Erik Bedard went back to Seattle. Now that the best of the remaining "high risk, high reward" pitchers is off the market, one has to wonder if the O's will now bring in a couple guys on minor league deals. The pickings are slim. Todd Wellemeyer. Kip Wells. Livan Hernandez. Jason Jennings. Kris Benson. And more like that. The Orioles have been linked to none of them.
One intriguing possibility would be Noah Lowry if he's truly healthy but for now it appears that the Orioles are satisfied to go to Spring Training with David Hernandez, Jason Berken and Alfredo Simon as backup plans.
(And it's nice lip service and all but I don't believe for a second that Chris Tillman has serious competition for a rotation spot. It's a nice thing for Dave Trembley to say for motivation but Tillman is in the rotation barring injury.)
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Oriole minor league reliever Brian Parker has been suspended for 50 games after violating the Minor League drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Given the level of prospect, I'll label this one "BFD".
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I was listening to the MLB Home Plate channel on Sirius/XM radio last Wednesday when Adam Jones was pulled over while conducting a phone interview with Casey Stern and Kevin Kennedy. "Guy's, you're not going to believe this but I'm getting pulled over." sais Adam, then as he addressed the officer, "Hold on, I'm conducting an interview. Let me get off the phone." He was pulled over and cited for having his windows tinted too darkly (Jones lives in San Diego but was in Arizona for offseason workouts) and when he came back on the show he reported that the officer was a Red Sox fan and like Jacoby Ellsbury. Adam's mother defended him over here.
But here's some other gems from the interview:
Jones doesn't care where he hits in the lineup, he just likes hitting with Brian Roberts on base. If Nick Markakis is on base too, all the better. He just likes to drive in runs.
On Nick Markakis' arm and defensive prowess, ""I yell at him everytime he gets to throw. He has a great arm. I love it. I loive watching him throw."
In addressing a couple of off-beat question from Casey Stern, Jones reports that he is the most likely Oriole to lock his keys in his car and that Nick Markakis is the teammate most in need of a makeover. "He wears the 'Who shot the couch?' coat sometimes."
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In other various roster news, Roch Kubatko thinks that Ty Wigginton may get dealt before the season begins. I have been assuming/hoping that he will since Garret Atkins and Miguel Tejada make him expendable and moving him gives Michael Aubrey or Scott Moore a shot at a bench spot.
Japanese lefthander Hisanori Takahashi,a former team mate of Koji Uehara, has rejected a minor league offer from the Orioles. Not great loss here as he would be providing only depth except for that cool name.
Dennis Sarfate has cleared waivers and will be a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. A little depth never helps.
Cal Ripken, Jr. and Brooks Robinson both believe that Miguel Tejada has the skills to make the transition to third base. The gist is that Tejada still has the "quick twitch" skills and the arm to play third, which is probably true.
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The Wayard O details Nestor's swansong from the WNST airwaves.
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In a variation of the "he's in the best shape of his life" stories you see at this time of year, here's a couple from Steve Melewski on former (and future?) Oriole top prospect Billy Rowell. Part 1 and Part 2. I'd like to get optimistic but...
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I love two things today; DJ Roomba and the latest edition of the Eutaw Street Chronicles.
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Last minute link: Camden Crazies gives us colorful charts showing how various Orioles do with pitches thrown in various zones.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Base Hits: Offseason Moves, Suspensions and Hope for the Season
Monday, November 30, 2009
Base Hits: In the Company of Felix Pie, Risky (Arms) Business, More Japanese Imports and Minor Transactions
Hey Oriole fans! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Not a ton went on in Birdland last week but there were a few things I would like to comment on...
MASN's Steve Melewski reports that Andy MacPhail is willing to take a chance on some "high risk, high reward" arms like Erik Bedard and Ben Sheets this offseason. By proxy, I think you can include Rich Harden in that discussion.
If you can't get John Lackey, (and my other favorite to throw money at this offseason, Tim Hudson, is back off the market) this is not a bad way to go. A rotation of Erik Bedard, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen is actually, at least, a competent rotation to open the year with.
