I'd pay all of it if that means giving up less prospects. No matter the price, it's only a one-year commitment, so it's not as if he'll necessarily be on the books next year.

Ugh... Come on, Andy! There's a Kevin Millwood out there just waiting to be had for less than $12M and he won't cost the team any prospects! Jon Garland! Seriously! If you're looking for an innings eater, get it done!

But...

If Millwood is on the move to Baltimore, I guess that's cool. If it happens, I'd like to see something like this:

O's receive: Millwood, $3M cash

Rangers receive: A hitter and pitcher from the low minors

From ESPN's Jayson Stark: Phillies have quietly let teams know they'd listen on Joe Blanton. Trying to free up $ for bullpen upgrades.

Forget Millwood and Garland. Let's get Blanton!

I think we'll see a Luke Scott for Millwood trade talked about, but would it be more to entice someone else who wants Scott to get the ball rolling...?

Rumors are that Rafael Soriano will accept arbitration from the Braves. That would leave them over stacked in their bullpen. They're also looking for outfield help...

A Blanton deal would involve more compensation than a Millwood deal.

I see no reason why the Orioles would not be interested Garland. My guess is that he won't be real quick to sign because he definitely has some options and probably enjoyed being in SoCal where he's from.

Useless chatter!

The Rangers are looking for a utility infielder. Seems like we could spare Wigginton. Maybe they would like to choose from fat Albers, 2 pitch Sarfate, and half Bass to complete the deal.

I guess people are missing the key part of this:

A veteran pitcher to mentor the young guys in the rotation.

I would hardly want Blanton or Garland mentoring a young pitcher. It's not about find a guy to eat innings...it's about finding a good, effective veteran presence to pitch well and teach.

Pete,

I truly hope this doesn't come to fruition. Millwood, as a flyball pitcher, is a 5.25 ERA and 32 homers allowed waiting to happen. Especially in the AL East. That is certainly not worth $12M and a player(s) or even $4M and a player(s). As another blogger appropriately pointed out, there are plenty of other options available that are equal to Millwood that would not cost us nearly as much. I believe that MacPhail is a great GM, and a heck of a lot smarter than to make this move. I hope my beliefs are correct.

IMO, the O's need more groundball pitchers playing in OPACY. I believe that Piniero, at about a 60% GB ratio, would be a great fit for the O's and the cost would not be too steep.

Pete,

I truly hope this doesn't come to fruition. Millwood, as a flyball pitcher, is a 5.25 ERA and 32 homers allowed waiting to happen. Especially in the AL East. That is certainly not worth $12M and a player(s) or even $4M and a player(s). As another blogger appropriately pointed out, there are plenty of other options available that are equal to Millwood that would not cost us nearly as much. I believe that MacPhail is a great GM, and a heck of a lot smarter than to make this move. I hope my beliefs are correct.

IMO, the O's need more groundball pitchers playing in OPACY. I believe that Piniero, at about a 60% GB ratio, would be a great fit for the O's and the cost would not be too steep.

Millwood. Fine. As Christopher pointed out, there's more at play than "guy with arm".

Is it me, or does anyone else not trust NL pitchers coming to the AL East. Add a 1 to their ERA, and you'd see...Blanton and Garland....thubbbttt.

Millwood is not a very good idea for the Orioles. Bedard has already shown he can pitch effectively at OPCY and is a lefty, which we need to round out our rotation.... plus he's a FREE AGENT.... HELLO??????
Let Guthrie "mentor" the other members of the staff who want to be "mentored".
I think these guys already thrive on one another.
Millwood as a mentor is a joke anyway. So is Garland. The only thing these guys could give advice on is how to hold out for absurd FA money.

paulie -

Are you optimistic about anything baseball related?

Check out Millwood's OPS against The OPS trend is down down down. He pitched with luck to get a low ERA last year. OPS against is a much less noisy measure than ERA. Next year he will be a below average pitcher, but he'll get 12 M.

come on, if the orioles are gonna make a trade, at least make it for someone who can help this team when they need it. a one year 12 mill guy is not what they need right now. i would love it if mcphail at least talked to the marlins about the availability of josh johnson. he's a guy who won't sign an extension in florida, and could help this team now AND in the future. he'd be our ace, which is something they definitely need.

did I say down down down? I meant up up up as in lots of runs.

This might sound crazy, but I wouldn't trade Luke for Millwood. I think Luke is one of our biggest trading chips. MLB teams love power guys and a streaky hitter like Luke, will always draw attention plus he doesn't hit free agency for 2 more years.

I like Millwood and if absorbing his entire 12 mil and not giving up anything but a low level prospects, I say do it Andy! If Texas wants some guys, give them Wiggy, Sarfate, Albers and McCrory which would be addition by subtraction in a big, big, big way!

I agree with Dave about looking into Josh Johnson, but I don't think the O's are only looking for only one SP this year.

Millwood is Cy Young compared to "Woody" Guthrie!