I'd rather keep Bedard & dangle him later in the summer to 3 or 4 teams on the verge of the playoffs, than have to deal with one. Jones & junk doesn't get me excited. I think it's obvious Bedolt has no intention of resigning here, BUT he would be highly motivated to pitch well. MacFail would have the extra satisfaction that this would probably frost Bedolt to no end. $ign Patterson for CF to a 1 yr deal, roll with this , then deal in July..... teams tend to overpay then & it's always better to have bidders rather than 1 buyer.

Let's see if Angelos shoots this one down as well. I won't make the bold prediction that I would stop following the O's or being a fan, unfortunately I'm not that strong. I do know however that everytime he comes into a conversation my fandom shrinks a little bit. I just don't care as much as I used to.

The whole thing is sad, and hopefully it changes this week. Make the trades, finally start fresh and new. They can't be worse than they have been.

Just read on ESPN that Angelos has yet to approve of the trade. I'm not surprised. I think that this would be a great trade for the O's...if it happens. Angelos needs to let MacPhail do his job...I thought those days of interfering were over. If I'm MacPhail and Angelos vetoes this, I am pretty p*&^(& off.

i heard roberts and bedard put together in rumors for a cubs deal, but what about the possibility they go together to seattle. obviously they have a lead off guy, but roberts would be an upgrade from who they have at 2nd now. imagine ichiro-roberts 1-2 punch. throw payton in the deal and we could really walk, run, skip ..... away with quite the package.....

h is for hola, welcome to bal'mer, hon

Adam Jones has struck out 43 times in only 139 MLB at-bats, and has only six walks. He will be 23 in August. Eddie Murray struck out only once in five at-bats as a 21 year old rookie in 1977. Jones is another Cory Patterson as a hitter, who simply does not know the strike zone well enough to draw walks and avoid strikeouts. But, he is cheaper than Cory, the reason for his inclusion.

Don't worry fellow O's fans. According to ESPN, our infamous owner may be up to his meddlesome ways again regarding this trade - thus ASSURING us of 4th place for many years to come.

Roch - but if the Orioles trade Roberts and get Pie in return, maybe it's Pie in center, Jones in left and Markakis in right for a long time.

I guess that means what becomes of Luke Scott, does he become a fourth outfielder or is he dealt for some bullpen/veteran starter help.

Either way, let's party like its 2011, because that is when this team with Wieters, Rowell and Snyder and the outfield (and I didn't even include Reimold) plus the wealth of young pitching talent wins the AL East.

And ugly could be 2008. Or it could be a Marlins 2006 when everyone expected that to be pretty ugly too. At least there is real hope for the future, based on what is in place, not on what might be coming from the free agent market.

Thanks for the updates, Roch.

Hoping this gets done and is followed up by a trade for a reasonable shortstop.

I don't mind a rotation of five of the following: Guthrie, Loewen, Cabrera, Patton, Albers, Penn, Olson, Arrietta.

I'm fine with an outfield that includes: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott, Redman.

I'm good with infielders: Millar, Huff, Hernandez, and Moore.

Bench: Fahey, Bynum

Unhappy: Mora, Gibbons, Payton, and who's playing second?

If 3 or 4 starters step up, Markakis and Scott hitting 25 HR's a piece. Good defensive and some energy from the new young guys, we could surprise.

NO! NO! NO! to Tillman.

He sucks big time.

Do not take Tillman!!!!!

Steve Mariucci..... the other local idiot owner will drop that name on us soon. The only good thing about that.... it isn't Fassel...

Great post, Roch!

Thanks for the updates, I've been reading along and some of the posters have been quite "anxious" to get news.

I hate to see Bedard leave too, but if the guy doesn't want to be here, let him go.

Roch - what do you make of ESPN's report that the deal is waiting for Angelos? I thought he & McPhail talked several times daily. What is there to wait for?

Bedard is a superstar, we should get some more quality in return not a bunch of maybe's.

Roch - ESPN is reporting that the deal is being held up because of Angelos. I thought McPhail was not going to run everything through Angelos? Am I just dreaming here or wasn't that what was said when McPahil was hired?

Roch,

No further updates in terms of when or if this deal will get done? It is absolutely rampant over the net with all of the major outlets thinking it will be done. I am so hoping for Triunfel to be in the deal but I doubt that will be the case. Either way I want it to happen so we can get this rebuilding project under way.

