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Brian Roberts

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts

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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.

By Cork Gaines

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts

By | at

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.

By Cork Gaines

Cubs Sign Alex Cintron

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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

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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

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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.

Angelos To Nix Roberts Trade?

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Some owners make headlines by talking to the press or releasing statements. This is best exemplified in New York, where the Steinbrenners aren’t strangers to reporters. Some owners, though, like to make headlines in other ways. Take Peter Angelos for example. People know him not because he speaks to the press, but rather because he’s always about to kill a certain move — a free agent signing or a trade. Yes, despite dealing Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada this off-season, Angelos still isn’t keen on dishing Brian Robers.

Jon Heyman is hearing that the haul for Roberts might not be enough for Angelos’s liking. The reported package includes pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, and infielder Ronny Cedeno. This isn’t the first deal for Roberts that Angelos has reportedly killed.

Heyman has an interesting bit on Angelos:

There is also a sense that Angelos has an unreasonable attachment to Roberts, who may well remind the owner of himself: a little guy who’s scrapped his way to the top of his profession (no, not baseball; Angelos is at the top of the legal profession, at least in terms of dollars earned).

Of course, there is no way to verify that this is the case. But if Angelos is holding back a possible Roberts deal, he might be doing a disservice to his team. They stand to benefit more in the future from the young talent they’d receive than they would from Roberts, who is 30 this year.

– Joe

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Who needs a Brian Roberts update?  You do, of course.

ESPN’s Buster Olney:

I’ve heard that Andy MacPhail is very much in favor of the notion of dealing Roberts to the Cubs, for the right price.

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun quotes MacPhail as calling the Roberts situation a "logical question that will come next."  Trading him now certainly fits into MacPhail’s all-out rebuilding plan; he’s their last valuable veteran commodity.  Talks with the Cubs are expected to drag into spring as the teams decide which young pitchers and outfielders make sense, if any.  Zrebiec cautions that the O’s might keep Roberts for now and trade him in July, though.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune notes that people close to Roberts say he’d waive his no-trade clause to come to Chicago.  His salary would not pose a payroll problem for the Cubs, and Jim Hendry has approval to add a few more players before camp.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Some of you are sick of it, some of you are clamoring for any kind of tidbit.  Here’s the latest on the Brian Roberts to the Cubs possibility.

  • Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times says Roberts is "back atop the Cubs’ wish list."  He says the Cubs are hopeful about their chances, but believes it would take most of Spring Training to hammer out the details.  The Orioles’ reported insistence on Felix Pie might lessen now that they have Adam Jones.  Seems that if these talks fall apart, it could be because the Orioles decided to extend Roberts’ contract and keep him as the face of the franchise (a long shot).
  • Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs remain interested and GM Jim Hendry hopes to chat with Andy MacPhail before Wednesday.  Miles’ source indicates that the Cubs and Orioles haven’t really gotten into specifics on the Roberts trade talks.  Miles doesn’t expect Pie or Tyler Colvin to be involved.

Erik Bedard Trade Official

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1:30pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that the deal is officially done.  The Mariners send Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio to Baltimore for Erik Bedard.  I’ll have some analysis on the deal later this afternoon.  Rosenthal also notes that the Cubs "remain heavily interested" in Brian Roberts, so that deal could be next as the gutting of the Orioles continues.

10:45am: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Erik Bedard’s physical could carry over into today.  That means an announcement will come this afternoon at the earliest, or perhaps Saturday.  Baker also goes into some detail about 27 year-old Venezuelan baseball writer Augusto Cardenas, who helped start this debacle.

For a change of pace, think of the human element to this story.  It’ll make it more interesting.  Read SI.com’s recent profile on Bedard.  Anyone who breaks up the day with a few rounds of RBI Baseball is alright by me. 

I think video game designers are so focused on graphics these days that they neglect gameplay.  A game like RBI Baseball is more inclusive and fun than the current stuff.  People of all ages can figure it out in two minutes and have a good time.  Isn’t that the point?

Cubs/Brian Roberts Update

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Buster Olney has the latest on the Cubs’ talks to acquire second baseman Brian Roberts.  According to Olney:

Sources involved in Baltimore’s trade talks with Chicago expressed confidence that at some point, the Orioles and Cubs will finish the proposed Brian Roberts deal.

Olney says Sean Gallagher would be the centerpiece of the deal.  On February 3rd, ESPN’s Jayson Stark said Gallagher or Sean Marshall would be included, but beyond that nothing has been decided.

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