Let's round up the latest out of Baltimore…
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that the Orioles are not expected to negotiate with any of their seven free agents before the exclusive window closes at midnight tonight.
- Andy MacPhail is expected to make a run at a starting pitcher and a bat for the middle of their order, but Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says not to anticipate the O's being first in line for any big name free agents.
- MacPhail told Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun that he hasn't changed his philosophy of developing homegrown arms and "buying bats." Manager Buck Showalter added that "it's not a very good free-agent class," aside from the obvious exceptions.
- In a separate piece, Connelly compares the team's 2007 roster to its 2010 roster. He notes that only one of the seven players the team signed as a major league free agent last year is guaranteed a job next year: Mike Gonzalez.
I forsee a big year coming from 3 Orioles…
Mike Gonzalez, Derrek Lee, and Felix Pie…
Yes I said Derrek Lee!
Think Roberts might become available?
Roberts and Jones for Rasmus and McClellan?
Way too much for the O’s to give up
i wouldn’t do this. Me personally, i’m not too high on Jones and Roberts isn’t exactly free or injury clean either.
I wouldn’t say he’s untouchable, but he’s the lone anchor in an infield which is going to be in major flux. I doubt they woulda extended him last year just to ship him out .. especially after his health issues this year, which reduces his trade value.
Not a chance – a significant reason why the O’s did great the last 2 months of the year was having Brian Roberts at full strength batting leadoff. If the O’s gave him up, they’d need to find a new leadoff hitter – somebody who is not on the roster at the moment, especially given that Patterson is a free agent (not that he’s an ideal candidate anyway)