The playoffs have begun, which means I'm thinking about what next year could bring.  Showalter showed us the team we expected to see all season and with a promise of more experience, expectations are high for a .500 season and beyond.  The problem being that there are some sizable question marks in the line-up.  It's been blogged and reported ad nauseum that the Orioles need a "big bat" and a solution at third and/or first but questions remain at short where Cesar Izturis becomes a free agent.

Since I prefer a spectacular fielding shortstop to a third or first baseman, here's looking at the shortstop options:

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This was reported earlier today (well, today in Korea, I guess it would last night for those in North America) and I began following and collecting as much information as possible.  Why?  Because during Dylan Covey's physical he was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes.  Now, for a lot of people this really isn't important news.  Covey was expected to be a solid pitcher and the Brewers were looking forward to adding a good arm to a minor league system that isn't chalk full of many, but what's far more important to me was that he picked his health over several million dollars.

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Roch, after receiving a text from Bergesen, has said that he's been sent down to Triple-A.

No word on who takes 3E's place in the rotation, but I'm hoping they sent Arrieta up for his first taste and keep Jason Berken in long relief, where he's thriving.

EDIT BY DUCK: No dice, it's Alberto Castillo. More from Dr Orpheus after the jump.

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This is making its round through the intertubes and I'm just confused.

Julio Lugo hasn't been a solid player in...his career.  Sure, there are concerns with Brian Roberts' back, Robert Andio as a viable option at second, or Ty Wigginton taking over if Roberts needs some time to recover, but Julio Lugo?

If this is an April Fools Day prank I'm going to be pissed, but even Buster Olney is reporting it on Twitter so there seems to be some legitamacy to it.

Hell, if Roberts is going to need some time, put Justin Turner at second for a few weeks, then send him back down.

Not to mention that Lugo has a large contract that the Red Sox threw at him a few years ago.  Does that contract come onto the books for the Os or are they off the hook?  What will Andy MacPhail have to send to the Cardinals to complete the deal?  I'm a little too heated about this.

What say ye, Camden Chat?

In a deal that makes little sense, the Giants have signed Aubrey Huff to fill in their corner infield "void".  That means they have Juan Uribe, Pablo Sandoval, Mark DeRosa, Huff, and Travis Ishikawa competing for duties at first and third.  That said, I'm sure Uribe and DeRosa make the most sense as a roving utility men, DeRosa also spending time at second and the outfield corners if needed, leaving Sandoval at third and Ishikawa on the bench.

It's a sad day when Aubrey Huff takes over for a young first baseman that outhit him last year, and it leads me to a question...

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Is now the time to trade Luke Scott?

With Nolan Reimold a solid option for the DH position and Felix Pie a competent replacement in left, although I wonder who would serve as a forth outfielder, does it make sense to put feelers out there for Luke Scott?

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Last season I was ecstatic to hear that the Orioles were interested in Japanese pitchers Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Ryoji Aikawa, and Ryohei Tanaka.  The Os had been lacking in global appeal for years and signing one or more Japanese players would go a long way.  Marketing, increased international revenue, and some new faces are always promised when signing or drafting players from outside the US and this was no exception.  With Uehara, the "Greg Maddux of Japan", pitching in the majors and Tanaka developing in the minors, the Orioles are looking to take the next step into the Asian market.

Which leads us to word that international scouting director John Stockstill is interested in former Yomirui Giants teammate of Uehara, Hisanori Takahashi, a lefty starter/reliever, and I'm thinking, good but not great.

Takahasi's a solid lefty, but at 34 years old and with an erratic ERA and a sharp decline in innings pitched (dropped from 186 2/3 innings in 2007 to 122 in 2008), it makes me wonder what they'd get.  Sure, the Os could use a lefty both in the back-end of their rotation and in their bullpen but I'm not sure Takahashi is the answer.

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For over three years people on this blog have complained that the Orioles have lacked a true ace for years.  At some point two seasons ago, many believed that Jeremy Guthrie might be the closest this team has had since the migration of Moose and were rebuffed by a subpar performance this passed season.  The reality is this team has two, maybe three, aces in the making in Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz (also, Jake Arrieta), but whose to say they will ever be as good as #2 on a good team.

