Any More From MacPhail on Deadline Day?

Today is the non-waiver trade deadline day in baseball, so by 4:00 PM the deals must be done.

Already the Orioles have been players in the trading. George Sherrill was traded to the Dodgers yesterday for prospects Josh Bell and Steve Johnson, and Oscar Salazar was traded to the Padres for Cla Meredith. Andy MacPhail has said that the Orioles "will not be anyone's farm system," but is willing to trade players that are not part of the Orioles future to fill the farm system, which needs more future prospects.

But Sherrill and Salazar were not the only players talked about, so for MacPhail, will he trade any other player?

Possible players for trade:
Aubrey Huff
Huff has long been speculated for trade, and the Orioles left-handed first baseman has attracted attention by others teams. Huff, who will be 33 at the end of the year, has had a very bad July, putting him at .250 for the season. He has only 11 home runs to this point, where as he had 32 last season. It is hard to gauge what the Orioles will get for him, considering he is in the last year of his contract plus he's struggling, but his potential could earn a prospect or two. But my guess is he'll stay in Baltimore for the rest of the year.

Luke Scott
Scott is also a valuable target, a left-handed outfielder that is hitting .275 with 18 home runs. He was having a lot of success in the first half and has cooled off since then, plus the fact he has been a DH for most of the season with the left field situation may lower his value. Rumor is the Tigers have interest in him, but again, like Huff, I expect Scott to be here on August 1st.

Danys Baez
Baez has had an interesting season in terms of his trade value. Earlier in the year he was considered very valuable, then a big slump destroyed, then he rebounded and again drew interest, but then had some issues to pull it down again. The righty reliever is 4-4 with a 4.41 ERA. The 31-year-old's contract is up after the year, and a trade would likely get nothing more than one prospect, but it would be worth it. But some of the struggles may keep teams away.

Mark Hendrickson
After he was terrible as a starter, Hendrickson's performance in the bullpen with a sub-3 ERA in non-starts has drawn interest from the Rockies, according to the Denver Post. Hendrickson is a useful player to trade, a low-paid lefty reliever than can go for a long amount of innings that is not part of the Orioles future. Even if means just one prospect, the Orioles may pull the trigger on the 35-year-old, and my guess is the deal will be done.

So Andy MacPhail has a lot of work to do before the clock strikes four, but he has some people that could bring in prospects, and the trigger could be pulled on a few of them.

Prediction on the trade deadline:
--To be traded: Hendrickson to the Rockies
--Remaining as Orioles: Huff, Scott, Baez

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Orioles Mid-Season Review

Well, we're at that time. The second half of the season is about to begin now that the All-Star game has come and gone (by the way, many congrats to Adam Jones for his go-ahead sac fly in the 8th inning), so before we move onward let's take a look back.

The first half of the season for the Orioles was marked by a confusing blend of stellar comebacks and inexplicable collapses, of youthful surprises and disappointments. Without a doubt the high point of the season thus far has to be the miraculous comeback against the Boston Red Sox, and the low point-- well, there are a few too many options for that one. Regardless, let's take a look at some of my team awards for the first half (and we'll throw in Expatriate and Falco's opinions for the heck of it).

MVP: Brad Bergesen (unanimous) - Without Brad Bergesen, this pitching rotation would have absolutely no stability. Bergesen didn't even start the season in the rotation, and despite the fact that his raw 'stuff' isn't dominant, he has the poise and guile of a veteran when he's on the mound. Unlike other rookies, Brad Bergesen knows how to make adjustments and because of that he's been able to rebound strongly from an early shaky stretch to become more and more dominant as the season's progressed. I thought last year that folks were underestimating Brad Bergesen when I wrote up my Prospect Report on him, but even I didn't see this coming.

LVP: Adam Eaton (Expatriate: Jeremy Guthrie, Falco: Rich Hill) - I don't see how this could be anyone but Adam Eaton. Adam Eaton only had one start that could be qualified as anything better than mediocre. Adam Eaton consistently put the Orioles in early deficits, destroyed the bullpen, and helped cement the Orioles position in last place very early on. Adam Eaton contributed nothing positive to this team, and so he was unequivocally the least valuable.

