A couple of interesting tidbits from the Elias Sports Bureau...

David Ortiz hit his 40th home run of the season on Sunday and increased his RBI total to 109. The Red Sox have played 110 games in 2006, and it's the first time in 45 years that an American League player has reached 40 home runs and 100 RBI within his team's first 110 games of the season. In 1961, both Roger Maris (in the Yankees' 106th game) and Mickey Mantle (109th game) did that.

As I said, amazing.

John Maine pitched six shutout innings in the Mets' 8-1 win against the Phillies. Maine has not allowed a run in each of his last three starts. He's the first rookie pitcher to do that -- while throwing at least six innings in each outing -- since the Brewers' Cal Eldred in August 1992. The last National League rookie with three straight scoreless starts of at least six innings was Orel Hershiser, who threw three straight complete-game shutouts for the Dodgers in July 1984. (Hershiser had one relief appearance -- on the Sunday before the All-Star break -- during that streak.)

And depressing.

Oh, and just for kicks...

Derek Jeter entered Sunday's game with a .467 career batting average against Rodrigo Lopez, which was his second-highest average against any pitcher off whom he had at least 25 at-bats (he's 14-for-28, .500 vs. Eric Milton), and true to form Jeter smacked a home run off Lopez in the first inning, igniting the Yankees to a 6-1 win.

Link: Ken Rosenthal

"It's over," an Astros official told FOXSports.com Sunday night. "We told them we're not dealing with them anymore."

...

The Astros, according to a major-league official with knowledge of the discussions, feared that the Orioles would flip their most prized acquisition for Tejada -- Astros right-hander Roy Oswalt Â-- to Houston's cross-state rival, the Texas Rangers.

The Orioles, according to the official, intended to trade Oswalt to the Rangers for a package of three players -- third baseman Hank Blalock, Triple-A shortstop Joaquin Arias and one of the Rangers' top pitching prospects.

They also would have ended up with two other players from the Astros -- third baseman Morgan Ensberg and shortstop Adam Everett -- effectively making the deal a 5-for-1 for Tejada.

Presumably, the Orioles then would have spun one of the third basemen, Blalock or Ensberg, or shifted one of them to first, while moving their current third baseman, Melvin Mora, to the outfield.

...

The Angels, who offered the Orioles a package of right-hander Ervin Santana and Triple-A shortstop Erick Aybar for Tejada, also have pulled out of the Tejada discussions, the official says.

The Dodgers are not actively pursuing Tejada, other sources say.

Sounds over. But man, what a story that would have made.

The question that I would be mulling over right now if I were Perlozzo is this...

What do I do about this impending logjam in RF?

When Gibbons comes back someone will have to move... either Jay or Nick. The question is who?

It's clear that Markakis is far more comfortable in RF than in LF, both in the field and at the plate. In 50 games in RF Markakis has a 1.000 FPCT, compared to a .984 FPCT in LF over 26 games. At the plate Nick bats .337 AVG | .385 OBP | .486 SLG  in 101 ABs while playing in RF, compared to a mere .182 AVG | .315 OBP | .247 SLG in 77 ABs while playing as a Left Fielder. The difference is as clear as black & white: Nick Markakis is a better player in RF.

Now what about Gibbons? With Jay, unlike Nick, we have just a tad bit more data to base or analysis on. In the field, Jay comes in as a better defensive First Baseman (.994 FPCT over 86 games) than Right Fielder (.986 FPCT over 416 games). At 1B he has made 4 career errors in 86 games, in RF 12 in 416. At the plate, though, it's a whole different story; From 2003-2005 Jay batted .214 AVG | .260 OBP | .314 SLG at 1B, and .290 AVG | .340 OBP | .495 SLG as a RF. That is a rather stark contrast.

I think that it is important to note, however, that he has had 1065 ABs as a RF compared to only 159 at 1B, so the comparison may not be entirely fair. With Markakis, on the other hand, the AB totals are within approx. 30 of each other, making them far more comparable.

So what would you do, if you were Perlozzo? Move Nick? Or move Gibbons?

(Note: There is the third option of DHing Gibbons, but I did not include this because, trade withstanding, Javy is entrenched at DH with nowhere to go.)