I think without a return off Triunfel, the Orioles would be foolish to trade Roberts unless the return is young 2nd base or SS.

Not that Triunfel was going to start anytime soon, but organizational depth in the infield is our biggest glaring problem, and unfortunately it appears as if the Bedard trade (if Angelos doesn't balk it), did not help us in that category.

If the package for Bedard includes more than one pitcher, I really don't see the point in trading Roberts to the Cubs for their scraps. Pie is not as good as Jones and wouldn't be needed, Marshall or Murton would be utterly useless with us already having two much better lefties in the bullpen and more than enough OFs and DHs, and Cedeno and Patterson are at best bench players at the Major League level. If this trade goes down, either keep Roberts or find someone different to trade him to that can give us at least one young infielder with actual upside. I realize that may make Roberts a little mad if he doesn't get traded after all this, but he's a class act so he'd still play hard and maybe he'd even learn to like the role of veteran leader for a bunch of hungry young players.

Everyone needs to quit jumping to conclusions regarding that Angelos report. It clearly says that he received the details late Sunday night. He is not the "hold up," but this is rather going through the same process every team in MLB goes through. The owner signs off on the trades, that's the way it always is. If he vetoes the deal, then by all means complain away. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We did trade Tejada last month.

Roch,

Do you think Big Petey is in the way again? If so he is not getting anymore of my money.

T o the fans not like Jones... You have no idea what you are talking about. What good is Bedard to a last place team? None at all. Jones is a future star.... I hope Pete does not screw this up. If he does well it might be 10 more years of loosing.

Sorry to state the obvious, but in regard to the statement "...because this season, without Bedard and possibly Brian Roberts, could get ugly...", this season is probably going to be ugly no matter how they go into it. It would have been ugly even WITH a healthy and productive Tejada, Bedard, and Roberts all on the roster.

I'm viewing it as back surgery that somebody has put off for far too long. You're miserable without having it done, and you're extra miserable in the immediate aftermath of having it done. But there's a chance you'll come out of it much happier and healthier in the long run. If you don't do anything at all, you're committing yourself to a lifetime of bearable misery...

This season WILL get ugly. As it should. There is absolutely no point in striving to win 80 games. If it takes losing 100 this season to put the O's back on track to winning 100 in 2010, then I think everyone can accept that. It's just too bad we've been forced to deal with a half-hearted rebuilding projects for the last decade. This process could have easily included Bedard and Roberts as the foundation, rather than the two of them being dealt for a foundation. Hopefully MacPhail has the club going in the right direction.

Wow. Mickolio is 6-foot-9, 250.

Is he the next Randy Johnson?

Or the next Mark Hendrickson?

If PGA vetos this, Andy MacPhail should walk out of his office and turn in his keys and demand the remainder of his contract in CASH before he leaves the warehouse.

A GM must have the ability to make trades without interference, or he has zero credibility with his peers. When that happens, he becomes worse than useless - he becomes a detriment to the organization.

Let MacPhail do his job! That's what he was promised, and that MUST be what happens!

Roch,

I am optimistically thinking that this club will be as competitive for a few reasons. Last years team basically was a group of broke down underachievers who did not fully grasp the pitching coach, was injury plagued, and seemed to have no life, going through the motions that a younger group may not inherit. The bullpen is improved, no matter if Sherrill or Sarfate closes. There is depth and another years experience for Guthrie and Loewen. Remember, this team lost a game 30-3, how much worse can it be? A new manager and pitching coach, young talent who are more energetic, depth in the pitching staff, and no stars to cater too. I will take a 100 loss year this year versus anything the O's have fielded in the past 5 years, I just won't sell short the difference youth and depth have over veterans playing for their next contract.

Something to keep in mind about Scott - you don't go from the NL to the AL East and post better numbers. He's going to be an average (at best) producer. This team is a mess for the next few years - but hopefully headed in the right direction. Bedard was going to leave anyway - and he's also somewhat fragile physically - so keeping him for awhile during the season is risky. I think you pull the trigger on this and hope some of the youth pays off.

Unless two out of Triunfel, Morrow, and Clement are in this deal, then the O's got fleeced.

If none of them are in the deal, then Matt Garza will be one happy man. After all, based on the trade market, he will have just learned that he is a far more valuable pitcher than Erik Bedard.

