Zaun to the Rays

[Nigel Tufnel]

Maybe so and that is something he probably wasn't looking at although i don't know for certain. I do know the main point he was making is he thinks they are showing signs now of not thinking seriously about competing with this team for at least another three years. That was his point and it is quite possible he could be right.

But Sherrill was just a more or less unknown 31 year old middle innings guy when he came to the O's. It was only then that he was made into a closer and became a star. Does your friend think that could never happen with another player?

[PHRESH]

Typical, a thousand people upset the other day that Zaun was even allowed to bat in the 9th and now it is like we are losing Johnny Bench. Moeller is fine as a Sunday catcher and Zaun is going to net us a player. No big deal as far as I am concerned.

Haha, I'm with you! I actually find it quite humorous.

[RShack]

Typical, a thousand people upset the other day that Zaun was even allowed to bat in the 9th and now it is like we are losing Johnny Bench. Moeller is fine as a Sunday catcher and Zaun is going to net us a player. No big deal as far as I am concerned.

Some folks only like our players when they're gone. As long as they're Orioles, they love to diss them...

[Ned from York]

Any chance we didn't trade the option year? Is that possible? Essentially a loaner player with TB paying the rest of this year but the O's retaining the option. It let's MW get his ABs the rest of the year and Zaun his while still having him as a very good backup C next year. Just some out of the box thinking that I don't know if it is even legal.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Any chance we didn't trade the option year? Is that possible? Essentially a loaner player with TB paying the rest of this year but the O's retaining the option. It let's MW get his ABs the rest of the year and Zaun his while still having him as a very good backup C next year. Just some out of the box thinking that I don't know if it is even legal.

I can't see any possible way that's legal, but then again maybe it's a "Kelly now catching for Boston" situation...

[Arthur_Bryant]

Does this mean the beginning of the Caleb Joseph era? :2yay-thumb: Time to break out the banana dance.

Not for at least a year, sorry.

He's still in Frederick. Let's see how he adjusts to AA first.

[Arthur_Bryant]

MLB

Didn't many OHers have interest in Meloan back when he was in the Dodgers' system? Could he potentially be the PTBNL?

That's the guy. He was supposed to top off the Bedard deal (on top of Kemp, Loney, and Kershaw... Right...).

Two years ago Meloan was as untouchable as a MiL reliever could be. He looked like the next Dodgers' closer for sure. Then they decided that they wanted him to start, which he hadn't done since 2005. They put him into the rotation at Las Vegas, and when that didn't work out they sent him to Cleveland in the Casey Blake deal. He hasn't done squat since then.

I wonder if he might've gotten hurt while starting?

He would be a great pickup if there's even a chance that he can get back to his 2007 form.

[jerios55]

Will do. Awesome to know you guys are taking advantage of our Twitter info. We'll try to keep it fresh-er.

I have twitter set to text me right away. I signed up just for O's news.

Thanks for the quick update. :clap3:

[foxfield]

Deleted it for you and the board.

Sorry bout that.

Wow, admission of error.....rep to you!

[wildcard]

I just read 15 pages of comments waiting for someone to come up with the guess that I have.

The O's just traded Zaun for Iwamura. He is a PTBNL because the O's want to see him rehab his knee before they accept him. The alternative is cash.

Iwamura played 3B part of the first year with Tampa. He would be the O's stop gap 3B next year and bat 2nd in the order putting a high OBP guy between Roberts and the RBI guys. His three year OBP is .356.

Here is what MLB.com Fantasy New has to say about Iwamura on JULY 29th:

Akinori Iwamura took ground balls on Tuesday for the first time since injuring his knee in late May, and he will do the same on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from surgery last month.

There is still no timetable as to when Iwamura can begin a Minor League rehab stint, and a large, bulky brace remains on his knee. If Iwamura returns as early as expected, in mid-to -late August, there's been no decision yet about what his role will be. Ben Zobrist has emerged as an All-Star second baseman in his absence.

COTS contracts says:

Akinori Iwamura inf

3 years/$7.7M (2007-09), plus 2010 club option

signed by Tampa Bay 12/06

07:$1.8M, 08:$2.4M, 09:$3.25M, 10:$4.25M club option ($0.25M buyout)

2010 option may increase to $5.25M ($0.75M buyout) based on PAs, 07-09

contract includes clause requiring TB to sign Iwamura to extension by end of the deal or release him (effectively granting him free agency early)agent: Alan Nero, CSMG

________

So if Tampa does not trade him by the end of his deal. Maybe the end of the season, he would become a FA because he has no role in Tampa..

What do you think? Am I smoking funny stuff here?

[TyCobb]

I have a feeling the player we get will be pretty decent. Zaun is having a pretty great year for himself. Maybe we can get a 15-20 level prospect.

[ChrisP]

Interesting...They needed another hurt Japanese player? Maybe Koji needed a friend.

edit...missed that it was a guess...

[Skeletor]

They DFA'd Meloan. Not sure if that makes it more likely he's the guy or not.

[Tony-OH]

I've done some checking around with different sources and this is what I've pieced together. Before I do this, I want to repeat that I don't know any of this for sure. I'm not reporting this on the front page, just spreading what I heard through some decent sources.

First of all, Zaun was not a Trembley guy. Zaun has a pretty high opinion of himself and wants to start. I was told Zaun is not a bad egg per se, but since he and Trembley supposedly did not see eye to eye on some things, the thought may have been that it's better to let Zaun go once he was claimed on waivers by Tampa Bay since Chad Moeller is a Crash Davis type guy, minus the minor league power the fictional Davis had. Moeller is a guy who knows and accepts his role, works extremely well with young pitchers, and will be glad to help out Wieters.

With less than two months left in the season, the orioles may look at this as a win-win situation. Zaun gets a chance to go to a winner while the team gets a guy who will be glad to play once a week behind Wieters and who is like an extra coach on the bench. Add into the equation that Rick Dempsey's nephew is no longer in Trembley's clubhouse (read into that however you like).

As with Bradford, don't expect much in return if all of this is true.

[Miller192]

I've done some checking around with different sources and this is what I've pieced together. Before I do this, I want to repeat that I don't know any of this for sure. I'm not reporting this on the front page, just spreading what I heard through some decent sources.

First of all, Zaun was not a Trembley guy. Zaun has a pretty high opinion of himself and wants to start. I was told Zaun is not a bad egg per se, but since he and Trembley supposedly did not see eye to eye on some things, the thought may have been that it's better to let Zaun go once he was claimed on waivers by Tampa Bay since Chad Moeller is a Crash Davis type guy, minus the minor league power the fictional Davis had. Moeller is a guy who knows and accepts his role, works extremely well with young pitchers, and will be glad to help out Wieters.

With less than two months left in the season, the orioles may look at this as a win-win situation. Zaun gets a chance to go to a winner while the team gets a guy who will be glad to play once a week behind Wieters and who is like an extra coach on the bench. Add into the equation that Rick Dempsey's nephew is no longer in Trembley's clubhouse (read into that however you like).

As with Bradford, don't expect much in return if all of this is true.

It seems that the veterans are more and more becoming anti-Trembley or just not Trembley guys. I'm somewhat amazed by this as Trembley has always shown respect and given these guys a longer leash than they certainly would have on any other club.

I guess when the sun starts setting on your career, it takes a little while for it to sink in.