MacPhail: Deal is dead (p. 297), stop posting, go outside

[BRASKYS SCOTCH]

Ummm....Ummmm....

 

I'm tapped out. I got nothing left to say.

 

Come on, buddy. I don't think you need to worry about filtering or straying far from the topic in this thread. You like cheese? I bet Brian Roberts does, too. He can prepare cheese better than Soriano and can serve cheese from both sides of the dish. And I bet Dusty likes cheese but not the fresh cheese because such cheese may not know how Dusty wants it to taste. He even liked cheese when Hank Aaron liked cheese.

 

Focus ... or don't focus. Just write something. We march onward together. One clumsy band of rumormongers.

 

I gotta take a dump.

 

Ironically, I think Hendry calls that "a good deal for both sides".

[C.C.]

Ummm....Ummmm....

 

I'm tapped out. I got nothing left to say.

 

Come on, buddy. I don't think you need to worry about filtering or straying far from the topic in this thread. You like cheese? I bet Brian Roberts does, too. He can prepare cheese better than Soriano and can serve cheese from both sides of the dish. And I bet Dusty likes cheese but not the fresh cheese because such cheese may not know how Dusty wants it to taste. He even liked cheese when Hank Aaron liked cheese.

 

Focus ... or don't focus. Just write something. We march onward together. One clumsy band of rumormongers.

 

I gotta take a dump.

 

Ironically, I think Hendry calls that "a good deal for both sides".

:lol:

[brinoch]

Woo, another 10 days

 

 

Starting when? :-k

 

10 days before the trade occurs. Duh.

[SouthSideCubsFan83]

Jeff Zrebiec is saying he thinks the trade goes down sometime within the next ten days.

 

Link.

 

James, Catonsville: Any updates on the Orioles trying to acquire a middle infielder, given Luis Hernandez's struggles so far in spring training?

 

Jeff Zrebiec: Nothing yet James. If this long-awaited and debated Brian Roberts deal finally gets done, and I think we all expect it will in the next 10 days or so, the Orioles will essentially fill two needs and create one. Ronny Cedeno, who has been in the Chicago Cubs' proposed package for Roberts since day one, would become the Orioles' everyday shortstop, pushing either Luis Hernandez or Brandon Fahey -- the two current Orioles competing to be the Opening Day shortstop -- to the utility spot. I think both players are more suited for that role at this point of their careers. The Orioles would then need to find a starting second baseman. It's possible that they also get Eric Patterson back from the Cubs, though I haven't heard his name mentioned much recently. The Orioles have already made a potential list of available second basemen, and I think when the Roberts trade goes through, it will be quickly followed by a minor deal to find a veteran replacement for him. Houston's Mark Loretta and the Chicago White Sox's Juan Uribe are the two names that I hear most, but there are others out there.

 

Now that the Sox have dumped Uribe (pause while i laugh at KWill for signing him to a $4mill contract but not even making it to opening day), i wonder if this could jumpstart anything if the O's go ahead and acquire this bum.....it is a pricy one yr deal for his abilities but hopefully.....maybe......who am i kidding angelos is out of his mind

[JGalt73]

Jayson Stark[/url]"]MR. ROBERTS: Clubs that have spoken with the Cubs report that their frustration with the Orioles is mounting, after three months on the Brian Roberts trail. Despite all the names rumored to be in this deal and all the scouts who have hovered around all those names all spring, the Cubs have been indicating they still haven't been told by Baltimore what it would take to get this trade done.

 

Now add in the fact that it's less than two weeks to Opening Day, and that The Angelos Factor could gum up these talks for who knows how long, even if they make progress. And it's no wonder the Cubs are beginning to think this seemingly inevitable trade won't ever happen after all.

....

And the Cubs, who are looking for someone to caddy for Felix Pie in center, are still being held hostage by the Orioles. So until the Cubs know whether they're getting back Jay Payton in the Roberts deal, they've done nothing more than window-shop. According to one club that spoke with them, they have a list of 10-12 names that could fit -- a group that still includes Marlon Byrd, Coco Crisp, Jeremy Reed and a bunch of the other usual suspects. But for now at least, they haven't zeroed in on anybody on that list.