Rookie of the Year: Brad Bergesen (unanimous) - See above analysis on Brad Bergesen, nothing more needs to be said. Though I do give a quick shout to Nolan Reimold, who in almost any other year would be the deserving ROY for this team.

Gold Glover: Nick Markakis (Expatriate: Adam Jones, Falco: Nick Markakis) - While Nick Markakis doesn't always have the highlight reel catches, there is no greater model of consistency in right field that I can think of. Markakis very rarely takes bad routes to the ball as he reads them exceptionally well off the bat. Add onto that his ability to gun down runners (always at or near the top of MLB in assists), and he's the deserving gold glover. Not that he'll ever win one, because after all he's an Oriole. A quick mention though, that Robert Andino's play at short really has been fun to watch. I've been exceptionally impressed with his defense, though the award still easily goes to Markakis over Andino.

Most Surprising Player: Nolan Reimold (Expatriate: Oscar Salazar, Falco: Nolan Reimold) - Last year I did a Prospect Report on Nolan Reimold and I had the opportunity to watch him several times in person. His advancement from last year to this year has been one of the most astonishing transformations I've seen. His plate discipline has been exemplary, and while he's been slumping as of late, his ability to make adjustments is much improved. Nolan Reimold has come out and taken hold of the left field job, something that was doubtful at the start of the year. He's an emerging contender for ROY.

Most Disappointing Player: Jeremy Guthrie (unanimous) - Jeremy Guthrie was supposed to be, and needs to be, the ace on this team. He filled that role exceptionally well last year and his consistency indicated that he would do the same. Well, Guthrie is still scuffling along and it's still up in the air as to whether he'll get it back. He's been burned on some good pitches and he still has good stuff; we'll see how it plays out in the second half, but no doubt this is the one rotation struggle that O's fans didn't see coming.

Big Second Half: Nick Markakis (Falco and Expatriate: Aubrey Huff) - I'm bucking the trend of my colleagues here, but I have a strong feeling that Markakis will take off in the late summer, just as he has the past two years. Huff is a good bet, as he is a strong second half player. But just call it a hunch.

Drop Off in the Second Half: Luke Scott (Expatriate: Brad Bergesen, Falco: Luke Scott) - I love Luke Scott, but he is traditionally very streaky and I doubt that he can keep up this unreal pace. I understand the doubts about Brad Bergesen, but his ability to make adjustments and his positive momentum tells me he won't fall off all that much.

Grade for Dave Trembley: B (Expatriate: B-, Falco: B+) -He's kept this team together and he's managed the lineup as well as can be expected. His handling of young pitchers has also been superb, as shown by their successes this year. The only drawback is the continuing baserunning blunders which really comes back to the manager's responsibility.

O's Sweep World Champs, Have Won Five Straight

Jeremy Guthrie is struggling. Brian Roberts isn't showing enough energy. The starting pitchers are not lasting. They are playing with a backup shortstop. This team has no power. Get a lead against them into the ninth, and Baltimore has no chance.

Despite all of these criticisms the Orioles seem to be getting by outside sources, the Birds are responding with victories, winning five straight including sweeping the World Champion Phillies as two come-from-behind wins in the ninth inning after having zero such games before Thursday.

Of these five wins, only one was by more than two runs. The bullpen was stellar for the most part, with pitchers from Mark Hendrickson to George Sherrill doing very well. The bats are coming alive with more home runs and key hits from leaders Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff. Interleague play has been good to the Orioles, who have a 9-3 record against National League teams this year, the best in the AL East. Some strange things have been happening. Robert Andino has been playing very well in place of the injured Cesar Izturis both offensively and defensively. Gregg Zaun hit a home run in the comeback win against the Angels. Guthrie finally had a big start. And finally, people other than Luke Scott and Nolan Reimold hit home runs.

Even though the Orioles are still in last place in the division, this five-game win streak is important in other ways. Not just for the morale of the team, but also for possible trade deadline deals. Names that have been thrown around include Aubrey Huff, Danys Baez, Melvin Mora, among others. Andy MacPhail has stated that there will not be any salary dumping, so if any trades go down, it will be because they get prospects in a good deal. But the cornerstones of the franchise and the potential young guns will still be here.

For now, the Orioles should enjoy the winning. The Orioles have two series left in interleague play, at Florida and the second round of the Battle of the Beltway with the Nationals.

