Here goes

[Sports Guy]

But the question is, how will you feel if he isn't traded?

The MacPhail didn't get the value we SHOULD get?

That MacPhail is over-valuing Bedard and should have made a deal?

It will be based entirely on the offers....If we can get Jones, Clement and Sherrill and that is the best we can do, I feel we should make that trade...Flip Clement for a SS, give Sherrill the closer's role and then flip him at the deadline.

That way, you maximize what you get for Bedard.

I wouldn't make the reported Cinci trade because after Cueto and Votto, it is garbage...If you add in Encarnacion, Hamilton or Maloney and Stubbs, I make the deal but not as it is currently constructed.

I don't feel we HAVE to get a very good 4th player for Bedard although it would obviously be nice. But if the rest of the package is very good, that is enough.

[bigbird]

Bigbird, I heard AM doesn't feel he has to trade Bedard.....Are you hearing the same thing???

Exactly...If we don't get the quality of package we are looking for he will not be traded...

[Fan4Life]

It will be based entirely on the offers....If we can get Jones, Clement and Sherrill and that is the best we can do, I feel we should make that trade...Flip Clement for a SS, give Sherrill the closer's role and then flip him at the deadline.

That way, you maximize what you get for Bedard.

I wouldn't make the reported Cinci trade because after Cueto and Votto, it is garbage...If you add in Encarnacion, Hamilton or Maloney and Stubbs, I make the deal but not as it is currently constructed.

I don't feel we HAVE to get a very good 4th player for Bedard although it would obviously be nice. But if the rest of the package is very good, that is enough.

So if the M's deal has Jones in it, is it still possible the others coming back aren't enough to make the deal? Suppose it is Jones, Clement, and a nobody, or Jones, and 2 guys like Sherrill?

[Aloe]

I knew the offers for Bedard and Roberts weren't good enough or they would have been traded by now.

[Aloe]

Exactly...If we don't get the quality of package we are looking for he will not be traded...

Good for AM. I don't know what teams are thinking? Eric Bedard is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball in my opinion. Listen up baseball. If you want him it's going to cost alot.

[Fla_O'sfan]

Good for AM. I don't know what teams are thinking? Eric Bedard is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball in my opinion. Listen up baseball. If you want him it's going to cost alot.

The trouble is...next year you get less for them, and the following year you get nothing.

[Jagwar]

Exactly...If we don't get the quality of package we are looking for he will not be traded...

But shouldn't there be a distinction between what the O's are looking for, and what the best they realistically can expect for Bedard?

[JTrea81]

Exactly...If we don't get the quality of package we are looking for he will not be traded...

But what kind of package are we looking for? Jones and Clement are two top prospects, as are Votto and Cueto. Haren didn't even net that much talent and he's under control for three years and has been better and is younger than Bedard. At some point MacPhail has to lower his demands, otherwise he risks losing these packages which are pretty nice. Bedard is not extending so if he is injured or is less effective, his stock will plummet and the chances of that happening are better than him repeating his success of last year. Bedard has to be traded this offseason or extended. Keeping him is not an option.

[section62]

But what kind of package are we looking for? Jones and Clement are two top prospects, as are Votto and Cueto. Haren didn't even net that much talent and he's under control for three years and has been better and is younger than Bedard. At some point MacPhail has to lower his demands, otherwise he risks losing these packages which are pretty nice. Bedard is not extending so if he is injured or is less effective, his stock will plummet and the chances of that happening are better than him repeating his success of last year. Bedard has to be traded this offseason or extended. Keeping him is not an option.

Or, at some point the other teams will have to raise their offers! The argument that Bedard may get hurt, moves closer to FA, etc, thus lowering his value is one side of the equation. The other side is, he is just as likely to keep performing at a very high level, other teams will have starters get injured, teams that did not expect to contend will contend, and by the All Star break there will be more suitors willing to pay more of a premium for Bedard.