Poll

What would you do?

16%

Move Nick back to LF

3 votes

83%

Move Jay to 1B

15 votes

18 votes | Poll has closed

The team hasn't released anything yet, but I've been really watching this develop and my gut instinct is he'll be playing LF on Opening Day. Why do I think so? The team and most sports-writers (on Orioles.com and in the Baltimore Sun) keep suggesting he will, and also suggesting that the team will only carry two catchers; Gil got placed on waivers; The Depth Chart got reorganized yesterday, removing Kevin Millar from LF and making him our F/T DH.

With Millar no longer listed at LF, the Depth Chart shows Conine as the starter... I have trouble believing that for two reasons: (1) Markakis has outplayed Conine in Spring Training, and (2) If Conine gets too many at-bats the team has to keep him next year and find something to do with him. By next year Conine will make a better coach than player, and the FO knows it. He won't be the everyday starter.

So, again, I think Markakis is a lock to make the Opening Day roster and that the FO is just holding out for a big announcement later this week.

Thoughts?

Poll

WILL Markakis be the Orioles everday Left Fielder?

65%

Yes

17 votes

34%

No

9 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

Source: Baltimore Sun & ChicagoSports.com & Chicago Tribune

From The Sun

According to one industry source, the Orioles are "closing in" on a deal that would send a minor leaguer to the Chicago Cubs for center fielder Corey Patterson.

Club officials would not confirm specifics of the proposed trade, but one source suggested the minor leaguer would not be one of the team's "top five or so prospects."

...

 If acquired, Patterson likely would compete with incumbent Luis Matos and prized prospect Nick Markakis for the Orioles' starting center-field job.

Patterson previously had been mentioned as a potential component in any Cubs deal involving Tejada. The Cubs, among others, remain interested in the Orioles' star shortstop, but nothing is imminent, team vice president Jim Duquette reiterated.

In light of this recent development regarding Jeromy Burnitz, it is starting to make me a bit uncomfortable that the Jeff Conine signing has not been officially announced. I had read that his physical was being delayed by Christmas, but that was more than a week ago. I would like to know why he isn't in an Orioles jersey yet...

Source: Boston.com

One high-ranking major league executive who monitored Arizona's unloading of Troy Glaus to Toronto said, ''He really wanted to go to Boston. The two places he wanted to go to were Boston and Baltimore." Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes was formerly the Sox' assistant GM, and that relationship, plus the Sox' long-running admiration for Glaus's skill set, led to discussions between the clubs.

If that's true, it's a damned shame. He actually wanted to play here, and we still didn't pull the trigger. When the FO doesn't trade for a player, in his 20s, who hits nearly 40 HR a year that WANTS to come to Baltimore... that's when it starts to become too much to take.

Source: FoxSports.com

The Diamondbacks, moving aggressively to trade third baseman Troy Glaus, are in serious discussions with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and an unidentified National League club, FOXSports.com has learned.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays are the front-runners for Glaus, according to an official from one of the interested clubs. The Sox, Jays and Orioles likely would move Glaus to first base, a position he has not played in his eight-year major-league career.

...

The Diamondbacks, trying to add pitching, believe they can unload Glaus without paying any of the $32.75 million that he is owed in the final three years of his contract, sources say.

The Jays offered second baseman Orlando Hudson for Glaus, and probably would be willing to part with right-hander Miguel Batista as well if they obtained another player in the deal.

The Diamondbacks have discussed left-hander Erik Bedard from the Orioles and a number of other options. It is not known which Red Sox players the D-Backs are targeting, but Arizona's new general manager, Josh Byrnes, previously was the Red Sox's assistant G.M. The Sox have been protective of their young pitching in trade discussions.

...

Glaus batted .258 with 37 homers and 97 RBIs in his first season with the Diamondbacks, appearing in 149 games. Friends of his believe that he might be even more productive in '06. Glaus was unable to work on his upper body last off-season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

If we get this, Tejada won't be going anywhere.

Source: ESPN

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed first baseman Hee Seop Choi, avoiding arbitration.

The Dodgers and Choi agreed to a one-year deal for $725,000.

