Roberts Trade News Thread

[bigbird]

From Roch:

The only way a deal becomes finalized is after owner Peter Angelos gives his approval. (He didn't return a call from The Sun yesterday.) Roberts is his favorite player, and I'd be surprised if he relinquished the second baseman for pitchers Sean Gallagher and Sean Marshall and middle infielder Ronny Cedeno.

Told you guys where this is being help up;)

[Gurgi]

From Roch:

The only way a deal becomes finalized is after owner Peter Angelos gives his approval. (He didn't return a call from The Sun yesterday.) Roberts is his favorite player, and I'd be surprised if he relinquished the second baseman for pitchers Sean Gallagher and Sean Marshall and middle infielder Ronny Cedeno.

Told you guys where this is being help up;)

I don't think Roch gets better info than some other sources. Anyway it is just speculation on Roch's part.

[Gurgi]

Very, very sad, if true.

Honestly BigBird grinds his axe sometimes. He seems the least neutral of the "inside" sources.

[clapdiddy]

Very, very sad, if true.

Yes...and we the fans will be screwed again because Angelos won't let MacPhail run the team. I'm not saying I'm a huge fan of this deal, but I was looking at the bigger picture of MacPhail being able to make his own moves...and not having Angelos hold things up.

The more things change...

(Again, if this is true!)

[Dr. FLK]

Honestly BigBird grinds his axe sometimes. He seems the least neutral of the "inside" sources.

He posted a quote from Roch. I don't think that was his opinion. You don't agree that it's pretty sad if it's true?

[Gurgi]

Yes...and we the fans will be screwed again because Angelos won't let MacPhail run the team. I'm not saying I'm a huge fan of this deal, but I was looking at the bigger picture of MacPhail being able to make his own moves...and not having Angelos hold things up.

The more things change...

(Again, if this is true!)

If this is true I agree it will be a major blow. I was truely hoping Angelos had decided to step back. The man(Angelos) is not a fulltime GM. He needs to not decide things on emotion. Emotion fogs the truth.

[Gurgi]

Here's a thought and probably not much of one. We keep hearing that a Bedard trade needs to happen before a Roberts deal is struck. Let's assume that's true. Of course, that could be the holdup on the Roberts deal. But here's further food for thought. Thinking along those same lines, could the Cubs package vary on which team we deal Bedard to? If one deal goes down, maybe we get Gallagher, Marshall, & Cedeno. If a different deal goes down perhaps the package is different. Maybe this is why we've seen other names mentioned in the last day or so?

Such a deal can only be pulled off by GM's who REALLY like each other. I guess MacPhail and Hendry might fit that description.

[Mackus]

Angelos is very obviously on board with a rebuilding effort. I don't think there is any doubt about that.

Now, if he steps in and says you can't trade Roberts for that specific package, that we need more to deal him, that's not as bad as him squashing the whole rebuilding effort, nor is it indicative that MacPhail is not in charge. It'd be better if he was completely out of the loop, but it is wholely unreasonable to expect the owner of any team to not have some say in trading away the team's most marketable and community-contributing player.

And Angelos isn't 100% wrong to be stepping in here. Personally I feel that this offer is enough to pull the trigger, but I wouldn't do it right now, because equally as good offers should be out there through July. This offer doesn't blow anybody away despite being fair return, so theres no reason to rush to get it done.

If this was a very good offer he was shutting down, it would mean an entirely different thing than him slowing down the progress on just a fair or marginally acceptable deal.

[sector7g]

I think the Roch quote is being mis understood. He's not saying this deal is being held up by Angelos. He's saying any deal for Roberts would have to go through Angelos (the same as any other major deal) and in his opinion he doesn't believe he'd pass off this particular deal, hence it can't be true (in his opinion).

[blueberryale77]

Mariotti doesn't want it to happen.

"...with Clemens in steroids hell and Barry Bonds headed for a landmark court case, this is no time to acquire Page 158 of the Mitchell Report."

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/734607,011008mariottic.article

But then Mariotti has never been much more than self-serving.

What a completely ignorant moron. He still thinks Roberts was named by Jason Grimsley... or at least he still thinks enough of the public thinks it that he can get away with saying it even though it's not true.

[ON BASE %]

From Roch:

The only way a deal becomes finalized is after owner Peter Angelos gives his approval. (He didn't return a call from The Sun yesterday.) Roberts is his favorite player, and I'd be surprised if he relinquished the second baseman for pitchers Sean Gallagher and Sean Marshall and middle infielder Ronny Cedeno.

Told you guys where this is being help up;)

Thanks for the update BB.

PA better let AM do his job. No interference!!!!

[davearm]

Angelos is very obviously on board with a rebuilding effort. I don't think there is any doubt about that.

Now, if he steps in and says you can't trade Roberts for that specific package, that we need more to deal him, that's not as bad as him squashing the whole rebuilding effort, nor is it indicative that MacPhail is not in charge. It'd be better if he was completely out of the loop, but it is wholely unreasonable to expect the owner of any team to not have some say in trading away the team's most marketable and community-contributing player.

And Angelos isn't 100% wrong to be stepping in here. Personally I feel that this offer is enough to pull the trigger, but I wouldn't do it right now, because equally as good offers should be out there through July. This offer doesn't blow anybody away despite being fair return, so theres no reason to rush to get it done.

If this was a very good offer he was shutting down, it would mean an entirely different thing than him slowing down the progress on just a fair or marginally acceptable deal.

Gotta disagree here Mack.

Angelos is well within his rights as owner to declare Roberts offlimits.

But if he's agreed to make him available, then at that point he needs to step back and entrust his FO to do their jobs. Angelos is an attorney, not a baseball talent evaluator. MacPhail and his staff are the talent evaluators.

Just think for a second about what it implies about Angelos' view of MacPhail's competency if MacPhail comes to Angelos with a deal, only for Angelos to tell him, "sorry that's not good enough."

It implies Angelos knows better about what MacPhail's been hired to do than MacPhail does.

[JTrea81]

Might as well lock this thread now with the new info that's out there. Roberts isn't going anywhere for now...

[ON BASE %]

Gotta disagree here Mack.

Angelos is well within his rights as owner to declare Roberts offlimits.

But if he's agreed to make him available, then at that point he needs to step back and entrust his FO to do their jobs. Angelos is an attorney, not a baseball talent evaluator. MacPhail and his staff are the talent evaluators.

Just think for a second about what it implies about Angelos' view of MacPhail's competency if MacPhail comes to Angelos with a deal, only for Angelos to tell him, "sorry that's not good enough."

It implies Angelos knows better about what MacPhail's been hired to do than MacPhail does.

I can't disagree with that at all. But then I am within my rights as a customer to refuse to purchase tickets to the team owned by Angelos.

[Mackus]

Gotta disagree here Mack.

Angelos is well within his rights as owner to declare Roberts offlimits.

But if he's agreed to make him available, then at that point he needs to step back and entrust his FO to do their jobs. Angelos is an attorney, not a baseball talent evaluator. MacPhail and his staff are the talent evaluators.

Just think for a second about what it implies about Angelos' view of MacPhail's competency if MacPhail comes to Angelos with a deal, only for Angelos to tell him, "sorry that's not good enough."

It implies Angelos knows better about what MacPhail's been hired to do than MacPhail does.

Maybe its just my opinion that this trade, while enough to ultimately pull the trigger, wouldn't be enough for me to rush it through that is swaying my opinion here. I don't like that Angelos is meddling, but I don't hate that this specific trade is not going through right now.

If PA has completely pulled Roberts off the trade block, then I'm pissed.