[O's Young Guns]

But what kind of package are we looking for? Jones and Clement are two top prospects, as are Votto and Cueto. Haren didn't even net that much talent and he's under control for three years and has been better and is younger than Bedard. At some point MacPhail has to lower his demands, otherwise he risks losing these packages which are pretty nice. Bedard is not extending so if he is injured or is less effective, his stock will plummet and the chances of that happening are better than him repeating his success of last year. Bedard has to be traded this offseason or extended. Keeping him is not an option.

exactly, but I'm sure some people on this board may jump on you for saying that . If Bedard is here opening day I will be pissed.

-Grant

[Sports Guy]

Or, at some point the other teams will have to raise their offers! The argument that Bedard may get hurt, moves closer to FA, etc, thus lowering his value is one side of the equation. The other side is, he is just as likely to keep performing at a very high level, other teams will have starters get injured, teams that did not expect to contend will contend, and by the All Star break there will be more suitors willing to pay more of a premium for Bedard.

The problem is, teams won't be moving Adam Jones type players at the deadline because they will be contributing to their ML team.

Much better chance of getting a young MLer or ML ready talent right now than in July.

In July, we may get a more talented package(potentially) but that may be a package of players a year or more away from contributing up here.

[Hank Scorpio]

But what kind of package are we looking for? Jones and Clement are two top prospects, as are Votto and Cueto. Haren didn't even net that much talent and he's under control for three years and has been better and is younger than Bedard. At some point MacPhail has to lower his demands, otherwise he risks losing these packages which are pretty nice. Bedard is not extending so if he is injured or is less effective, his stock will plummet and the chances of that happening are better than him repeating his success of last year. Bedard has to be traded this offseason or extended. Keeping him is not an option.

Yes, it is an option.

Of course there is a chance Bedard gets hurt. There is also a chance that he goes out and wins 18 games and leads the league in strikeouts.

Will he be less valuable next year or at the deadline? It's possible, sure... but it's also possible that he is steamrolling through AL lineups and Brad Penny goes down with a season ending injury in May.

I would be more comfortable trading him now, but if we can't get what MacPhail believes is good value for him, we shouldn't take a lesser package. That's not something anyone should ever do.

[Fan4Life]

Or, at some point the other teams will have to raise their offers! The argument that Bedard may get hurt, moves closer to FA, etc, thus lowering his value is one side of the equation. The other side is, he is just as likely to keep performing at a very high level, other teams will have starters get injured, teams that did not expect to contend will contend, and by the All Star break there will be more suitors willing to pay more of a premium for Bedard.

Agreed. There are a lot of variables and most of them are in our favor. Japanese players like Fukudome, Kuroda, could fail miserably in the first half of season along with those teams prospects they want to hold on to... many things can happen.

[JTrea81]

Or, at some point the other teams will have to raise their offers! The argument that Bedard may get hurt, moves closer to FA, etc, thus lowering his value is one side of the equation. The other side is, he is just as likely to keep performing at a very high level, other teams will have starters get injured, teams that did not expect to contend will contend, and by the All Star break there will be more suitors willing to pay more of a premium for Bedard.

This is an extremely large risk to take. If you factor in his age, and the fact that last season was likely his peak, you realize the odds are not that good that he will repeat his success let alone exceed it. Also remember Mazzone who Bedard got along with is no longer here. Bedard didn't take a leap forward until Mazzone arrived, mainly because he hated every pitching coach he had. If he doesn't get along with Kranitz and he has a mechanical flaw, he may not listen to Kranitz and get shelled while trying to correct it on his own. There are many things going against Bedard to repeat let alone exceed his performance of last season and this scenario is only one of them. It's a stupid and careless risk to take, considering you could trade him now and get two future cornerstones. Why hold out for three and risk losing those two?

[GoOs3]

I'm just scared as all heck that Bedard gets injured in April. Then, poof! All the speculation of what we could get goes out the window.

/just our luck

I'm torn. In McPhail we trust; but at the same time, what losing has done to my mindset.