As much as I believe moving Bedard is the right thing for the O's, I'm not sure this deal is thick enough. Jones seems as close to a sure thing as we can find (which makes him in reality quite far from a sure thing) but the rest? I want Jones and their best pitching prospect (Morrow?) for Bedard. Eric is an established star. A solid #1 starter, a lefty and a big strikeout guy - few & far between in the big leagues.

Much is expected in Seattle from Jones & Morrow, but no more than from Manny Alexander, Brad Pennington, Minor & Pickering in Baltimore's past and we know how those hopes worked out.

Seattle gets 2 years of a star pitcher and maybe the AL West flag. We get a guy who'll probably be a solid player and maybe a star along with a handful of guys who might be big leaguers some day - not thick enough.

I will once again take the unenvious role as a Peter Angelos apologist. I know it is hard, but I would take ESPN's report with certain grain of salt. I see nothing wrong with an owner, getting all the facts of a trade that is going to send his first home grown ace in 10 yrs to Seattle. Every owner is baseball does it, but because it is PA it gets more blown out of proportion. I think the deal gets done, and we begin "BRob Trade Watch" by tomorrow morning.

folks should relax on jones' short mlb resume. if we had looked at markakis solely on his first half season, we'd have said a lot of the same things. he's got pop, d, and speed..... mcphail has done wonders with his past franchises (minnesota!!), and with less money!!!! the man's brilliant, period!!!!

h is for hold your tongue, hon

Roch, this is an excellent analysis of the possible players involved, what the implications are for positions that we had, and the lack of guarantees for prospects. I would love for the O’s and Bedard to have made nice and worked out a long-term deal. It might not have been the absolute best thing for the club—obviously Bedard can bring a lot in return if dealt, and the O’s need a lot—but the club would’ve locked up a homegrown pitcher that happens to be headed in the direction of the league’s best. We’re obviously as far away from that happening as ever (an understatement). So, we’re at the point of dealing our best pitcher. A rebuilding club gets prospects for a pitcher like Bedard, and it appears that the centerpiece of the deal, Adam Jones, is not only a top prospect but is “major league ready,” which is I think what everyone wants in return.

This whole process is demoralizing because, if it happens, it means more losing for the foreseeable future (though we would still be looking at a lot of losing with Bedard on the team) and watching good players go elsewhere. But it might eventually mean the breaking of the mediocrity that has persisted around here.

And of course you all believe the ESPN report as if their track record and (unnamed source) is so reliable.

Let it play out people.

This trade seems as good as any we've heard about, and I hope that Angelos signs off on this. I'll miss Bedard, but this has turned into a circus.

Here's also hoping that Scott is traded for relief pitching, and if Roberts goes that we get Pie and an infielder in return. A projected long-term outfield of Markakis in right, Pie in center and Jones in left would be something worth getting excited about.

I also think we need to get serious about signing a veteran to anchor this staff, even if it's from the number 5 slot. Trachsel really proved his worth last year, and I'd make him the frontrunner. If Rodrigo hasn't burned his bridges with the team, we could consider him too. At the very least, we know he's comfortable pitching Opening Day!

Daniel M Gray - so you are prepared to make a final assessment of Jones based on his first 139 at bats in the bigs? How many of those at bats did you personally see? Suffice it to say that I donthave much faith in your premature assessment.

Bill in Elkton - Bedard is a superstar? Based on what? 13 wins last year? Starting the strained oblique epidemic last year? He hasnt assaulted anyone, he hasnt dated a movie star and he certainly hasnt spent enough time pitching in the bigs to prove be a superstar. Injuries "MIGHT" be all that separates Bedard from being a star but he hasnt shown me anything yet. except what he could be if he was tougher mentally and physically.

Ted debiasae - you are the opposite of Daniel. He knows from 139 At Bats that Jones sucks and you know from the same 139 At Bats that Jones is a future star.

Is fan really short for hyperbole? Isnt it lucky that we all live in America where knowledge of a subject is not a prerequisite to have any opinion on the subject?

Roch,

Sure, we haven't heard about Triunfel or Morrow lately, and certainly each would be a great addition as the fourth player. That is, of course, if these rumors on the deal are true... but isn't it usually the case that the "fourth player to be named" in a deal is usually not anyone of significant importance? Therefore not a Triunfel or a Morrow type? Honestly, Triunfel in this deal along with Jones and the two others makes it a good deal for the O's... otherwise, I feel we may have not gotten enough for Bedard.