This leads us to the question that has waved around the FanPost comments since the offseason: Should the Orioles trade for or sign an ace this or next season to solidify their rotation?  If so, whom and who would it cost?

The Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros need financial relief; the Toronto Blue Jays have an ace in the final year of his current contract; the Seattle Mariners might not be able to sign their ace to a contract extension; and the Atlanta Braves need a big bat.  Every indication points to a few of these teams trading their aces.

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Rumors abound that our beloved Orioles are one of two teams, the Giants being the other, expressly interested in trading for slugging second baseman Dan Uggla.  In the immortal words of Kent Brockman, "I for one think it's about f-ing time."

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Jim Johnson has struggled in the closers role, but then again, he hasn't been as solid this season as last and this could all be simply a down year.

Flat Breezy is with the Dodgers now and flourishing as their LOOGY/occasional closer.

Danys Baez is a free agent and will not be resigned by the Os.

Koji Uehara was a both a starter and closer in Japan so he's an option, but he's been hurt so often it makes one wonder if he might be better as a set-up or middle reliever than a closer.

Kam Mickolio looks like he has closer potential but might need a year or two of major league playing time before jumping into that role.

David Hernandez has been mentioned several times as a closer candidate, and after the year he's had, it might make sense.

So, I ask you, who closes?

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These rumors are getting out of control.

Jhoulys Chacin, #1 prospect in the Rockies system, has been pulled from his start at Double-A, and it is now speculated that he is part of a trade.  Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors tells us the Rockies have announced he was pulled "as a precaution for possible, future organizational moves" and tries to connect the dots to a Jon Heyman article about how the Rockies were interested in a slew of relievers, including George Sherrill.

Could Andy MacPhail have pulled off another steal by getting Chacin for Sherrill straight up?  Did we have to sweeten the deal in order to get the much covetted Ian Stewart?

Find out soon!  A Sherrill trade is going to happen.  Its just a matter of time now.

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times is reporting that the Angels are also interested in George Sherrill.  mlbtraderumors's Ben Nicholson-Smith points out that Andy MacPhail is looking for two top prospects in return, although its more likely that he'll get one B+ prospect for Sherrill.  However, with reports that the Dodgers, Marlins, and now the Angels are interested in Sherrill it becomes imperative that MacPhail begin using bids against each other and strongly consider not only trading Sherrill but packaging him with other veterans to maximize return.  Meaning we could see a trade including Baez and/or Huff for at least one top level prospect and a spare part or two (in the case of Baez, much more for Huff).

The article also mentions that Os scouts were in attendance for the Angels/A's game last night and will probably swing by their Triple- and Double-A affiliates to see what they can get in a trade.  But if logic is any indication, MacPhail will focus any trade with the Angels on Brandon Wood and/or Mark Trumbo.  They are, after all, aside from Hank Conger (C) and Peter Bourjos (OF), the Angels only position prospects on most lists.

So, Os fans.  What say ye of a trade to the Angels?  Or do the Dodgers/Marlins make more sense based on the bounty?

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports is talking about ways in which the Cinncinati Reds could improve their club with a right-handed hitter and has mentioned Ty Wigginton as a target since they lost out on DeRosa to St. Louis.  Morosi says Wigginton can slot in at third or second base or first when Votto needs a spell, and can break up their lefties at the middle of their line-up.  This seems to make a lot of sense for them if they're interested in making a push, and they seem to be, for first in a wobbly NL Central, given Wigginton's experience in that division and normal second-half surge.

So, the question is, does it make sense to trade Wigginton to the Reds or Giants or other contention team if the price is right?

Keep in mind that Huff and Mora will be gone next season unless offered arbitration, resigned, or Mora's option picked up (unlikely).

And, for funsies, who mans first and third base next season without Wigginton?  Outside of Brandon Snyder, the newly acquired Michael Aubrey (12 AB for the Tides, .250/.250/.333/.583) who will be used as organizational depth in the minors and doesn't seem to be in consideration for the majors at this moment, and Oscar Salazar.

