By Tim Dierkes | at
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.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Judging by my inbox, many of you are thirsty for Brian Roberts info. Here’s the latest from a rumor-packed Jeff Zrebiec article:
The Chicago Cubs remain the likely landing spot for Roberts for a package that is expected to include pitcher Sean Gallagher and one of the Cubs’ young outfielders. The teams have discussed several scenarios but have yet to agree on a package.
Roberts is set to earn $6.3MM in ’08 and $8MM in ’09. The 30 year-old switch-hitter is projected to hit .287/.363/.437 in 579 ABs by the fine ZiPS system. The same system calls for a 4.91 ERA in 143 innings from the 22 year-old Gallagher. Gallagher dropped 25 pounds this winter, for what it’s worth.
By Tim Dierkes | at
UPDATE, 1-21-08 at 6:39pm: According to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, "informed insiders say no renewed talks are underway" for a Cubs/Orioles blockbuster. Miles does believe Hendry is shopping Murton and interested in Byrd.
UPDATE, 1-21-08 at 4:37pm: John Hickey of the Seattle PI notes that the Mariners seem to "very much want Bedard" still. He sees the Mets as their main competition.
FROM 1-21-08 at 3:09pm:
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune insists that Orioles owner Peter Angelos did shoot down some kind of Erik Bedard/Brian Roberts to the Cubs blockbuster last week. Furthermore, Rogers’ source says the talks are now back on.
Rogers speculates that "frustration and gamesmanship" might be why Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry recently denied the blockbuster rumor. Hendry was quoted as saying "that certainly hasn’t been a path we’ve been on."
Rogers also has sources saying the Cubs may have to give up Matt Murton and one or two other players to get Marlon Byrd from Texas (perhaps Sean Gallagher). He speculates that a three-team deal with the Rangers and Orioles to net the Cubs Bedard, Roberts, and Byrd is a possibility. Felix Pie would have to be in that mix, and note that Roch Kubatko said yesterday that the Cubs "would be willing to part with Rich Hill" to get Bedard and Roberts.
Through all of this Rogers says it’s a "very highly placed source" and that he trusts the source. It’s hard for me to really evaluate this stuff until we get more clarity. But feel free to discuss.
By Tim Dierkes | at
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.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago-Sun Times checks in with the latest Cubs buzz.
By Tim Dierkes | at
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.
By Tim Dierkes | at
We have a bunch of rumor-related tidbits today, and for now I’ll put them into one post.
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