, then yes, perhaps it should be considered, but like I said all bodies are different. First of all, Roberts was in great shape. He’s young, healthy, and takes care of himself. He was determined to play by Opening Day and worked out during the entire off season. Bodies heal at different rates. After practically living at Walter Reed with my best friend when he was injured, you notice how different the human body is. I saw soldiers come in with horrible wounds and missing limbs, and watched them heal faster than some soldiers whose injuries were not nearly as terrible. So I don’t think healing time is an adequate excuse to label someone as a steroid user. The only proof lies inside the body and having blood tested or urine or whatever bodily fluid they take. IF he hasn’t failed a test, (same goes for Tejada) then I don’t think we should label them as steroid users! It’s not fair to them, and certainly not fair to Baltimore.

To rob in SD:

Patton cheered up when he realized the Orioles were in the AL East.

http://blogs.chron.com/baseballblog/archives/2007/12/what_do_you_thi.html

to all the people who are crapping on Patton for saying:
"It's true," Patton told the Houston Chronicle. "It's kind of really disappointing, honestly."

give the kid a break. remember Surhoff cried when he got traded. I think it's an emotionally difficult thing to go through.

Keith Law just said that it was a steal for the Orioles...2 good young arms and a few other players that will help the upper levels of the farm system and maybe the majors down the road.

Couple of things:

Scott had a better offensive year in 2007 than did Tejada. Scott had an OPS of .855. More than half of his hits were for extra bases. He fields his position better than Tejada fields his. In 369 at-bats (vs. 514 at-bats for Tejada) Scott had 18 HR, and 64 RBIs.

Oh, and ease up on Patton's comment. The kid grew up in Houston, passed up college to play in the Astros' organization, then gets traded to Baltimore. I'm sure you'd feel the same.

Congrats. The O's fleeced Houston on this deal.

Easy folks...let's take it easy on Patton's quote - as we don't know what the rest of it was. Did he say, "it's kind of really disappointing, honestly, but I look forward to the opportunity to be part of a team that is committed to the future"?

Or is he a kid who's just found out he was traded from the only organization he's known to a place he knows nothing about and where he knows no one. Give the guy a break. Remember the stories about Bigbie crying?

O is for O, I hope this trade helps!

Don't beat on Patton too much about being disappointed. It sounds like grew up as an Astros fan.

On the other hand, should we be concerned that he didn't even know the O's were in the AL East?

"Are they in with the Yankees and the Red Sox?" he asked (the Houston reporter). "That should be an awesome division to pitch in."

i like the trade a lot. sarfate is immediate boost to bullpen, scott helps lineup with some pop and clubhouse with good atttitude, patton is instantly our best pitching prospect, and costanzo is instantly our best hitting prospect. that sounds DARN GOOD to me. NICE WORK O's!

Tim, hit yourself in the forehead and say "Duh!"

Now, see if you can figure out what the comparisons to Glenn Davis meant. Okay, I'll tell you. They meant that Tejada would pan out for Houston about as well as Davis panned out for the Orioles. And the guys the Orioles got, THOSE are the ones we're hoping turn out like Schilling, Finley, etc.

This is the last time I'm gonna straighten you out. Enough Tim!

Lost in all of this are two other minor moves.... Corey Doyne DFA'd to make room for the new guys, and Tike Redman re-signed to a 1 year deal.

Roch, why do you care if we get Adam Everett? He is an atrocious hitter. In 8 seasons, he has a .299 career OBP and 35 career home runs. The Astros can keep him.

it is now official:

let the "rebuilding" begin.

Costanza was the Phils #1 in 06 and part of the Lidge trade...i personally hate to see miggy go...

I like it!!!!

It's clear Patton and Sarfate were the players McPhail was looking for. Patton is 22 and lefthanded, Sarfate is 26 and has a lot of strikeouts. I guess he felt pitching help was priority number one and Luke Scott is clearly an improvement over Corey Patterson. Now they need to go out and sign some free agent bats to replace Tejada's paltry 81 RBI. There is still some help out there to be had. None of them are sexy, but they will do.

Names like Tony Clark or Sean Casey at first base and Royce Clayton or David Eckstein at shortstop would help quite a bit. Shannon Stewart and Shawn Green are still available for the outfield. These guys are all good players who had off years last year, but could easily rebound.

