Wilkerson's Role

posted by Jon

Brad Wilkerson has been a Seattle Mariner for less than a day, but he is already the subject of several questions flying around the blogosphere and M's forums all over the net.

1.) How often will he play?

"I will get a chance to win the everyday job," Wilkerson said yesterday. "And even if I don't, I still could get 300 to 400 at-bats."

Many speculated that the reason Wilkerson was going to sign with Seattle was because they were offering a starting job. Obviously that is not the case, though he'll still get more playing time here than he would in Boston or anywhere else.

Wilkerson's contract reflects on his expected role. If Seattle wanted him to start 150 games then they would have given him a $5M base salary, rather than the $3M base with incentives worth up to $2M based on plate appearances. There is no doubt that it is a backup or platoon player's contract, comparable to the one Miguel Cairo agreed to earlier this offseason.

How will Wilkerson collect those 300-400 at bats? Assuming that Adam Jones is Baltimore bound, the most common theory seems to be that Wilkerson will platoon in right field with Wladimir Balentien.

This would not be your typical platoon. Wilkerson bats from the left side, but hits lefty pitching better than right-handed pitching [mlb splits]. Balentien is in the same boat, hitting righties better than lefties for each of his last three minor league seasons [milb splits]. That said, Wlad would get most of the at bats out of the platoon.

On days that Wilkerson is not patrolling right field, he will be used as a backup for Raul Ibanez in left, Richie Sexson at first, and Jose Vidro at DH. There has been talk that Wilkerson can play center field as well, but he hasn't played much there since 2005, and his bad knees have slowed him down a little bit. Willie Bloomquist would be a much better option as Ichiro's backup, not to mention Jeremy Reed or Charlton Jimerson if there is room for them.

If Wlad struggles in spring training and starts the year in AAA, look for Seattle to find another platoon partner for Wilkerson. I don't see Seattle giving him 600+ plate appearances this year.

2.) Where would he hit in the lineup?

Seattle's lineup is a tough one to put together, and adding Brad Wilkerson doesn't make it any easier. Many people look at his career numbers, noticing the 20-30 home run potential and want to slot him near the middle of the order.

Believe it or not, Wilkerson has started 45% of his games as the leadoff hitter. In 2004 when he hit a career high 32 homers, he was the Expos' leadoff man.

The most important detail to consider when placing Wilkerson into the lineup is his proximity to Richie Sexson. As Patrick mentioned earlier this week, Wilkerson strikes out at a higher rate than Sexson, and having them hit back-to-back would be rally suicide.

My suggestion would be to hit Wilkerson seventh. You could slot Kenji Johjima in the six slot, giving you a high contact/low strikeout hitter with some pop between Sexson and Wilkerson. I don't really see anywhere else that his low batting average would fit.

3.) How is Wilkerson's defense?

I've yet to find a way to analyse defense that I am comfortable using. There are a lot of stats out there, but many of them are far from perfect. Basically I feel that Wilkerson's defense is all-around average. Here's what Lookout Landing had to say:

Defensively, he used to be all right, having logged a bunch of time in center for the Expos. But over time his body started to come apart, and at this point he's no longer a good glove. I recently called him ~average, but after going through the numbers, I think average is probably his upside. Seems to me he's more like -15 < x < -5, with 0 only attainable if he somehow stays in good health all year. He'll still probably represent a defensive improvement over Guillen, whose numbers slipped due to some lower-body issues.

I'm not sold on the idea that he is an upgrade over Jose Guillen. Even if there is a difference I doubt you'd be able to tell. Wilkerson isn't a liability, which we'll take for now.

Anyone know how good Wilkerson's arm is? I haven't been able to find a decent report on that.

That's all for now. I'm sure we'll have plenty more to say about him during spring training and throughout the season.

Wilkerson may not even last the entire season, though. His contract is small enough that if Wlad shows that he can hold his own in the major leagues, Wilkerson could find himself on the trading block come July.

Wilkerson Official

Nothing too surprising here; I woke up from a quick nap to find Jim Street, Shannon Drayer, Ryan Divish, John Hickey, the AP and many others all reporting that Seattle officially inked outfielder/first baseman Brad Wilkerson to a one year deal.

Geoff Baker reported that Seattle had this deal in their "back pocket" back on Monday.

The AP noted that Wilkerson can play all three outfield positions, which was new to me. Maybe he's not as slow out there as some of us were thinking?

Geoff Baker and Ken Rosenthal are reporting that he was signed for a mere $3M, which is a steal for a starting outfielder, whether you're pro-Wilkerson or not. Looks like we inked him for backup money. Rotoworld adds that there is another $2M in incentives, though I haven't come across another report that says that.

