July 20, 200917 yr The Orioles' acquisition of Padres right-hander Cla Meredith on Sunday is not necessarily a precursor to a trade of left-handed closer George Sherrill. The team already is deep in right-handed relievers, and Meredith, whose ERA since June 2 is 6.06, does not exactly qualify as late-inning "insurance." While a trade of Sherrill looks inevitable — "They will move him; they know he's the best available closer out there," one rival executive says — it is not yet imminent. One general manager interested in Sherrill says the Orioles are "playing the 'don't-have-to-move-him-so-make-us' card" — a characterization the O's do not dispute. "If it's something meaningful coming back, something we don't have, a building block for the future, we would have to consider it," says Andy MacPhail, the team's president of baseball operations. The Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers and Angels are among the clubs pursuing Sherrill, major-league sources say. The Cubs, MacPhail's former team and one of his frequent trading partners, also have interest. The market, however, continues to evolve in the final days before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The Marlins, according to one source, have gone from "buying to holding" after losing three games to the Phillies and falling below .500 this weekend. The Brewers, who traded for Diamondbacks infielder Felipe Lopez on Sunday, also are trying to add a starting pitcher. The Orioles specifically want to find a long-term replacement for third baseman Melvin Mora, who is a free agent after this season. They also would like to add to their developing core of young pitching. Sherrill is their most attractive piece. Right-hander Danys Baez, a potential free agent, has posted a 6.20 ERA since May 26 and pitched in back-to-back games only once after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of last season. The Orioles, meanwhile, are not terribly enthused about trading a veteran left-handed hitter, either first baseman Aubrey Huff or outfielder Luke Scott, sources say. The O's effectively hold a one-year option on Huff, who is earning $8 million this season. They can try to retain him by offering him salary arbitration or receive two high draft picks if he departs as a Type A free agent. Scott, on the other hand, is under club control through 2012. He is hitting left-handed pitching even better than right-handed pitching this season and showing increased versatility by playing first base as well as left field. Still, Sunday's trade does not figure to be the Orioles' last. To get Meredith, the O's only had to part with utility man Oscar Salazar, who became expendable after shortstop Cesar Izturis returned from his bout with appendicitis. Salazar, 31, is out of minor-league options, and the Orioles felt that he would not clear waivers if they tried to send him to the minors. The Padres, needing infield help because of injuries to David Eckstein and Edgar Gonzalez, showed the most interest. Looks like we need to have a good week for the front office to really commit to us.
July 20, 200917 yr During this roadtrip, If we cannot close a gap (within 5- game-behind), then we gonna be seller. It's inevitable.
July 20, 200917 yr Author I think we need to take care of business against a bad padre team. We need vandy to go at least 6 with 3 r's or less. Shouldnt be hard with that lineup but we need to sweep the pads and get everything straight going int the dodgers series. we need at least 4-2, but 5-1 would be ideal.
July 20, 200917 yr During this roadtrip, If we cannot close a gap (within 5- game-behind), then we gonna be seller. It's inevitable. I highly doubt this team will be a seller. A seller would mean trading people like Ross, and Cantu - not Hermida and Uggla which have real replacements. We definitely aren't going to be downgrading our team. We have the second easiest schedule in the NL (first are the Brewers and third are the Dodgers) so we'll be fine playing 18/68 games with teams with .500+ records for the remainder of the season We're also 5 games behind the Wild Card so the team has the ability to get to the playoffs this season - but we're going to need some sort of a good move.
July 20, 200917 yr Author During this roadtrip, If we cannot close a gap (within 5- game-behind), then we gonna be seller. It's inevitable. I highly doubt this team will be a seller. A seller would mean trading people like Ross, and Cantu - not Hermida and Uggla which have real replacements. We definitely aren't going to be downgrading our team. We have the second easiest schedule in the NL (first are the Brewers and third are the Dodgers) so we'll be fine playing 18/68 games with teams with .500+ records for the remainder of the season We're also 5 games behind the Wild Card so the team has the ability to get to the playoffs this season - but we're going to need some sort of a good move. No it wouldn't necessarily.
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling.
July 20, 200917 yr During this roadtrip, If we cannot close a gap (within 5- game-behind), then we gonna be seller. It's inevitable. I highly doubt this team will be a seller. A seller would mean trading people like Ross, and Cantu - not Hermida and Uggla which have real replacements. We definitely aren't going to be downgrading our team. We have the second easiest schedule in the NL (first are the Brewers and third are the Dodgers) so we'll be fine playing 18/68 games with teams with .500+ records for the remainder of the season We're also 5 games behind the Wild Card so the team has the ability to get to the playoffs this season - but we're going to need some sort of a good move. No it wouldn't necessarily. The depth of our minor league system allows us to make trades without actually sticking a useless player in that position. If worse comes to worst then Gaby Sanchez and Cameron Maybin will be brought in to replace anyone traded (people will be shifted around the infield/outfield, but it's been said enough that everyone knows where everyone would go.) That's hardly a season-ending sell. Cantu and Ross are the only two who's trading would be a horrible blow to our offense (I say Ross because if you move Ross, and not Hermida, you still have Hermida...) Cantu's far too useful to be traded with aspirations to contend.