(Photo credit: AP)

West Coast Brings Birds Batting Down to Earth

It had been nice for the Orioles, defeating the Nationals two out of three, sweeping AL East rival Toronto, then taking two of four from AL Central leading Detroit. But on the west coast against Seattle and Oakland, the Orioles bats fell silent, losing five of six games and scoring a combined 10 runs in those games. Only once did the Orioles score more than two runs in those games.

Things came front and center when Aubrey Huff got in a tirade in the dugout after another close hit. The last five games certainly have been frustrating, but the problems with the Oriole bats were clear on the west coast.

A number of combined factors came into this. Brian Roberts has gone two for his last 30 at-bats. No one other than Luke Scott or Nolan Reimold has homered in the last 10 games. A number of Aubrey Huff's hits have been close to home runs, but not close enough. Cesar Izturis was put onto the DL, so a .260 bat is out of the lineup. Early struggles with Matt Wieters and current ones with the Orioles bench also do not help.

With the struggles of the rotation, the Orioles need the bats to succeed. Jeremy Guthrie has not looked good at all lately and the young arms of the rotation can only do so much. Although the bullpen has been good, the fact is this team will normally need to win by establishing strong leads and holding on to them in the late innings. Very rarely with this squad can the starting pitching win games on their own. So when the bats are silent, like this west coast trip, the Orioles will not win.

With Oscar Salazar coming up for Izturis, more Norfolk players are coming up. Although they have been doing well, in the long term for the season they will probably struggle. There really is not much the front office can do about this. The Orioles are not in competition mode and should not sign anyone, and the Orioles would not benefit much by bringing up more Tides players. So this will come down to the veteran bats doing well. Roberts and Huff will need to get out of their slumps plus some of the other players will need to step up in the wake of injuries.

The season continues to be a struggle, but the team has plenty of bright spots, and there is time to get back to winning ways. At the very least, they will not be going back to the west coast until the start of July.

(Photo credit: AP)

Reimold Rocks Blue Jays World

Normally leading eight to three against the Orioles is a sure thing win. After all, the Birds had never won a game this season when trailing into the eighth inning........until today.

The O's rallied back to tie the game at eight, and despite a home run by Aaron Hill in the 11th to give the Jays a 10-8 lead, Nolan Reimold capped off a second rally with a three run blast to win it for the O's 12-10, giving them their first three-game sweep of the season, coming against Cito Gaston's Blue Jays. Dave Trembley said this is a win he will remember for a long time.

Before this season started, Reimold was not expected to be a big part of the Orioles this season. The left field options were between returning Luke Scott, new acquisition Felix Pie, and Lou Montanez, who was the big contact hitter in Norfolk. But with injuries and/or lack of production from the above three, up comes Reimold after tearing up the Tides. He has not been a dominant player, but in just 13 games played he has hitting .265 with four home runs, including one dinger off Mariano Rivera.

It just goes to show that no matter what the situation, there is a place for those people that play well. Reimold in no way was expected to be an important part of the Orioles this season, but has likely earned a roster spot for a good while.

Another Baby Bird, David Hernandez, will take to the mound on Thursday. He'll be the second player from Norfolk to have their premiere this week, and third will be Matt Wieters on Friday. Should be a fun couple of days for Orioles fans.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Luke Scott Bound for DL: What's the next move?

It hasn't been announced officially yet, but there is little doubt that Luke Scott will be headed to the 15-day disabled list very shortly after badly injuring his shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Yankees. The injury occured in a dive back to first base in which, as heard after the game, most likely hurt his rotator cuff. If that is the case, Scott will most likely be out for a long period of time, which begs the question as to what the Orioles next move is. The way I see it there are three possibilities, and I'm ranking them in order of likelihood (least likely to most likely).

