bigpapi349

if bellhorn can come back and play like he did at the end of last season, he should start. thats a big IF though. But the one thing i like about TONY G is that he doesnt strike out nearly as much as bellhorn. He gets on base and thats important for a number 9 hitter. Bellhorn-109 K's in 84 games (48 walks) BA-.216 Graffanino- 28 K's in 59 games (23 walks) BA-.302 id like to see a platoon with tony g starting against rightys and bellhorn against lefties. cora would be a good late inning defensive replacement

palm beach post - The Orioles are not the only team pursuing Burnett. The Boston Red Sox still are said to be intent on landing the right-hander. But multiple industry sources said they felt a trade with Boston, if it happened, would come closer to July 31.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.trade23jul23,1,909673.story?coll=bal-sports-baseball Orioles slow down pursuit of Burnett Team wants to keep Penn, is wary of extension issue By Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec Sun Staff Originally published July 23, 2005 Several new wrinkles have emerged in the Orioles' two week-long pursuit of Florida Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett, including potentially dealing beleaguered starter Sidney Ponson, but the holdups apparently haven't changed. If anything, one club source said, the Orioles are even more reticent to trade top pitching prospect Hayden Penn, relievers Jorge Julio and Steve Kline and outfielder Larry Bigbie because they don't believe Burnett will sign a contract extension. The source said the team, including owner Peter Angelos, has cooled on the idea of dealing for the 28-year-old Burnett because he is expected to file for free agency at season's end - making him a two-month rental. And there are those within the organization who wonder if Burnett, who has never won more than 12 games in a season, would make the transition to the American League quickly enough to lead the Orioles to a postseason berth. To further hamstring the proposed deal with Florida, the Orioles have all but decided they don't want to acquire Florida third baseman Mike Lowell, even if half of the $21 million owed to him through 2007 is picked up by the Marlins or another team. If Lowell and Penn, a 20-year-old right-hander considered the Orioles' best minor league pitcher, were removed from the deal, the Orioles would be more apt to trade Julio and others for Burnett, the source said. Since the Orioles are not the only team interested in Burnett, though, it's unlikely the Marlins would jump at such an offer. The source refused to pronounce the Florida deal dead, but said it was "highly unlikely" that the trade will happen if it involved Lowell or Penn. The Orioles had hoped to get a 72-hour negotiating window and persuade Burnett to play in Baltimore, near where his wife grew up in Bowie. But the Orioles are resigned that Burnett, only two months away from testing the free-agent waters, wouldn't agree to an extension now. He is believed to be seeking a four-year deal worth at least $8 million a year. Any contract extension with the Orioles would have to represent "free-agent-type money," one industry source said. The Orioles have been reluctant in the past to give such large deals to pitchers. Meanwhile, the Orioles front office continues to look at other ways to fortify the team for a stretch run, and Ponson has become the latest prominent Oriole mentioned in trade talks. One growing possibility, according to several industry sources, would be to trade Ponson to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Richard Hidalgo, who makes $5 million in 2005 but is a free agent at season's end. The Orioles would have to absorb most, if not all, of Ponson's salary to make that happen, one industry source said. The Orioles also have talked to San Diego about trading Ponson for first baseman Phil Nevin, who is owed $11 million next year. Nevin, 34, is hitting .262 with nine homers and 47 RBIs after a season in which he hit 26 home runs and drove in 105 runs. Nevin recently returned to the Padres lineup after missing a month with a strained oblique muscle. He is an attractive option for the Orioles, who are looking for a power-hitting, right-handed bat and a player who would be able to spell 40-year-old Rafael Palmeiro on occasion at first. One industry source said the Orioles would "do it in a heartbeat" if they could get Nevin for Ponson, even if it meant an extra $1 million next year. For the Rangers, Hidalgo, 30, is hitting .216 with 15 homers and 40 RBIs. The right-hander is a career .269 hitter with 170 home runs but has struggled since joining Texas this season. At one point yesterday, there apparently were serious discussions among the Orioles, Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays that would have sent Ponson, Bigbie, Julio, Penn and possibly Kline to Florida for Burnett and Lowell, according to sources. The Marlins then would have traded Ponson to the Devil Rays for left-handed reliever Trever Miller. The Marlins, who would have shed Lowell's contract, reportedly would have paid about eight of Ponson's $10 million salary for 2006. However, Ponson, who is scheduled to start tonight against Tampa Bay, has a limited no-trade clause that prohibits him from being dealt to 10 specified teams without his permission. The perennial-doormat Devil Rays are one of those teams, and it is unlikely that Ponson would give the Orioles approval for the trade. San Diego and Texas are not on Ponson's list, so he could be traded to either place, one industry source confirmed. "Neither Sidney nor I have been approached by the Orioles seeking Sidney's consent to be traded to Tampa or any other team," said Barry Praver, Ponson's agent. The Orioles have grown frustrated with Ponson's struggles on the mound and off, which includes two offseason arrests. He is 7-8 with a 6.04 ERA, the third-worst mark among starters in the majors. Opponents are hitting .329 against him.