Wilkerson will likely backup/platoon in right field, first base and DH. He brings some very nice pop, but can struggle with low averages and high strikeout rates.

What does this mean?

Bedard?

Pretty much.

Encouraging Trade Reports

Everytime a new rumor surrounding the Erik Bedard/Adam Jones trade talks comes out, I can't help but smile. Earlier this week I was getting a little frustrated, now whenever I come across the daily dose of conflicting reports I just chuckle quietly to myself.

Thursday morning brings a few reports that may lead you to believe that this deal is happening sooner than later.

First of all, the extension rumors are the latest to be tossed down the bogus shoot. Bedard's agent, Mark Pieper, made it known that no such negotiations were taking place. He personally emailed Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun and others to let them the world know his client is unlikely to be extended by the Orioles.

''The report that appeared yesterday regarding Erik Bedard on MLB.com is wholly inaccurate and contains nothing factual,'' Pieper wrote. ''Quite honestly, that type of journalism is irresponsible and reckless.''

So much for that.

Buster Olney submitted a seemingly optimistic article on ESPN. According to Olney the trade that was set to go through was Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman and Tony Butler, along with one more player. There hasn't been any clashing reports on this subject for quite awhile, so that's a relief. Olney added:

The Orioles have asked the Mariners for written language that Seattle will submit Jones and Sherrill for a physical examination by the Orioles -- and if they pass physicals, then and only then will Baltimore be obligated to finish the trade. The inherent risk for the Mariners is that if either Jones or Sherrill were to flunk their physicals in Baltimore, then the respective value of the players would be diminished within the industry.

It seems common enough that if the players pass the physicals, the trade goes through, and if they fail, they trade is scraped. That's not the interesting past, though. Check out the first sentence again. According to the supposed written agreement, if Sherrill and Jones pass their physicals Baltimore will be locked into the deal.

If I was 99% sure this deal was getting done yesterday, I am not 99.9% certain. Let's just hope Sherrill has been staying in shape this offseason.

Q&A with Shannon Drayer

KOMO's Shannon Drayer knows the current Seattle Mariners team as well as anyone, working in close capacity with the them all season long. She started covering Mariner baseball on a part-time basis back in 1998, moving to full-time during the 2003 season. You can check out her KOMO baseball blog here. Shannon was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for us here at Bleeding Blue and Teal.

BBT: Seattle lost a lot of leadership in Jose Guillen. Who are the most vocal leaders on the current team?

Drayer: Guillen had a leadership style we haven't seen in the clubhouse in a long time. He was a butt kicker. I don't think there are any other butt kickers, but there are different leaders that are important in different ways. Without question, JJ has grown into a leader, and from what I understand, he can be rather vocal at times. Mostly with the bullpen, but he is also a good team guy. Carlos Silva insists that he is vocal. He told us to look for him to be very animated on the bench in games that he is not pitching in. Ichiro believe it or not, felt more comfortable speaking up last year. Raul is a quiet leader, but the first one most guys go to when they are struggling. Willie Bloomquist has been known to speak up and has also been very helpful with the younger players. Adam Jones credits him with showing him the ropes. Willie is also the union rep. I don't think leadership is a problem on this team.

BBT: Do you believe that manager John McLaren is on any type of hot seat in his first full year, or will he be given the complete season for better or worse?

Drayer: Unless something dramatic happens, really dramatic, McLaren has nothing to worry about. The organization gave him everything he wanted in a staff and that is a good indicator that they trust him and they are behind him. Mac has surrounded himself with a lot of experience and I think that was a smart move on his part.

BBT: The Mariners have a few players heading for free agency after the 2008 season, including Raul Ibanez, Kenji Johjima and Willie Bloomquist. There are many variables that could play into the team's decision, but which of these players, if any, do you see Seattle extending before they hit the open market and why?

Drayer: Good question. I don't think the organiztion feels a pressing need to extend any of these guys early. I think Raul and Willie could be end of the season (in the exclusive negotiating window) deals provided they have good years. Willie might want to test the open market, and the team will probably let him. Joh is an interesting case. I don't know if this will be an ownership decision or a management decision. Jeff Clement will be ready to go. Can you keep Joe while you move Jeff in? Ideally Jeff would be at first base resting his legs and swinging that bat every night. Problem is, from what I have heard, he has been resistant to this. He insists on catching which is a shame. Bill Hassleman on our post game show once said that he couldn't understand how anyone that talented with the bat would want to catch. He says the wear and tear of catching will affect his hitting. Joh is a very tough call.

One other thing to keep an eye on. Isn't it time they lock Felix up to a long term deal? That's one of my first questions when we get past this Bedard thing.