[Magnetic Curses]

i keep saying that we have a second baseman. if we make a deal for roberts, it's not fair to derosa and i wouldn't blame him for being pissed off.

 

 

I say screw fairness.

 

they put up the same numbers, virtually. roberts can steal bases, but why trade away assets to acquire something you already have? that's unfair to the organization.

[Coach C]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

[TruffleShuffle]

i keep saying that we have a second baseman. if we make a deal for roberts, it's not fair to derosa and i wouldn't blame him for being pissed off.

 

 

I say screw fairness.

 

they put up the same numbers, virtually. roberts can steal bases, but why trade away assets to acquire something you already have? that's unfair to the organization.

 

roberts walks more, has more doubles power and a little more home run power, steals a lot of bases and is good at it from a sb/cs perspective, and is a better defensive player. they're not virtually the same player; if roberts plays like he did in 2006 and derosa plays like he has the last two years, then they're about the same. if roberts plays like he did in 2005 and 2007, then he's better by a pretty good margin.

[Sammy Sofa]

i keep saying that we have a second baseman. if we make a deal for roberts, it's not fair to derosa and i wouldn't blame him for being pissed off.

 

 

I say screw fairness.

 

they put up the same numbers, virtually. roberts can steal bases, but why trade away assets to acquire something you already have? that's unfair to the organization.

 

roberts walks more, has more doubles power and a little more home run power, steals a lot of bases and is good at it from a sb/cs perspective, and is a better defensive player. they're not virtually the same player; if roberts plays like he did in 2006 and derosa plays like he has the last two years, then they're about the same. if roberts plays like he did in 2005 and 2007, then he's better by a pretty good margin.

 

Roberts is also younger.

[TruffleShuffle]

Roberts is also younger.

 

true dat.

 

anyway, i am all for trading roberts, but with this caveat. you improve the team most by trading for roberts, and then giving some PT at SS to either roberts or derosa. we've already got a below average glove at SS in theriot; derosa would certainly be below-average at short, but you'd be picking up 15 to 20 points in eqa, which would easily make up for whatever marginal loss in fielding you suffer by going from theriot to derosa. it'd be especially smart to play derosa at short when the more fly ball-heavy pitchers (lilly, hill) are on the mound.

[biittner77]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Trust me, they don't wonder, they know all too well.

[BigbadB]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

[jiml60]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

 

They won't be good while MacPhail is seemingly running the organization. What did he do for the Cubs? 4 winning seasons and 2 playoffs appearances in 14 years. And numerous passes on free agents that would have made a difference.

 

Commodore Sweatervest is living off a reputation for 2 World Series in Minnesota when the core of those teams was already in place when he got there.

[Soul]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

 

They won't be good while MacPhail is seemingly running the organization. What did he do for the Cubs? 4 winning seasons and 2 playoffs appearances in 14 years. And numerous passes on free agents that would have made a difference.

 

Commodore Sweatervest is living off a reputation for 2 World Series in Minnesota when the core of those teams was already in place when he got there.

 

Dude, he's not running anything. He's got to clear it with Angelos before grabbing a cup of coffee, for Christ's sake. He should never have been given the job after the mess he left the Cubs in, but what's unbelievable is that Angelos has the gall to actually call him a GM. He's a notetaker for the real decision-maker, and not much more.

 

Unfortunately for the O's, the only thing worse than hiring McFailure to GM your team is to find out that the only more incompetent person is his boss, and he's really in control.

[RedFlash]

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

At this point, I believe DeRosa/Patterson at 2B has more value to the Cubs then Brian Roberts, because then, the Cubs can keep certain assets (Gallagher, etc, etc) until the deadline to acquire an actual need (ahem SS).

 

At this point, Brian Roberts should no longer be consider a priority for the Cubs.

[St.Paul Cub]

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I've come to that same line of thought. If they really want a leadoff hitter and are worried about throwing Pie into the fire then just do Crisp for Marquis. Have Patterson lead off the games where Pie plays CF and DeRosa spells A-Ram, Lee or others; use Pie as a defensive replacement, pinch runner, and pinch hitter; keep Marshall as another lefty in the pen/long reliever; keep the other assets for injuries and potential deadline deals; and be done with it.

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

So Bruce Kison is two people? :D

Bruce Kison being one but I can't remember the name of the other scout.

