Where Will Teixeira Sign?
In today’s Baltimore Sun, Dan Connolly hashes out the oft-rumored idea of the Orioles signing hometown boy Mark Teixeira after this season. He opines:
If Peter Angelos sets a club salary record, it would be for Teixeira.
Connolly also notes the team’s repaired relations with Scott Boras and the agent’s occasional tendency to push clients to bad teams to maximize paydays. For his part, Teixeira’s not saying much. There’s plenty of reason to stay in Atlanta if they offer something competitive.
If Teixeira has a huge 40 HR, 120 RBI year, he’d seemingly be in line for at least Connolly’s predicted six years, $120MM. In my mind, the legitimate possible suitors are the Orioles, Braves, Red Sox, Yankees, Royals, Mariners, Mets, and Giants. You could throw the Los Angeles teams into the mix, though they have solid young first basemen.
Your turn: which of the above-mentioned teams will Teixeira sign for, if any? Take the survey here; view the results here.
Brian Roberts Rumors
Yesterday, SI.com’s Jon Heyman wrote that the Cubs-Orioles Brian Roberts trade talks still have a little life, and the O’s are scouting various young Cubs. On Sunday Jim Salisbury said the Orioles only needed to decide which pitchers they want to complete a deal.
Today, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times checks in with the latest. To begin with, Mark DeRosa‘s heart complications seem under control, and won’t force the Cubs’ hand.
Wittenmyer adds that the ball is indeed in Baltimore’s court, and their scouts will need at least a week to observe various Cubs. He says the Orioles are requesting Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and two more top youngsters. That steep price could cause the Cubs to turn to Coco Crisp or Marlon Byrd. However, neither the Red Sox nor the Rangers seem to value either as a fourth outfielder.
Brian Roberts Rumors
MONDAY: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says a Roberts to Chicago trade still has a little life, and the Orioles are scouting Cubs’ players. Meanwhile Jason Churchill wrote a few days ago that the O’s may require Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin instead of the Cubs’ apparent offer of Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Kevin Hart. Churchill says the O’s are also high on Eric Patterson.
SUNDAY: Check out this piece by Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here’s the one-liner that has caught some readers’ attention:
Sources say that Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts will be traded to the Cubs as soon as the Orioles decide which pitchers they want in return.
All sorts of Cubs pitchers have been rumored in these talks: Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Jason Marquis, Jose Ceda, Donald Veal. It’s been said that the Cubs won’t part with Ceda. My best guess is that this deal does get done before Opening Day.
Brian Roberts Rumors
Here’s the latest.
- Brian Roberts is not in Orioles’ camp today; he’s gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment. Roch Kubatko does not believe he’s secretly been traded.
- Roberts will make no trade demands.
- Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day." Rosenthal cites Roberts’ relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved. If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included.
- Three days ago, ESPN’s Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix Pie or Jose Ceda for Roberts. Also, many MLBTR readers have speculated that the Orioles no longer have use for any of the Cubs’ outfielders.
Brian Roberts Rumors
Here’s the latest.
- Brian Roberts is not in Orioles’ camp today; he’s gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment. Roch Kubatko does not believe he’s secretly been traded.
- Roberts will make no trade demands.
- Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day." Rosenthal cites Roberts’ relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved. If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included.
- Three days ago, ESPN’s Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix Pie or Jose Ceda for Roberts. Also, many MLBTR readers have speculated that the Orioles no longer have use for any of the Cubs’ outfielders.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts
It seems as though all the players we thought we would be traded this off-season, have been traded, minus one…Brian Roberts. The oft-rumored deal to send Roberts to the Cubs continues to linger. Ken Rosenthal first suggested that Roberts would be a good fit for the Cubs back in early December and Jeff Zrebiec confirmed the Cubs interest. Then the deal may have been dead, with the O’s asking price too high and by the end of January Gordon Wittenmyer suggested Cubs had turned their focus to Marlon Byrd. Then according to Jon Heyman a deal appeared imminent. Rosenthal thought the O’s insisting on the inclusion of Felix Pie was a deal-breaker. But then Baltimore acquired Adam Jones and Chris De Luca noted the deal might have life. But now Heyman wonders if the proposed package(s) is not enough and if Peter Angelos will nix a deal, as Roberts is one of his favorite players. Now that Spring Training has begun we have to wonder if a deal can still get done. let’s take a look at how the Roberts deal is being handled in the blogosphere.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- View From the Bleachers sees Roberts as a nice addition but not a necessity as he may only be a slight upgrade from Eric Patterson. They don’t see the deal as a "foregone conclusion" considering the players being offered by the Cubs.
- Camden Chat is not impressed with the Cubs offer, but they wonder if Roberts is worth keeping.
- Another Cubs Blog sees the signing of Alex Cintron by the Cubs as a sign that the Cubs are making progress towards getting a deal done.
