Good for Adam. I agree with him completely about Brian Roberts.

Are we talking 225lbs of muscle or twinkie cream here?

...............................................................................................
Pete's reply: He looks great.

Are we talking 225lbs of muscle or twinkie cream here?

A ringing endorsement of Brian Roberts. Add one more year and call it a day!

I agree as well. let's keep the outfield in tack for years to come. get back to the "Oriole Way."

Love BRob, but a four year deal at what he's asking is lunacy. It's going to be sad, but the right move is to trade him.

Brian Roberts has been offered a fair deal. 31 year old little guy. Former steroid user. Good but not great fielder. excellent lead off and for now basestealer. But if he slows just a tad he is just an average 2nd baseman. His livelihood is in his legs. I believe Brian wants out. Unless Andy caves on that 4th year Brian will head to warmer weather. I do not believe his departure would seriously affect the team in 2011, our target year.

Do you think that Adam Jones is right and the contract extension with Roberts will get done sometime during spring training? Or do you think Roberts will play without security all year and go into free agency for the first time, in his great career?

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: I go back and forth so much my head is spinning. I was sure a month ago he would eventually sign, then just as sure a couple of weeks ago that he won't. I guess I'm leaning toward him signing at the moment, but who knows how I will feel tomorrow.

I had read as high as 235lbs.

My suggestion would be to offer B Rob a 3 yr. deal with a 4th yr. vested by performance avgerages in the first 3 yr. I'm not sure B Rob will get a much better offer.

I'd look for Jones to make a move this yr. The guy sounds ready to go.I'd agree with batting Pie down near the bottem of the lineup. If either he or Iterus get on base in front of Roberts/Jones/ Markakis/Huff they're going to score some runs.

Quick comment from the post about Penn. The kid's had some really bad luck for a couple of years. If he's healthy he could be a pleasant surprise this year. I think he'll lock up the 4th or 5th slot and finally fulfill some of that raw talent he flashed when he was up when he was way too young and inexperienced to stick.

His situation has a little familar ring to Guthrie's when he ran out of options and we got him from Cleveland.

i believe strongly that signing roberts is very important to the re-emergence of the orioles. he helps set a tone for the new faces by the way he competes and retaining him gives the o's some stability in the line-up and the clubhouse.
consider this, after this year huff will be gone, mora will be gone, wiggington, freel and izturis will be on their last year. do you really want to have to go shopping for a second baseman too? especially one who can hit lead off and has power to the gaps.
pie may develope into a very good lead off hitter, but only if he has his mind set to it (maybe) and he can maintain discipline at the plate (a long way to go).
trembley may not be free to speak his mind with negotiations ongoing but i'll take him at his word from last year when he said that he wasn't satisfied with any potential line up that didn't include roberts leading off. if he should lose a little speed in the next five years, fine. i can't think of another current player who i would rather have in the #2 slot.
roberts has paid his dues to the club and to the city of baltimore. i think that it is time for the o's to show that he is appreciated. even if they have to pay the "baltimore premium" (like that hasn't been done before).

I keep wondering how much Brian getting his arm bent backwards a few years ago plays in his thinking. I wouldn't want to go into a year without some sort of security at this juncture if I were him. But then again, I'm not him.

Pete, bRob: why not 4 years but with incentives? like year 1=10million,yr2=8+2with production in yr1,etc.with yr 3 and with yr 4 each weighted with bonus incentives. I believe bRob is worth more to the O's than to other teams but also, that bRob is fearful about his arm and the 4th year is all about potential future orthopedic problems. The $$$ are truly amazing and 4 years is a much longer time for an athlete when he is already in his thirties than when he is in his twenties.

...............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Brian doesn't need to do that and wouldn't accept a contract like that. He's a premier player and that indicates the team doubts he will produce for the whole deal. There will be incentives, but the guarantee is the bottom line here.

3 years for 30 is good..If Andy can get another 'steal for a deal' that's good ...If we get two first round draft picks that's good too! It's ALL GOOD! Regardless I'll wear my BRob shirt until it falls apart. And then I'll;pull my backup BRob shirt out of the drawer.Go O's!!

I understand that BRob is a fan favorite, but the O's cannot afford to waste money on him. They did the same thing with Mora, because he was loved by fans, and are now paying way over market value for a below average 3rd baseman, who feels entitled to playing time. The Wiggington signing is a perfect example. We got him relatively cheap and he can slide into the lineup for value. If the O's are going to compete in the East they have to put their money into studs and get role players on the cheap. BRob is a great guy and it will be sad to see him leave, but the right move is to let him go. We will not win if we sign old players to extensions that they won't live up to.

Its a normal reaction these days to think HGH/Roids when you hear of a baseball players weight increasing 25 lbs in an offseason. Im sure he's fine.

Also, BRob is not worth 40 mill in this market. Things have changed. I would be open to bringing him back for 4 years though. BRob needs to compromise. I wouldnt offer more than 4 yrs 33 mill

Roberts is easily worth 10 mill/yr even in today's market. Less talented players like Bradley/Ibanez/Dunn and Renteria signed for around that amount. I also wouldn't hesitate to go 4yrs; Roberts will still only be 35 at the end. He brings a wide skill set-great fielder, speed, hits for average and some pop(50 2Bs) so why not get this done ASAP?

How much weight did Peter Schmuck put on during the off-season?

Do you think his increase in weight will allow him to blog with more power this season?

give adam want he wants andy!