Choi came to the Dodgers from Florida in a July 2004 trade. He hit .253 last season and set career highs in games played (133), hits (81) and RBI (42) and matched his career best with 15 homers. In 363 games spanning five major league seasons, Choi has a .240 batting average and has hit 40 homers and driven in 120 runs.

This, of course, doesn't mean that he isn't still trade bait. I'm honestly not sure I want him, though; I really believe that Young is going to turn into a nice 1B/DH, and having two young lefties as First isn't going to do us any good... or is it?

Would the Dodgers want Javy? And what else would they send, because Choi certainly isn't enough.

Source: The Baltimore Sun

The Orioles reached a tentative agreement Tuesday night on a one-year contract with free agent Jeff Conine, returning the veteran to the city where he had played for five seasons.

The deal, which will likely be announced Wednesday, is worth approximately $1.75 million with incentives that could push the former Florida Marlin's contract to $2 million for the 2006 season.

 "[Conine] is a guy we targeted all along," said Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo. "When we talked about the chemistry of the ball club, we wanted him to be back. It looks like he's going to be in a lot bigger role, and we are comfortable with that. Right now, I see him playing some first base and left field, but he's also going to DH."

Though Conine's role will largely depend on what other moves the Orioles make this offseason, the 39-year-old gives Perlozzo some flexibility. The Orioles currently don't know who is going to be their Opening Day first baseman, left fielder or designated hitter, and Conine has occupied all those roles at some point during his major league career.

Conine, who played with the Orioles from 1999-2003, hit .304 last year with three home runs and 33 RBIs in 335 at-bats for the Marlins. Eager to add his bat into the lineup, the Orioles also wanted to inject his presence into the clubhouse.

They also discuss Javy's potential opening day situation:

Disappointed that he was displaced from the every-day catcher role after the Orioles signed Ramon Hernandez, Javy Lopez has his sights on either a trade or signing a contract extension with the club.

...

If he is not traded, Lopez will likely be used at first base, designated hitter and back-up catcher this season. Berry said that Lopez is apprehensive to play a different position in his contract year.

The O's Depth Chart is up to date (except that they still have Bernie Castro on it, which boggles my mind). If today were Opening Day, the team would look like this.

C Ramon Hernandez
1B Walter Young
2B Brian Roberts
3B Melvin Mora
SS Miguel Tejada
LF Eric Byrnes
CF Luis Matos
RF Jay Gibbons
DH Javy Lopez

Now, granted, that is going to change... but not much, I'd wager. The Sun says that Conine is going to, most likely, play 1B for the O's. That'd leave Big Walt out of the lineup. My guess is that, presuming he can handle the defense, Conine will play LF because Young looks to be better at the plate than Byrnes.

Either way, that is where the team officially stands today. Thoughts?

Source: AP (via mlive.com)

DALLAS (AP) -- Left-hander Ray King was traded from St. Louis to Colorado on Wednesday night for outfielder Larry Bigbie and infielder Aaron Miles.

...

Bigbie was traded from Baltimore to Colorado for outfielder Eric Byrnes on July 29. He hit a combined .239 with five homers and 23 RBIs for the Rockies and Orioles.

Poor Larry... he had a horrific 2005. Best of luck to him in '06.

Source: Minor League Baseball

There is a chance that Markakis may actually get to play some center field for the O's. He was in center for the final 18 games at Bowie and played one game in center for Frederick and fared well. Overall, he had 66 chances in right field and center for the BaySox and didn't commit an error.

The O's currently have Luis Matos to play center while Jay Gibbons slots into right field (or designated hitter). But some insiders think the club isn't committed to keeping Matos in center, which could open the door for Markakis.

"Making the move to center field didn't bother me at all," Markakis said. "It's just more ground to cover. If you know the hitter and you shade one way or the other you'll be fine. I actually think you get better jumps on the ball in center field."

I know some of you may disagree, but I think starting Markakis in the Outfield on Opening Day is a great idea (assuming he continues his good performance in Spring Training). Where I disagree with the article, however, is where he should play; I'd put Markakis in RF, move Gibbons to 1B, and have Matos in CF and Conine (presuming he signs with us) in LF.

I'm not a Matos fan, but I think this would most likely be the best use of the players we have at our disposal, lineup wise.