People need to ease up on the Angelos conclusions. He has to sign off on anything the club does because every move involves financial implications and, as the managing partner, he has a duty to oversee that part. It has nothing to do with MacPhail's autonomy.
I agree that I think we need to consider keeping Roberts. We have nobody to even come close to replacing his presence at the top of the lineup, nor would we be getting any sure-things back from the cubs. I personally think that if we keep him, show improvement by the end of the season, then sign Tex as a free agent, Roberts will stay. When the Orioles return to winning, I think he needs to be a part of it.

This is the email from Jayson Stark at ESPN..

Orioles owner Peter Angelos hasn't yet signed off on the proposed deal that would send Erik Bedard to Seattle, according to a source familiar with the Orioles' internal discussions.

The same source also indicated that Angelos wasn't informed of the particulars of this latest proposal until late Sunday and that he won't be available Monday to confer with the Orioles' baseball officials because of a personal matter.

Given Angelos' long history of vetoing trades, one baseball man who has dealt extensively with Angelos predicted that "this could get more interesting as it goes along" if Angelos has yet to approve this deal.

Indications are that the trade is still likely to happen, given the abrupt departure of its centerpiece, Mariners outfielder Adam Jones, from winter ball. But the source confirmed a Baltimore Sun report that Jones isn't currently scheduled to fly to Baltimore for a physical.

Both Jones and Mariners relief pitcher George Sherrill have informed teammates that they have been asked to take physicals in conjunction with the trade, a baseball source told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. It is not known when those physicals will take place.

Jones, Sherrill, minor league pitcher Chris Tillman and a fourth undisclosed prospect are believed to make up the package of players the Orioles desire in return for the 28-year-old Bedard, who was 13-5 last season with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts, third in the AL, for a 93-loss team.

Tillman, who turns 20 in April, was Seattle's second-round pick in the 2006 draft. Baseball America ranks him as the organization's No. 3 prospect.

Bedard's agent, Mark Pieper, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

From ESPN......Angelos wasn't informed of the particulars of this latest proposal until late Sunday and that he won't be available Monday to confer with the Orioles' baseball officials because of a personal matter.

Personal matter????? Hilarious,You can't make this stuff up..... welcome to Osland MacFail....

VETO VETO VETO.......

I can just picture the little midget standing behind that huge desk , arm extended in front of him, thumb out sideways, slowly starting to turn his wrist.....

I think we have beat this Angelos veto thing to death.

Just because he has not approved a deal doers not mean he has vetoed it. Why don't we wait for him to actually do something before we start casting aspersions at him?

The whole story of Angelos killing a 7 for 2 deal from the Cubs was pure fiction. His problem has not been that he has killed good trades as much as it is has approves stupid decisions (trading Surhoff to Atlanta for Trinadad Hubbard and an injured pitcher, letting Mussina go, 5 year deals to Gibbons and Mora, the Baez deal, bringing Ponson back, etc.

No employee is going to have the freedom to make any deal no matter what the team is. Do you think Schurholtz never had to get Ted Turner's approval to spend his money?

For all the glorified opinions people have of him, MacPhail does not have 1 nickel at stake with the Orioles. He is just an employee.

The optimism that we will sign Teixeira is amusing to me. The guy is a Scott Boras client who has played the game from a business perspective from the moment he was drafted. If we offer him significantly more money than the Yankees/Tigers/Angels/Red Sox, we might have a shot to sign him, but I don't see any kind of hometown favoritism playing into it. The progress that we make will be done by developing talent (we've got some talent in the system after these trades and drafts and we do have the #4 pick in the draft this year) and selectively adding players when we know where our holes will be.

While I've not heard their name involved in a while, imagine if Anaheim came out of left field and traded for Johan Santana.

With their division rival getting the best pitcher in the game, how desperate would Seattle be to get Bedard? Would Jones, Morrow and Clement and more be too much to ask then?

Why not wait for Santana to find a home and the check with those who missed out?

Brian - Are you losing touch with reality? Angelos is not allowed to have "personal" issues?

How do you know he was not in the hospital visiting a dying relative?

Maybe trading Bedard is much more serious?

I know you hate Angelos, but I think you are smart enough to realize that, in the scheme of things, a baseball trade really is not that important.

I think Angelos is singularly the reason the O's are in a position that they feel they have to trade 2 or their 3 best players to improve. If it were up to a vote I would be one of the first to the ballot box. I just think all this vile is unseemly.

Angelos does enough on his own that people do not need to make stuff up!

