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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

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.

Roberts Deal Trailing Bedard Trade?

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman believes completion of an Erik Bedard trade to Seattle could be followed with a trade of Brian Roberts to the Cubs.  He says that would be "possibly for Felix Pie and Sean Gallagher." 

Two seasons of Roberts for twelve of Pie and Gallagher doesn’t seem wise for the Cubs.  To me, Pie and Gallagher seem likely to at least become solid Major Leaguers.

Brian Roberts Deal Dead?

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A trusted emailer wrote in to tell me about a report today from Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000.  According to Levine, Brian Roberts is no longer available.  The Orioles were apparently asking for Tyler Colvin or Felix Pie plus multiple pitchers, and the Cubs wouldn’t do it.

Levine says the Cubs may turn their attention to the Rangers’ Marlon Byrd or free agent Jon Lieber.

Brian Roberts Cubs Rumors

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UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 6:06pm: WGN Radio’s Dave Kaplan checked in on this situation on his blog.  He has "great sources" saying the price for Roberts is much higher than was previously reported.  The Orioles want Rich Hill, Felix Pie, or Tyler Colvin.  Hill is known to be off-limits.

UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 10:58am: Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes this deal "is almost certainly going to happen."  He expects it to be for the same players Orioles Hangout mentioned.  However, an Orioles official contacted Orioles Hangout to tell them their report was inaccurate.

UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 9:22am: Roch Kubatko (via a team spokesman) and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun talked to Andy MacPhail and report that nothing has changed since last night on the Roberts talks and no deal is done.

FROM 1-9-08 at 7:53am:

Orioles Hangout is reporting that the trade of Brian Roberts to the Cubs is final.  They’re saying it’s for Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Ronny Cedeno.  I’ll update the post as info comes along.

Cubs Aggressively Pursuing Brian Roberts

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UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:58pm: The Baltimore Sun guys have more.  The Cubs have a significant offer on the table, and it may include Gallagher and Matt Murton (but not Hill or Pie).  The Cubs will have to do better than just Gallagher and Murton, I imagine.  According to Jayson Stark, the Cubs would have to be blown away to trade Hill or Pie.

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:03pm: ESPN Radio 1000’s Bruce Levine checks in to add that Ronny Cedeno would likely be involved in a Roberts deal.

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 9:39pm: ESPN’s Amy Nelson says Hill is not part of the Roberts talks.  Marshall, Gallagher, Felix Pie, and Donald Veal may be in the mix though.

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 8:17pm: ESPN’s Steve Phillips says the Orioles "would get Rich Hill and Sean Marshall" for Roberts.  Not sure if that means the Cubs offered it.  Seems like a lot, but I am an unabashed Rich Hill fan.

FROM 12-5-07 at 5:31pm:

Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun are reporting that the Cubs are aggressively pursuing the Orioles’ Brian Roberts.

A three player deal is on the table, so I assume the Cubs would send two players over.  It’s known that they’d send a starting pitcher, but we don’t have names yet.  The authors note that the Orioles have been fond of Rich Hill and Sean Gallagher in the past.  Keep in mind that a trade of Roberts would require Peter Angelos’ approval.  Per Zrebiec, Angelos would have to be "totally overwhelmed" with an offer.

The authors also note that the Orioles have talked to Tadahito Iguchi’s agent in anticipation of a possible Roberts trade.  The Padres and Dodgers would join the Orioles as his top three choices.

Cubs Rumors: Fukudome, Ibanez, Dempster

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The Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer already has his Wednesday column up for review.

  • Wittenmyer still thinks Kosuke Fukudome is going to be much more expensive than anyone originally thought.  Could the bidding reach $40MM over three years?
  • If the Cubs can’t go Fukudome they will turn to Raul Ibanez.  They might offer Sean Marshall for him.  They’d only have to endure a year of Ibanez butchering right field.
  • Jim Hendry debunked a Jeff Blair report that the Cubs want to move Ryan Dempster.
  • The Cubs have no intention of trading Felix Pie or Sam Fuld, not that there had been any recent rumors.

Rangers Rumors: Bay, Gagne, Fukudome

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T.R. Sullivan has the Rangers goods for us this evening.  Wow, did MLB.com send 30+ reporters out to Nashville?