The Orioles can afford to take a chance on a short term deal on an injury-prone pitcher due to a lot of money coming off the budget and that there are the likes of Jake Arrietta, David Hernandez and Jason Berken in the wings to fill in those potential missed starts.
Besides, how funny would it be to bring back Bedard with Adam Jones patrolling center, Tillman following him in the rotation and Kam Mickolio warming up to relieve him?
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Speaking of trades, the Cubs have traded RP Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects.
What does this have to do with the Orioles? Last offseason, the O's traded SP Garrett Olson and RP Henry Williamson to the Cubs for Felix Pie. The Cubs in turn sent Olson and IF Ronny Cedeno to Seattle for Heilman.
So the Cubs traded away Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno and netted minor leaguers Williamson (a minor league career 4.46 ERA), RP Scott Maine (a middling relief prospect) and 1B Ryne White (career minor league OPS .754). Hmmm. That's not a great haul.
Of all the players that traded hands in these deals, the Orioles got the best player. And it's not really close.
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The Orioles claimed C Craig Tatum off waivers from the Reds last week. The guy has a good defensive reputation and lately has hit lefties well. May be an interesting guy to watch in Spring Training since the backup catcher spot is currently unoccupied.
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Farewell to P Rad Liz who was removed from the 40-man roster and claimed off waivers by the Padres.
Liz certainly had his issues and may never develop the control to pitch at the major league level but the O's did him no favors last season by declaring that he would be groomed as a reliever and then procedded to jerk him back and forth from the rotation to the 'pen.
Good luck Mr. Liz.
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In my last installment of Base Hits, I wondered if Japanese pitcher Hisanori Takahashi would consider joining his former teammate Koji Uehara in Baltimore next season. Well, according to NPB Tracker, the Orioles are indeed interested in speaking with Takahashi about pitching for Baltimore in 2010. However, scouting director John Stockstill said that the Orioles would not offer him a contract until January if interested.
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I love flipflopflyball.com. In this graphic, you can see that Oriole starters pitched fewer innings than any other starting staff in baseball. Which is hardly surprising...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Miguel Tejada...EXPOSED!
Miguel Tejada has admitted that he is actually 33 instead of his reported 31. He finally fessed up after ESPN's E:60 show obtained his birth certificate from the Dominican Republic and busted him on camera.
Wow.
Add this to the DL stint for Erik Bedard due to his hip and it looks like the O's are finally catching some breaks with some of these trades.
I liked the trades before these developments...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Top 5 Performances for Erik Bedard
Much in the way I did with Miguel Tejada, I decided to take a look back at at some of the highlights of Erik Bedard's career. Remember when you read this, he was a homegrown Baltimore Oriole. Thanks for the memories Erik.
#5 - September 2, 2004 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Toward the end of his rookie season, Erik Bedard put together his first great game. Bedard scattered 6 hits and worked himself out of a few jams over the course of the game. Twice, he had two runners on with one out and got out of the inning without allowing a run. Bedard would hold them to 1 run over 7 IP and the Orioles cruised to a 13-2 victory. It was a glimpse of things to come.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bedard 7.0 6 1 1 1 6 0
#4 - May 4, 2005 - Toronto Blue Jays
It looked like a mismatch for Bedard as he squared off against former Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. However, it was Bedard who was a mismatch for Blue Jay batters as he fanned 12 over the course of 8 innings. There were few jams to work out of this time. After putting two men on with one out in the first, Bedard proceeded to set down the next 9 batters in order including striking out the side in the top of the second. After allowing a walk to Corey Koskie in the 4th, he set the next 8 batters down in succession. It was a career high 12 strikeouts for Bedard as the O's roughed up Halladay and won 5-1.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bedard 8.0 4 1 1 2 12 0
#3 - June 21, 2006 - Florida Marlins
The Marlins were not a great team in 2006 but they were winners of nine straight as Erik Bedard took the mound at Camden Yards. But Bedard was dominating as no runner made it to second base until the 8th inning. He again struck out 12 including Miguel Cabrera three times. This was the second game in a string of seven straight starts that Bedard would win, lowering his ERA nearly a run and a half over the rest of the season. In a way, it was his coming out party.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bedard 8.0 2 0 0 0 12 0
#2 - July 7, 2007 - Texas Rangers
Against a lineup that would put 30 runs on the scoreboard against the O's later in the year, Bedard hurled a gem. He struck out a career high 15, walked none and gave up only two weak singles. Both baserunners were erased by double plays so Bedard faced the minimum. Bedard was rarely allowed to finish starts and this was his first (and only) complete game shutout. He finished the game strong by striking out the side in the bottom of the 9th.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bedard 9.0 2 0 0 0 15 0
#1 - June 27th, 2007 - New York Yankees
Just as the Yankees were beginning to catch fire and make a white-hot run at the AL East crown, Bedard sent them home with their tale between their legs. Facing off against a roided-up Roger Clemens, Erik threw down the gauntlet as he struck out Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez in succession to open the game. (Jeter and Rodriguez would whiff twice against our former ace that day.) Bedard held one of the most feared lineups in baseball scoreless for 7 innings before turning the game over to Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford to complete the shutout.
IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bedard 7.0 2 0 0 1 8 0
See you later Erik. Too bad we couldn't build a contender around you. When you face the Orioles this year, could you leave a hanging curveball over the plate every now and then? Thanks.
Friday, February 8, 2008
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. (!?!?!)
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.
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.comTony 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.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Base Hits: 2/4/2008
Keith Law on ESPN.com has released his list of 100 top prospects in baseball and there are a few (OK, three) Orioles on the list.
Matt Wieters is listed as the #14 prospect in all of baseball and the top catching prospect on the list. No big surprise there.
Mildly surprising is the inclusion of Nolan Reimold at #39 and the fact that he is listed as the #5 corner outfield prospect in baseball. Reimold has power and, after watching the AFL Championship game, more speed than I had previously given him credit for. But he has so little to show for it on the field, I was surprsied Law thinks so highly of him. I'll take it though. Maybe he's better than I thought.
The other Oriole on the list is SP Chorye Spoone at #96. Says Law:
Spoone has the potential for three plus pitches, with an explosive fastball with good bore that generates a lot of groundballs. Definite sleeper.
Only having 3 prospects out of a list of 100 is not great but we must crawl before we can walk...
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Some minor league signings for the O's last week including the return of relief pitcher Esteban Yan. Yan's signing has caused some minor howling in the O's blogosphere but it's only a minor league contract and, hey, sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle. But in reality, this guy's never going to see the major league roster. Catcher Chris Heintz has a better shot at seeing significant playing time in 2008 than Yan.
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Erik Bedard is likely to be traded this week, blah, blah, blah...
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Enchanting Sunshine went north to Baltimore to meet some of the '83 Orioles. Here's the story.
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A very good, very concise guide to Oriole Spring Training that I not only enjoyed but may render a post I was working on completely redundant. Good stuff.
10 Days until Pitchers and Catchers Report
Monday, January 28, 2008
I Can't Stop Posting...
...about this damned Erik Bedard trade.
Despite denials from The Warehouse, there are more signs that the deal with the Mariners will happen. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
"The Mariners appear to be close to signing Brad Wilkerson, an outfielder who could help the Mariners fill the opening in right field that a trade of Adam Jones to Baltimore would leave."
The Mariners have done some silly things in the past but would they really be trying to sign Wilkerson at this point if there were not an opening in RF?
Assuming they were to keep Jones, they would have to split Wilkerson's time between 1B and DH where they already have Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro and young Mike Morse. No way they sign a vet like Wilkerson to ride the pine when they have very good options already in their system.
C'mon, Angelos. Let's get this one over with...
Rumor Mill in Full Swing...
...for the Mariners about Erik Bedard.
According to the Seattle News-Tribune, Adam Jones has been ordered back from Venezuela. The GM's aren't saying much but Adam Jones has been talking to the Venezuelan media stating:
“I’ve got to go to Baltimore tomorrow morning and handle things there. I’m the centerpiece of the deal on the Mariners’ side. It’s an honor to get traded for such a highly talented pitcher as Bedard is.”
Stay tuned for more...