3. Nolan Reimold gets called up to replace Scott -- At first glance this seems like the most logical move. After all, both play left field, Reimold has been on a tear and is still a legitimate prospect, and he's shown he has little left to gain from staying in AAA. However, I seriously doubt that this will (or should) take place for a few reasons. The most important reason is that it has been stated very plainly that Trembley does not want to bring Reimold up to be a bench player, but rather he wants Reimold to play almost every day whenever he comes to the big league club. With Felix Pie and Lou Montanez playing left field, the insertion of Reimold would re-introduce a Freel-like conundrum in which there is a logjam where noone can be happy. When Reimold is brought up will be a direct result of how Pie plays over the next few weeks. Pie showed signs of life during Sunday's game when he started for an injured Montanez, going 2-3 with a walk. Right now the team needs to evaluate Pie in left field-- Reimold's opening won't be in replacing Scott, it's in the possible replacement of Pie down the line.

2. Rich Hill takes Scott's roster spot -- Again, doubtful, but not out of the question. This move would entail the Orioles moving to 13 pitchers which, given the consistently short outings of the starters, is not unreasonable. Still, the lack of a bench earlier in the season severely limited Trembley's options late in games, and makes it much harder to get good matchups at the plate. The most sense for Rich Hill's callup is to replace Bob McCrory; McCrory still needs more work at Norfolk, and his demotion can move Hendrickson to the bullpen and allow Hill to take a rotation spot.

1. Oscar Salazar gets called up -- This is by far the most sensible option. Oscar Salazar has been just as hot (if not moreso) at the plate than Nolan Reimold, and unlike Reimold there is no issue with him being a bench player in the majors. Salazar is not considered a prospect due to his age, but does provide a significant bat off the bench (.378 avg, 6 hr in Norfolk) for a pinch hitting role. He is also capable of playing multiple infield positions to give players a day off or provide late-game flexibility. I know I'm making Oscar Salazar sound like Chuck Norris (and he isn't), but he certainly would be an ideal candidate for this situation.

We'll see later today if I'm right; Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun and Roch Kubatko of MASN have previously expressed the same opinion, but I'm more than inclined to agree with them. The real excitement though will be seeing how the Pie experiment is handled over the next couple weeks and how Rich Hill looks against the Royals on Saturday. Losing record? Who cares, it's still great theater.

After Sluggish Start, O's Offseason Surprisingly Successful

Congratulations Orioles fans, after a frustrating start to the offseason, things have certainly picked up. The long quiet after the Hernandez trade left many O’s fans feeling frustrated, as though Andy MacPhail was done and standing pat on a farm system that looked to have way too many young players pulled up before they were ready (particularly with Jeremy Guthrie being the only starting pitcher we were assured of having a starting role). Once again however, with the acquisitions since, Baltimoreans have been left surprised and should be very happy with what they see.

Despite having nothing of value to trade, the O’s managed to bring in former Cubs star prospect Rich Hill, who until recently was projected to become one of the better young pitchers in baseball. He will rejoin former coaches Rick Kranitz and Alan Dunn in attempting to regain his command, which had dropped to Daniel Cabrera-esque levels over last season and into the winter league. However, we at ATH won’t waste your time on stuff you can read on the Sun. We are here for analysis. This is a win-win situation. The Orioles, with the acquisitions of Hill, Dave Pauley, and Koji Uehara and the return of a healthy Matt Albers, Hayden Penn, and even Troy Patton (possibly), now have a glut of pitchers to take up those last starting spots. In fact, so many of them are in their last chance to make the major league roster before having to pass through waivers that this should be one incredible competition in Spring Training. The competition is wide open, and these arms will be fighting for all three spots. Who could have seen this coming back in December? These small moves might not seem like much at the moment, but taken together it looks as though MacPhail has made a series of low-risk, high reward chances on pitchers that might form out into a halfway decent rotation of young arms.

The situation amongst position players should be even more reassuring. No, they don’t have many star hitters, but what they lack in production they make up for in depth. The acquisition of Ty Wiggington and Felix Pie, along with Cesar Izturis and Ryan Freel earlier in the offseason, leaves the Orioles with a stacked bench of veteran talent and young potential. I don’t know where Wiggington will play, or if he will come off the bench and play a utility role, but I can see that Andy is taking the same approach with his position players as he is with his pitchers. He is trying to put as many decent players as he can in spring training to compete and see how it all shakes out. If Aubrey Huff struggles defensively at 1st, or if Melvin Mora’s age starts to show at 3rd, Wiggington will be able to take over there. In fact, even if Brian Roberts is traded (increasingly unlikely but possible), Wiggington could act as a short-term replacement there as well- and not as though the Orioles needed more outfielders, but he could go there too.