  • The Rangers are still pursuing Eric Gagne to return as their closer (and then maybe they’d flip him again).  The interest is mutual. 
  • The team is also considering LaTroy Hawkins, Shawn Chacon, Luis Vizcaino, Trever Miller, and Octavio Dotel.  Basically, most of the relief market.  Problem is, the Rangers don’t want to give more than one year to any of these guys.
  • The Rangers are moving toward filling center field internally after exploring options.  Carlos Gomez, Felix Pie, and Carlos Gonzalez proved unavailable or too pricey (though if all the Mets wanted for Gomez was Gerald Laird, Daniels should’ve pounced).
  • Daniels has shifted gears to a corner outfielder.  Kosuke Fukudome remains on the radar.
  • The Rangers had a preliminary conversation with the Bucs about Jason Bay. 
  • The team isn’t focused on getting pitching for once, but Daniels is still perusing medical reports on Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, and Jason Jennings.   
  • Daniels said he’s not shopping Hank Blalock.

Padres Rumors: Crisp, Pie, Andruw, Eckstein

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Tom Krasovic continues to set the standard for Padres inside information.  Today’s column is especially delicious for rumor junkies, with tons of new material to chew on.

  • Kevin Towers expects to fill his center field vacancy via trade.  He may first want to wait to see if Mike Cameron accepts the team’s upcoming offer of arbitration.  Cameron is a Type B free agent.  Remember that he will be limited to 137 games in ’07. 
  • As for trade candidates, Coco Crisp is on the radar but the Padres smartly won’t part with Chase Headley. 
  • Krasovic notes that Bud Black’s connection with Angels manager Mike Scioscia could play a role now that Trader Bill Stoneman isn’t the GM.  Reggie Willits or Nathan Haynes might be in play for the Padres.
  • The Padres really seem to like Felix Pie, and could re-open talks that would include Khalil Greene.  They’ve asked about Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Brewers in the past.  And it does sound like the Royals are willing to talk about David DeJesus.
  • Sounds like the Padres will offer Andruw Jones $14-16MM on a one-year contract.  Scott Boras hasn’t seemed open to this with Jones, but time will tell.
  • The Tigers will have competition from the Padres for Geoff Jenkins.  Krasovic envisions a Jenkins/Scott Hairston platoon in left and expects the Friars to make an offer.
  • Two starters will be acquired even after Greg Maddux is retained.  Rehabbing former Mark Prior and Matt Clement would both like to play in San Diego.  There has to be some sort of cosmic rule about having three ex-Cubs in the rotation.  That is not recommended.  Plus the Padres were on Curt Schilling’s list.  And don’t forget the team’s previous trade interest in Josh Towers, who seems likely to be non-tendered and could be solid in PETCO.
  • The Padres could pursue David Eckstein as a second baseman and leadoff man.  But that would seemingly block Matt Antonelli for longer than necessary.  Plus such a switch wouldn’t be in Eckstein’s best interests financially.
  • Towers likes Jason Kendall, perhaps as a backup, but faces opposition in the organization.
  • In another article, Towers lends credence to the theory that the Marlins could sign Alex Rodriguez. 

Random Rumors

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Some random rumors to help you get through your Thursday morning…

  • As you might imagine, the Rangers are keenly watching and hoping Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract.  That would free up $7MM for them in each of the next three years.  Rangers’ manager Ron Washington’s wish list includes a center fielder, corner outfielder, and first baseman.  The Rangers have been connected to Torii Hunter quite a bit, but they’ll have plenty of competition.
  • Will the exchange rate free up a bunch of money for the Blue Jays?  Perhaps even enough to make a pass at A-Rod?  Hey, fans can dream.  Mine!
  • Something I didn’t mention yesterday – Elijah Dukes is playing winter ball.  The Rays still don’t seem to have any room for him in the outfield or at DH.  Maybe the Marlins will get involved again?  Would Kevin Gregg work?    
  • Gordon Wittenmyer thinks the Cubs should keep Jacque Jones for 2008, which makes sense.  Wittenmyer also believes 22 year-old Felix Pie with 194 big league plate appearances, has proven conclusively that he can’t hit Major League pitching.  His suggestion is to trade Pie now.
  • Larry Borowsky wants the Cardinals to sign Milton Bradley.   
  • Jeff Sackmann recommends against Geoff Jenkins’ $9MM option for ’08, but the decision was tougher than you think.
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