The youth of tomorrow are here! ...Today!

As it stands, the Orioles have some solid veteran pieces to be traded sooner-than-later.  The rotation is eight guys deep and could use some thinning out (Guthrie and Hendrickson, first and foremost), the bullpen (Baez and Ray) is overcrowded, and Mora, Huff, and Scott are at their peak.  Its time to suggest some trades.

As for fill-ins:

Dorta could be brought up to fill-in at third if Mora's traded, even though Dorta was promoted to Triple-A recently and might not be ready.  So, with third there's a bit of a problem unless the Os can get a major league ready third baseman in a trade somewhere.
Oscar Salazar can be brought up to play first if Huff's traded.  Defense would be sorely lacking, but, again, they could get a major league ready guy in trade to take over.

What options are there?

MASN's Steve Melewski is reporting that Ryan Freel isn't happy with his situation.

Freel went on the DL April 21st after getting beaned on a throw to second and was hospitalized with a mild concussion.

Since then, he was supposed to go on a rehab assignment at Delmarva but that was called off for precautionary reasons.

I'm sorry Freel feels this way.  I really am.  But he needs to get over it.  He's had several concussions in his career and for the Orioles Front Office to be concerned with this most recent one makes perfect sense.  Andy seems to be treating Freel as if he were an investment, protecting him to maximize his time with the team once he's back from the DL, instead of simply as a player.

Freel, unfortunately, doesn't get that.  His comments are dripping with inuendo that he wants to be traded, that he doesn't feel appreciated, and that, perhaps, the Orioles are conspiring against his career.

For a guy who has been referred to as a team first player, with less personal motivation, these comments seem entirely selfish.  He's more concerned with his career playing time and numbers than the possibilty that he could get hurt again later in the season and hurt the team.

Seriously, calm your britches.  You'll be back when you're healthy.  You were hit in the head by a baseball!  It's not like the team is holding you back after a back spazm.

A reporter asked Freel if he was not happy here, did he think MacPhail would attempt to move him somewhere where he can be happy.

"Yes, I think so. I think Andy and I are on the same page. I wasn't very happy with the situation but what can you do."

Melewski says.

All right, bye.  Hope we can get some pieces for you and you don't suffer any perminanent brain damage after your next concussion.

P.S. - What team is looking for a guy like Freel?  The Yankees will undoubtably have some injuries in the near future with Matsui and Damon, and with Nady out it seems like a possibilty.  Then again, what's Freel worth?

According to Roch and mlbtraderumors.com, the Os are on the verge of trading Hayden Penn to the Marlins for infielder Robert Andino.

This isn't the kind of trade most of us were hoping for.  There have been a lot of fans who have openly complained about how the team should have traded Penn a long time ago, back when he was tearing through the minors, for help.  Hoping MacPhail would get a second base or shortstop prospect in return.  Then, there were those that believed Penn might "figure it out" this spring.  Sadly, those days are long gone.

It is, nevertheless, a realistic trade.  One that bolsters this team's bench and allows for Trembley to focus on 12 pitchers instead of 13.  Andino played second, short, third, and center in his four years in the majors and was out of options.  As a solid defensive-minded guy with a career line of .201/.299/.250 in 144 ABs in 79 games this trade makes sense for the Os who really did need  back-up up the middle with some speed.  And they got just that.

P.S. - When you search for Andino on mlb.com you'll notice that they have him marked as an Oriole.

Kyle Blanks seems to be the odd man out as Adrian Gonzalez isn't going anywhere, so what should the Padres do?

There's already been some rumblings that the Padres are looking to trade Blanks for pitching, presumably to be used this season, as they're nearly vacuous in that department.  Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors has compiled a good list in reference to the Tom Krasovic article including several out of option players.

But I guess this all comes down to what Blanks is worth.  So, what is he worth?  Juan Gutierrez?  Hayden Penn and David Pauley?

I'm aware that I and others have posted and talked about this before, but I felt that since Spring Training is fully underway we'd look at it again.