Friday, January 25, 2008
Around The Oriole Blogosphere: 1/25/2008
Over at Oriole Central, Ben found a great article in which Mariner's GM Bill Bavasi makes some pretty strong comments that he believes a deal for a starting pitcher gets done. Could he be talking about a certain Oriole lefty?
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A great picture of a young Boog Powell while he was playing for the Rochester Red Wings over at Camden Chat, who have been posting up a storm lately.
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It must be Daniel Cabrera day because Anthony has a post over at Oriole Magic pondering the pros and cons of the man known as D-Cab.
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Pulling double duty, Anthony also posts at Oriole Post that the rumors of Kyle Lohse coming to Baltimore may be indicative of some mental health issues at The Warehouse.
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Roch Kubatko notes that if the Orioles are looking for a veteran free agent pitcher that Rodrigo Lopez is still unsigned. If he's healthy, that is no necessarily a crazy idea.
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The Loss Column takes some stock of conflicted feelings about the rumored Erik Bedard trade.
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The Wayward Oriole, living up to its reputation as the most creative and artistic of the Oriole blogs, has a poem for Miguel Tejada and a graphic tribute to Jeffrey Maier.
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New blogger Weaver's Tantrum expresses his reservations about Luke Scott. Keep up the good work, Desert O! There aren't enough of us blogging about the O's on a regular basis.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Lies, Damn Lies and the MLB Rumor Mill
THe trade talk seems to be heating up with Chicago for Brian Roberts and with Seattle for Erik Bedard. But honestly, who knows that will happen?
I won't comment of the trades until they happen. Oriole Hangout had a mildly embarrassing moment yesterday jumping the gun on the Brian Roberts trade and I won't waste my time chasing the rumors here.
Do I think these guys will be traded? Yes. And when they are I'll do the analysis.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Patterson to Return?
According to a story in the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have some interest in bringing back Corey Patterson.
As the free agency period winds down, Patterson has found himself still waiting for an offer and the Orioles have found themselves still needing a centerfielder. (Chris Roberson? Really?) I have always been in favor of bringing back Patterson...at the right price. Unless Erik Bedard is traded soon, there is no other viable option currently on the roster.
Patterson is not a great offensive player but he would be at least one of the top three defensive outfielders in the AL and is an outstanding baserunner. If this team is looking to build on pitching and defense, Patterson isn't a bad choice.
Funny how so many O's fans ridicule the good glove-not much bat style of Patterson but are more than happy for the same formula from Luis Hernandez at short.
As long as it is a short contract at less than $5 million per year, it's a good price to pay.
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Trade rumors for Erik Bedard are heating up again. Stay tuned...
Monday, December 31, 2007
Year End Thoughts
There are plenty of year end wrapups across the O's Blogosphere so instead of doing one myself, I'll just highlight the good works of others.
The very prolific Anthony Amobi has end of the year awards for the Baltimore Orioles over at Oriole Post.
At Oriole Magic, Heathir Irvin has an article meant as a Christmas wish list for O's fans but does a nice wrapup of the offseason action.
The best of the wrapups thus far has to be the blow-by-blow of 2007 by The Wayward Oriole.
The official 2007 retrospective by your Baltimore Orioles.
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I think Roch may have already posted a link to this but here is a link to the Top Ten Oriole Prospects according to TopProspectAlert.com.
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I had a horrible dream last night that Erik Bedard was traded to Seattle but Adam Jones was not included in the deal. But it was just a dream, a terrible, terrible dream.
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I'll give some love to a new blog called Swanz's Sandlot who did a nice impartial (he appears to be a fan neither team) breakdown of the Tejada to Houston deal.
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Well, that's all I got O's fans. Here's to a brighter 2008 season...
Monday, December 24, 2007
Base Hits: 12/24/2007
I have to apologize to Brian Roberts. I gave Roberts and his supporters a hard time when the Mitchell Report was released as everyone tried to explain away the flimsy evidence that was presented against him. I kept trumpeting the fact that Roberts was reportedly (according to the L.A. Times) named in the Jason Grimsley affidavit as well and that this was more than pure coincidence. Well, last week the affidavit was unsealed and the Times printed this retraction:
Baseball: A front-page article on Oct. 1, 2006, incorrectly reported that in a search warrant affidavit filed in May 2006 in federal court in Phoenix, an investigator alleged that pitcher Jason Grimsley named former teammates Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons as players linked to performance-enhancing drugs. In the affidavit, which was unsealed Thursday, Grimsley did not name those players. The article also said Grimsley alleged that Miguel Tejada had used steroids. The only mention of Tejada in the affidavit was as part of a conversation with teammates about baseball's ban on amphetamines. The Times regrets the error.