What does everyone think about trading for Thome this offseason? Everyone knows he's on the block, and the two most likely places for him to end up seem to be Baltimore and Detroit, so why not go for it?

We need a power hitter, and a guy on first, so he seems to be a likely fit. We could probably get the Phillies to pick up a reasonable amount of his contract as well, and it's not like we don't have the money to spend. He's 35, and presuming he comes back off of his injury alright he should have a few more good years left in him.

However, my two questions would be (1) What do you do with Walter Young, and (2) Who do you have to give up to get the Phillies to pull the trigger?

Link: ESPN.com

The survey also showed that 69 percent think the designated hitter rule either should be expanded to both leagues or scrapped. Not surprisingly, American League fans were more likely than National League fans to favor the current system.

"I'd just as soon not see it in either league," said Gary Hartwig, a Cubs fan who lives near Hudson, Iowa. "The manager has fewer decisions to make when there's no pitcher hitting. It makes the game more boring."

...

 White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, a frequent DH in his later years, thinks the rule is a good idea.

"It's extended many careers. I think it should be universal; it would mean more jobs in baseball," he said. "Who wants to see pitchers hit? Nobody."

Houston Astros manager Phil Garner disagrees.

"There's plenty of offense in the game today," Garner said. "The game has more strategy without the DH, it's a more fun game to be involved in."

Rehashing a recurring question in baseball, what does everyone think about the DH rule?

I'd just as soon see it go, personally. The only thing that it does is gives a distinguishable difference between the leagues. Otherwise, I don't feel that it enhances the game in any way. It doesn't seem to give American League pitchers an advantage by giving them less to worry about, nor does it make the game more exciting to watch. I honestly find myself asking why it even exists in the first place.

Zimmerman to join Nats on Thursday.

I'm not a Nats fan, per say, but Zimmerman is someone I've been keeping an eye on since the draft. If he really is as good as they have been talking him up to be, he has real potential to become a major contributor to this ballclub as a opening day starter next season. He is a natural third baseman and has been compared to the likes of Brooks Robinson defensively, but they have also been working with him at shortstop in the hopes that he can replace the horrific Christian Guzman in their lineup (in the mean time Devi Cruz will do that).

Like I said, I'm not a Nats fan as of now, but I'm not opposed to giving them a shot either, and Zimmerman sure is a feel good story that could get me paying a little more attention.

There is a new article up on the official site about Perlozzo making his mark on the team now that he has taken over the reigns, and I thought I'd touch on some of the highlights of that article and some questions the managerial change has brought up in my mind.

The first and most important thing is that Perlozzo has come out saying he thinks the managerial change is going to help turn the team around. He was humble enough to say that he felt it was just the change of situation that would make the difference, rather than the difference of style between he and Mazzilli.

"What are some of those differences?", you might ask. The first and most important is that Perlozzo is going to stress good, fundamental baseball. Run out every play until the ball is dead. Work the pitch count. Smart, aggressive, but calculated baserunning. Basically, give 100% on every play. Never give up, never surrender.

Secondly, Perlozzo is likely going to be much more vocal than Mazz ever was. He paces. He talks with the coaches. He leans on the fence and watches every play. And when appropriate, he actually shows interest and concern at the outcome of a play or deliver of a pitch. Mazz did vitrually none of those things, and certainly none of them on a regular basis. The sudden influx of emotion from the manager alone might help this club turn things around.

Thirdly...

Rest for the weary: Perlozzo said one of his first priorities will be keeping his everyday players fresher with a little rest now and then. That list began with shortstop Miguel Tejada, who owns baseball's longest active streak of consecutive games played with 865 -- more than twice as long as the next-longest, Hideki Matsui's 431.

Tejada's streak, the eighth longest in history and the longest since Cal Ripken's record string of 2,632 games began in 1982, is not in jeopardy, however. Perlozzo said he plans to rest his iron man by playing him at designated hitter, not sitting him on the bench.

"I think Miggy probably needs a day off, and he can't get a day off," Perlozzo said. "He doesn't want a day off. So there's a possibility, depending on how the ballgame goes tonight, that he could possibly DH tomorrow and the next day."

Perlozzo said he is also hoping to get some rest in upcoming games for Melvin Mora, Javier Lopez, Brian Roberts and Eric Byrnes.