PS - Brian, sorry to make your day any worse, but: according to Mike & Mike, all of the assistant coaches Danny Boy is hiring are Fassel people and they are probably going to name him after the Super Bowl.

Nick, you said it best... Angelos signs off on everything. That's not a slight to McPhail is just how the business is run and I'm sure most other teams run things that way. I will say the Angelos has done himself a disservice by vetoing trades in the past but I can't see it happening this time.

Love all the O's fans who say wait until 2011 when Wieters, Rowell, Reimold, etc. arrive. The art of the deal in baseball is totally speculative and there's no guarantees. Heck, the Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser- 3 current Twin major leaguers. That's the kind of deal all clubs want but if you look behind alot of these dump trades, most don't work out as the player never develops and then reason that prospect was available becomes obvious. The Orioles need to focus more on locking up their young players like Markakis, Loewen, and even BRob. They should've been doing this with Bedard 2 years ago when it was obvious about his talent. Is anyone really interested in what the Orioles will look like in 2010? They could have received a boat load for Tejada a year ago but instead received the dreaded "pitching prospects" this year. They're called "prospects" for a reason and most don't pan out in the long run. The Orioles need to do a better job of looking at other team's farm systems and trying to acquire the lower prospects for aging veterans like Mora, Hernandez, and Millar just like the Twins did with Pierzyski i.e. a low risk high reward deal.

I hope it DOES get ugly. I'm pumped for ugliness. Errors, strikeouts, walks, the whole 9 yards. Let's do this. As long as it's kids out there who aren't jerks to the media, who run to first base, who don't do steroids. And as long as we can trade some veterans by the July deadline, I'm all for it.

Blow it up!

S is for Seattle Suckers.

Here's what I don't get.

We have all known for weeks that a deal with the Mariners might be happening. We have all known some of the possible combinations that might be coming back. And we all have various opinions about those possibilities.

For that matter, the Jones-Tillman-Sherrill part has been rumored on the table for almost a week.

So why would Angelos not know as much as we do? Has he not already been briefed? Does he not already have an opinion?

Is it really possible that MacPhail has been negotiating with the Mariners for weeks without knowing where the owner stands on various configuations of the deal?

Seems hard to believe, but that's how it looks.

I'm not being sarcastic. These are legitimate questions. And I wonder when the Baltimore sports media will start to ask them.

Given the way this is going down, sorry, I cannot accept that MacPhail truly has authority over the baseball operations of this team.

I have no problem with Angelos checking off on deals. What I find amazing is that with all the months of rumors, McPhail doesnt know he has the authortiy to make a trade that has been rehashed over and over. If a name changes from Morrow to Clement or from Triunfel to Mickolio and that hold things up because Angelos wants to approve a change in the 4th or 5th player in a trade, that seems unprofessional and worthy of scorn. What bothers me is not that he wants approval rights, but that it cant seem to ever be done without undue delays, upheaval, discord lack of professionalism and "loss of face"

I think that this is a good deal for the O's, if it is approved. Bedard is fragile and there is only a small chance that he would resign anyway after 2009. Not one the players that Seattle is dangling appear to be Surhoff Trade Losers part 2.

I fully realize that there will be endless gnashing of teeth if Bedard then k's 250 and pitches 220 innings.

Patrick,

Your logic is good as long as the team that gets Santana isn't the Seattle Mariners. They have to prospects to do it if they want to give up Morrow and Jones and Truienfel. Santana is the best pitcher in the game and a much safer bet then Bedard. It they get Bedard then we have to look at the Angels or Reds and don't have the bargaining power we have with Seattle. The Mariners have the best prospects right now.

Instead of the delusional posts about this possible trade, I bring you a post with five important facts:

This may come as a shock to some of you, but the Orioles have never had and will never have a loosing season.

The opposite of win is lose.
The opposite of winning is losing.
The opposite of tight is loose.
Tighting is not a word. Neither is loosing.

i am scared.

Bedard made it clear he wants no part of a rebuilding effort, yet he 's only 29. Presuming the O's keep him and actually do compete in 2 or 3 years, he's still only 31/32.
If he ends up in Seattle, what's to say they are going to compete with the likes of the Yanks/Angels/RedSox & Tigers?
As far as I'm concerned , the M's still have some holes in the OF and any team that has K-king Sexson in it's everyday lineup is lacking. Also, their rotation still includes the likes of Washburn & Silva-who will get pounded by any team that can hit.
Bedard may not be fitted for any World Series rings anytime soon and he'll likely bounce from team to team after his Seattle deal is over and/or he finds out what life is like elsewhere.

