Erik Bedard Rumors: Monday

I agree

Bedard is likely to cost at least the same in a trade and he's hardly the proven commodity Santana is

if I need an ace this offseason I'm going after Santana, why would I pay more (in prospects) for a lesser pitcher

You could put Humber -and- Pelfrey in the deal. With Heilman and Gomez/Church you aren't getting a deal done. Bedard is an outstanding pitcher. And at the lower cost, more teams will get involved. He could definitely command what Santana is commanding, and that means 'let's talk Reyes.'

that offer would be rejected before cashman could finish it

@kosh

You're clinically insane if you think Bedard can get you Reyes. You'd be laughed at for even asking. Maybe Omar considered it for Santana (the best pitcher in baseball), but not for a guy with one great and one good season under his belt. Especially not now that there are injury concerns.

I would love for the Mets to swoop in and grab Bedard while the Yanks and Sox battle it out over Santana, and then have the loser move on to Haren.

The Yankees and Sox have more talent, but are reluctant to deal it. While the Mets prospects might not be on the level of Hughes, Joba, or Ellsbury, they certainly aren't scrubs, and aren't afraid to pull the trigger on a deal.

tolo316: The O's aren't going to be competing in the AL East for a long time; longer, if they pass up a good offer because it's in their division. It'd still kill me to see Bedard in a Sox/Yanks uniform though.

JerseyMetFan: There's really no rush to trade Bedard. Unless something goes terribly (and unpredictably) wrong this season, his trade value will hardly be lower at the deadline, and a team on the cusp of contention might make a rash deal in the heat of the chase. Failing that, another good season will only make Bedard that much more valuable. If he repeats his 2007 season sans the injury, you're looking at another Johan-type frenzy. So there's really no reason to rush to a deal just to offload Bedard.

I really do not see how the phillies would have the prospects to acqure bedard, and you know the orioles are going to start with cole hamels and shane victorino, I am not saying that is a fair price for bedard, just saying that is the only pieces that baltimore would like, and two pieces that philly likes too much to even consider trading.

The Phillies and four young talented players are like oil and water right now. Don't get me wrong, they are the favorite to win the East and they've got great players at the MLB level. Their farm system is barren though. Carlos Carrasco and a bunch of no-names won't get Bedard.

I can't blame Bedard for not wanting to sign an extension with the O's. They haven't made the playoffs since 98 and don't seem to be making the moves to change that anytime soon. I wouldn't want to sign with them too.

Bravesbeast is also right... don't be surprised if Bedard refuses to extend with any team, becomes a FA and then goes north to become a Blue Jay. The O's already know this is going to happen, and it's the real reason why Bedard refuses to talk extension.

@JerseyMetFan

The most important difference between Santana negotiations and Bedard negotiations is that with Bedard you have more teams involved. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are loaded with top-tier prospects, but they didn't get involved with Santana because they can't afford the big contract he'd be asking for. Those are the two teams you're bidding against, and for a pitcher of this quality they would bid big. What do you have to offer to trump any of their packages? Mike Pelfrey? No one's going to touch him after the season he had. Aaron Heilman? Try moving him into the starting rotation where he's supposed to be first. Ryan Church?! You'd get blown out of the water.

Well if it is already known that the Bedard will sign with the Blue Jays after he reaches FA, the why don't the O's just trade Bedard to the Blue Jays. Do you guys think the O's could land Alex Rios in a trade scenario for Bedard? Because if I am the O's that is who I go after, then just throw in a young ML-ready pitcher or Marcum and I am willing to trade Bedard.

The D'Backs and Dodgers may be in the mix here, but its less likely the Yanks and Sox are, being division rivals. Not impossible since the O's are in rebuilding mode, but I still think Billy Beane will have the most to work with for Haren. You can't rule anyone out there except the Angels.

I still think there should be interest in Pelfrey. He did have a bad season, but it was only his second year in the pros, and he spent his time in the minors working on secondary pitches, not dominating with his fastball like he did in his first season. Plus his MLB line this year is virtually identical to Dan Haren's in 2003 when he was 23. Is Pelfrey Phil Hughes? No, of course not, but he's tall and throws hard with plus movement. I'm sure some scouts love how he dominated the minors with his fastball alone, and would love to snag him on the cheap while his raw secondary pitches are getting crushed. He was a top 10 pitching prospect going into the season (ranked behind Gallardo and ahead of Garza on BA's list). He's not anymore (techincally not a prospect, but he's probably pretty far behind Garza by now), but I'm sure he still has some value. He and Gomez make a nice little combo to start from. Is it Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp? No obviously not, but I don't know if the Dodgers make that deal for anything.

