Baltimore Orioles Play the Waiting Game with Brian Roberts

Who’s more curious?

There is one Orioles fan who wonders if they will have to mothball another shipped-off player’s giveaway t-shirt.

There is another Orioles fan, looking to the future and the booty of the return.

And there is Brian Roberts, who just wants to know in which time zone he will be playing. 

Since the Orioles traded Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros, dealing Brian Roberts has seemed like a foregone conclusion.

With the team in its Spring Training home of Fort Lauderdale, it looks as if Baltimore’s front office—and most notably Peter Angelos—is going to shy away from a deal that dims the team’s present in order to brighten its future. 

After years of just saying no to offers for established players, could the front office’s pause be a smart move? 

Most Orioles fans—the ones who have suffered through 10 straight losing seasons—giggle at the idea of logic ruling personnel moves. Angelos has vetoed attractive deals before. Is he suddenly going to take a chance? 

With Andy MacPhail in the front office as team president, it seems that this could be the case. But if so, why hasn’t Brian Roberts been traded?

Simply, it is not the right time. 

In interviews with the Baltimore Sun, MacPhail has stated that there are several teams interested in acquiring Brian Roberts. The Orioles have the luxury of waiting for Spring Training to work its magic. Each year, this fickle beast exposes weaknesses and even creates them through injury. 

Perhaps there are three teams interested in nabbing Roberts from the Orioles right now, but what happens to the Phillies if Chase Utley tears his hamstring? The number of teams calling MacPhail increases by 33 percent, and the return for Roberts gets a bit sweeter. 

Despite being a fickle beast to established players, younger ones can use the Spring Training spotlight like an amateur singer uses American Idol. Playing against competition that has been thoroughly scouted and is quantifiable, unlike many of the participants in the winter and fall leagues, a prospect can show flashes of brilliance. 

Everyone understands that a .300 batting average is great, but a 20-year old digging in and lining a single up the middle on a Johan Santana change-up may show more to scouts than Minor League stats ever could.

With prospects getting opportunities against Major League regulars and even All-Stars, the Orioles will not only get a first-hand look at a player's tools, but also see how far along he is in his development. 

Except for those who are deluded enough to think that the Orioles can win this year, everyone knows that Brian Roberts needs to move on. At 30 years old, Roberts is looking to add a World Series ring to his resume. By the time the Orioles are ready to offer a chance at that jewelry, Roberts will be on the downside of his career, perhaps just a sub on a team talented enough to make the World Series. 

While Brian Roberts is eager to know where he will be spending the next few months of his career, the Orioles are eager to see the treasure they can acquire for a player that they have helped develop into an All-Star.

Until then, the future of Brian Roberts remains a curiosity to all concerned parties.