At this point the Os have an overwhelming amount of pitchers at camp that are out of options/might "benefit from a change of scenery"/should just be traded to clear space on the pay roll.  Yeah, I'm talking about Pauley, Penn, Brian Bass, Danys Baez, and others.  So, the question is which pitchers (or position players) can/should be traded or packaged together and what kind of opportunities are out there.

My #1 target is Kyle Blanks, a blocked 1B prospect in the Padres system that Sickels has at a B+ prospect that "I don’t know where he fits except as trade bait, but I’m convinced that the bat is real. Considered Grade B, but that’s what I gave him last year and he improved in ’08."  Here's my thinking:

1. There's no way the Padres are going to trade Adrian Gonzalez. He's a hometown guy who hits the ball like a mad man, and doesn't cost much. So, it stands to reason that Towers would ship Blanks off for some help with fielding a reasonable team this season. Because, at this point they look like an affiliate with four major leaguers rehabbing.  They need pitching, and maybe some help in the outfield (Justin Christian?)
   
2. The Orioles need more young options at corner infield spots.  At this point it's down to Brandon Synder, Scott Moore, and Billy Rowell, and Synder and Rowell are, for all intents and purposes, DHs.  In Blanks the Orioles would have a power hitting first baseman with decent defense.
3. I can't think of any other teams with blocked prospects at first or third.

MacPhail has continued to trade away or release dead wood and focus on both "failed" and current prospects, helping the team get younger, cheaper, and better.  So, what other possibilities are there?

Roch is reporting that the Os might be working on a trade with the White Sox for Gavin Floyd and, possibly, another prospect.  This is the kind of deal I've been waiting to hear about.  Something believable.  Much of the Olson to the Cubs for Pie or whomever really didn't make much sense as the Os would be giving up on a young starter who could still turn it around for a failed prospect or two.  It just never made sense.  Floyd, however, makes perfect sense.  With spots in the rotation open, and Floyd a solid #2 or 3, this just works.

Yes, there's going to be a hole at second, but that's where Freel fits in.  The guy can lead off and play second much of the time, with perhaps Murphy or another guy taking over if that doesn't work.  So, that hole's not so much a hole as it is a stop gap.

There's going to be much assuming that the White Sox could package Floyd, from Mount St. Joe and a 17-game winner last season, and either Brandon Allen (1B) or Chris Getz (2B).  I'm fine with either, and think that trading Roberts for Floyd, straight up, doesn't make much sense for the Os.

What say ye, CC?

Update:
Roch has just explained his rational for believing this trade will take place and the logic behind the Os going after bot Floyd and Getz.

So, mlbtraderumors has posted that the Yankees have signed A.J. Burnett to a "five-year, $82.5MM" contract.  This was to be expected, really.  The Yankees needed to continue to build, by throwing money, a new starting rotation, and after the C.C. Sabathia signing I guess they just decided "why not?".

I'm a little surprised, frankly.  It seemed like the Braves were hot on him and were prepared to do what they could to sign the guy.  I guess his drive to be close to his wife's family and near his offseason home was slightly more important to him.  Oh, so slightly.

Obviously, this may also disappoint some Orioles fans as they were hoping to rebuild their own rotation.  Hoped that Burnett would join Guthrie as a stabilizer at the top.  Oh well.  I had hoped for the signing of Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami anyway.

P.S. - The breaking of the story has been linked to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.

Tom Verducci of SI.com posted a pretty fantastic commentary on the current state of shortstops in baseball.

What it really boils down to is that the day of the heavy hitting shortstop is over.  It's rare that a shortstop will both hit and field at a high level.

Why does this relate to the Orioles?  Well, the comments by Andy MacPhail and Dave Trembley to look for an offensively minded shortstop are unrealistic.  They don't exist in any high numbers.  In fact, if you're looking at the position purely by OPS, you'll find that the NL East is a total anomaly.  Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are the exception to the rule that shortstops, given that great defense is so necessary at their position, don't need to have an OPS over 100.  Hell, somewhere in the 80s would be fantastic.

They need to change their tune.  Finding a slick fielding SS with a BA around .270 would be perfect for this team, given the lineup of the future.

