Fox Sports: Look for the O's to start moving veterans.

[SrMeowMeow]

His sentence is correct. You say the easier to get thing first. "You don't have a dime, let alone a dollar."

[TyCobb]

His sentence is correct. You say the easier to get thing first. "You don't have a dime, let alone a dollar."

Ahhh. I stand corrected. English isn't my strong suit.

[RShack]

Ahhh. I stand corrected. English isn't my strong suit.

What language did you grow up speaking?

[Ven6]

I, for one, am really encouraged by BB's post.

Guthrie will get something good. His current ERA won't change that. And saying "we shoulda dealt him last year" ignores a simple fact: we've now seen the positive development of several young pitchers at multiple levels. We now know enough to feel comfortable trading away our "ace."

Moving Huff makes sense if we get someone we know can contribute (a ML ready player.) Guys 2 years away have too many question marks. I see the logic. Or you take the picks.

Baez, thank our stars for his performance.

And keeping Scott unless totally blown away sounds just fine.

I'm with ya, AM.

[RShack]

Guthrie will get something good. His current ERA won't change that. And saying "we shoulda dealt him last year" ignores a simple fact: we've now seen the positive development of several young pitchers at multiple levels. We now know enough to feel comfortable trading away our "ace."

I don't buy it. Just a few weeks ago, nobody was going 5 IP and suddenly people are talking like the O's have plenty of sure-thing SP's? You don't have sure-thing SP's until you actually have them. Acting like we have a surplus of good SP's is downright bizarre.

I'll believe they're trading Guthrie when I see it. Seems pretty goofy to me. I don't see how we're getting any true difference-makers for him, and he's worth tons more to the O's than would be the trade return if all we got was spare parts, marginal guys, or mediocre prospects.

[Ven6]

I don't buy it. Just a few weeks ago, nobody was going 5 IP and suddenly people are talking like the O's have plenty of sure-thing SP's? You don't have sure-thing SP's until you actually have them. Acting like we have a surplus of good SP's is downright bizarre.

I'll believe they're trading Guthrie when I see it. Seems pretty goofy to me. I don't see how we're getting any true difference-makers for him, and he's worth tons more to the O's than would be the trade return if all we got was spare parts, marginal guys, or mediocre prospects.

Slow down there, sport. Nobody said anything about "sure thing." And I'm just going off what Big Bird is hearing, and he's hearing Guthrie. I think that could be very shrewd. Risky, yes, because of the no sure thing rule. But shrewd in that a lot of teams could use a #3 who throws 95 and eats innings down the stretch. Now, as far as what we would get back, does that bolded part you wrote sound like our Andy MacPhail? No, it does not.

[health55]

Manny Parra was sent down by the Brewers this weekend. Maybe Guthrie appeals to them.

With the demotion of Manny Parra (and his 7.52 ERA), the Brewer starting rotation lacks a lefthander. Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik could help his former team by making a lefty -- Wisconsin native Jarrod Washburn -- available for a low-level prospect, a price far lower than what Jeremy Guthrie would cost. Zduriencik, whose skills as a talent evaulator built Milwaukee into a playoff team, is quite familiar with the Brewer prospects.

[elsid]

I see Scot Shields is out for the season so the Angels could have interest in Baez.

Also, depending on if they want to try to contend this year, the Rays have both Percival and Isringhausen contemplating retirement on the DL.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I don't buy it. Just a few weeks ago, nobody was going 5 IP and suddenly people are talking like the O's have plenty of sure-thing SP's? You don't have sure-thing SP's until you actually have them. Acting like we have a surplus of good SP's is downright bizarre.

I'll believe they're trading Guthrie when I see it. Seems pretty goofy to me. I don't see how we're getting any true difference-makers for him, and he's worth tons more to the O's than would be the trade return if all we got was spare parts, marginal guys, or mediocre prospects.

Is he worth more to the Orioles than if we got Nolan Reimold, Brad Bergesen and George Sherrill for him? Depending on your perspective, that's two "mediocre prospects" and one "marginal guy/spare part"

[RShack]

Is he worth more to the Orioles than if we got Nolan Reimold, Brad Bergesen and George Sherrill for him? Depending on your perspective, that's two "mediocre prospects" and one "marginal guy/spare part"

No, it's not. You listed 3 guys who came out the other end. They have zilch to do with the many, many guys who never made it.

