| 17 December 2011
The MLB free agent market is starting to thin out slowly as we approach the holidays. As we all know, pitching is always in great demand; however, there are very few premium arms out there on the market and the one that was available – C.J. Wilson – has joined Albert Pujols in Anaheim.
So far, aside from signing Wada,and a few other moves, the Orioles have not signed an impact player; nor, have they spent a ton of money out on the open market. It remains to be seen if the Orioles do sign another free agent arm, but they have been looking at the available trade market.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports last week the Orioles and the Atlanta Braves were perhaps laying the ground work for a potential trade:
Teams with two marketable assets generally prefer to trade them separately to maximize the return.
The Athletics likely will do that with left-hander Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey. Ditto for the Braves with right-hander Jair Jurrjens and infielder/outfielder Martin Prado.
-snip-
The Red Sox, Rangers and Reds are among the teams that have shown interest in both Gonzalez and Bailey, and the Orioles and Braves have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado, sources say.
The main problem with pulling off such trades is that teams offering veterans with rising salaries want back packages of high-value, low-cost players — the very players that most clubs are reluctant to move.
I don’t see the Orioles trading any of their young players – Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, etc. – in a potential deal, no matter the potential upside; furthermore, the organization’s minor league is fairly bare and I’m sure the Braves would want quite a haul in return. The other thing is that would Prado and Jurrjens stick around for the long haul? Would they tolerate a team mired in a long rebuilding process and play in the meat-grinding American League East?
I don’t think there’s a compatible move here at all.
Obviously, Baltimore would definitely need a pitcher like Jurrjens in the fold, plus a solid all-around player like Prado. If the Orioles could swing a deal for these two guys – by all means, do it.
Then again, what would have to be given up in return by the Orioles? They would be making quite a bold move if they went after Jurrjens and Prado to improve their roster.
At this time of year, it's always great to hear some rumors.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