While the Baltimore Orioles were front and center on the A.J. Burnett (6-6, 3.68 ERA) front yesterday, the Sox remain very much alive for the Marlins pitcher, as well as for J.C. Romero, the Twins' lefthanded reliever. The Orioles stepped up their attempts to acquire Burnett by involving a third team in the deal, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson, who would have wound up with the Devil Rays, reportedly would not waive his limited no-trade clause, which included the Devil Rays. Under the proposed deal, the Orioles would have acquired Burnett and third baseman Mike Lowell for reliever Jorge Julio, rookie pitcher Hayden Penn, outfielder Larry Bigbie, and Ponson. The Marlins would have sent Ponson to Tampa for reliever Trevor Miller, with the Devil Rays responsible for paying just $2 million of Ponson's $11 million deal next season. The Baltimore Sun reported in today's editions that the Orioles are no longer willing to accept Lowell as the part of a Burnett deal, and may be talking to the Padres about a deal that would swap Ponson for first baseman Phil Nevin. Gordon Edes of the Globe staff contributed to this report. BOSTON GLOBE heres the link to the BALTIMORE SUN

CHICAGO - With Major League Baseball's trading deadline less than 10 days away, the first dominoes began to topple last night with the news that pitcher A.J. Burnett was headed to the Baltimore Orioles. According to sources, the Orioles, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are on the verge of consumating a deal that would bring Burnett to Baltimore along with infielder Mike Lowell and minor league outfielder Eric Reed. In return, the Marlins were to receive outfielder Larry Bigbie, starter Hayden Penn and relievers Jorge Julio and Steve Kline. The final stage of the deal would be for the Orioles to find a home for starter Sidney Ponson in order to clear payroll to take on Lowell's salary. Sources said Baltimore wanted to send Ponson to Florida, who in turn would ship him to the Devil Rays in exchange for one of three relievers - Trever Miller, Travis Harper or Lance Carter. Despite much speculation in Boston about the Red Sox' interest in Burnett, the defending world champs were never really close to a deal for the right-hander, according to sources. While the Marlins, like the Red Sox, were looking for bullpen help, the Sox also were reluctant to part with right-hander Bronson Arroyo. The Sox' 28-year-old righty is not eligible for free agency until after the 2008 season and remains one of the more cost-efficient performers on the club. As for the Orioles, the addition of Burnett will give them a powerful arm to help combat the Red Sox and New York Yankees in the AL East. Baltimore is expected to employ Lowell as a first baseman and DH on a club that already features one of the most explosive lineups in the AL. Sox officials were wary of Burnett, 28, both during the offseason and in recent weeks primarily because he has had a history of injuries over the first six years of his career. BOSTON HERALD

the boston herald says the orioles and marlins have completed the trade. the globe says the orioles arnt close and the red sox are still very much alive to get burnett and romero.

i think a lot of teams would like torre as a manager

i could c texas but y would tampa want him :wtf:

ya that confused me too. hes contracts almost as fat as him. and he sucks. hes already vetoed a trade to tampa bay cause he has a no trade clause

and its not like wakefield get affected by pitch count as much as other guys

could hav brought in gonzalaze but im not going to make a big deal about it.. yet

i knew leiter would fall apart but didnt think in his second start

update on angels yanks game??

every manager makes mistakes joe

wat did francona do wrong today??

lets go helmet

im pretty sure tony g is :thumbsup:

theyre goes that life

Comeback Adam Stern 2 Run Homerun 1st Of Career

tony g is the man

thank god for vlady last night against flash

very sloppy game

ya hysdu

ino its annoyoing

reallly f***k