BBT: What type of roles do you think Brandon Morrow and Horacio Ramirez would assume should an Erik Bedard trade become official?

Drayer: Word is that Morrow will be in the pen as the right handed set up man. This could get interesting though if Mark Lowe comes back at full strenght. If Lowe is lights out, maybe, just maybe, the organization would send Morrow down to the minors to get ready to move into the starting rotation either next year, or at the deadline after a trade. Ramirez will be looking at the long relief role, Tacoma or possibly he could be let go at the end of spring training.

BBT: Can you confirm reports that Seattle has a deal in place with Brad Wilkerson, pending an Erik Bedard trade? Do you feel it is necessary for the Mariners to look outside of the organization, or are Jeremy Reed and Wlad Balentien viable options?

Drayer: I cannot confirm Wilkerson, but I expect to see him or perhaps Trot Nixon platooning in right with Wlad. Is it necessary to look outside the organization? I think so. If they get Bedard they have to go for it. They have to have something out there that is a known quantity. I like the idea of a platoon, break the young guy in easily. I would give Morse a long look in spring training as well. He can hit a single to right field all day long. That's nice, but not enough. I have talked to a lot of scouts who think he is going to hit for power some day. If he wants to do it in Seattle, he is going to have to do it this spring because he is out of options.

---

I want to thank Shannon again for helping us out here. Some great points to think about:

• Jeff Clement doesn't want to play first base.
• Seattle could be looking to lock up Felix Hernandez soon.
• Brandon Morrow could get the minor league time he needs if Mark Lowe is healthy.
• Trot Nixon? This has been the first connection between him and Seattle. Word is he's working on his first base defense.

Read and React: Bedard Predictions

posted by Jon, Patrick and Dustin

Dustin Shires: Throughout all this madness, nothing seems certain anymore.

• Jones' injury
• Angelos could nix the trade
• Bedard seeking Orioles extension
• Jones' talking could have hindered the talking between clubs

There could be other unknown factors. Simply put, no one has concrete answers, but most of the baseball world thinks this trade is going to happen. I too have taken this stance.

I believe that the Seattle offer is too lucrative for the Orioles to turn down. These type of deals are the ones that Baltimore needs to make in order to avoid another decade of irrelevance. Adam Jones, whether you think he'll be great or not, is the type of player you want to center your rebuilding efforts around.

Do I believe that he'll live up to the hype and fulfill his potential as a Mariner? Absolutely not.

The Orioles are willing to trade their ace and a Cy Young hopeful to find out how good Jones will be. They will also be getting one of the most reliable relievers in the MLB in George Sherrill, a potential front of the rotation pitcher in Chris Tillman, along with unknown 4th and/or 5th prospects.

This deal is a must for the rebuilding Orioles, and the Mariners need this deal to go down in order to acquire a proven ace. Bedard has proven he can carry the title of ace, and can win ball games. He could win on a terrible Orioles team, so just think about how good he can be in Safeco (the SafeCave), and with offensive and defensive upgrades. Bedard can be a Cy Young pitcher on the Mariners, assuming he goes through the year healthy.

As I have stated before, I do not believe Jones will be the player USS Mariner thinks he will be, and do not see him as the "savior of the franchise." Sherrill, I believe, came into his own way too late, and is already fairly advanced as far as the lifespan of relief pitchers go. Yes, I know he's relatively new to the MLB, but age is age. We have no idea how good Tillman will be, because he is two or three years away from scratching the surface of the MLB.

To sum it up, I believe this deal is too good for either side to pass up. Both teams have gotten too far into it. The deal is 99% done. All that is needed is the necessary "stamp of approval" from Angelos and Bedard is a Mariner. I believe that Erik Bedard will be pitching for Seattle on Opening Day.

Patrick Whealton: At this point in time, we are all aware of the tumult over the last few days about a possible trade to bring Erik Bedard to Seattle. While many reporters as well as my fellow bloggers here at BBT believe that a deal will be finalized and announced by the end of this week, I have something that I must admit to you. Since the beginning of the off-season, I’ve had the gut feeling that Erik Bedard will be the Orioles starter on opening day 2008.

Despite the developments this week, my gut feeling has not changed. Of course, I hope that I am wrong, but new evidence seems to suggest that the deal that was supposedly done just a couple days ago continues to fall apart at the seams. Since the beginning of the week, we have, in essence, seen a trade work backwards from the point where it was completed, onto finalizing the players involved, onto having the general framework of the deal in question by O’s team owner Peter Angelos, and now finally to the point where the Orioles will explore their other possibilities. This process is completely backwards and to think that it will magically work itself out in a day or two, while possible, seems a little unrealistic to me.