Sidebar:
The article also alludes to the necessary shift, for most shortstops (Omar Vizquel is the largest outlier in the game), to a different position as they age.  Is it realistic to say this?  I think so.  The problem seems to be ego.  Players like Tejada, clinging to past glory at shortstop, need to let go and move to a position better reflecting their abilities with the bat instead of inabilities with a glove.

So, Tim Dierkes from mlbtraderumors.com has made his predictions for free agent destinations this offseason.  It's a fine list.  As I skimmed it, looking for whom he thought the Orioles would target, I was surprised by his belief that not only would the Orioles win out on the A.J. Burrnett sweepstakes, they'd also sign Felipe Lopez to fill their vacancy at short.  "Huh," I thought, "no, that makes no sense."

While Lopez did, as Dierkes suggests, "mash" last season for the Cardinals, I just don't see that making all that much sense.  He seems like a very forced, one-dimensional player.  What I mean by that is, like Neifi Perez, he's either a very good defensive player or a very good hitter.  When his glove is on, his bat is lacking and vice versa.  With that in mind, I don't think it's clear which Lopez the Orioles will get.  He'd be an enigma.  And this team alrady has Daniel Cabrera to ffill that role.

If Lopez is right out, I'm suggesting looking elsewhere.  Elsewhere, like Japan.  Tomohiro Nioka is primarily a shortstop - played some third ('03, '06, and '07) and the outfield ('02) - and a free agent this offseason.

Why?  It's simple.  The guy has a solid, not great, glove at short - 59 errors in his 7-year career - with a fielding precentage of .983 and a career batting average of .285 (being hurt by his first 4 seasons of professional ball).  Translated over to the MLB and the batting average drops a bit but it's still quite a bit better then the output from last year's parade of wet noodles.

What's more is he can be shifted to third or the outfield if a younger player can be found and before Billy Rowell, a guy I have little to no faith in at this point, is ready to take over at the hot corner.

And finally, money.  Bringing in Japanese players yields instant results in marketing and ad revenue.  Money this team dearly needs to continue fostering their farm system.

Thoughts?  Am I insane?  Other outside the box thoughts?

So, Andy MacPhail expexts Adam Loewen to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays...

"I think Toronto is going to sign him," said MacPhail. "I don't know if it's a done deal, but I've been led to believe that is where it's headed."

This is just like screwing around with your girlfriend's best friend because you're sure your relationship is on solid ground, only to find out that she's screwing around with a banker and she breaks up with you.  It's just like that...but for baseball.

Screw you, Cito!

UPDATE: Adam Loewen has indeed signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, as you'll see if you click on the link above (it's been updated by The Sun). I know you have to look out for yourself first, but this seems pretty underhanded considering all the O's have done for this kid. I'd wish him luck with his hitting, except I don't want to [Note by Stacey, 10/24/08 4:41 PM EDT ]

Well, it's that time again.  Time for us to pontificate on whom the Front Office will go after, creating wildly unrealistic trade scenarios, and ballyhoo free agent signings the likes of Teixeira and Sabathia.  None of them will pan out, but hell, it's fun to exercise our imaginations and discuss/argue/call someone an idiot for suggesting something some preposterous, so insane that only Hank Steinbrenner would come up with it.

Without further rambling and pointless dancing, my suggested moves:

Shortstop -
We all know by now that MacPhail and Trembley want an offensive minded shortstop that isn't a liability in the field and probably using Juan Castro in the 8th or 9th as a defensive sub.  We know that Orlando Cabrera, David Eckstein, Adam Everett, Rafael Furcal, Cesar Izturis, Felipe Lopez, and Edgar Renteria are available through free agency.  But where's the fun in that?  Nowhere!
How about this team continues on their path of finding young, cheap players and plugging them in?  Which brings me to Alcides Escobar (Brewers), J.J. Hardy (Brewers), Elvis Andrus (Rangers), and Joaquin Arias (Rangers). Now, I realize for a while now people have suggested going after Escobar or Hardy - even though now, more then ever, it looks like one of the two of them will be available at or before spring training - for some kind of Daniel Cabrera, or another pitcher, trade and that's still a possibility, but now we have Elvis Andrus and Joaquin Arias that have proved they can hit and field their positions pretty darn well.  With Andrus and Arias (Andrus being the more likely), the Rangers are looking for pitching and that's all.  For a while now, the Brewers were clearly looking for a good package for either Hardy or Escobar, understandably so, but what the Orioles would have to give up might be too much for such players.  With Andrus and Arias, we don't necessarily have that.  There's a massive log jam in the infield in Texas.  Michael Young and Ian Kinsler are holding down the middle infield offensively and defensively and it doesn't seem like Ron Washington is interested putting either one of the young guys at the corners as that would displace Chris Davis, Frank Catalanotto, Hank Blalock, and Travis Metcalf, and Jon Daniels has said he'll be making moves for pitchers this offseason.

