Erik Bedard To Play In Seattle Next Year
The big topic around baseball this week (outside of Roger Clemens) is the Erik Bedard to Seattle Trade. Here’s the deal: Erik Bedard went from Baltimore to Seattle in exchange for Geroge Sherrill, Adam Jones, Tony Butler, Chris Tillman, and Kam Mickolio. As far as who wins this trade, I’ve read reports going both ways.
In the grand scheme of things they always say “you can’t win without pitching”. With that in mind, I’d say that Seattle wins this deal. However, I am of the belief that the Mariners are much further away from winning a division title than it appeared last season. The Mariners caught a hot streak last season right when the Angels happened to catch a cold streak, and that kept the Mariners in the division race for far too long. Their offense struggles, and their defense won’t be as good this year as it was last season. However, this does give the Mariners possibly the top 1-2 punch in the American League.
Baltimore loses its ace pitcher and arguably the top pitcher in the American League, but they were going to finish no better than 4th in the division, anyways. In return they got a potential super star center fielder to pair with Nick Markakis in their outfield. This could give Baltimore a great middle of the lineup in the next few years. Jones is not only great with the bat, but he also plays a gold glove centerfield. George Sherrill had a stellar year last year in a lefty specialist role. Most analysts say he was well underused last season and should be in line to compete for saves with this weaker bullpen. Butler and Tillman are both above average pitching prospects that will help to add depth to this weak farm system. Mickolio is a lefty reliever who was drafted in 2006 and made it all the way to Triple-A last year. He could see himself with a major league job at some point in this season due to injuries.
The Baltimore Orioles win this deal. They get a great everyday player in Jones and a great bullpen arm in Sherrill along with three quality pitching prospects for a guy who pitches once every five games, albeit very well. The Orioles realized they needed to rebuild and have done so with a few trades this off-season with another big deal on the horizon (Brian Roberts). The Mariners are grasping at false hope, based on a lucky season. They simply do not have the offensive firepower to compete for—or in—the playoffs. They will have to have some amazing seasons from some unexpected players to pull this one off. With a pretty weak system after this trade, this may be their last year with a shot at the playoffs with little upgrades behind major league starters in the minor leagues.
Fantasy wise you’ve got to like to move to Seattle for Bedard. He goes from one of the most hitter friendly parks in the American League to one of the most pitcher friendly. He had a dominant season last year on a bad team, and now moves to a team that at least has a shot at the playoffs. Not to mention that he will now see the Red Sox and Yankee lineups a lot less.
Adam Jones roaming center field for Baltimore looks to be a nice improvement offensively as well. He should be able to hit for more power in Baltimore; although, he will have much less protection in that lineup. He went from hitting in the bottom of the lineup to likely somewhere around the middle (probably 8th to 6th). This should lead to many more opportunities for RBIs. George Sherrill will compete for the closers job in spring. Based on last season, you’ve got to say that Sherrill has the upper hand. His job as the closer may be short lived though, as the Orioles have youngster Chris Ray recovering from surgery and likely to return in 2009. Keep an eye on this closer situation, if Sherrill wins the job he is definitely worth drafting. Mickolio won’t have any fantasy value this season; although, he may end up in the pros at some point. Butler and Tillman are both young prospects and guys who are not going to make their debut at any point during this season. However, these guys have the potential to be at the front of this Baltimore rotation eventually.
Other Notes:
- Keep an eye on the Orioles, as they are likely not done dealing. Brian Roberts is rumored to be heading to the Cubs in exchange for some kind of package including Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno. I’m sure other names have been involved but these are the ones I hear most consistently. Hopefully Angelos doesn’t break up another solid rebuilding mode trade.
- The Oakland A’s know that Joe Blanton is the best available arm left in free agency or the trade market, and they are trying to cash that in big time. They have reportedly asked the dodgers for both Andre Ethier and Andy LaRoche along with another prospect. That is an awfully high demand, and if I were the Dodgers I would have hung up the phone pretty quickly.
In the grand scheme of things they always say “you can’t win without pitching”. With that in mind, I’d say that Seattle wins this deal. However, I am of the belief that the Mariners are much further away from winning a division title than it appeared last season. The Mariners caught a hot streak last season right when the Angels happened to catch a cold streak, and that kept the Mariners in the division race for far too long. Their offense struggles, and their defense won’t be as good this year as it was last season. However, this does give the Mariners possibly the top 1-2 punch in the American League.
Baltimore loses its ace pitcher and arguably the top pitcher in the American League, but they were going to finish no better than 4th in the division, anyways. In return they got a potential super star center fielder to pair with Nick Markakis in their outfield. This could give Baltimore a great middle of the lineup in the next few years. Jones is not only great with the bat, but he also plays a gold glove centerfield. George Sherrill had a stellar year last year in a lefty specialist role. Most analysts say he was well underused last season and should be in line to compete for saves with this weaker bullpen. Butler and Tillman are both above average pitching prospects that will help to add depth to this weak farm system. Mickolio is a lefty reliever who was drafted in 2006 and made it all the way to Triple-A last year. He could see himself with a major league job at some point in this season due to injuries.
The Baltimore Orioles win this deal. They get a great everyday player in Jones and a great bullpen arm in Sherrill along with three quality pitching prospects for a guy who pitches once every five games, albeit very well. The Orioles realized they needed to rebuild and have done so with a few trades this off-season with another big deal on the horizon (Brian Roberts). The Mariners are grasping at false hope, based on a lucky season. They simply do not have the offensive firepower to compete for—or in—the playoffs. They will have to have some amazing seasons from some unexpected players to pull this one off. With a pretty weak system after this trade, this may be their last year with a shot at the playoffs with little upgrades behind major league starters in the minor leagues.
Fantasy wise you’ve got to like to move to Seattle for Bedard. He goes from one of the most hitter friendly parks in the American League to one of the most pitcher friendly. He had a dominant season last year on a bad team, and now moves to a team that at least has a shot at the playoffs. Not to mention that he will now see the Red Sox and Yankee lineups a lot less.
Adam Jones roaming center field for Baltimore looks to be a nice improvement offensively as well. He should be able to hit for more power in Baltimore; although, he will have much less protection in that lineup. He went from hitting in the bottom of the lineup to likely somewhere around the middle (probably 8th to 6th). This should lead to many more opportunities for RBIs. George Sherrill will compete for the closers job in spring. Based on last season, you’ve got to say that Sherrill has the upper hand. His job as the closer may be short lived though, as the Orioles have youngster Chris Ray recovering from surgery and likely to return in 2009. Keep an eye on this closer situation, if Sherrill wins the job he is definitely worth drafting. Mickolio won’t have any fantasy value this season; although, he may end up in the pros at some point. Butler and Tillman are both young prospects and guys who are not going to make their debut at any point during this season. However, these guys have the potential to be at the front of this Baltimore rotation eventually.
Other Notes:
- Keep an eye on the Orioles, as they are likely not done dealing. Brian Roberts is rumored to be heading to the Cubs in exchange for some kind of package including Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno. I’m sure other names have been involved but these are the ones I hear most consistently. Hopefully Angelos doesn’t break up another solid rebuilding mode trade.
- The Oakland A’s know that Joe Blanton is the best available arm left in free agency or the trade market, and they are trying to cash that in big time. They have reportedly asked the dodgers for both Andre Ethier and Andy LaRoche along with another prospect. That is an awfully high demand, and if I were the Dodgers I would have hung up the phone pretty quickly.
