The Bedard Trade Should Happen; While We Are Waiting...

Well, aside from a few formalities and paperwork, Erik Bedard should be heading to Seattle sometime this week in exchange for Adam Jones and a few more players. There are still a good segment of fans who do not want this trade to happen for the fact we are trading away a potential ace, but the fact of the matter is again that the Baltimore Orioles are several pieces away from being a contender.

Right now, the prudent move is trade Bedard and get several pieces ready to go in both the major and minor league levels in return.

The consensus is once Bedard is traded, Roberts in next on the horizon, and in Buster Olney's blog this morning, it's summed up in this fashion:

"... Assuming that this gets done -- and sources with knowledge of the talks expect that it will -- the Orioles will have completed a trade that is getting rave reviews from evaluators with other teams.

General managers and assistant GMs and scouts think that center fielder Adam Jones and Nick Markakis will give Baltimore a very nice foundation to build upon, and that the pitchers that the O's are getting all have a chance to be good. And there figures to be more talent on the way. Sources involved in Baltimore's trade talks with Chicago expressed confidence that at some point, the Orioles and Cubs will finish the proposed Brian Roberts deal.

Baltimore tends to do things more deliberately than other teams, but owner Peter Angelos continues to give Andy MacPhail the power to make the moves he wants to make, and trading Roberts now makes complete sense. Roberts's contract will run out after the 2009 season, and the Orioles are not going to be good for at least the next two years -- OK, that was too polite; Baltimore will likely be awful -- and so it makes sense for MacPhail to stockpile talent and build toward 2010. It really does the franchise no good to fight to tread water in the 70-80 win range. They'd be better off sinking to 60 wins if it improves their chances of winning 90 games in three years, and MacPhail's strategy does that.

Pitcher Sean Gallagher would be the centerpiece of the package moving from the Cubs to Baltimore, and along with the players acquired in the draft and a better infrastructure, the Orioles could be in position to give their rabid fan base a team that provides legitimate hope in a few years."

He's right, obviously; however, there's several areas of concern that bother me aside from seeing Bedard and Roberts leave.

We will really no have middle infield, lack a true stopper, the bullpen is still unresolved and our starting pitching will be woefully thin.

It will not be good, but the Orioles will seemingly just suck as bad without Bedard, Tejada and Roberts, than they would have otherwise.

It will be a long 2008, and perhaps 2009, but MacPhail is doing the right thing by reconstructing the roster, getting younger and thus starting over.

***

Meanwhile, Jim Palmer got awarded a huge sun of money due to some damage to his eyes. Yikes. I'd never get my eyes worked on as I wear glasses, and I shudder the thought of someone opening them up.