If Orioles fans can wait through 10 straight losing seasons, they can be patient for at least another day.
The Orioles? impending trade that will send their best pitcher, Erik Bedard, to the Mariners for several prospects could be finalized by the middle of the week, according to a source close to the situation.
Bedard remained an Oriole yesterday, as a source close to the team denied numerous reports claiming the star left-hander had been shipped to Seattle for outfielder Adam Jones, reliever George Sherrill and three minor league pitchers.
Bedard, 28, went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and a club-record 221 strikeouts in 2007.
Still, if the deal comes to fruition, many national analysts believe it will be a good move for the downtrodden Orioles.
“It?s definitely worth the wait for Orioles fans,” said Matt Eddy, who covers the Mariners? minor league system for Baseball America. “For a team not expected to be in contention next season, I think they?re doing the right thing in playing for the future. It?s four pretty big pieces they?re getting, and a nice lefty reliever [Sherrill] for the next two years.”
Eddy?s rankings of the Mariners? system came out Monday, with right-handed pitcher Chris Tillman ? rumored to be heading to Baltimore in the trade ? listed as Seattle?s third-best prospect.
Tillman is the second-most heralded player in the Mariners? end of the trade. Jones, 22, has superstar potential and combined with the Orioles? top young player, right fielder Nick Markakis, would form a great outfield for the future.
“He?s going to be a monster,” an American League talent evaluator said in an ESPN.com story. “If you put he and Nick Markakis in the same outfield, that is the start of something.”
The 6-foot-5 Tillman is said to be joined by two tall minor league pitchers ? 6-foot-7 left-hander Tony Butler and 6-foot-9 right-hander Kameron Mickolio. Butler was a second-round selection in 2006, and Mickolio, who never pitched before playing at Utah Valley State, was an 18th-round pick in 2006.