Even though Brian has since admitted a dabbling in steroids once, it was unfair for me to characterize him the way I did based on an erroneous report. So I apologize for taking that report as fact.
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According to MLB Rumor Central on ESPN.com, the Brian Roberts to the Cubs and the Erik Bedard to the Mariners deals are not dead yet (at least as of Friday). Despite assertions to the contrary, I believe that Andy MacPhail will still be shopping Erik Bedard aggressively and I will be shocked if he is indeed the Opening Day starter for Baltimore in 2008. We shall see.
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Melvin Mora is squawking about moving to the outfield again. And I quote:
"I'm a third baseman. I won't play no left field [for the Orioles]. They traded [Miguel] Tejada for a left fielder," said Mora, referring to former Houston Astro Luke Scott. "Check my numbers. You can see where I play."
OK, let's check the numbers then.
Melvin Mora Homeruns 2007: 14 - 13th out of 14 AL 3B
Melvin Mora BA 2007: .274 - 8th out of 12 qualifying AL 3B
Melvin Mora OPS 2007: .759 - 8th out of 12 qualifying AL 3B
And even with the improvement in his fielding, Mora is still in the bottom third is just about every fielding metric you can reference.
However, if you put that production out in LF those are not bad numbers among AL LF. Thanks for being a team player Mel.
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It's merely a satire but I found this article about Kris and Anna Benson pretty funny.
Monday, December 17, 2007
...And A Couple More Ducksnorts
Not all the proposed deals for Erik Bedard are dead as John Hickey writes in the Seattle Post-Intelligentcer. The Mariners are desperate for pitching and after being spurned by Hideki Kuroda (who signed with the Dodgers) Seattle has turned their attention back to Bedard.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bedard is the second best pitcher who is being made available this offseason. Right now, the third best pitcher rumored to be traded is Joe Blanton and the A's are loathe to trade him to a division rival like Seattle. This bodes well for the O's who could demand young CF Adam Jones in the deal among several other prospects.
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A quick peek at what Houston gave up for Miguel Tejada and the Houston Chronicle's Steve Campbell wonders if it was worth it.
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Jeff of Lookout Landing ponders whether the Mariners would be best served by trading for Bedard. His findings? No.
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And finally, Advertising Age gives it's thoughts of the Mitchell Report's impact on the marketability of various baseball players under the following headline:
Baseball Sponsors Escape Mitchell Taint
Insert your own punchline...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Winter Meetings Wrap-up
As the Winter Meetings come to a close, the Oriole roster remains the same as it was when the meetings started on Monday. That doesn't mean things aren't in the works though.
Erik Bedard
According to the Nashville Confidential blog on MLB.com:
...pitching is still at a premium...It's why the Orioles, who are listening to offers for Erik Bedard, have had inquiries from no fewer than 11 teams regarding the sensational left-hander.
That number of teams showing interest is pretty encouraging that something will get done and the Baltimore will get pretty good value for Bedard. The rumored offers so far:
Dodgers: OF Matt Kemp and RP Jonathan Broxton
Mariners: OF Adam Jones and other various prospects
Mets: OF Carlos Gomez, RP Aaron Heilman and SP Philip Humber
As I've said before, I love the Dodger offer. Matt Kemp can take over in left immediately and Broxton has closer type stuff. Now that LA has signed Andruw Jones, they have too many outfielders.
Adam Jones is a centerfielder with some pop and is intriguing as well. The Mets offer is not good enough in my opinion.
Miguel Tejada
Not much talk about Tejada although now that Miguel Cabrera is in Detroit you would expect teams with 3B needs will start to put together some offers. Obviously, it will take much less to pry Tejada away.
