There have been rumors circulating that Erik Bedard of the Baltimore Orioles is close to being traded to the Seattle Mariners.
The Orioles have denied any reports that a Bedard trade is in place.
The Mariners have been the front-runners in the Bedard sweepstakes for at least a month. They have been pursuing Bedard vigorously along with the Mets, Dodgers, and Reds.
The rumor surfaced when Adam Jones told a reporter that he'd been traded to the Orioles as the main piece in a Bedard trade. ESPN.com reported that the two Mariners involved in the trade told teammates they had to take physical exams.
The rumored trade was declared false by the Orioles organization. The Mariners have yet to speak on the situation.
Although the trade was proved false, many believe that a Bedard trade is imminent and the Mariners remain the front-runner.
As with the Santana trade, a Bedard trade could enhance a team's pitching staff significantly. The Mariners, with a well-rounded pitching staff, could be a hard to beat team in the AL.
Adam Jones, the kid who was named as the main piece of the rumored trade, hit .314 with 25 home runs and 84 RBIs for Triple-A Tacoma, was named Seattle's Minor League Player of the Year.
If this trade were imminent, this trade has the potential to be a great deal.
4 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
I think it's just a little early to give this trade a grade. I mean, you are assuming this is a 1 for 1 swap? Or are you assuming that, other than Adam Jones, the additional unnamed players are meaningless?
A good trade for the Mariners? Would you say that if Bedard gets injured in spring training? or injured before he is eligible for free agency? If Bedard wins 35 games over the next 2 seasons and then declares free agency and signs elsewhere, but Adam Jones goes on to become a better OF than Markakis - then who wins?
Man, you're really jumping the gun.
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Dylan Levinson about 1 year ago
i was only writing to inform
i wasn't going to write a whole piece on why this trade is good or bad
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
This trade is highly controversial for fans of both Seattle and Baltimore. Erik Bedard is a phenomenal pitcher who has turned heads despite playing in front of a lousy Orioles defense. The Mariners are offering several players, the major component being Adam Jones, who is a major league ready outfielder with an incredible five-tool skill set (including an arm that throws 95mph on the mound). The Mariners are also reportedly offering left-handed setup man George Sherril and a couple other High A/AA prospects.
The sticking point with this trade is over what fans, critics and analysts believe is more important to a team's success: Building to win now, or building for long-term success?
Erik Bedard is exceptional, but only has two years to go until free agency where he will fetch a huge sum from a competitive team. Adam Jones is under team control, for pennies, for the next six years. Bedard could put a contender over the top, but are the Mariners truly contenders? They performed better than expected in 2007 despite an awful back end of the rotation and miserable defense, but even true-blue fans must doubt the team's ability to contend for the division against the Angels.
If the Mariners cannot win now, it may make headlines to bring in Bedard, but they are sacrificing a critical building block in Jones who would give the Mariners a much better opportunity to make a run at a title in 2008 and 2009 (when several big, bad contracts come off the books and more of the top prospects in the farm will be ready for The Show).
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crash cameron about 1 year ago
mariners - lousy defence?
inconsistent maybe but ichiro, beltre and betancourt are three of the best at their spots
(by the way - erik bedard would also spell defence with a C!)
crash
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