Tom D..... Brian - Are you losing touch with reality? You kidding me Tom? You, the master of the War & Peace length post asks this? & I thought you were the one on here crying about personal attacks.....

How long would it take potter to say yes or no, it's not as if the names are news to the man..... gimme a break. I guess we can officially place you in the PA cool aid crowd now....

Mike & Mike???? LOL. Is that guy back on the nose candy again? Good source tom....

Not weighing in on whether I think this is a good trade or a bad trade or an even trade, but one thing I will say: Bedard pitching in Safeco could really post some flat-out dominant numbers. Of course, after I write that I look up his stats and see he's actually been better in Camden Yards than on the road, and his Safeco numbers are horrendous (but only three starts there over the last three seasons).

Calm down, everyone. AM has stated several times that he keeps PA in the loop. PA is probably very aware of what's been on the table, and has now likely been asked to give final approval for the trade.

He receives the request late Sunday. Being PA, he has other business, of a personal nature, already scheduled for today. So he knows we're waiting. PA is PA, he likes the spot-light, and he certainly likes everyone knowing whose in charge. So he puts the trade on the to-do list. #1? Obviously not. If this drags out past Wednesday, We have a problem. If he vetos it? We're back where we were, and likely will lose AM, in th elong run. He was hired to be the baseball guy, and a veto would put the lie to that.

But can't we wait until this plays out before we crucify anyone?

JerryD

I don't like Sherrill he does not seem to want to come here.

Brett - Excellent post!!!!

Brett-
Absolutely, if we could've gotten Bedard 2 years ago at a reduced rate through 2010 or 2011, we should've. But, now he's a real ace-caliber pitcher and we don't have the team to put around him. He's fairly old for someone who has finally panned out as a prospect (older than Santana, Peavy and Beckett) and he won't be signing for cheap. To say that we can get anything of consequence for Mora, Hernandez and Millar is to assume that the other GMs in baseball are idiots. Mora is overpaid, past his prime and has a no-trade clause. Hernandez is an average catcher at best that you could probably trade, but would bring back either a different mediocre Major Leaguer (we have plenty of those already and we finish 4th every year) or weak prospects. Millar can be traded at the deadline for a similar marginal prospect, because he's no better than an average first baseman. You point to the Pierzynski trade, which is about the most one sided trade in recent years. It's one of the examples of why teams don't give up top prospects as easily anymore. Liriano was the Giants #4 prospect according to Baseball America before he was traded and Bonser was #6. We're talking about getting the Mariners' best hitting and pitching prospects. Plus, Pierzynski was younger and better than any of the three guys we would be trading away.

The three most marketable chips to build the team up were Tejada, Bedard and Roberts. We absolutely should've traded Tejada last year, when the offer was much better, but we didn't. MacPhail is trying to make the most of what he has now. Tejada was already past his prime and about to be implicated in the Mitchell Report, and we got 2 decent pitching prospects (I'm not saying they pan out, but there's a decent shot apparently), a solution for the next year or two in LF (somebody's got to play there unless you want Jay Payton out there again), and two guys who may or may not ever contribute. Not bad for someone whose market value the very next day was next to nothing.

The nature of the game is that a team like the Orioles can't spend their way to first place, even if we try to hold on to all the guys who come through our system. Players in their first 3 years are essentially free when compared to free agents. The more quality players like that we have, the better our chances are to make a run at one or two free agents that will put us over the top.

You guys talking about Santana are clueless. The whole appeal of Bedard is that he has 2 YEARS remaining.. Not one.. Its not a rental like Santana, and then fleeing to the highest bidder.

Bedard is great, but the Orioles are going nowehere fast. They need more young position talent. You guys who say build around Bedard, and wait for Rowell, Weiters, Reimold, etc. are also clueless. By the time those guys are full time players, Bedard will be 32-33 years old. Is that what you want, an injury prone power lefty in his mid 30's? Why pay 1 pitcher 18 mil per season for 15 of the teams 60 wins?

Make the trade, build depth, and help get some everyday players on the roster. Between Guthrie/Loewen/Cabrera/Penn/Liz/Patton/Albers/Erbe/Olsen, you have solid enough starting pitching to keep you in games. The problem for years, has been a terrible bullpen, an inconsistent lineup, and poor fielding. This is the way you start to correct those issues.