Brian Roberts
A surprise addition to the rumor mill, Brain Roberts is evidently highly valued by the Cubs. Early reports had two pitchers (Rich Hill among them) and OF Matt Murton heading to Charm City but the subsequent reports seem to indicate Chicago is not willing to give up Hill.
The only other news to come out today in that OF Jay Gibbons has been suspended for 15 days for violating the drug policy. It's an old story and a non-story. The only surprise to me is that the suspension is so short.
More analysis of the Rule V draft later...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Winter Meetings Part II
This on the Winter Meetings from Peter Schmuck earlier this week:
I've heard the argument that Bedard will be worth just as much or more in July as he's worth now, which might be true if you could guarantee he'll be healthy and productive at midseason. I've also heard how the Orioles have to be extra cautious because they only have so many tradable players and can't afford to make a mistake.Of course, it's that kind of thinking that has made them one of baseball's most timid teams at trade time since the Glenn Davis disaster of the early 1990s.
The Glen Davis trade set the O's back at least 5 years when they made it. They gave up Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling and Steve Finley for that guy. Think about it. I'd be timid too after that. Or at least a little cautious.
If they hang on to Bedard without signing him long term, they become vulnerable not only to another injury but also to the possibility that he could make it difficult to complete a deal next year by telegraphing a firm intention to enter the free-agent market after the 2009 season. If you think he's above that sort of thing, you haven't met him.
The Orioles would be vulnerable to an injury whether they sign him or not. Look, I agree that you need to move Bedard while his value is peaking but I doubt his value will be any less in March than it is now. You have to make the right deal. (I think that deal involves the Dodgers and includes Matt Kemp but that's just my opinion now isn't it?)
The most compelling reason for decisive action, however, has nothing to do with the circumstances of the individual players. The Orioles cannot wait an additional six months or a year because they already have waited long enough.
Truly one of the dumbest things I've read in quite a long time. Circumstances be damned! We've waited long enough and demand change? If you don't take into account the circumstances of the individual players, why not just give them away?
Look, the circumstances are these: Miguel Tejada is still one of the better offensive shortstops in the league and although his glove isn't what it once was, he is still an average fielder. Erik Bedard is one of the best pitchers in baseball and is a great value since he is still two full years away from free agency. These are great bargaining chips and you can't ignore that fact and make a deal for the sake of a deal.
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Andy MacPhail is in no hurry to make a deal according to Jeff Zrebiec. Nor should he be! My feeling is that MacPhail really would like to make a deal this week but this is how you play poker or buy a used car. If you show desperation, you're done. MacPhail has the high hand here and he knows it, especially when it comes to moving Bedard.
This isn't MacPhail's first time at the rodeo and he had some pretty good mentors in his father and grandfather. I think we'll make out just fine.
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The Mets offering Carlos Gomez, Phillip Humber and Aaron Heilman of Erik Bedard has been one of the most consistent rumors in Nashville this week. Not thick enough! Let me get this straight. You want to get one of the top 5 pitchers in the NL at a bargain basement salary for a light hitting but speedy outfielder, a pitcher with an 18-19 record and an ERA over 4.00 in his minor league career and a journeyman long relief man? Get out Omar Minaya! Get out of my office!
(notebook hurled at the wall as a frightened Minaya flees)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Base Hits: 11/28/2007
After engaging in a little double speak about changing positions earlier this offseason, Melvin Mora will reportedly play winter ball in Venezuela and split time between third base and the outfield. Less than a month ago Mora stated the following about moving off of third base:
"I don't want to play those games," he said. "I'm one of the best third basemen in the American League and in baseball. If you are going to move me, you have to make the team more competitive."
I guess someone forgot to tell him at the time that moving to left would make the O's more competitive. You know, filling a gaping hole in left and allowing better production at third (Tejada) as well as improving defense and perhaps a steady bat at short (Hernandez). Nice to see that he finally got the message...
***
I never weighed in on the Aubrey Huff nonsense but since Andy McPhail is still pondering punishment, I'll beat this dead horse a little more.
I have Sirius radio and although I don't listen to Bubba the Love Sponge, I do listen to Howard Stern and have an idea of what goes down on Bubba's show. Imagine the uncensored Howard Stern program...only rawer and more profane. That pretty much sums it up.