Suggestion (after being long-winded) - Daniel Cabrera and a Double- or Single-A starter for Elvis Andrus.  Heck, I'd go Cabrera and Penn or someone like that.
Did I mention that Jon Daniels is a doofus?  Give him a pet rock and he'll trade you Teagarden.

Starting Pitching -
If this team is able to trade for a Andrus, Arias, Hardy, or Escobar that would ensure a larger-then-there-already-is hole in the rotation; unless, someone is interested in trying Burres again...thought not.  So, I'm saying free agents until the young guys are ready.  This means doing something similarly to what MacPhail did in '07, trading the Trashman to the Cubs for some parts.  This season it'll be more like two or three veteran signings for two or three years and trading when the youth (Tillman, Arrieta, Patton, Erbe, Hernandez, Bergesen, etc) are ready to break in.

Suggestion - A.J. Burnett (yeah), Paul Byrd, and Sergio Mitre.  First off, yeah, I'm suggesting Burnett.  While I think Guthrie has been an incredible ace for this team, it helps to have someone else be able to pick up the slack from time-to-time.  Perhaps, two guys to share anchor duty, instead of putting all that pressure on a young Guthrie.  Second, Paul Bryd.  Keeping in mind that I'm not all too excited about either he or Mitre, they make sense.  Byrd is a groundball pitcher and a great mentor for young guys.  Sure, he's not that great.  Sure, he's getting old.  But we don't need youth, we need a stopgap for a year or two.  So, why not?  Lastly, Sergio Mitre.  Mitre has gradually fallen apart both mentally and physically since being traded to the Marlins for Juan Pierre.  He pitched pretty well for the Cubs before the trade and started off fine before really falling off the wagon down in Florida first physically, then mentally.  But here's the thing, he actually pitched quite well under Kranitz in Florida.  He was locating, getting big outs, and it looked as though that trade would work out for the Marlins...until his arm nearly fell off.  And really, what's he going to cost?  He's one of those low risk, high reward guys that everyone talks about.  Whatever.

So, that's what I'm thinking.  BEGIN ARGUMENTATION AND NAME CALLING!

He's been traded for Casey Kotchman and another player, possibly Stephen Marek as mentioned by Lyle Spencer of mlb.com.

So, what does this mean for Tex this off season?  Does he resign with the Angels?  Sign with the Yankees?  Do the Angels sign Manny if he's released?  Do Os fan cry? 

As a friend has pointed out Manny is pretty much just a DH at this point in his career, so the NL is out of the question.

With regards to Teixeira, he could very well resign with the Angels.  They have the cash to spend and they're going to the World Series now that they have a more offense and have been dominating the Red Sox all season, giving him the chance to go to the playoffs nearly every year.  Then again, the Yankees have been interested in signing him to play first.  The Braves are out as they now have Kotchman, and the Os...

DISCUSS!

So, it seems the Brewers are about to sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal.  He'll begin in Double- or Triple-A and try to work his way up.  The Sun has the story.

He always seemed like such a nice guy, and I'm happy for him.  If only he could have hit for the Orioles when they needed him...Horseface.

I tried to find a more flattering picture then most...this is the best I could do.

via i.a.cnn.net

Since the All-Star break began I've been mulling over possible trade ideas and these are they...them.

