Finally! Erik Bedard is a Mariner!

I will admit that I had mixed feelings about trading away Erik Bedard. I would have much rather seen him signed to a long term deal. The truth of the matter was, Bedard didn't want to stay through a rebuilding process and even if he did, there's no guarantee the Orioles will be good enough to contend in 4 or 5 years as the farm system is now. So he had to be traded and we had to get good return for him.

I think we did.

Further consolation is that Mariner fans hate this deal. A lot. That means it's a good trade for us, no?

The five new Orioles are as follows. You probably know their names by heart since the trade has been rumored since December. (!?!?!)

Adam Jones - CF - Adam "The Truth" Jones. Why the truth? Because the only thing we know for sure at this point is that Adam Jones speaks it.

Jones was obviously the key to this deal. He's the best young outfielder the Mariner's have and he's ready to play now. He hit over .300 and 25 homers in only 101 games at AAA Tacoma in 2007. Speed and power now patrol centerfield at Camden Yards. We haven't been able to say that since Brady Anderson was in his prime. At only 22, he could be a real special player.

What can we expect from him this season? Tons of strikeouts and flashes of brilliance.

George Sherrill - RP - He has a rep as a LOOGY but the numbers show he is more than that. He's kind of a flyball pitcher, not exactly the recipe for success at Camden Yards but he only gave up one homer away from pitcher friendly Seattle. Sherrill would have the inside track on the closer's job going into Spring Training.

Kameron Mickolio - RP - He's potentially major league ready at this point and commands closer type stuff. He rung up 28 Ks in 24 inning in AAA Tacoma last year and has 8.48 K/9 for his minor league career. He'll only be 24 and will join Jim Hoey as youthful candidates for the closer spot this season.

Chris Tillman - SP - Big righty, big strikeout guy. Only 19. He had issues giving up the long ball in High Desert last year. Tillman only went 6-7 with a 5.26 ERA but forget that. He was a bit unlucky. His FIP ERA at High Desert was 3.93. He struck out more than a batter an inning and induced grounders on 40% of all balls put in play. He was way better in July and August than he was in May and June. It's just the learning curve. Big upside. The #6 Mariner prospect on TopProspectAlert.com

Tony Butler - SP - Very young, very raw starting pitching prospect. Only 20, he struggled a bit at high A ball but misses lots of bats. He's a long way from taking the mound at OPACY. The #4 prospect in the Mariner system.

If he had to go, MacPhail did a good job of getting back a nice haul for Bedard.

Let the rebuilding begin.