I dont know if I deal Rios for Bedard. The more I think about it the more I dont think I would if I was toronto. Rios is a stud. Bedard is too, but Rios is a true 5 tool beast. He will probably get better for another couple years too. How old is he, 26? I know Bedard is good, but I have a problem trading away a stud every day guy, with 5 tools nonetheless, for a pitcher, especially if he has an injury history. Prospects are another story, but you cant replace Alex Rios, and the Blue Jays have great pitching anyway. Although Bedard, Halladay, Burnett, Mcgowan, Marcum would be FILTHY. They all have some injury risk though, which is scary.

"even though half the idiots of NY were screaming last year to trade Milledge and Heilman for Zito. Hmph."

Forgot to finish my point. Although there were tons of fans who screamed to trade Heilman and Milledge for Zito, or offer Zito 8/140, or do crazy things like that, if he ever went through with any of those, those same fans would be crucifying him for it right now.

if there is really a way for the Mets to get Bedard for Church, Pelfry, and Heilman, then I am going to put my Omar poster back on the wall.

Only reason I can see why the O's are even considering that kind of offer is because either (1) they don't want to trade Bedard in the division, or (2) they want the Yanks and Red Sox involved now, before one of them gets Santana.

There is in no way anything resembling a guarantee that Bedard will refuse an extension and go to Toronto. That's such a gross exaggeration of one fact: he's Canadian.

If you follow the emotional rollercoaster that is the Bedard extension drama, you know that, had the Orioles/Angelos not been idiots, he could already have been extended last year. Again, this year, the issue is that the Orioles are not competitive and have handled him poorly in the past - NOT that Baltimore is not a Canadian city.

I don't think anyone was actually suggesting that a Church/Pelfrey/Heilman deal would get anywhere, or, if they are, I think they're crazy. The Mets don't have a player besides Reyes who has the impact that the O's need, and he won't go for Bedard (probably). Taking Maine back, while tempting, is a) an admission of how stupid the O's were to let him go in the first place, b) risky, there's no guarantee he'll do well in the AL, the East especially, and c) if he doesn't perform, the O's will become the absolute laughingstock of baseball. If you think they already are, wait until they trade their ace for a pitcher they gave away, and then he doesn't perform.

Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees: those are the top three teams with the correct assortment of prospects to get Bedard, in my opinion. There are plenty of other teams with great young players that are just far enough along to be "untouchable".

Personally, I'm pulling for Dodgers. Kemp, Kershaw, Broxton is my current favorite permutation, although LaRoche and Hu make lots of sense for a rebuilding O's team as well.

@Kosh

An offer of F-Mart, Gomez, Guerra, and two of Heilman/Pelfrey/Humber is nothing to laugh at, and would end up being comparable to other teams.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

The Mets might not have a Hughes or Ellsbury or Kershaw caliber spect to offer, but that doesn't make what they have garbage. While the teams with the top spects are reluctant to deal them, the Mets know that they need a pitcher, and are willing to deal anyone not named Reyes or Wright.

To think that any team could net one of those two in a deal is just smoking something good.

I'd make that trade in a second if I were Seattle.

...

Estrada, Schneider, Heilman and Church for Haren? What? That's...literally pure, bottled insanity.

Also, I'm sure the Mets would love to get Bedard for Church/Heilman/Pelfrey+ but...I'm pretty sure that's what all these posts just shot down?

JerseyMetFan: Agreed, that's not a shabby offer. I just don't think Bedard will go without a true ML-ready top-tier talent back.

"I don't like the Seattle idea beacuse though Jeff Clement is a great prospect, Matt Wieters was just drafted by the O's to be the catcher of the future."

True, but I would imagine the O's would flip Clement to another team in desperate need of catching help. That would be just about every team. They could turn Clement into something good.

@Kosh

The Dodgers would NEVER part with Kershaw and one or two prospects for Bedard. Kershaw is 19 and has already dominated at multiple minor league levels. He will be ready for the majors by mid-season and as soon as 2009 may be on the same tier as Bedard except 9 years younger