"We'll try to get a couple of our bench guys in," he said. "If we can freshen up a couple of those guys, it could help us. I have to get around to them and see how they feel about that."

Amen to that, Sammy. Tejada had an incredible defensive game tonight, but sometimes you can really see that he just needs a day off. He needs to step back and get perspective, relax a little bit, and rest what must be a very tired body.

I also like the thought of working in some of our bench players to keep them fresh, though I hope he uses discretion and doesn't work like, I dunno, three of them in on the same day. One at a time would be nice because it keeps the guys fresher and also helps keep the bench players connected emotionally to the outcome of the game. The last thing you want is a bench full of spectators.

Turning to some speculation, I'd be interested to see if Sammy works some guys into different situations than Mazz had been. I'm curious how he's going to play Palmeiro when he gets back from his suspension. Will he be back in everyday, or will he backup Surhoff (who has been playing very, very well at first the past few days). Will Sammy play Gibbons at first, in the hopes of giving the Oriole's right fielder some more starts in the hopes of finding a starter for next season? How will he work with the bullpen, and will he move Ponson to the long relief role?

We are starting to see the early stages of the Perlozzo style start to show through in only his second game. Surhoff was not in the original lineup, only added after Mora was removed to rest a mild ankle injury. Gomez was originally penciled in to start at first, certainly reinforcing the skippers proclaimed intention to rest players and work with his bench, and possible showing his intention to test out candidates to find a new everyday first baseman...

Only time will tell how the Perlozzo era will change this ballclub, but so far I like what I see.

This is from the new Gary Washburn article:

Players recently voiced displeasure with Mazzilli in private, and according to a club source, shortstop Miguel Tejada, once a big Mazzilli supporter, called a team meeting and said the team would have to win despite Mazzilli.

Wow. That'll do it. It was a mutiny of sorts...

Editor's Note: I upped this to the main page because it had a lot of things I wanted to comment on. I am selfish that way! Also it's an intriguing bunch of thoughts and something to get our minds off of the Palmeiro situation. Thanks, robotian! - SC

Lets face it... This season is toast. As far as I'm concerned, I'm ready for it to be over and just move on to next year on a lot of levels. I still have that little bit of hope in the back of my mind: Hope that the guys will pull it back together, that our offense will start producing again, and that we could start pounding out a win streak as good as our loss streak is long.

I mean, can you imagine it? Winning 15/16 instead of losing it? I can, but it's tough to predict if or when it could happen. The upcoming schedule doesn't offer much promise, with the weakest teams being Tampa Bay (who recently swept us three games to none), Toronto (who you may have noticed has passed us recently, and even with a significant increase in payroll allowance by their front office decided to stand pat at the deadline), and Cleveland (who beat the pants off of us in July, only to go into a bit of a slump of their own). Not very promisng, but it's what we have to work with.

So, yell at me at will, but I think it's time to think a little bit. The franchise needs a plan for how it's going to fix these holes on the team.

How do we create a strong pitching staff out of the shambles and sparkles of hope we have today?

How do take this let-down of an outfield and turn it into something we can consistently count on to produce both on defense and offense?

Are we going to be a small ball team? Or a hard hitting team?

What are we going to do about our front office (do they stay or go next year)?

What about Maz?

Do we hire Pinella?

Whose playing first base next year?

Are we going to count on our minor league prospects for help, or be aggressive after free agents in the off season?

I think it's time to consider shuffling the team around a little bit... pulling guys up from the minors, testing them out, seeing how they react. If not now, then before the month is out if this mess continues. We are not a contender, we are a pretender. The fact that this organization is still telling themselves that we can compete for the division, or the wildcard, is really getting frustrating. They need to face the cold hard facts, and act accordingly... which is to say that they need to look themselves in the mirror and make damn sure that by the team next season starts they've gotten a shower, shave, and haircut and come out ready to compete.

Disclaimer: This is largely just me venting.

I want the O's to do SOMETHING at the deadline, and I want it to show a clear, developed plan of operation. Be buyers, or be sellers, but don't float in the middle.