Thsi?

ESPN is reporting that thie deal is contingent upon Angelos' approval. Why are all publications reporting this besides the SUN? I guess they have been strong armed by Angelos.

Great post Roch, as always. I had to write haiku to cope with this since I'm at work and it's my only outlet:

Os require new rules.
There is crying in baseball,
when Os are pitching.

Os, you break my heart.
Why do you trade our Bedard?
You make me wretched.

Sometimes, there just isn't enough haiku.

What saddens me is that we have an owner who is not excited by anything baseball related. Why did he buy the team? Was it because he wanted to make money, or because he wanted to win? After 10 years of losing, I think the answer is pretty clear.

This situation reminds me of the movie Secondhand Lions (which, if you haven't seen, please do. It's pretty good!). There is a scene where the young boy says "do what's best for me". This trade is what's best for the Orioles over the long haul, and it needs to be made. I'd much rather roll the dice and get some prospects than watch Bedard star here for the next 2 seasons and then leave for the NY Mets after the 2009 season.

If (and I stress if) we get Jones, Tillman, Sherrill, Butler and Mickolio, I will be happy. We'll get our CF of the present and future, 1 lefty SP (Butler), 1 righty SP (Tillman), 1 lefty RP (Sherrill) and 1 righty RP (Mickolio). If Jones hits .280 with 25 homers a year, and 1 of these pitchers can win 15 games, this will be a good trade for us. We won't be able to judge for a few years, though.

I hope everyone remembers we play in a division where the Yankees brag about having a $218 million dollar payroll. We cannot outspend them. Our only chance is to outfox them. I say give Andy a chance. Let's see what results and how they play.

The bottom line here guys is we have to do something different then we've been doing for the last ten years. I've seen Bedard pitch in person about five times in the last 2 years and he was great. But lets not confuse him with the Santanas, Sabathias, & Becketts! You're talking about a guy who's never won more then 15 games, never pitched more then 197 innings, and is career 6 games over .500. He can dominate at times, but he's very fragile. He does not want to be here and won't sign an extension. All I keep hearing is we should get more, that's not enough. There is no way you hold onto him and wait for July. If he gets hurt, we're screwed. Why people are down on Sherill, I don't know. Very good numbers and could pitch for another 10-12 years.

I saw Philly signed Feliz. So I guess we're stuck with Mora. I hope Trembley has the guts to atleast platoon him with Moore. There is nothing worse then rebuilding with a 36 year old third baseman.

I also don't like the negativity about Millar. He played a solid defensive 1st base last year and steped up when we needed him. Oh, and there is no other veteran I would want around these young guys then Kevin Millar!

AM denying everything?? He'd be "surprised" if anything happens within the next few days? He doesn't know how the rumors started?? WTFFFFFF

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080128&content_id=2357816&vkey=hotstove2007&fext=.jsp

I give up, this is insanity. I'm pulling for you Andy but no one understands what the hell you are doing EVER.

Q is for ???????????

For those of you who don't believe that signing Bedard for the next 5 years would be wise, consider this. In today's baseball world, pitchers only get better with age. Maddux, Smoltz, Clemens, Johnson, Mussina, Kenny Rogers, Billy Wagner, Trevor Hoffman, were all 35 5 YEARS AGO. Bedard is in the prime of his career and should have good success for the next 5 years at least- barring injury. The rush to trade Bedard and BRob now to get maximum value is understandable after Mussina bolted and we got el zippo. But we are fielding a team based on unknowns and not known quantities which is great if you want to say year after year wait until next year. How long do we have to wait?????

AND Jones is still in Venezuela!!

http://www.komoradio.com/marinersradio/shannon/14571602.html

And denies having told anyone he was traded!!

Hahahahahaha this is really just too much, I feel like I just got played. What a waste of time today has been. Good lord, it's just funny at this point. I can't believe we all fell for it again.

I is for Insanity.

Bedard can only help this team once every 5 days. The Orioles haven't had any luck with trades lately--but that has passed. Let's see what these guys can do--once again a team loses 30-3--Change is needed.

According to KOMO 1000 in Seattle Adam Jones is still in Venezuela and is now denying everything?

Ryan CMU - The Detroit Tigers had a team that had lost 90+ games/season for a decade (far worse than the O's), had little youth (their average age was older than the O's!) and a poor farm system.