So what other possibilities do the Orioles have? Well, it seems as if other teams including the Reds and possibly the Indians may be back in on the Bedard talks. "General Manager" Andy MacPhail said the other day that other teams are now “chiming in.” However, Bedard to any other team besides the Mariners seems out of the question at this point, especially with the Reds refusing to give up prospect Jay Bruce.

Apparently, there is now another option on the table that was previously didn’t seem to be viable; for the Orioles to sign Bedard to an extension. In the past, the Orioles were under the impression that Bedard and his agent only wanted to discuss contract extensions on a year-by-year basis. Now, based on recent quotes by Erik Bedard, it looks like he is willing to discuss a long-term deal with the club. This development, coupled with the fact that Peter Angelos loves Bedard because he puts butts in seats at Camden Yards, points towards a contract extension or at least a few more roadblocks before a deal with the Mariners is made.

Once again, I am completely for a trade for Bedard and I really hope that it happens, but the window for being able to do that may have just closed.

Jon Shields: I was going to write a long entry like Dustin and Patrick, but I don't feel it's necessary at this point. We've been reporting mostly everything to you, so it's down to gut feelings.

This deal was done. Adam Jones said he was traded to Baltimore. The deal was done, and then there was some sort of wrinkle that needed to be ironed out. That may have been a quick check to see if Erik Bedard could be re-signed, it could have been Baltimore trying to squeeze out some more talent from Seattle, it could have been anything. I don't think there was anything so significant that took us back to square one.

There are too many people with too many sources that are way too confident that this will happen sooner than later. Pair that with anyone who's anyone around baseball saying this deal needs to get done for the Orioles to ever become relevant again, and how can you dispute it?

This deal is announced as early as Thursday morning, late as Monday afternoon. I don't see this falling apart.

Question to the readers: Will this deal go through? If so, when? If not, why not?

Orioles Trying to Re-Sign Bedard?

I just got finished listening to the BaseballChannel.tv Under the Lights broadcast featuring MLB.com's Baltimore Orioles reporter Spencer Fordin. These quotes shouldn't come as a total surprise, but they're not gelling with other reports surfacing earlier today.

"There might be a late breaking development that we've ascertained," Fordin told host Peter McCarthy. "The Orioles may be trying to sign [Bedard] to a 5-year extension instead of trading him. We don't have confirmation from sources high up in the general manager's office yet but it does appear that that could be the case right now."

"They never thought he would [sign an extension], to be quite honest," he continued. "They talked to him about a 3-year deal earlier in the offseason and his agent countered with a much longer proposal, apparently, and the Orioles weren't able to stomach that at the time. So they sniffed around, considered offers, they got very reportedly close [with Seattle]."

"They apparently decided to explore the option of seeing if they could sign him to a 5 year deal," said Fordin, adding moments later, "I think Seattle's on hold, from what we've been told."

Fordin was unsure of whose idea it was to try and re-sign Erik Bedard, president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail or owner Peter Angelos, but called a new contract a "sketchy possibility."

When asked how close Baltimore came to trading Bedard to the Mariners, Fordin replied, "They came very close. They decided on the players involved. They were close enough that Seattle thought it was imperative to get Adam Jones back from Venezuela. Adam Jones thought it was close enough that he told reporters that he was traded to Baltimore, but somewhere along the line there was a slip in communication and the Orioles apparently canceled the physical for Adam Jones. It's really hard to tell where things lie right now."

Not a lot of new info there. Fordin went on to mention that Angelos never approved the deal, not saying he nixed it either. "From what I'm told they never fully got approval from the ownership."

Besides that, Fordin went on to say that he didn't believe any other teams besides the Mariners were involved at this point, contrary to a recent report.

As far as the contract talks go, he said it was still in the early stages. Bedard and the Orioles are still feeling each other out and determining how many years and dollars it will take.


That's all I got from the broadcast.

The contract that Baltimore previously couldn't stomach? $100M over 7 years, according to Jim Street.

In my last post I wrote about the different ways to interpret a recent Prospect Insider update:

UPDATE: 2:37 PM - Prospect Insider's Jason Churchill is expecting this deal to be done before the weekend, according to his sidebar. He went on to say that "the same Orioles rep that gave me the trade offer details has told me Angelos has told McPhail he's fine with the trade as long as extending Erik Bedard is not a realistic option at this point." (Thanks Rob T.)

You could look at that quote two ways. Patrick thinks that it could be bad news, considering Bedard's quotes in which he mentioned that he'd be open to an extension. I see it as good news, because Bedard also said he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding effort. What do you think?

It looks like Patrick had the better guess, assuming Fordin's reporting is correct.