I don't think anything Aubrey talked about on Bubba's show was in bad taste. OK, it was in really bad taste but I don't think I was surprised at the activities Aubrey described. I was in the Navy and when hanging out with a bunch of single guys of the ages of 18-30, I'd say about 75% of us were involved in at least one of the activities Huff spoke about. Chasing women? Watching porn? Drinking? Hanging out with strippers and porn stars? Is anyone really shocked that single professional ballplayers engage in such activities? I'm not. I would imagine the 75% rule applies to them too.
His comments about Baltimore seemed to stem from questions about the nightlife and on that point, Aubrey's absolutely correct. Fell's Point is great but it's not Ybor City by a long shot.
That being said, maybe Aubrey needs to familiarize himself more with the batting cages and less with the watering holes and meat markets next season...
***
Former Oriole player and manager Davey Johnson will be up for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager, not a player.
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Talks between the Dodgers and Orioles have stalled as Baltimore would rather sign Erik Bedard long term than trade him. I don't spend much time speculating on trades but Matt Kemp would be a wonderful addition if Bedard cannot be signed.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo
Anybody get the reference?
So lets look at the good, the bad and the ugly from this past week.
30-3. Odd how most diehard Orioles fans laughed this off but many dopes in the national sports media actually read something into this. As if 30-3 is really indicative of what this team is about. (The Orioles are not a great team but we surely aren't Devil Rays bad...). Which is worse? 30-3 or 12-0 and 16-0 over two games (I'm looking at you guys in pinstripes...) It was a perfect storm and now it's over.
0-7 against the Twins? Sure, when Johann Santana's on the mound they're one of the best teams in baseball but without him are they really that much better? 0-7. And 2-4 against the Rangers. 30-3 doesn't bother me nearly as much as dropping that series.
The Baltimore Orioles' record now stands at 58-71 meaning they have to go 24-11 to close the season to hit .500. Guess what true believers? That ain't happenin'. So play the kids with abandon and keep the bullpen audition rolling.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
- Arab Proverb
Using this axiom, it is difficult for me to hate the Red Sox that much. I would rather anyone win the division than the Yankees and it's nice to see them finally falling off the pace and AL East title has officially slipped away from them. Now if Seattle (Or Detroit) can snatch the wild card away too...
Erik Bedard did not have a great outing but did finally take over the top spot for most strikeouts in Baltimore Oriole history on Sunday. He is now third in franchise history:
Ks Year
Rube Wadell 232 1908
Bobo Newsom 226 1938
Erik Bedard 221 2007
Mike Mussina 218 1997
With an average outing, Bedard should pass Bobo Newsom on Friday.
Congratulations to Kevin Millar for setting the club record for consecutive games reaching base that ended on Sunday. 52 games is pretty impressive, I don't care how you do it. His combination of patience and modest power has made him at least the third best Oriole at the plate this season.
The good news? Tampa Bay is up next.
There's a lot of talk about the Orioles' annual September swoon. This team is not going to go 4-32 to close the season. No way. But I don't think there's a lot of wins to be had when Garrett Olson and/or various AAA pitchers are getting a crack at teams. That's just the way it is.
An interesting article over at The HardballTimes about great platoons of the 60's and 70's. No surprise that Hank Bauer and Earl Weaver are featured as putting together some very effective platoons overt the years.
Barring a September tear by somebody, no Oriole will hit 20 homers this year, the first time that will have happened since 2001. What is so shocking to me is that when I looked up and down the lineup in Spring Training, there was no pure 30+ HR slugger but a bunch of guys who could have reasonably hit 20:
Miguel Tejada
Melvin Mora
Nick Markakis
Aubrey Huff
Ramon Hernandez
(a healthy) Jay Gibbons
Brian Roberts
Hell, you even figured Millar and Patterson to be good bets to hit at least 15 if they got enough at bats. Guess you never know...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Nestor Takes Aim At Our Ace
Nestor Aparicio has a blog. Perhaps you've seen it.
From Nestor Aparicio's blog entry 8/18:
Your Orioles Cy Young candidate at work ...
