Yes, he is. It seems the Baltimore Orioles, after amassing a .447 winning percentage (or .553 losing percentage) over 10 straight losing seasons (the 3rd longest active streak in baseball) are finally coming to grips with the fact that big changes need to be made.In addition to getting whatever they can for Tejada, which will be significantly less than what they would have received a few years ago when they weren't winning either, I think they should look to deal Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard too. And here's why.
Roberts just turned 30. He's completely healed from that horiffic shoulder injury that ended his 2005 season and he posted a career best 50 steals in 2007. In other words, his best years are right now. There's a good chance he will never be more valuable and he is a free agent after 2009 not 2008, so he wouldn't be a "rent-a-player" in the eyes of suitors. There's no reason to think they wouldn't be able to get 2 or 3 significant prospects for him.
Next to Bedard. This is a tougher pill to swallow because he looked like the best pitcher in baseball from May through mid-August and he'll turn just 29 in spring training. But he's arbitration-eligible after 2008, eligible for free agency after 2009, will cost a boatload to resign, will be looking for a long-term deal, and then you'll have him in his early-to-mid 30's, rather than mid-to-late 20's. I'm inclined to think there aren't many teams out there that wouldn't give up their top prospect to get him. If you were the New York Yankees, would you part ways with Phil Hughes if you could get Erik Bedard? That's an instant upgrade if you're New York, and that's a team that's built to win yesterday, not now. Imagine who else they might be able to get. Justin Upton? Andy LaRoche? Homer Bailey? Yovani Gallardo? I don't think any of those offers would be laughed at.
Add up the prospects you'd be able to acquire for Tejada, Roberts, and Bedard, combine them with Nick Markakis, Matt Weiters, Chris Ray, Adam Loewen, Pedro Beato, Freddy Deza, Hayden Penn, and subtract the fat you'd trim by cutting ties with guys like Melvin Mora, Kevin Millar, Jay Gibbons, and others and you know what you have? A team that can actually compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in 2010. It might not be a popular decision right now. But fans would forget quickly once they start winning.
2 comments:
Here's my O's offseason plan which I unveiled yesterday.
1 - Trade Roberts and Ramon Hernandez's terrible contract to the Mets for Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfrey. Milledge is admittedly a headcase, but has all the physical tools you could want. I want Pelfrey and not Humber because Pelfrey is almost 2 years younger.
And the Mets have to pay the whole Ramon contract. If they want the O's to take some, they have to include something else - and they don't have anything else I want.
2 - Trade Bedard to the Dodgers for Andy Laroche, Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw (who dominated Low-A as a 19-year old this year).
3 - Trade Miggy to .... to .... I don't know the answer to this question. Maybe to the Angels for Adenhart ... if you can get him.
I already set the O's OF of the future (LF Kemp, CF Milledge, RF Markakis), and the O's are set at 3B with LaRoche. Weiters is going to be the opening day 2009 C regardless of whether they trade Ramon this year or not.
As for pitchers, Guthrie and Pelfrey are MLB ready now, and Penn, Kershaw and Adenhart would all be on a late 2008-early 2009 arrival timline.
That gives you 3 of Markakis' pre-FA years to win (2009-11). And they'll have more talent than they've ever had sinec I've been here.
I completely agree with both you and Matt. Here's the problem: we're all smarter than Orioles management. In trading Tejada I bet what they're really thinking is, we'll make room for a major push for ARod, bring Bartolo Colon and we'll be contending for a title in 2008. They're pretty dumb.
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