It's strange that we can have so many conflicting reports in such a short period of time. As I was transcribing these quotes BBT contributor Dustin Shires let me know that Tim Kurkjian was on ESPN and was saying something along the lines that the deal makes too much sense, both teams are in too deep, and it's inevitable now. He further paraphrased Kurkjian by telling me, "the Orioles need to take the deal. Adam Jones can be a superstar in the league. He's young, and can have a team built around his potential."

As if these rumors weren't already a mess...

I'm sure we'll have more for you later.

Bedard Deal Close... Again

posted by Jon

Sources are saying a deal could be close to being finalized, that would indeed include Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman and a couple more prospects. Earlier reports were saying those other two could be Tony Butler and Kameron Mickolio, but it's hard to say at this point. MLB.com's Jim Molony had this to say today:

Talks were thought to be stalled, but multiple MLB sources said Wednesday that Baltimore and Seattle are close to finalizing the deal the two teams have been discussing for weeks. The trade would send Orioles pitcher Erik Bedard to the Mariners for outfielder Adam Jones, pitchers George Sherill and Chris Tillman and as many as two additional prospects. Tillman is the reigning Mariners' Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

After all the strange and conflicting reports we've been seeing lately, it is nice to see something straight forward like this. Either way, I have been scared to skepticism until I see some sort of press conference or official release.

I should have more to pass on in just a bit. MLB.com Orioles' reporter Spencer Fordin will be on BaseballChannel.tv today, so hopefully we'll find out something soon. I don't think they'd have him on if he didn't have something relevant to say, especially since he wasn't originally on the schedule. Check back!

UPDATE: 2:37 PM - Prospect Insider's Jason Churchill is expecting this deal to be done before the weekend, according to his sidebar. He went on to say that "the same Orioles rep that gave me the trade offer details has told me Angelos has told McPhail he's fine with the trade as long as extending Erik Bedard is not a realistic option at this point." (Thanks Rob T.)

You could look at that quote two ways. Patrick thinks that it could be bad news, considering Bedard's quotes in which he mentioned that he'd be open to an extension. I see it as good news, because Bedard also said he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding effort. What do you think?

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Out of Jones/Bedard Titles

posted by Jon

I'm getting a little tired of the subject, especially since no puzzle pieces seem to lock together. Here are a couple odds and ends from today, but take everything with a large grain of salt at this point.

I already wrote about the Adam Jones degenerated hip rumor in my last post, but like everyone else knew next to no details at the time. Looks like the Stan Charles of Press Box is the one who brought it up. Press Box is a Baltimore sports site. They say nothing about the injury, and without hearing or reading an exact quote it's hard to tell what is going on.

MLB Rumors had this to say a couple hours ago:

The trade for Erik Bedard is not official, and probably won't be until the end of the week. It appears the Orioles brought Jones into Baltimore to check out his hip, and assuming that goes well, Bedard should be in Seattle by Monday. What happened earlier this week was probably just miscommunication by Jones and the reporters in Venezuela. Still, it seems like a deal will get done. Yes Orioles owner and "co-GM" Peter Angelos has to sign off on the trade but I think the Orioles realize that if they do not make a trade soon, the offers will only get worse. By trading Bedard, they clear up money to make a splash in the upcoming off seasons that feature better talent.

I can't tell if those first couple sentences are new information, or if Eli just fell behind in the chaos of these rumors. Either way, once reliable MLB Rumors has been questionable at best lately. Hopefully they can turn it around, as they were formerly one of my favorite resources.

More news you are bound to love; the Baltimore Sun has a report that the Mariners are not the only team in on Bedard at this point. Common speculation seems to be that this is just a ploy to drive up the price, but who really knows at this point.

Patrick and I have a bit of a running bet whether or not the Yankees and Sox will become players for Bedard by the end of this. I still don't think the O's would deal within the division. I heard somewhere that they almost had a deal in place with the Blue Jays earlier this Winter and Angelos nixed it. Anyone else hear that?

"We continue to talk [to the Mariners]," MacPhail was quoted today. "We've had some other clubs chime in as well."

That's all I've got today. Anyone else ready for something concrete?

Also, anyone else hoping that the Orioles will learn from the Minnesota Twins' mistake? From the Baltimore side of things, they need to trade Bedard before the offers get worse. I suppose there is always next offseason, though.

Degenerative Hip Reports

posted by Jon

I'm not happy to add to the confusion, but a Baltimore radio show was reporting or speculating today that Adam Jones has a degenerative hip condition. This is completely unconfirmed, and no one else has reported anything similar.

Here is what the Baltimore Sun's Roch Kubatko had to say:

I've been in meetings most of the day and have an interview at 5 p.m. - not for a new job, so don't get your hopes up. But I wanted to address the rumor (because it's what I do these days) that Adam Jones has a degenerative hip condition and that's why the Erik Bedard trade hit a snag.