They promoted their one true prospect (Zumaya - Granderson was already there) and signed 3 FA - Ordonez (2005), Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers and went to a WS in 2006 and picked up Polanco in a trade (2005). They had Verlander and Bonderman on hand already.

If you look at the teams that perennially compete you see 2 things - 1 - they build their team around proven veteran performers and pay what is needed to get/keep them and 2 - the young players they bring in often are not given primary roles immediately and more often play complementary roles to the vets.

Go back the past 10 years - how many teams made the post season that were not built around vets? Florida, Arizona?

If we have to wait for the young players we already have to develop before we can expect to be competitive, why not build a winner (as in above .500) NOW "the old fashioned way" and replace the vets we obtained through smart FA signings and smart trades with the young players?

Anyway, is is all academic because MacPhail has decided he needs to unload our best players.

Same stuff, different day. I like reading this blog, but get tired of the arm-chair GM's and owners that think they know how the FO of any pro team works because they read a bunch of crap on the net. 1st of all, EVERY owner signs off on any deal.
This isn't Monopoly money they're spending or some fantasy league. If you own your own business you know and have a say in all business decisions, no matter how many knowledgable people work for you. 2nd, how many Cy Young's has Bedard won. 20 win seasons? All-Star appearances? He's only had one healthy season (2006). If Jones, Tillman, or any one else they get in the trade becomes a good every day player or has a spot in the starting rotation,(and make a difference) then they made a good deal. 3rd, stop believing every thing you read (rumors) until there's facts to back it up. Just because ESPN or Fox Sports, or any other "inside source" writes it doesn't make it so until it's confirmed. Don't forget MacPhail wasn't the one who signed Huff, Payton, Baez, Mora, Hernandez, and Gibbons. But we expect him to clean up the mess. He hasn't been on the job for a year yet, but we're ready to lay the blame on him for the problems that the team has. How many of us begged PA to sign Mora before his contract was up? Gibbons? Now we want to place the blame on PA and the FO. Be patient. This deal will get done.

Here is a good example of what I'm talking about. If you go to Fox Sports, everybody's favorite writer, Ken Rosenthal, has an article saying that the Bedard trade is on hold, maybe not even gonna happen. Go to ESPN, Jayson Starks, says it's on hold, but still gonna happen. These are the 'inside sources' we depend on. Now, I 'll be the first to agree that if the trade is vetoed, MacPhail should quit. But lets see how the whole thing plays out before thing get out of hand.

A lot of valid points made on each side, of every possible argument. Some good reading, here. I really hope the deal goes down, Bedard is as good as gone, first chance he gets... the return is worth the risk for someone who's going to pull a Mussina anyway.
I more than anyone have wanted Texeira in an O's uniform for year's, and was as mad as I've ever been at the O's for not even PRETENDING to pursue him when he was GIVEN to the Braves, BUT, as someone already pointed out...I have come to the realization myself that Texeira will not be an Oriole at any point.
Sure he grew up around here, but as was pointed out, he's a Boras client, has made no mention that I've ever seen, of being overly interested in coming "home". He'll be a Yank. He's even said that as a kid, Don Mattingly was his idol, and he was more of a Yankees fan than an Orioles fan.
So if any of you read "Texeira to be an Oriole" between those line's, you must be doing some (line's) of your own!
A life-long Yankees fan, who will almost certainly get offered more money to play the role of his childhood idol, who's going to come home and play for the Orioles, so he can dwell in the cellar, for less $? Not to mention, 2009 the Yank's open their new ballpark.
So yeah, I'm sure we stand a chance there. Mom would have to be unapproachable in the cooking department for us to even get a glance from Texeira. Nevermind that NY is only a couple hours away from "home". It's not like he'll be debating Milwaukee or Baltimore?

Is anyone else worried about the 40 man roster? Other than moving Ray and Baez to the 60 day DL, dont know how you are going add the 3-4 incremental people from a Bedard trade...And what if we're adding 3 incremental people from a Roberts trade? All these top prospects have major league deals that require them to be on the 40 man roster or have enough time in to nessistate it. Seems like we gotta send Payton, Milar, Huff (or God willing Gibbons) back to Seattle even if we eat a portion of the contract to clear some space. Otherwise we're going to lose people and that wont really add the depth we're all looking for.

And I know the Reds are now in love with Joey Votto, but isnt there another team out there with a promising power hitting 1B trapped at AAA that we can trade a minor league pitcher for? Anyone in Brewers or STL or MIN?