This is an important juncture in the season. The deadline is in two days, we are in fourth place, but we are still in striking distance if we pick ourselves out of the dirt. On the other hand, we've been playing like the Pirates or the Royals lately, and taking the into consideration (combined with our terrible scheduling luck) is it really wise to expect a second half surge?

I don't have the definitive answer, but the front office needs to make a call, and fast. If we want to be buyers, we can make that happen, but we need to do it whole heartedly. If we want to be sellers, we certainly have good bargaining chips to put on the table, but we have to be a smooth operator and get good value.

My opinion is that we should be sellers, but not insofar as it kills any chance for picking up pace in the second half. Now you might be wondering, "Doesn't that sound just like floating in the middle?" No. It doesn't. It means being a seller without gutting the team.

Consider this:

Continue reading this post »

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Orioles and Florida Marlins are feverishly working on a deal to bring A.J. Burnett to Baltimore and the deal could be announced Tuesday, depending on if the Orioles can entice Burnett to sign an extension.

Club sources said the only holdup from a six-player deal -- that would also include outfielder Larry Bigbie, reliever Jorge Julio, prospect Hayden Penn and Florida's Mike Lowell and prospect Eric Reed -- is Burnett agreeing to an extension. Executive vice president Jim Beattie acknowledged Monday night at the Metrodome that talks are continuing, but would not specify a team or a player.

...

According to the club source, the Orioles are trying to negotiate a three-year extension with Burnett, who is apparently demanding $9 million per season and four years. But his wife is from Columbia, Md., and he is said to be open to signing an extension.

Source: Notes: O's working on Burnett

Edit: Comments contain the breaking rumor on the Pirates jumping into the deal (credit to rebop). - SC

From a Gary Washburn article posted during tonights game:

Talks with Marlins: The Orioles and Florida Marlins have intensified talks about right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett and perhaps third baseman Mike Lowell coming to Baltimore in a six-player deal that could include outfielder Larry Bigbie and pitchers Hayden Penn, Jorge Julio and Steve Kline.

Club officials realize they are going to have to deal Julio and Penn to get a frontline pitcher. Bigbie has been inconsistent this season and might need a change of scenery, and Kline has all but requested a trade -- and a National League team might be a good fit.

Burnett is a free agent at season's end, and the Orioles would not be interested in a deal unless they can sign the 28-year-old to a contract extension. Burnett is potentially a dominant starter but has yet to harness that potential into results. He is 5-6 with a 3.64 ERA, and in his start Thursday against the Phillies, Burnett was tagged for six earned runs in five innings.

Lowell has had a rough year for the Marlins, hitting .226 with four homers and 36 RBIs after hitting 27 homers with 85 RBIs last season. With Melvin Mora cemented at third base, the Orioles could use Lowell in left field or first base. He has played neither in his career.

I'm glad to hear that they are adding Kline into the talks. I'd be glad to see him go back to the NL, or to anywhere for that matter. He's been a real disappointment in my opinion, and I really feel that a lot of that has to do with his lack of contentment in Baltimore.

Mike Lowell, on the other hand, I'm not so excited  about. I much prefered the talks when they included Encarnacion (RF), who has been on a pretty good tear recently and would really add a solid bat to fill the hole we will create by trading Bigbie. Lowell, on the other hand, is a third baseman who hasn't played any of the positions we are considering using him for.

It makes little sense to me, but if it must be done to bring Burnett to Baltimore it's fine by me.

I'd really like to see this trade made on Wednesday. I know it's not likely, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a kneejerk reaction to the sweep by the Yankees as we head into the Boston series, resulting in pulling the trigger on the Burnett trade.

I think this would be a good thing for the club. For a long time I really had doubts about this potential trade, but after watching three consecutive blowouts by our starting pitching I have decided I'm for it. I think that we are sorely in need of a stopper, that Encarnacion would be a good guy to have in the outfield, and that we need something to shake this losing streak...

That something may be a trade.

It would show both the players and the fanbase that the FO sees the teams needs and is moving to address them. It could be the shot in the arm this club needs to get going.

(Poll included)

Poll

Are you in favor of trading Penn/Julio/Bigbie to the Marlins for Burnett/Encarnacion/Third Player to be named.

88%

Yes

24 votes

11%

No

3 votes

27 votes | Poll has closed