All I can say about the topic is that the Orioles became concerned with something related to Jones, and the fact that they wanted to bring him in for a physical before
alerting Bedard's agent that a trade agreement was reached should send off signals. But we've heard nothing up to this point about his hip.

Maybe this will prove true later. We'll find out soon enough. But nobody at The Sun would go on a radio show and blurt out this kind of information without being absolutely positive (and obviously reporting it in the paper first). That's dangerous territory, especially when you're possibly impacting a young athlete's reputation and future earnings.

For the sake of Jones, I hope it's false. For the sake of the person who said it, it better be right.

The first thing that popped into my head was Baltimore owner Peter Angelos and his reputation.

Paul White of Sports Weekly was on BaseballChannel.tv yesterday, and while talking about the Erik Bedard chaos said, "Angelos has been a stickler in the past with physicals and using them to get out of deals."

The one that comes to mind as a Mariner follower is when he used Aaron Sele's physical to get out of signing him. Sele ended up with us.

Angelos will definitely be looking at this as a way to get out of the deal, if that is really what he wants. What I don't understand is why no member of the Seattle media knows anything about this, and how the Baltimore Sun found out. Sounds a little phony, but only time will tell.

In other news, Adam Jones is heading home to Arizona. No physical, just out of Venezuela.

Also, Johan Santana is reportedly heading to the Mets. The Twins are getting a package lacking the big-time talent Seattle would have offered; too bad for us. Seattle may even be offering a better package for Bedard.

Angelos Out of Control

posted by Jon

Ken Rosenthal continues to update this particular entry with new info. I thought this paragraph was worth mentioning:

The Orioles are angry with the Mariners for allowing the trade talks to go public. Outfielder Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the M's offer, blurted to reporters in Venezuela that he was headed to Baltimore for a physical, indicating that a deal was near. The Orioles are so furious, another source says, they again might be insisting that the Mariners include 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Triunfel in the deal.

Mariners fans have been getting their first taste of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos. We've been discussing his massive ego, poor business practices and history of deal squashing; traits that Baltimore fans know all too well.

Adam Jones spilled the beans, so what? He ruined your big announcement so you're going to try and get more in return? No wonder Baltimore hates you, Mr. Angelos. Way to run a baseball team.

I really hope this is resolved sooner than later, because this has gotten out of control.

BLOG NOTE: We have set consecutive traffic records for each of the last two days, blowing away the old highs. Wooooo!

A Series of Inconvenient Events

posted by Patrick and Jon

Jon: It's been a chaotic couple of days for all of us trying to follow the Erik Bedard/Adam Jones trade rumors. It seemed to get more and more confusing as the day went on, but finally Geoff Baker was able to clear some things up and make everything make a lot more sense. Through all of the confusion, the only obstacle as of right now would seem to be Orioles owner Peter Angelos. He has a history of squashing these deals, so we'll see how it plays out in the coming days.

Patrick and I compiled a timeline of key Bedard reports over the last couple of days to help cut out some of the confusion or to help you get caught up if you're behind. Skip to the end for the latest if you've kept up so far.


1/27/08 (3:06 PM PST): Shannon Drayer reports that Jones was pulled from the lineup in the Venezuelan Winter League because he was the subject of a trade. Her sources told her that Jones would be flying to Baltimore on Monday for a physical in order for the trade to be completed. She then spoke with George Sherrill who said he was not aware of any deal being done and said that he was not scheduled for a physical.

1/27/08 (3:37 PM PST): Geoff Baker reports the Venezuelan newspaper Diario Panorama had supplied him with quotes from an interview with Adam Jones "(Bill Bavasi) called me yesterday and told me the news. I've got to go to Baltimore tomorrow morning and handle things there. I'm the centerpiece of the deal on the Mariners side. It's an honor to get traded for such a highly talented pitcher as Bedard is. He's one of the best. Last year he finished up as arguably one of the top candidates for the Cy Young. He's that good, so for me it's an honor. You know, I like Seattle, but if I am in Baltimore, as I think now I am, I'm going to embrace it and have the best time of my life in Major League Baseball."

1/27/08 (about 8:30 PM PST): Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider reports that the deal for Bedard is "as close to being done as it can get without an actual deal." Churchill goes on to explain that the deal would send Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kameron Mickolio to Baltimore.

1/28/08 (8:26 AM PST): ESPN reports that a baseball source has told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN that Adam Jones and George Sherrill have now both said that they are to be taking a physical examination. It is also believed at this point that the deal consists of Jones, Sherrill, Tillman, and one other undisclosed prospect.

