BRob News to Come on Thursday?

[Aglets]

thanks for the nice welcome everyone!

I've been an Oriole fan for basically my entire life......i have very fond memories of 2131 and most of the mid-90s even tho I was 10 years old or so at the time.

I started becoming a pretty serious fan around the 2005 season, which was a high and a low for the Orioles in a few ways. Last year I bought season tickets for the first time and I just recently renewed my plan for the 2009 season and am very excited for Opening Day.

I've been a fan of these boards since discovering them in 2008, thanks to the insiders for giving us stuff to talk about, thanks to the guys in charge for keeping this place running, and thanks to the fans for making it fun.

[clapdiddy]

It will definitely be nice to have this behind us. I'm not a big fan of anything more than 3 years. I'd like it to be a 3/30 with a 4th year option and 2 million buyout.

[Dipper9]

No way does MacPhail go to 4 years. In this market, its Roberts' demands that will have to come down. I don't mind paying him extra over those 3 years as long as we don't have to guarantee him a 4th year.

If you're Roberts, do you drop your yearly average to get that fourth year? How does 4/35 sound?

[Joe'sO's]

I don't think McPhail likes the 4th year either but this might be a case where Big Pete bigfoots him. This move isn't being considered on baseball only but the PR aspects also.

[Aglets]

for what it's worth I think both sides will meet in the middle and Roberts will get 3 years with a 4th year option.

[NCRaven]

I don't think McPhail likes the 4th year either but this might be a case where Big Pete bigfoots him. This move isn't being considered on baseball only but the PR aspects also.

I disagree. I think that if MacPhail goes to 4 years it's because, given a choice, he'd rather have Roberts for 4 than 0. Just that simple. Given what we have internally and what is likely to be available in free agency next season, AM may see the 4th year as a necessary evil and reasonable risk. There are sound baseball reasons for re-signing Roberts, not just PR. By the end of his contract, the rest of the team will still be 30 years old (Markakis) or younger (everyone else like Wieters, Jones, Pie, Snyder and possible additions like Rowell and Miclat along with incoming draftees).

[NCRaven]

...but then again who would SG have us trade next??????

Guthrie.... And he might be right...

After this season, given good health and the same quality as the last two seasons, Guthrie could be our most valuable trade commodity. We will have an abudance of young pitching with another year of valuable experience. Tillman, Arrieta and Matusz, along with Bergesen, Hernandez and Berken may all be ready for significant major league time. Hill, Penn, Albers and Patton will have had the opportunity to show that they can be prime time players, as well. That's ten potential major league ready starters not counting a holdover like Uehara and even younger starters like Erbe, Britton and Spoone.

As a quality starter, with two years remaining (after this season) under team control, Guthrie will be in the same situation as Bedard last year. Do I expect to get 5 for 1 for Guthrie. No, but I would expect a very solid return.

[Ruzious]

It might make sense to front load it somewhat for both sides. Obviously, it's better for the player, but it also coincides with his likely production and makes it easier on future higher team payrolls - when the likes of Jones, Markakis, et al make more money.

[fearthenoodle]

It will be interesting to see if Belkast or Bigbird think this thing winds down in the next 48 hours as well.

[SilentJames]

My prediction is three garaunteed with a fourth option year.

[msporter4]

My predicition is were going to be giving him alot more money than the current climate dictates.

[Elon Os Fan]

I think he will get 4 years, but not a 10M a year.

4 years 36M gets it done.

[jamessemaj]

Are sure whether a new B-Rob contract would void his deal this year or add on to it?

[brvn52]

3/30 is my guess. No 4th year whatsoever in this market IMO

[Mackus]

Are sure whether a new B-Rob contract would void his deal this year or add on to it?

Most of us are assuming that it would start next year.