- Ivy Chat wonders if the Cubs have enough in the system to obtain both Roberts and Joe Nathan. While they would like both, they would prefer Nathan.
- Crawley’s Cub Kingdom notes that Alfonso Soriano’s legs are not 100% and that he may not be suited to lead off in 2008, increasing the need for Roberts.
- A Hundred Next Years is not sure the upgrade from Mark DeRosa to Roberts is worth the price.
- Wrigleyville23 calls it "The Roberts Rain Delay" and notes that the political process here in the U.S. actually moves faster than trade discussions between the Cubs and the O’s.
- Orioles Fan Base talked to our own Tim Dierkes about this situation.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts
It seems as though all the players we thought we would be traded this off-season, have been traded, minus one…Brian Roberts. The oft-rumored deal to send Roberts to the Cubs continues to linger. Ken Rosenthal first suggested that Roberts would be a good fit for the Cubs back in early December and Jeff Zrebiec confirmed the Cubs interest. Then the deal may have been dead, with the O’s asking price too high and by the end of January Gordon Wittenmyer suggested Cubs had turned their focus to Marlon Byrd. Then according to Jon Heyman a deal appeared imminent. Rosenthal thought the O’s insisting on the inclusion of Felix Pie was a deal-breaker. But then Baltimore acquired Adam Jones and Chris De Luca noted the deal might have life. But now Heyman wonders if the proposed package(s) is not enough and if Peter Angelos will nix a deal, as Roberts is one of his favorite players. Now that Spring Training has begun we have to wonder if a deal can still get done. let’s take a look at how the Roberts deal is being handled in the blogosphere.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- View From the Bleachers sees Roberts as a nice addition but not a necessity as he may only be a slight upgrade from Eric Patterson. They don’t see the deal as a "foregone conclusion" considering the players being offered by the Cubs.
- Camden Chat is not impressed with the Cubs offer, but they wonder if Roberts is worth keeping.
- Another Cubs Blog sees the signing of Alex Cintron by the Cubs as a sign that the Cubs are making progress towards getting a deal done.
- Ivy Chat wonders if the Cubs have enough in the system to obtain both Roberts and Joe Nathan. While they would like both, they would prefer Nathan.
- Crawley’s Cub Kingdom notes that Alfonso Soriano’s legs are not 100% and that he may not be suited to lead off in 2008, increasing the need for Roberts.
- A Hundred Next Years is not sure the upgrade from Mark DeRosa to Roberts is worth the price.
- Wrigleyville23 calls it "The Roberts Rain Delay" and notes that the political process here in the U.S. actually moves faster than trade discussions between the Cubs and the O’s.
- Orioles Fan Base talked to our own Tim Dierkes about this situation.
Cubs Sign Alex Cintron
Minor signing this morning, as the Cubs inked shortstop Alex Cintron to a minor league deal according to ESPN 1000 Radio’s Bruce Levine. Does this have implications for Ronny Cedeno, who’s been a rumored piece in the Brian Roberts discussions? And since Cintron had been on Baltimore’s radar, will they now focus on Juan Uribe?
Cintron, 29, hit .243/.281/.324 for the White Sox in 185 ABs last year. He dealt with bone spurs in his elbow, a bruised thumb, and time spent on the bereavement list for his grandfather.
Orioles Asked For Ceda In Roberts Deal
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Orioles asked the Cubs for 21 year-old righty Jose Ceda as part of a Brian Roberts deal at some point this winter. However, Ceda is untouchable for Jim Hendry.
Ceda is a large righty swiped from Kevin Towers for Todd Walker at the ’06 trade deadline. Baseball America ranks him fourth among Cubs prospects, first among pitchers. When Ceda switched to relief in July, he threw 23 hitless innings in A ball. His fastball and slider are of Major League quality and Lou Piniella has noted that he could make the jump from A ball to the bigs.
Andy MacPhail said yesterday that he didn’t expect to trade Roberts before the Orioles’ Spring Training reporting date next week.
Brian Roberts Rumors
Here’s the latest on the Brian Roberts situation. From Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:
Cubs want the switch-hitting leadoff hitter, are ready to deal from a pretty deep hand of prospects and would like to have Roberts in camp by the time the full squad reports next week. But nobody at Fitch Park seems to be counting on that, given the teeth-pulling, teeth-gnashing nature of talks with the glacial O’s.
And then there’s Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun:
Will Roberts be the next former Oriole? Perhaps, but maybe not right away. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has engaged in trade talks about the All-Star second baseman for months, so it won’t be surprising if he pulls something off soon. But there’s really no rush.
To sum it up: there’s nothing new, nothing imminent. Wittenmyer also dismisses a rumor that the Cubs are after Joe Nathan. The Cubs have the pieces they need to field a strong team, if they use them properly.