1/28/08 (11:01 AM PST): Geoff Baker explains that the only thing holding the deal back is the fact that Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, must approve the deal before it is finalized and that Angelos is attending to a personal matter today and won't be available to make a decision until Tuesday.

1/28/08 (1:46 PM PST): Shannon Drayer reports that she learned through email with Adam Jones that he is still in Venezuela but isn't competing in winter ball because the Mariners requested that he not play. But here's the kicker, Jones also told Drayer that he had never told Venezuelan reporters that he was involved in a trade and that he did not know what was going on. Not only this, but she reports that George Sherrill is not scheduled to take part in a physical despite earlier reports that said he was despite earlier reports that said he wasn't. Confused yet?

1/28/08 (3:06 PM PST): The Baltimore Sun reports that the deal is on hold and that Jones was going to take a physical in Baltimore presumably on Tuesday. The article says that Orioles GM Andy MacPhail said there is no agreement yet and not to expect any developments for at least a few days. Bill Bavasi told the Baltimore Sun that any reports thus far have been "very, very premature" and confirmed that a deal had no yet been agreed upon. He also explained to the Sun that "Adam Jones has met his goals so there was no point of leaving him in [winter ball]. He's been called back from the club and sent home." To me, this seems like Bavasi covering up a leak of information and that he was not pulled from winter ball because he had accomplished his goals unless his goals were to be involved in a trade.

1/28/08 (3:12 PM PST): Patrick personally learned from Chris Tillman, who is thought to be a player involved in the Bedard deal, that he has not been notified by the Mariners of anything saying, "I've definitely been hearing it around, but as of right now, I'm pretty much clueless as to what's going on."

1/28/08 (3:15 PM PST): Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Peter Angelos may have a reason to reject the supposed deal after learning that Erik Bedard is open to hearing proposals from the Orioles about a contract extension if it is for at least five years. According to Rosenthal, the Orioles organization had thought Bedard only wanted to discuss a one-year deal.

1/28/08 (5:19 PM PST): Geoff Baker, like a genius, figured out a solution to this complex chain of events and arrant reports and summed it all up in a blog entry. He says that he has heard audiotape of Adam Jones' comments to reporters and that he did in fact tell them that he has been traded to Baltimore and was going there to take a physical despite saying later that his his comments were misinterpreted and "lost in translation." Baker made it clear that he thinks Adam Jones should not have blamed the language barrier for him leaking information to reporters prematurely. He goes on to explain that Angelos is the final road block before this deal is consummated.

Un-Breaking News: Adam Jones Trade

Major things coming out of Shannon Drayer's blog:

Just heard from Adam Jones via email. Said that he is still in Venezuela but obeying orders from his MLB team and not playing. He says that he said nothing about being traded to the Venezuelan press. Something may have been lost in translation somewhere. Like the last time he was pulled from the lineup by the Mariners, Adam says he does not know what is going on, and that with his winter league team in the finals, it sucks to not be able to help them.

Confused yet? Add to this George Sherrill's denial of being instructed to report to Baltimore for a physical it would appear that we got wind of this trade in the very early stages. Things most likely are still being hammered out and players won't be getting on planes until they do.

This goes along with all the other conflicting information flying around.

So what is really going on? Hopefully we'll know soon.

Seattle to Sign Wilkerson

I was going to hold off on this, but it is rapidly making its way around the blogosphere so I decided it was best to get it out there.

It would appear that the Seattle Mariners are close, or have possibly already signed, free agent Brad Wilkerson. Geoff Baker said earlier on radio and confirmed on his blog that "the Mariners already have a one-year deal with free-agent Brad Wilkerson in their back pocket for the moment a Bedard trade is finalized." He went on to speculate that the deal could be worth as much as $8M.

Seattle P-I's John Hickey just posted a blog about the same thing, though it appeared to be based on other reports, not necessarily on his own inside information.

This also goes along with MLB Trade Rumor's post from Saturday that we passed along.

We already know, Seattle would have been better off re-signing Jose Guillen, so no need to remind everyone. Wilkerson won't be too bad, no matter what happens with Adam Jones. Low averages, high strikeout rates, but he will add some pop to the bottom half of the lineup and is defensively versatile, despite being average in the field at best. You can read why Patrick is against Wilkerson here.

Baker was not the first to talk of a Wilkerson/Wladimir Balentien platoon, an arrangement that would likely please many a Mariner fan.

How do you all feel about adding Wilkerson to the team?

Angelos Could be the Deal Breaker

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos is notorious for nixing potential trades.

He has yet to approve any Erik Bedard trades, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.

This deal is still believed to go through, but keep your fingers crossed (or make a peace sign, if you're one of the many that doesn't want to see Bedard in Seattle).