While these players won't win a championship, they will definitely be an improvement over Aubrey Huff, Jay Gibbons, and Jay Payton. Eckstein may not have much of a bat, but he has a great glove, and penchant for clutch hits. Casey batted .296 last season. Green batted .291 last year and is an all around good guy. These players are definitely worth consideration.

Brian,

I usually tend to agree with your personnel assessments, but I have to disagree with you on your most recent. I would have been shocked if the Orioles would have received five batboys for Tejada at this point. I have always been a Tejada fan and don't mean to dump on him, but let's face it, the guy's power has been in decline for the last three years.

If you are right and this is a salary dump, then at least they are taking some chances that one of these five players will develop. Heck, Luke Scott's numbers for last year are comparable (even better, in some) than Tejada's last year.

Look Scott may just be another Chris Richard and Tejada may have a resurgence in Houston. But, I really doubt Tejada was going to revert back to his 2004 numbers wearing an Orioles uniform and desperate times call for desperate measures. I'd just as soon the front office roll the dice and win 50 games as stand pat with the same old formula and win 70.

Plus, the O's may be getting a guy that is "disapppointed" to be in an Orioles uniform, but they are also losing a guy who has not wanted to be here for (at least) the past two years.

LEAVE PATTON ALONE!! Good lord, a Kid gets traded and he is supposed to be thrilled about it? Did they ask him if he wanted to be traded?

If your company reassigns you to Some Random City that you have never been to and never asked if you wanted to go, and you love the city you are already in, it maybe very disappointing. But you go where the job is and either end up liking the new location or you learn to like because that is what you have to do.

Give the Kid a break. When he gets some time to think about it, if and when he is a good pitcher, playing against Boston and New York will get him lots of exposure to the "best" Hitting money can buy. If he can hack it in the AL East his value will be greater than Houston could have ever given him.

Give the Kid a break.

I dont see why the Orioles didnt 3 way the trade and get Kemp and Kershaw out of the Dodgers for Bedard and somehow talk the Stros into adding Everitt and Croygenically unfreezing Steve Finley '91 and Pete Harnish '91 to bring them back to Baltimore?

Might as well send Roberts, Hayden Penn, Huff and Damon Buford to the Twins for Santana while were at it and send Santana to the Red Sox for Ellsbury, Lester, Buchholz and Carl Yastremski while theyre at it.

Harnish '91 is our 4th starter
Finley '91 is our starting CF?
Yaz DH/LF (even though we have plenty of them)

Seems like a no-brainer to me?

Everbody's thinks there a GM...

Here's what one Houston fan had to say about it on the Chronicle blog:

FIVE PROMISING ASTROS FOR ONE DECLINING TEJADA ????

UNBELIEVABLE

SCOTT & PATTON GONE ?? SARFATE & ALBERS GONE

INSANITY

FIVE ASTROS FOR AN OVERPAID LEAGUE AVG INFIELDER

MR WADE YOU TRADED THE WRONG GUYS - YOU STILL GOT BURKE & EVERETT !!

SCOTT & PATTON GONE, THE BEST CHIPS WE HAD LEFT AND STILL NO PITCHING FOR THEM ??

TOTAL INSANITY

People are complaining about this trade? What did you expect in return for Tejada? Five players with the possibility of two or three of them developing into everyday players seems like about as much upside as you can get in return for a player with very questionable trade value.

Rebuilding can be painful for fans, if it's done right.

I wouldn’t read too much into some of these players saying they were disappointed with being traded. If they grew up as Astros fans and were drafted as Astros, then, sure, they’re going to be disappointed right now that they are being sent elsewhere. Their childhood dream of playing with their hometown team has been erased, but that’s the nature of this game. I’m sure Cal Ripken would’ve been disappointed if he were dealt back in 1982, and Jeff Bagwell, a Boston native, I’m sure was disappointed when the Red Sox dealt him to Houston oh so many years ago. They’re young and will get a chance to play in the majors—they’ll get over it. I’d be more concerned about veteran players saying they are disappointed about being traded to a particular team than some young guys who got dealt from the team that drafted them.

Overall, I’m thinking right now, this trade looks good for the O’s. It might not be perfect or glamorous, but something perfect most likely wasn’t going to happen. The O’s dealt a player who doesn’t want to play here and picked up a bunch of young/youngish players, some of whom have a decent upside. This is what they should be doing right now. It’ll be awhile before we know whether this trade was a success, but that’s sort of the nature of building for the future.