Roberts Must Go

[Boston Dave]

best two guys gets him, especially if they take back a bad contract like Gibbons, Huff, etc. But I don't give him away. I want quality,and at least one top positional talent.

[TheBee]

+1

I don't want to give Roberts away, but IMO trading him is better for the long term good of the franchise

Yep - same as Bedard. I was never in favor of just giving him away. They are valuable players to a contender. So, you work to the best deal you can get. If the return is fair, pull the trigger. If you don't feel for some reason the return is fair, you hold onto him and try again later. Sounds wishy-washy, but it isn't. Bedard deal is fair - looking at the market, so you make it.

[luismatos]

I really think that the only way I trade Roberts to the cubs is if Pie and Marmol are coming back, or Miller from the Indians...I don't think either of those happens. So, keep him. He's one of the best second basemen in the league, one of the best leadoff hitters, one of the best people, and a lifetime (so far) oriole. That is not something you want to give away for marginal talent.

[japes121]

Ok well here are your 2 options:

1) You guys keep Roberts and come in last place the next 2 years and then he leaves.

2) You trade Roberts for Gallagher, Cedeno, Murton and come in last place the next 2 years but at least you'll have these guys the years after that and theres a chance they can actually turn into good players for you.

Or option 3: we wait, maybe until the deadline, for someone gives us the offer we want. If the cubbies want him so badly right now, for the entire season, then they can ante up. We can trade him at any time, because we are going to be bad regardless. The pressure is on them in my mind.

[Mackus]

I really think that the only way I trade Roberts to the cubs is if Pie and Marmol are coming back.

Holy hell! You'd get laughed out of the business if that was a serious offer. MacPhail would be doing an amazing job to get either of these guys included, yet alone both.

[glenn__davis]

Ok well here are your 2 options:

1) You guys keep Roberts and come in last place the next 2 years and then he leaves.

2) You trade Roberts for Gallagher, Cedeno, Murton and come in last place the next 2 years but at least you'll have these guys the years after that and theres a chance they can actually turn into good players for you.

I don't know all the rules behind it, I'll admit, but I would assume we'd get a draft pick or two if he left, no?

Having said that, I'd probably do the Gallagher, Murton, Cedeno/Patterson deal. Murton is very valuable, and I'd be very excited to add Gallagher to our stable of arms. I just have no idea what to make of Cedeno or Patterson.

I think people on here expect a little too much for Roberts, but that's just my opinion.

[Attack Poodle]

I really think that the only way I trade Roberts to the cubs is if Pie and Marmol are coming back, or Miller from the Indians...I don't think either of those happens. So, keep him. He's one of the best second basemen in the league, one of the best leadoff hitters, one of the best people, and a lifetime (so far) oriole. That is not something you want to give away for marginal talent.

Add Gibbons and you can have Zambrano and Hill as well.

[Skeptical]

Would you really consider Gallagher/Cedeno/etc. a great return of prospects?

At this point I'd rather have the first round pick in 2 years than that.

You cannot be serious. It's important to get value for Roberts, but why would you ever say that you'd rather wait for a guy to reach free agency so you can get one pick? Roberts is worth three players. Roberts is not worth a future draft pick. That is lunacy.

[Camden_yardbird]

Im all for trading Roberts, but not for the proposed trade with the cubs. Maybe Murton, Gallager, and Cedeno gets it done but I am not that high on cedeno, murton fills a secondary need (provided the Bedard trade goes through), and Gallager's projections haven't impressed me.

If the O's could find another team I would be all for it, but given the pace of the Bedard trade I doubt that happens before the season.

I don't mind going into the season with Roberts on the team. Roberts will have the same trade value at the deadline as he does right now. I think he will have roughly the same trade value next offseason too. I also think that if the team turns around that he might sign an extension.

I am not missing the point of the thread starter though. There is a culture of losing that has to be removed from the Orioles recent past, and I agree. Though I believe that if Roberts signs an extension because the team has turned around that is a sign of the team turning the corner. That would be an allstar player chosing to sign with the Orioles because of their direction, and not because of the money they throw at him.

[Sports Guy]

2 ways to look at holding onto BRob until the deadline:

1) Roberts is a better first half player than second half player...He could have a very good first half and up his value and allow us to get more talent back.

or

2) Because he is a better first half player, teams will be wary about giving up too much when they have him at what is likely to be his lesser months.

Combine these options with the idea that if you get him for the start of the season, you get him at his peak, his contract and the idea that positional talent NORMALLY fetches more in the offseason than the regular season and i think you have all the reason you need to look to deal him now.

Now, i don't give him away...The deal has to be good...But people saying that we need to be blown out of the water to deal Roberts right now are being absurd IMO.

[Mackus]

Now, i don't give him away...The deal has to be good...But people saying that we need to be blown out of the water to deal Roberts right now are being absurd IMO.

Cards on the table:

If the best deal we get offered for Roberts right now is Gallagher, Murton, and Cedeno, do you make the deal?

[pollaxt]

You cannot be serious. It's important to get value for Roberts, but why would you ever say that you'd rather wait for a guy to reach free agency so you can get one pick? Roberts is worth three players. Roberts is not worth a future draft pick. That is lunacy.

Yes, I'd rather have 2 years of Roberts leading off with either the possibility of waiting out for a better return in a trade or a draft pick then trade for mediocrity, even if there are three of them. In 2 years, the Cedenos and Gallaghers of the world are not going to be the keys to overtaking Boston and the Yankees. Not in 5 years either.

[Sports Guy]

Cards on the table:

If the best deal we get offered for Roberts right now is Gallagher, Murton, and Cedeno, do you make the deal?

Absolutely....I am not in love with the deal but I make it.

Of course, I would also look to then trade Scott elsewhere.

[Skeptical]

So instead of rolling the dice on filling three positions or flipping a guy like Murton to the Padres for another piece of the puzzle, you would prefer to let Roberts walk when we still aren't competitive in two years and he wants to actually make the playoffs.

Now I realize it isn't guaranteed that he would walk in two years, but the chances of a 32-year old 2B sticking with a team that has been in last place or second to last place for his entire career are very low. And the idea of letting Roberts walk in two years and getting a draft pick is not the way to be successful. If you think that Gallagher, Murton, and Cedeno might not pan out, then why are you putting your stock in a compensatory draft pick?! That doesn't make any sense man.

[El Gordo]

. He will bring back a great return for this organization, in the form of prospects. It will allow the franchise to start over and start fresh.

QUOTE]This is a good reason to trade BRob, if the prospects are indeed great return. The rest of this post is boloney IMO.