But this move could cause some anxiety in the club house, with Luke Scott wanting to start in left despite the acquisition of the talented former top prospect Felix Pie, and Aubrey Huff determined to start at 1st and respond to questions of his defensive capabilities. The Warehouse has put perhaps too many bodies in this competition, and it is possible that in this traditionally positive clubhouse, we could have some disgruntled players come April 1st. Luckily for Andy MacPhail, this will be Dave Trembley’s job to sort out. Hopefully Trembley will have the tools to forge a somewhat respectable club out of the pieces he’s been given.

Orioles Offseason Roundup, January Edition

While the whole city was having Ravens fever, as we all should have, Andy MacPhail and the Orioles have been making some moves during the offseason to prepare for 2009. Here's a look at some of the moves that have gone on in the post-Teixeira world:

Nick Markakis signed to a 6-year, $66.1 million deal

The Orioles re-sign one of their rising stars to a six-year deal. Markakis had a .306 average plus 20 home runs last season, and at only 25, his career is getting better. Earlier in the year, it was a concern with the Orioles and Markakis as negotiations were not going well and although no one expected MacPhail to let him go, it wasn't making anyone feel better that this was getting drawn out. But now he has his contract and will be a fixture in right field for years.

The signing could incur Brian Roberts to want to stay now since the Orioles seem to be trying to go in the right direction. Adam Jones mentioned that Roberts should be next. I'm still not sure if it would be better to trade Roberts or re-sign him since he is 31-years-old, but the market for Roberts does not seem like is that good right now, so until there is, keep him around and happy.

Cubs trade Felix Pie to Orioles for Garrett Olsen, Henry Williamson

The Orioles had been going after Felix Pie for a while, and they finally got him, just not for Brian Roberts. Pie, a former #1 overall prospect, gets traded for Olsen and Williamson after not panning out the way the Cubs wanted. The Cubs tried him out as a center fielder but did not have a good 2008 season, only batting .241 in 43 games played, so the Orioles will put him as the starting left fielder for the season. If Pie pans out, this would set the outfield possibly for the next decade: from left to right Felix Pie, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, all are under the age of 25 and are considered future stars. Nothing is assured, but for the future of the Orioles, this is an exciting premise of a sturdy outfield.

As for who the Orioles lost, Garrett Olsen showed some decent talent, but the fact is he would not have been a part of the future. He does not have the longevity you want in a starter and there is even talk the Cubs would use him as a reliever. And no one quite knows who Williamson is. So the Orioles are trading away two players that probably would not have meant much to the future for a possible big time player, a risk well worth taking. But, John Maine wasn't expected to be much either in the Benson trade.........

Orioles sign Koji Uehara, first ever Japanese-born player to play for franchise

The Orioles have dipped into the international market to grab Koji Uehara, a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher that will play his first game in Major League Baseball. Though he has seen better years, he was formerly one of the best pitchers in Japan, being a dominant starter in the early part of his career.

This will give the Orioles a new and possibly good starter, but I'm not sure this will have the effect a lot of people do. Some have been saying this will open the Japanese market and get the Orioles some great foreign players. Although Uehara had been approached by other teams, he will be 34 going into the '09 season and it appears that he will not get much better. The Japanese market is dominated by a few teams, mainly the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, and Mariners, and it is unlikely that the Orioles getting Uehara will give them much influence. But it still is a good idea, he could be a good pitcher here and the Orioles need starters badly.

Other news:
--Luke Scott is signed to a one-year deal. Since Pie is here, likely he will either be a designated hitter or a primary reserve outfielder.
--Red Sox trade David Pauley to Orioles for Rancor Beird. Pauley, 25, was a solid starter in triple-A but had a terrible run with Boston. Beird did well as a reliever in the beginning for the Orioles then had a bad stretch.
--Other signings include veteran catcher Gregg Zaun, pitcher Mark Hendrickson, and infielder Chris Gomez.