Stark adds that Angelos is busy on personal business and we won't know what's going on until tomorrow at the earliest.

The Answer Should Be Wlad, Not Wilkerson

posted by Patrick

As many of you know, in recent days the Mariners have been linked to free agent Brad Wilkerson (1B/OF) and, in fact, a deal with Wilkerson is thought to materialize very soon and probably will as soon as the deal for Bedard is consummated.

Brad Wilkerson
2005: 565 AB's, .248 AVG, 11 homeruns, K every 3.84 AB's
2006: 320 AB's, .222 AVG, 15 homeruns, K every 2.76 AB's
2007: 338 AB's, .234 AVG, 20 homeruns, K every 3.15 AB's

Career at SAFECO: 33 AB's, .182 AVG, .357 OBP

In 2007, Richie Sexson struckout once every 4.34 at bats; a better rate than Wilkerson's numbers from 05, 06, and 07.

So why in the world would we want to bring in another low average guy that strikes out even more than Richie Sexson? Sure, he has a little pop and can play the outfield as well as first base; but unless it's absolutely necessary to acquire another outfielder (meaning that Jones and Balentien are traded), I would not want to throw anywhere from 2 to 6 million dollars (per year) at him, especially if the deal is more than one year. His career average at SAFECO is abyssmal and I don't see him as a good fit here.

Note: When the Adam Jones to Baltimore deal is finished, I'd want to see Wlad in right field.

Who is Seattle Giving for Bedard?

posted by Jon

The first report of who Seattle is sending to Baltimore in exchange for ace Erik Bedard has been issued by Churchill at Prospect Insider.

His source(s) are telling him Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill, Tony Butler and Kameron Mickolio.

As a fan I hate to see Sherrill and Mickolio go, and losing Tillman and Butler in the same trade will be quite a loss, but overall this isn't as bad as it could've been. Remember when we were talking about how many of Jones, Jeff Clement, Brandon Morrow, Carlos Triunfel and Wladimir Balentien we'd have to give up?

Hopefully we won't have to speculate for too long. The official announcement and all that comes with it should surface before mid-week.

Once this all becomes official we'll release a big post about what we're getting and who we lost.

UPDATE 1/28, 9:22 AM - George Sherrill has been informed and is scheduled to take a physical, according to ESPN. Thanks for the tip, Carver.

UPDATE 1/28, 11:10 AM - What do you know, more conflicting reports: Seattle P-I blog

Bedard Coming to Seattle!

The Erik Bedard/Adam Jones trade is going down, according to Geoff Baker and other sources.

As I blogged earlier, Jones was held out of the lineup in Venezuela and is coming home to take a physical.

"(Bill Bavasi) called me yesterday and told me the news," Adam Jones told a Diario Panorama reporter. "I’ve got to go to Baltimore tomorrow morning and handle things there. I'm the centerpiece of the deal on the Mariners side. It's an honor to get traded for such a highly talented pitcher as Bedard is."

Very exciting to see this deal actually happen after weeks and weeks of speculation. No word yet on who the other players are, we'll keep you updated.

Note: As soon as this deal becomes final, expect the Mariners to waste no time in acquiring a right fielder. The most likely option right now is Brad Wilkerson.

UPDATE 7:36 PM - "We do not have an agreement with the Mariners," Orioles president of baseball operations MacPhail said.

We get it. No deal until he passes his physical, that he is likely taking in Seattle, not Baltimore.

I don't see how these latest reports can be wrong, but this has been a strange offseason so who knows.

Adam Jones Out of Lineup.. Again

Shannon Drayer is reporting that Adam Jones will not be available to the Cardinales de Lara for the second time this offseason.

Could the Mariners be close to another trade? Hard to say after a wacky offseason.

She also mentioned that she has heard from "good sources" that George Sherrill will likely be heading to Baltimore if a trade occurs, and Carlos Triunfel will not be.

Interesting Santana Note

From Pioneer Press:

The Twins tried to get the Los Angeles Angels interested in Santana, but the Angels appear more interested in acquiring hitting than pitching.

It seems everyone has been under the impression that Seattle would be unable to obtain Johan Santana because he didn't want to play on the West Coast.

I remember a report that Santana was upset when that rumor started flying around, though I can't find the link at the moment, so I wouldn't be surprised if his East Coast preference was severely blown out of proportion.

Maybe Seattle is still in on Santana?

“We’ve tried to keep all of our lines in the water to get the premier guys that are out there,” GM Bill Bavasi said on Thursday. “And we’ve been involved all the way on those guys and we’ve stayed involved.”

Don't get your hopes up, but interesting nonetheless.

UPDATE - Now that Bedard is reportedly heading to Seattle this was obviously a pointless post.