[CarolinaCubFan]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

[BigbadB]

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I don't think many people are undervaluing what Roberts would bring to the offense. What it sounds like to me is MacPhail/Angelos are asking way too much for Roberts. Why keep playing the game? DeRosa has just as good of an OBP as Roberts. Turn it into a platoon situation at 2nd with Patterson, and the potential is there to get the same production between Patterson and DeRosa as you would/could get from Roberts without having to give up any of the players mentioned so far in the trade rumors. Patterson's career minor league numbers look just like Brian Roberts. How that translates to MLB remains to be seen, but continuing to up the ante for Roberts because Baltimore can afford to be as patient as they want to be is not what I would call good business practice.

 

Patterson/DeRosa make for a nice platoon at 2nd.

 

The thing to remember about the Roberts deal is that Baltimore is attempting to shed some salary. Some of these deals seem to include Payton and his god awful contract. The only way Baltimore is going to shed some of that salary is to sit down at the table and negotiate a fair deal for both teams. The Cubs can provide relief, but not at the expense of the entire farm.

 

Baltimore will suck whether they trade Roberts or keep him. It doesn't appear right now as though they really want to trade him, so now is the time to start getting Patterson and DeRosa ready to share time at 2b.

 

Unless or until a trade actually happens, Hendry should not waste another moment of time drooling all over Brian Roberts' baseball card. It's time to get down to the business of being ready to start the season with what you have.

 

I agree with you, Carolina, that this is the time to go for it. However, going for it doesn't necessarily mean throw caution to the wind and make stupid trades.

[CarolinaCubFan]

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I don't think many people are undervaluing what Roberts would bring to the offense. What it sounds like to me is MacPhail/Angelos are asking way too much for Roberts. Why keep playing the game? DeRosa has just as good of an OBP as Roberts. Turn it into a platoon situation at 2nd with Patterson, and the potential is there to get the same production between Patterson and DeRosa as you would/could get from Roberts without having to give up any of the players mentioned so far in the trade rumors. Patterson's career minor league numbers look just like Brian Roberts. How that translates to MLB remains to be seen, but continuing to up the ante for Roberts because Baltimore can afford to be as patient as they want to be is not what I would call good business practice.

 

Patterson/DeRosa make for a nice platoon at 2nd.

 

The thing to remember about the Roberts deal is that Baltimore is attempting to shed some salary. Some of these deals seem to include Payton and his god awful contract. The only way Baltimore is going to shed some of that salary is to sit down at the table and negotiate a fair deal for both teams. The Cubs can provide relief, but not at the expense of the entire farm.

 

Baltimore will suck whether they trade Roberts or keep him. It doesn't appear right now as though they really want to trade him, so now is the time to start getting Patterson and DeRosa ready to share time at 2b.

 

Unless or until a trade actually happens, Hendry should not waste another moment of time drooling all over Brian Roberts' baseball card. It's time to get down to the business of being ready to start the season with what you have.

 

I agree with you, Carolina, that this is the time to go for it. However, going for it doesn't necessarily mean throw caution to the wind and make stupid trades.

 

Our corner spots have all been bought on the FA market, or through trade. It's a lot of money, but thank goodness the Cubs have it. I like seeing a good mixture of proven vets and young players. Lucky for me, Soto is a legitimet ROY candidate. If he's for real, we'll be looking good at C for the next couple of years. In CF we are getting to see if our 5 tool #1 prospect can have his breakout. These two young guys have earned a chance to play.

 

That leaves SS and 2nd base. SS depresses me. Theriot isn't awful, but he leaves me wanting more out of my SS. I think trading Cedeno is going to be a huge mistake. Jim and Lou need to go out a find this kid a good woman. I think if he got out of the party scene, we'd have our answer at SS. I just don't think Ronny is mature enough to avoid the temptations of the Chicago nightlife.

 

I like Derosa at 2nd and EPatt has to be acknowledged as well. If Cedeno would have hit this spring, I'd like to see a DeRosa / Epatt platoon. Since Theriot seems to have SS locked up, I'd prefer to upgrade to Roberts at 2nd with DeRosa being the super sub. We loose Cedeno, which I don't like, but of the 3 young guys left starting, 2 are top prospects. It just feels safer to me.