(Photo credit: SI (Markakis), MLB (Pie), Japan Times (Uehara))

Looking Back: 2008 Orioles Trades

The Orioles went absent from this year's trade deadline, which isn't entirely surprising. Earlier, George Sherrill seemed to peak some team's interest, but MacPhail's wanting a future shortstop halted most talks. Perhaps the struggle to sign 2008 5th round pick Gregory Miclat had something to do with that (he is finalizing a deal soon, Windsor I expect a Prospect Report on him before the year ends!). But, let's take a stroll down memory lane and take a look at the Orioles trades this year and see how they worked out.
(Note: all pictures show players from their former teams)

December 11th, 2007: Orioles trade shortstop Miguel Tejada (left) to the Houston Astros for outfielder Luke Scott (middle), pitcher Dennis Sarfate (right), pitcher Matt Albers, pitcher Troy Patton, and third baseman Mike Costanzo.

The reasons: All right, I'm cheating by a month, but it mainly affected 2008. Tejada supposedly wanted out of Baltimore and his value had gone way down since two years before. Two days before he'd be named in the Mitchell Report, Tejada was traded to the Houston Astros for five players. The Orioles big land was Troy Patton, a possible future star pitcher.

Results: Often trades don't work out for both teams, but this trade seemed to. Though Patton got hurt before serious work, the Birds found usefulness in three other players. Scott has been a fan favorite as the primary left fielder, Sarfate has been a solid reliever in the new bullpen, and Albers was a solid long reliever before his season-ending injury. Despite controversies with his age and steroids, Tejada became an All-Star shortstop for the Astros. Everybody wins on this deal.


January 2, 2008: Orioles give cash to Philadelphia Phillies for centerfielder Chris Roberson.

The reasons: Don't worry if you never heard about this, Roberson was on the Phillies Triple-A club. The Orioles were trying to rebuild their farm system before the season's start, and Roberson's decent play when up in the majors briefly must have enticed MacPhail. The Phillies got cash for Roberson.

Results: Baltimore getting Adam Jones the next month would nullify the need for a future centerfielder. Though he has had decent success with the Norfolk Tides, 28-year-old Roberson isn't expected to be a big part of the Orioles future.















February 8th, 2008: Orioles trade ace Erik Bedard (left) to Seattle Mariners for outfielder Adam Jones (center), and pitchers George Sherrill (right), Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio.

The reasons: The Orioles, still trying to rebuild the farm system with solid future prospects, were trying to deal Erik Bedard, a low paid lefty ace that wasn't happy in Baltimore. They found a suitor in the Mariners, who were looking for a top ace for a possible race in the AL West. Seattle traded their best prospect, Adam Jones, along with four other pitchers to the Orioles. Both sides seemed happy, Seattle got their ace and the Orioles got solid future players.

Results: Jones immediately began as the Orioles centerfielder, steadily improving during the year and is a big part of their future. Sherrill took the role as closer, making to the All-Star Game and as of today saving 30 games, not to mention a fan favorite with the duckbill cap. Mickolio and Tillman have shown decent progress in the minors. As for Bedard? The Orioles seemed to have a crystal ball on this one. Though Bedard is 6-4 in 15 starts, he's constantly been on the injured list and seems to be just as unfriendly in Seattle as he was in Baltimore. Big, big, big win for the Orioles. The Mariners might still get the ace in Bedard, but it looked like they blew it on this one.

July 19th, 2008: Orioles trade infielder Mike McCoy to Colorado Rockies for infielder Juan Castro.

The reasons: With the injury of Alex Cintron and the struggles of Freddie Bynum and Luis Hernandez, the Orioles were looking for a new shortstop. Knowing they weren't going to get a star in trades, MacPhail elected for the temporary fix, trading Mike McCoy for the veteran Juan Castro.

Results: Though not showing much with the bat, 36-year-old Castro is helping out with the glove, giving strong defensive help at short, which would send Bynum out of the majors. McCoy is doing well in the Rockies farm system in his short time with the Triple-A Sky Sox (I just wanted to say Sky Sox on this blog). Neither is expected to be a huge deal, but time will tell for 27-year-old McCoy.

Overall, McPhail has done a very good job so far on trades with the Orioles. These trades have landed key pieces to the Orioles system without giving up too much. But, as we always have mentioned around here, more work needs to be done before the Orioles can be back to glory days.

(Photo credits: Minorleaguebaseball.com (Jones), MLB (Bedard, Sherill, Scott, Sarfate, Castro), ESPN (Tejada), Sportsline.ca (Roberson)