Erik Bedard has made few friends within the local media, which has now led to a new "national" perspective on his churlish behavior en route to a possible Cy Young Award this fall.
You know that little saying about not learning history and being doomed to repeat it? May I invoke the name of Eddie Murray here? Nestor is not alone in criticizing Bedard's lack of grace with the media but I think everyone needs to remember one name: Eddie Murray.
Yes, it's a joy watching him pitch, but
Allow me to use the wayback machine here. "Yes it's a joy watching Eddie switch hit with power not witnessed since the days of Mickey Mantle but..."
apparently he has become a real pain in the ass to deal with for everyone.
"...apparently Eddie is a real pain in the ass so lets ship him to L.A. for Juan Bell, Brian Holton and Ken Howell." My God, people! Am I the only one who sees the parallels here? (Now Nestor has me raving like a lunatic...)
In this story on ESPN.com, the cat is out of the bag on his asinine behavior toward the media, fans and the like.
First, the story primarily focuses on Erik Bedard's breakout season. Second, there is not one mention of him being rude to the fans. Not one. In my lone interaction with Bedard, he was nothing if not polite even if he wasn't particularly chatty. So rudeness to the media automatically means he is antagonistic to the Baltimore Oriole fans? According to Nestor, yes.
But of course, when your owner is an ass, insulting the fans again and again and encourages his employees to do the same...I suppose your star Cy Young candidate can treat people like garbage as well.
Not people Nestor, just the media! I keed, I keed...
Bedard is a Cy Young candidate, but I don't see the stands filling up on nights when he pitches.
To their detriment. Fans don't know what they're missing. The team is losing so I blame no one for staying away but it's one of the finest performances by an Oriole pitcher in the history of the franchise. No, really.
Funny, too, is that when I PREVIOUSLY had a press pass --
Hoo boy, here we go again. He's kind of like a crazy but harmless uncle...
-- one of the 18 years when I had a pass before Peter Angelos went Fidel Castro on me -- Bedard was always pretty cool to me. Seemed like a quiet guy, but he was certainly NOT impolite in any way. I always got along fine with him.
So...you never had an issue with him when you were part of the media but because you hear he's difficult you write this little hatchet piece about how rude he is?
Gee, I can't imagine why Bedard would be distrustful of the media. They're so evenhanded and logical...
Guess I'm not missing much there these days ...Just what I need -- one MORE person in the organization treating me like crap and making up lies about me!
OK, Crazy Uncle Nestor needs to take his medicine now kids. Good night!
Nestor just implied that a man who has been criticized for not being talkative would make up lies about him. Why? To amuse himself? It wouldn't be to spread to the media now would it? This is forgetting the fact that Bedard would have no motive to make up lies about Nestor Aparicio. Oh wait, I missed this quote in the ESPN article: "Nestor Aparicio likes to dress up goats in women's clothing," remarked Bedard, "Why would I want to grant him an interview?"
Lies! Damn lies!
(In case there are some of you who don't get jokes, Bedard did not say anything of the sort...see the irony?)
Think about this kids. Nestor now is so paranoid (with delusions of grandeur) that he believes the ace pitcher of the Baltimore Orioles is out to get him. Really, take a few minutes and ponder what that means...
The biggest joke is on the Orioles, themselves. They think winning is ALL that matters. And here they have the best pitcher in baseball and NO ONE in town really cares enough to spend a few bucks and come downtown to watch him work.
Let's walk through this.
They think winning is ALL that matters.
They're right. They haven't done that in 9 years so they are really bad at it but WINNING IS ALL THAT MATTERS! You couldn't even get Free The Birds 2 off the ground when the O's had a winning month! If this team started to compete, all would be forgiven by the casual (and 99% of the hardcore) fans.
And here they have the best pitcher in baseball and NO ONE in town really cares enough to spend a few bucks and come downtown to watch him work.
Because...(bangs head on desk)...this is a losing team! They've lost for going on ten years now. You have stated this yourself ad nauseum. If this team was winning Bedard's season would be of more interest. Because they lose, it isn't. Thank you and good night!
And everybody leave Erik Bedard alone. I'll take a surly Cy Young candidate over a cheerful 4-15 hurler anyday.