July 20, 200917 yr Author Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. why cantu? he hasnt done much since the end of april
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. why cantu? he hasnt done much since the end of april Cantu has hit .316/.346/.441 since June 1st. May was his only bad month.
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. why cantu? he hasnt done much since the end of april He's batting .289. He hit in 9 of the last 10 games. He's probably the best defensive 1B that we're going to have for a bit.
July 20, 200917 yr Author Thats why id keep him. He just hasnt hit for much power since the end of april.
July 20, 200917 yr Thats why id keep him. He just hasnt hit for much power since the end of april. isn't he dealing with a wrist injury?
July 20, 200917 yr I am not surprised that we may be "holders" now. Probably over the last series, the FO saw we have more than one hole to plug. Now they have to reasses what to do...I hope.
July 20, 200917 yr Rosenthal touts for the Orioles the way Gammons used to for the Red Sox before a brain aneurysm nearly put him in the ground. He plays it so much more down the middle now but I digress... I love "one source". Unsaid is there may be other sources saying something completely different or the one source is the last guy who called him and has his ear. On the otherhand the Marlins need to regroup and quickly or they become longshots for even a wild card run. "The Orioles, meanwhile, are not terribly enthused about trading a veteran left-handed hitter, either first baseman Aubrey Huff or outfielder Luke Scott, sources say.". To this, especially the former, I say who the hell do you think you're kidding, the Orioles are not looking for a couple of instant millionaire draft picks who might help the team in three years, they need help NOW! Peter Angelos will personally help Huff pack his bags if need be, and only slightly less so in the case of Scott who has value and can bring them immediate help because in this economy he fits the needs of a number of teams, contenders or not. We'll see, but I'm not counting on breaking news coming from Rosenthal as it pertains to the Fish.
July 20, 200917 yr This damn team needs and needed a third baseman and one outfielder.Uggla and his struggles hasn't helped either.
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. why cantu? he hasnt done much since the end of april Cantu has hit .316/.346/.441 since June 1st. May was his only bad month. A .787 OPS is not exactly killing it for a 1st baseman, though. I do think teams would be interested if he were dangled, though.
July 20, 200917 yr Make that two outfielders needed.Maybin sucked. You really don't get it. Oh ho ho ho ho.
July 20, 200917 yr Author How do you know maybin will suck? In fact, i think he is going to be terrific when he comes up here.
July 20, 200917 yr Make that two outfielders needed.Maybin sucked. You might want to take a look at what that 22 year old is doing in AAA.
July 20, 200917 yr Maybin sucked in the majors this season, meaning past tense.We would be a better team if he played this season in the major leagues like he was projected to.We have got to many disappointing starters.Hermida, Maybin, Bonifacio, Uggla, Coghlan, Miller.
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. This is the main thing. If we trade Hermida and Uggla right now, we'd be selling very low on them. We already see what selling low on somebody does; unless Smolinski turns into Chase Utley we're not looking at a good trade here. We really should wait until the offseason and hope they can restock any of their value. And neither is really helping the cause at the moment. Since June 07th, when Uggla's OPS peaked and it looked like he was back, he's hitting just .222/.329/.357/.686 (Where's the power???). And for Hermida, since the 16th (aka the TOR series), he's hitting just .163/.247/.288/.535 lol. And I believe the TOR season is when Carroll started platooning aswell. And Cody to me is somebody we should try and keep going forward. He is more valuable than Nate McLouth and reports being that some guys in Atlanta wanted Ross instead because he'd have been cheaper. I'm really really afraid we won't get equal value for Cody. That basically leaves Cantu. And... A .787 OPS is not exactly killing it for a 1st baseman, though. I do think teams would be interested if he were dangled, though. Basically sums up Cantu. Now he does have a bit more value than his OPS would indicate; he strikes out under 15% of the time and makes a lot of contact, which is what you want from a middle of the order bat. When he is at the plate with runners on, they have scored 19% of the time this season and 18% in his career, which is very good. And there's more or less an "excuse" for his power drop with his wrist injury, but that's not exactly a selling point lol. "His power loss is ok, it's because his wrist is going to hurt all season!" However, Cantu should have a lot of value in a trade. Unless he falls off the face of the earth again, he will be a Type A FA at the end of the '10 season. For an organization that rarely offers arbitration, this means if we aren't signing him to a multiyear contract we should trade him at the latest in the offseason to be able to really get full value for him leaving. Being able to say in a trade "This guy is a Type A FA, give us better prospects and you can recoup them in the draft" is big. But the problem is who'd actually be interested in him? The only teams with a lower team OPS than Cantu has is (From highest OPS to lowest) Pittsburgh - Out of the race San Francisco - Bingo NYM - Bingo Atlanta - Will continue to play Kotchman I'm sure LAD - Will continue to play Loney I'm sure Baltimore - Out of it Arizona - Out of it Texas - Maybe but tons of 1b specs in the minors Oakland - Out of it That leaves San Fran (Ishikawa has done better, .796 OPS since May, .550 OPS in April) and NYM (what would they do with Cantu when Delgado comes back?). I imagine SF will look too much for IF help, and if they trade for a 1b it'd be somebody big like Johnson or LaRoche. I was originally going to say the Mets could move Cantu to the OF when Delgado comes back, and then have Cantu be their 1b next season, but with Francouer and Sheffield in the corner spots there isn't really room. Well, there is also DH, but again, not exactly an impressive DH. teams with lower DH OPS than cantu Tampa Bay - Will stick with Burrell LAA - Maybe, with Vlad and Torii going to the DL until mid august at the earliest, they're DH rotation is shot, but for now it finally gives them a time to give reps to Wood Detroit - They could really use help with Guillen done Toronto - Out of it if they're trading Halladay lol Oakland - Out of it Boston - Will give Papi reps Seattle - They need the spot to give reps to Griffey and Balentein Kansas City - Out of it (Can somebody explain to me how DH, a position that all you need is offense, has a AL average OPS of .791 but 1b, a position that you need to worry about defense at, has a average OPS of .846? This isn't some like one year thing, this always happens) Basically our only hope for Cantu is if somebody wants to try him at 3b, but I doubt that happens.