Just because somebody wins the lottery, that doesn't mean it's a good investment to buy lottery tickets...

[Arthur_Bryant]

Probably because there's a timetable, and AM isn't interested in just kicking the can down the road forever.

At some point, the team needs to be ready to win, instead of just hoping to do it one mystery day in the vague future when they reach the end of the rainbow.

Agree 100 p.c.

IMO even with their recent troubles, the O's in the past few weeks have become a team that can realistically look at next season as a time when they should concentrate resources on the major league roster.

They have crossed the threshold.

It's been a long time since that could be realistically said of the O's, and man it feels great to say it.

[Anonymous]

I, for one, am really encouraged by BB's post.

Guthrie will get something good. His current ERA won't change that. And saying "we shoulda dealt him last year" ignores a simple fact: we've now seen the positive development of several young pitchers at multiple levels. We now know enough to feel comfortable trading away our "ace."

Moving Huff makes sense if we get someone we know can contribute (a ML ready player.) Guys 2 years away have too many question marks. I see the logic. Or you take the picks.

Baez, thank our stars for his performance.

And keeping Scott unless totally blown away sounds just fine.

I'm with ya, AM.

I know you didn't initiate the idea, Ven. But I don't see the relevance of ML readiness in evaluating whether or not the return for Huff is sufficient to make it a worthwhile deal. High-end prospects aren't good enough?

Also, I don't see how we can count on getting the picks.

[Tx Oriole]

Whoa, wtf?! Guthrie won't move.

I hope the team can move Guthrie. Thye don't need him at all. Tere is pitchng to take his palce. IMO

[wildcard]

We all know MacPhail. I have no doubt that he will be talking about moving Baez, Guthrie, Huff and Scott. However, he will ask alot and talk is all that will come from most of it.

Baez is the most likely to go. If someone offers to take his salary and gives a good prospect he will be dealt. MacPhail will haggle for all he can get.

Its really hard to put together a solid rotation for 2010 without Guthrie. After Bergy, Tillman and Arrieta it gets pretty iffy. Its hard to count of Hernandez, Patton, Hill, Koji or Berken quite yet. For that reason I think it will take a major deal for MacPhail to trade Guthrie before the offseason. He will need to see progress from those five guys before he moves Guthrie.

From where Matusz's development is right now I don't think he will be ready to start next year. He has a major jump to make at AA and another major jump to the majors.

Huff - I agree that it will take someone offering a piece of the puzzle for the future. If that player is young and talented MacPhail might trade Huff. Otherwise, MacPhail will wait to see if Huff turns it on like 2008 or wanders through the year like his 2006-7 seasons before he decides what to do with him.

Scott - Anyone is available for the right price but it will take at least two players that can exceed his future to pry him free from the O's. May three.

[Anonymous]

We all know MacPhail. I have no doubt that he will be talking about moving Baez, Guthrie, Huff and Scott. However, he will ask alot and talk is all that will come from most of it.

Baez is the most likely to go. If someone offers to take his salary and gives a good prospect he will be dealt. MacPhail will haggle for all he can get.

Its really hard to put together a solid rotation for 2010 without Guthrie. After Bergy, Tillman and Arrieta it gets pretty iffy. Its hard to count of Hernandez, Patton, Hill, Koji or Berken quite yet. For that reason I think it will take a major deal for MacPhail to trade Guthrie before the offseason. He will need to see progress from those five guys before he moves Guthrie.

From where Matusz's development is right now I don't think he will be ready to start next year. He has a major jump to make at AA and another major jump to the majors.

Huff - I agree that it will take someone offering a piece of the puzzle for the future. If that player is young and talented MacPhail might trade Huff. Otherwise, MacPhail will wait to see if Huff turns it on like 2008 or wanders through the year like his 2006-7 seasons before he decides what to do with him.

Scott - Anyone is available for the right price but it will take at least two players that can exceed his future to pry him free from the O's. May three.

In an ideal world, you make sure your bases are covered for 2010 before you trade Guthrie for help that would mostly come to fruition in 2011 and beyond. In the real world, if you can attract a blow-me-away offer for Guts this year, do you turn that down because there's a more-than-even chance that it hurts any modest opportunity you may otherwise have at making a run for the playoffs in 2010? At this point, it turns into a dilemma which can neither be dismissed out-of-hand nor embraced automatically. Sometimes, though, you have to shave your probability on a near-term playoff run if the long-term gain looks enticing enough.