For What It's Worth...

[66-70-83-??]

I agree with that. But again, this is rumor. If he really doesn't want to be here, why would his agent entertain a multi year extension. Why not just request a trade?

It doesn't add up.

Peace, I am confused. Help me out- I have read all your posts here and you say his agent is "all ears" about an extension, yet Bedard doesn't want to play here.

He milks injuries and takes himself out of games solely for the purpose of avoiding the media (I would look for reasons to talk to Amber, but thats just me ), but we are supposed to "beg" him to stay and offer him a Zito like deal ?

Is that correct ?

Like the classic movie line... "what we have hear is a failure to communicate".

Sounds like a slam dunk divorce case all around - Bedard/O's, Bedard and his agent.

[AgentOrange]

Not only this, if he doesn't want to be here, why are we even bothering to offer him an extension?

To save face with the fans?

Either that or to show players that you have an organization that will reward players coming through the system with resonable contracts when they are due.

If we just trade without offering a resonable contract, it may show the guys in the minors that we will just let you grow and get kings ransom when we get to a star level.

[Dipper9]

And what the heck does that do for us? Sweet we get to boo another former Oriole...

I'd rather deal Bedard before he turns down an extension offer, therefore forcing our hand to trade him. If other teams know that we basically have to deal him, the offers will be lower...

Oh JT, don't get started with this WIFM in regards to MacPhail again. The Orioles are doing the right thing by offering an extension. If Bedard turns it down, you trade him. Simple as that. There is NO harm in trying to get him extended!

[JTrea81]

Either that or to show players that you have an organization that will reward players coming through the system with resonable contracts when they are due.

If we just trade without offering a resonable contract, it may show the guys in the minors that we will just let you grow and get kings ransom when we get to a star level.

That hasn't stopped talent from signing with the Oakland A's...

[Sports Guy]

Belkast...Have you heard any mention of an extension for Markakis?

[Belkast]

Belkast...Have you heard any mention of an extension for Markakis?

No extension for him right now! I think Nick will be here for a very long time and will get his money soon enough!

[AgentOrange]

That hasn't stopped talent from signing with the Oakland A's...

Wow, you act as if they don't sign any of their players.

They do, but they are under a budget concern that is well documented around the league.

The Orioles? Not so much. If we are unloading, we not doing it because we don't have the money.

[TinCup]

It doesn't add up.

Peace, I am confused. Help me out- I have read all your posts here and you say his agent is "all ears" about an extension, yet Bedard doesn't want to play here.

He milks injuries and takes himself out of games solely for the purpose of avoiding the media (I would look for reasons to talk to Amber, but thats just me ), but we are supposed to "beg" him to stay and offer him a Zito like deal ?

Is that correct ?

Like the classic movie line... "what we have hear is a failure to communicate".Sounds like a slam dunk divorce case all around - Bedard/O's, Bedard and his agent.

Ah yes, Cool Hand Luke, as uttered by the great Strother Martin, and again by ol' Cool Hand himself...

"What we got here, is ... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week. Which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don't like it anymore than you men."

[Dipper9]

All of these trade threads bring me to one conclusion. Regardless of what MacPhail and the Orioles do, half of the fans will be happy, the other half will be upset. Like bigbird used to say, we need to just hold on for the ride and see what happens!

[AgentOrange]

This might be too simple, but how about this? The Orioles recognize that Bedard is a great talent and would like to keep him, IF he wants to pitch here for a great, but reasonable extension. IF he doesn't, they will try to move him for the best package available. This other stuff is just muddying the waters. IF Bedard signs, these other issues will magically disappear overnight, IMO. Until the next inury, of course.

Well this is exactly what I am saying. Offer him a resonable contract but don't overspend if that is what you think it will take to keep him. Offer something to him that you think is fair and are willing to pay to have him around. If he declines, that is on him. But I think we need to make an effort.

[JTrea81]

Wow, you act as if they don't sign any of their players.

They do, but they are under a budget concern that is well documented around the league.

The Orioles? Not so much. If we are unloading, we not doing it because we don't have the money.

Well they traded Hudson and Mulder and let Giambi, Tejada and Zito walk. The only real star from their team they re-signed was Chavez...

[blueberryale77]

The character assasination has already begun. What injuries did he milk? The Tommy John surgery. The strained tendon in his knee, where he pitched with a knee brace after his return, or the oblique muscle, which has kept hitters out just as long. His makeup was questioned before last season and all he did was go out and have a great year. If his makeup was so bad, they why did he work so hard to get back from TJ surgery, rehabilitate his knee, and have one of the alltime best seasons of any O's pitcher ever? This stuff smells of being disliked by the press, if you ask me.

What does a knee brace prove? That doesn't tell you anything about how much pain he was actually in. It seemed at the time of his knee injury that the team wasn't too happy with his rehab effort or his communication with them about it. With the oblique the issue it isn't as much that he didn't pitch for the rest of the season as that he gave up on the possibility so quickly and completely left the team, while at the same time Jeremy Guthrie suffered the same injury a week later and worked his tail off to get back and make a start before the end of the season. Sure maybe Bedard pulled his oblique more severely, but he didn't seem to put anything like the same level of effort into trying to return from it. There's also the issue of taking himself out of games, and the new allegation brought up in this thread that part of his reason for that might be to escape the media.

Do we have proof that he's milked injuries? No. But there are certainly guys getting tarred and feathered for steroid use among other things that we have as little or less evidence against. Sports are entertainment and for better or for worse, "image is everything." Bedard has given a lot of people the impression that he's not the most tough or competitive guy in the world (or for that matter, the most considerate and accommodating of people his job requires him to do business with) and that, along with the fact that he's never pitched a full season without missing significant time (which may or may not have anything to do with his mental makeup), is going to be something that factors in when it comes time for a team to assess his overall value as a pitcher. I'm sure there are steps he could take to try to correct that if he wanted to, but media and fan relations is part of the game and paying just a little more attention to that aspect would surely benefit his career.

[blueberryale77]

I was under the opinion Bedard was just a shy guy who wanted his privacy, not a media hater. Regardless, if he can't be reasonably extended, we trade him this year.

Those two descriptions are one and the same, it's just a matter of who's doing the describing.

[AgentOrange]

Well they traded Hudson and Mulder and let Giambi, Tejada and Zito walk. The only real star from their team they re-signed was Chavez...

Again, you are better than this. The A's have a budget. We really don't.

[JTrea81]

Again, you are better than this. The A's have a budget. We really don't.

Maybe under MacPhail we are going to start to, granted it will be larger than Oakland's but we can't afford to pay every SP 15 million a season to pitch for us so eventually some guys will be traded. Professional baseball players know that baseball is a business and when you are in the minors you are potentially playing for 32 teams not just your own. Unfortunately this is a double edged sword because due to baseball being the business it is there is no real team loyality anymore...