July 20, 200917 yr Not surprising, though I don't see us being sellers at all, as with their current value only Ross and Cantu are worth selling. This is the main thing. If we trade Hermida and Uggla right now, we'd be selling very low on them. We already see what selling low on somebody does; unless Smolinski turns into Chase Utley we're not looking at a good trade here. We really should wait until the offseason and hope they can restock any of their value. And neither is really helping the cause at the moment. Since June 07th, when Uggla's OPS peaked and it looked like he was back, he's hitting just .222/.329/.357/.686 (Where's the power???). And for Hermida, since the 16th (aka the TOR series), he's hitting just .163/.247/.288/.535 lol. And I believe the TOR season is when Carroll started platooning aswell. And Cody to me is somebody we should try and keep going forward. He is more valuable than Nate McLouth and reports being that some guys in Atlanta wanted Ross instead because he'd have been cheaper. I'm really really afraid we won't get equal value for Cody. That basically leaves Cantu. And... A .787 OPS is not exactly killing it for a 1st baseman, though. I do think teams would be interested if he were dangled, though. Basically sums up Cantu. Now he does have a bit more value than his OPS would indicate; he strikes out under 15% of the time and makes a lot of contact, which is what you want from a middle of the order bat. When he is at the plate with runners on, they have scored 19% of the time this season and 18% in his career, which is very good. And there's more or less an "excuse" for his power drop with his wrist injury, but that's not exactly a selling point lol. "His power loss is ok, it's because his wrist is going to hurt all season!" However, Cantu should have a lot of value in a trade. Unless he falls off the face of the earth again, he will be a Type A FA at the end of the '10 season. For an organization that rarely offers arbitration, this means if we aren't signing him to a multiyear contract we should trade him at the latest in the offseason to be able to really get full value for him leaving. Being able to say in a trade "This guy is a Type A FA, give us better prospects and you can recoup them in the draft" is big. But the problem is who'd actually be interested in him? The only teams with a lower team OPS than Cantu has is (From highest OPS to lowest) Pittsburgh - Out of the race San Francisco - Bingo NYM - Bingo Atlanta - Will continue to play Kotchman I'm sure LAD - Will continue to play Loney I'm sure Baltimore - Out of it Arizona - Out of it Texas - Maybe but tons of 1b specs in the minors Oakland - Out of it That leaves San Fran (Ishikawa has done better, .796 OPS since May, .550 OPS in April) and NYM (what would they do with Cantu when Delgado comes back?). I imagine SF will look too much for IF help, and if they trade for a 1b it'd be somebody big like Johnson or LaRoche. I was originally going to say the Mets could move Cantu to the OF when Delgado comes back, and then have Cantu be their 1b next season, but with Francouer and Sheffield in the corner spots there isn't really room. Well, there is also DH, but again, not exactly an impressive DH. teams with lower DH OPS than cantu Tampa Bay - Will stick with Burrell LAA - Maybe, with Vlad and Torii going to the DL until mid august at the earliest, they're DH rotation is shot, but for now it finally gives them a time to give reps to Wood Detroit - They could really use help with Guillen done Toronto - Out of it if they're trading Halladay lol Oakland - Out of it Boston - Will give Papi reps Seattle - They need the spot to give reps to Griffey and Balentein Kansas City - Out of it (Can somebody explain to me how DH, a position that all you need is offense, has a AL average OPS of .791 but 1b, a position that you need to worry about defense at, has a average OPS of .846? This isn't some like one year thing, this always happens) Basically our only hope for Cantu is if somebody wants to try him at 3b, but I doubt that happens. Call me crazy, but I think the Mets are "out of it" too. Anyways, SF sounds like the best fit.
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