Sounds of silence
It's too quiet.
Orioles president Andy MacPhail likes it that way, so you can't glean any meaning from that the way you could if it was the Yankees and they had Hank Steinbrenner bound and gagged in a broom closet with the waiver deadline approaching.
When Andy lowers the cone of silence, it could mean that the Orioles are working furiously behind the scenes to get something done before it's necessary to put players through waivers before trading them. Or not.
Don't misunderstand, the odds are always against completing a deal, because trading players is so much more complicated than it used to be, but the Orioles have some players that could help contending teams. It would be naive to think some of those teams aren't tapping Andy's number into their T-Mobiles.
(That wasn't a plug, by the way. I just liked the alliteration. I could just as easily have said that some team might play a song on Andy's Cingular or drop a voice message on his Verizon Wireless. An opposing GM could even mutter into his Motorola. Being a blogger is sort of like being a cartoon character. You can do just about anything you want.)
The point is, a lot can happen in the last hours leading up to the deadline. Here's my trade deadline handicap:
Player / Odds Against a Trade
Chad Bradford ......... 3-1
George Sherrill ......... 4-1
Ramon Hernandez ... 12-1
Aubrey Huff ............ 15-1
Brian Roberts ......... 20-1
Kevin Millar ............ 25-1
Melvin Mora ........... 50-1
Adam Jones ......... 1000-1
Nick Markakis .... Powerball Jackpot*
Comments
Pete,
What the odds on D-Cab?
...........................................................................................
To quote Iggy on "Taxi"..."Got to be at least 3-1." pete
Posted by: Charles B | July 30, 2008 4:02 PM
'Nick Markakis.........Powerball Jackpot* You made my day , Peter ! HaHa .
Posted by: Allan | July 30, 2008 4:05 PM
wow. if this blog were a horse. well.
Posted by: ope | July 30, 2008 4:07 PM
damn well, i'll take 2 of 3...Penn has looked really good as of late, I think he gets a shot here shortly.
Posted by: bms | July 30, 2008 4:29 PM
Ramon Hernandez ... 12-1
Those odds seem way to low for him. I know the Marlins have asked but can they really pay him 8 million for next year. I like the odds of Farve being the starting QB for the Vikings better.
If the Orioles are going to made a trade I would hope they do it before a flight to Seattle,
Posted by: Tom from Millersville | July 30, 2008 4:36 PM
Pretty ironic you're pictured in a Hawaiian shirt. Two years ago at the Os/Sox game in Lauderdale my girlfriend looks in horror and says "Who's that guy looking like George Costanza with the ice cream running down his face and Hawaiian shirt"? And sure enough it was Peter.
Posted by: eric | July 30, 2008 4:53 PM
i think i'd have huff ahead of ramone and millar ahead of roberts.
Posted by: pop fisher | July 30, 2008 4:57 PM
I think we need to be careful about who we're willing to say good bye to in the next few weeks. Hernandez might be needed by the Yankees, with Posada down and Sherrill and Bradford would be good fits in any bullpen.
But with a little bit of aggressiveness, the Orioles could have one of the better lineups in baseball next year and one of the better bullpens (still not sure about that chasm in the starting rotation):
How’s this look for an opening day lineup next year:
• Brian Roberts (2B)
• Adam Jones (CF)
• Nick Markakis (RF)
• Mark Texiera (1B)
• Aubrey Huff (DH)
• Luke Scott (LF)
• Melvin Mora (3B)
• Matt Wieters (C)
• Juan Castro (SS)
I think it compares favorably to most of the teams in the American League....
Posted by: Furzyweb | July 30, 2008 5:29 PM
Alliteration is the last refuge of the lazy writer. Stop it.
Posted by: tvdpdx | July 30, 2008 7:15 PM
Furzyweb,
Juan Castro? Seriously??
Posted by: Alan in VA | July 30, 2008 8:11 PM
Castro at SS?That's a joke right,through last night Cintron was batting .600 at Bowie on rehab,and is a career .280 hitter at the major league level.Castro has shown me even less than Fahey or Bynum.But I like the rest of the lineup.And Huff's career average in August I believe is .365.He's quietly put up some awesome numbers and he's only 31.Move him to third and put Mora back at SS if you have to.Salazar or Montanez can DH or play LF with Luke Dh'ing.
Posted by: Burt from Essex | July 31, 2008 12:08 AM
Montanez? Don't be fooled by his AA numbers. The guy is a 1st round draft pick, but, every time he gets past AA, he flops. Reimold is the next LF of the O's. When he plays regularly, he is amazing. He is a consistant player like Cakes. He actually is projected to have more power. And All 3 of our outfielders will be under 25. I also would rather make a move for Ben Sheets then Texiera. Maybe they will go for both. Who knows. It would be money well worth it. As long as they save some to lock up Cakes and AJ.
Posted by: Ryan | July 31, 2008 4:14 AM