[Backtobanks]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I doubt that Lou will bat Roberts and Fukudome 1, 2 because he wants to seperate the lefties in the lineup. I would think it would be Roberts and then Soriano, with Fukudome batting 5th.

[rawaction]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I doubt that Lou will bat Roberts and Fukudome 1, 2 because he wants to seperate the lefties in the lineup. I would think it would be Roberts and then Soriano, with Fukudome batting 5th.

 

Also, you'd have to worry about whoever hitting 5th getting any pitches to hit with Soto, a rookie, behind him. Sure, Fukudome is a rookie, but he is an "experienced" hitter and he hits lefty at the very least stopping a RHP from walking the 5th hitter.

[Soul]

Must.

Turn away.

From.

Roberts.

Thread.

[CarolinaCubFan]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I doubt that Lou will bat Roberts and Fukudome 1, 2 because he wants to seperate the lefties in the lineup. I would think it would be Roberts and then Soriano, with Fukudome batting 5th.

 

You're probably right. I could be wrong, but everyone 1-5 seemed to have pretty good splits. Soriano in the 2 hole will decrease the OBP in front of Lee and Aram. Fukudome will probably be more OBP than power, so he makes better sense in the 2 hole to me. Two table setters in Front of Lee, Aram, Soriano. If Lee doesn't drive anyone in, he'll clog bases with decent speed and a .400 OBP. The same for Aram with his .360 ish OBP. Soriano in the 5 hole can just mash, his low OBP and power would be a good fit here.

[Backtobanks]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned already but Dave Kaplan on Chicago Tribune Live last night, said that two of the top Orioles scouts (Bruce Kison) told him that they thought the deal between the Cubs and Baltimore would have been made a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that Peter Angelos didn't think the Orioles were getting enough in return, so he nixed the deal.

 

Gee, and Baltimore fans wonder why they suck every year in and out.

 

Until Angelos stop meddling around, Baltimore won't be a very good baseball team for awhile. Angelos is a George Steinbrenner wanna-be.

 

Even if all the rumored players are involved in the trade, Baltimore will still suck even if they make this trade. When the smoke clears and Roberts is traded to the Cubs, all Baltimore will have gotten for Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts is Adam Jones and a bunch of guys who may or may not piece together a decent major league career. There is plenty of reason for Angelos to balk on this deal.

 

I say screw it if they don't like the offers currently out there. Promote Eric Patterson and let him platoon at 2b with DeRosa. This frees up DeRosa to sub at other positions and slowly grooms Patterson at 2b, mostly facing RHP. The combination of Patterson and DeRosa is probably not all that far off from what Roberts can provide, but for less money over less years. When Baltimore is in last place on July 31 and they still have Brian Roberts, and Roberts is miserable and is speaking loudly that he wants to be traded, maybe the demands will soften and maybe Patterson will have increased his trade value.

 

I'm not ready to start thinking about backup plans just yet. I'm still sticking to an opening day deadline, but I don't have a problem with putting a little pressure on the O's to make a choice.

 

Roberts

Fukudome

 

Any back up plan you can come up with won't match the production you would get with Roberts and Fukudome batting 1,2. That's a whole lot of OBP and speed on the bases with DLee, Aram, and Soriano to follow. We've been begging for OBP at the top of the order for a long time now. We are one transaction away from having it.

 

I know people are getting impatient, but I also feel some folks are undervalueing what Roberts would bring to our offense.

 

I doubt that Lou will bat Roberts and Fukudome 1, 2 because he wants to seperate the lefties in the lineup. I would think it would be Roberts and then Soriano, with Fukudome batting 5th.

 

You're probably right. I could be wrong, but everyone 1-5 seemed to have pretty good splits. Soriano in the 2 hole will decrease the OBP in front of Lee and Aram. Fukudome will probably be more OBP than power, so he makes better sense in the 2 hole to me. Two table setters in Front of Lee, Aram, Soriano. If Lee doesn't drive anyone in, he'll clog bases with decent speed and a .400 OBP. The same for Aram with his .360 ish OBP. Soriano in the 5 hole can just mash, his low OBP and power would be a good fit here.

 

I don't disagree that Roberts and Fukudome would be great at the top, but the Cubs seem to really emphasize splitting up the lefties.