With Takashi Saito about to hit the DL with an elbow ligament sprain, the Dodgers are going to need someone to take over the closer role.   Sure, Broxton could slide in but based on history Colletti loves his veterans.  Not only this, but their outfield is anaemic against left-handers.  What am I going on about?  George Sherrill and Jay Payton for Andy LaRoche and Chin-lung Hu.  They've pretty much given up on LaRoche and Hu after they've struggled - fancy that, a rookie's struggling under Joe Torre - with the bat but done extremely well with the glove (1 error in 92 innings for LaRoche, 1 error in 303 innings for Hu).  Then again, who is hitting for the ol' Dodgers?  The thing is, based on what I've seen, neither guy was given the chance to take their lumps.  The Orioles would allow for that.  They have time and been by doing just this with Adam Jones all season.  Then again, there's always a possibility that both really are busts.

The Twins need a bat at third.  That's a given.  Someone who can hit with pop and isn't can make decent plays at third.  Aubrey Huff for Trevor Plouffe or Steven Tolleson, Boof Bonser, and Tyler Robertson or Anthony Swarzak.  Why?  Well, Plouffe (has a funny name) and Tolleson are shortstop prospects who get on base a great deal with solid averages and speed, Boof Bonser is much better then he's pitched this season and could even be kept in the bullpen or the rotation (swingman since Albers is out), and Robertson and Swarzak are solid pitching prospects.

Carlos Marmol is absolutely falling apart and the Cubs are going to need some insurance in the set-up role.  Someone who can keep the ball in the ballpark and induces ground ball outs.  Someone who has been in "the show" for a while now, perhaps?  Chad Bradford for Tony Thomas and minor league pitchers.  Tony Thomas is in Low-A right now but could be promoted to Double-A by the end of the season, and the Os have stated they want to load up on pitchers in their system.

So, the reason I'm bringing these up is that the Os need infield prospects (duh!) and they have pieces who could very easily be moved for blocked prospects or guys in the Low-As, Tony Thomas, who will be in their system, moving up to the major league roster by the time they're ready to compete.

P.S. - I would have suggested any trade that gets this team a Alcides Escobar-type or Mat Gamel-type, but that's not going to happen.  Well, at least trading with the Brewers it's not.

Well, that idea didn't last long.

Roch is reporting that Cintron has been placed on the DL and Freddie 'Shoes' Bynum's contract has been purchased.

This is kind of cruel.  Bynum was just released, then, all of a sudden, he's looking great now that Cintron is down and Fahey's the only other option.

Where does this team go from here?  Do we see the team begin the free-fall pundits expected to see at Spring Training?  Do they dig a trench at .500 and hope to God they stay there?  What happens?

And is it bad that part of me wants to see the team start to falter?  That way trades can be made.  Huff, Sherill, Payton, Bradford, and Walker (when he returns from the DL) could be traded relatively soon after it becomes evident that the team will be sliding.  There has to be a way to pry a shortstop away from some team.  I'm still hoping for a trade with the Brewers.  They have a fantastic prospect in Double-A who could really be a difference maker for the Os in a couple years.

Heck, trade Cabrera.  I'm tried of rooting for this guy only to have him stumble over his own tree trunk of a body/fortitude and turn back into 'Wild Thing'.

Jayson Stark had this to say:

Aceless in Seattle? Bill Bavasi got booted in Seattle as much for what he wouldn't do (fire his manager, trade his Opening Day starter) as for anything he did do. So the biggest initial impact of his firing is that it means Erik Bedard is now officially on the market.

The first order of business for interim GM Lee Pelekoudas, according to one rival exec, was to "call around, and give instructions to all his scouts, to quietly get the word out that they're open for business."

So what can the Mariners get for Bedard, who has damaged his reputation significantly by showing no interest in being a true No. 1 starter?

This really is the funniest things I've heard all day.  Thank you Bill Bavasi!  If it weren't for you, this Orioles team wouldn't have a better record then the Mariners, Tigers, and Indians.  HA!

After hearing Bavasi's comments about Bedard's attitude I cannot be happier with the way things went for Andy MacPhail and our beloved Os this past off-season.