Maybe Angelos Has Become A Baseball Man

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Well, we are about halfway through spring training, and Brian Roberts is still playing ball for the Orioles. However, this scenario appears more like an Any McPhail issue more than a Peter Angelos issue. Andy want fair compensation for Roberts and the leading candidate, the Cubs, appear to be offering less than Andy wants. so perhaps the O's are now in the hands of McPhail afterall.

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Well I see that this blog post is months old, without having a reply for months, yet again. I still feel the need to post my feelings on Roberts though. The man was drafted by the Orioles and brought up through our system. He has said himself that he would love to stay with the organization if we can find a way to win.

That being said, ponder this: how many lead-off hitters can come close to Brian Robert's level of play? Ichiro, definitely; Ellsbury, maybe someday; Rollins, most likely. However the fact is, there are not many lead-off hitters in the game who can hit .300 as Roberts has consistently done. He's had an off-year thus far, but we've already seen him begin to turn it around, with his hitting .315 in the past two weeks. Plus, only very talented pitchers can keep track of Roberts on the basepaths and still make a pitch to the next man in the lineup. This might be a contributing factor as to why Markakis has been turning it around. It is much harder to hit your spots when you are focusing on the runner behind you rather, rather than the hitter at the plate. (Also, on a side note, I think that because Mora has been streaking lately, Markakis has been getting pitches to hit so other teams can avoid facing the red-hot Mora (5 HR in past 9 games).)

Of course, one might ask, "But what if we could get a handful of young talent in return for Roberts?" So what if we could? Unless the deal is overwhelmingly stacked in our favor, I see no reason to accept the deal. This year seems very promising to reach .500. I would guess that we are only two years out of a playoff race, but Roberts would be an invaluable asset to any Orioles team that is going to make it there. Who, in our system do we have to replace him? Who, from outside of the system, could we bring in to produce on the same level as him?

The purpose of this post is not to debunk the original post. Again, months have past, and variables have changed. I would have been opposed to trading Roberts before, but I would have admitted that the move would have most likely been a good one. Now, with the team on pace to finish .500 and having nowhere to go but up, I believe that holding onto Roberts is the best move for this franchise.

gridironfan8 Reputation: 92 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 2, 2008	Posted on: February 12, 2008 11:39 am Score: 19 Trading Roberts May Be The Answer I agree with you. Peter Angelos loves Brian Roberts and if he approves the trade then it will certainly show that Angelos can trust Andy MacPhail to take the team in a different direction. However, for some reason I believe Roberts will end up staying this year and leaving next year. [ Reply to Comment ]
SportsFan1024 Reputation: 34 Level: Rookie Since: Feb 15, 2008	Posted on: February 15, 2008 2:21 pm Score: 33 Trading Roberts May Be The Answer Couldn't agree with you more. hopefully, Angelos is backing off alot! [ Reply to Comment ]
OnThMove Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 22, 2006	Posted on: March 11, 2008 3:22 pm Score: 94 Trading Roberts May Be The Answer Well, we are about halfway through spring training, and Brian Roberts is still playing ball for the Orioles. However, this scenario appears more like an Any McPhail issue more than a Peter Angelos issue. Andy want fair compensation for Roberts and the leading candidate, the Cubs, appear to be offering less than Andy wants. so perhaps the O's are now in the hands of McPhail afterall. [ Reply to Comment ]
neohippie7319 Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Apr 8, 2008	Posted on: June 7, 2008 1:26 pm Score: 83 Trading Roberts May Be The Answer Well I see that this blog post is months old, without having a reply for months, yet again. I still feel the need to post my feelings on Roberts though. The man was drafted by the Orioles and brought up through our system. He has said himself that he would love to stay with the organization if we can find a way to win. That being said, ponder this: how many lead-off hitters can come close to Brian Robert's level of play? Ichiro, definitely; Ellsbury, maybe someday; Rollins, most likely. However the fact is, there are not many lead-off hitters in the game who can hit .300 as Roberts has consistently done. He's had an off-year thus far, but we've already seen him begin to turn it around, with his hitting .315 in the past two weeks. Plus, only very talented pitchers can keep track of Roberts on the basepaths and still make a pitch to the next man in the lineup. This might be a contributing factor as to why Markakis has been turning it around. It is much harder to hit your spots when you are focusing on the runner behind you rather, rather than the hitter at the plate. (Also, on a side note, I think that because Mora has been streaking lately, Markakis has been getting pitches to hit so other teams can avoid facing the red-hot Mora (5 HR in past 9 games).) Of course, one might ask, "But what if we could get a handful of young talent in return for Roberts?" So what if we could? Unless the deal is overwhelmingly stacked in our favor, I see no reason to accept the deal. This year seems very promising to reach .500. I would guess that we are only two years out of a playoff race, but Roberts would be an invaluable asset to any Orioles team that is going to make it there. Who, in our system do we have to replace him? Who, from outside of the system, could we bring in to produce on the same level as him? The purpose of this post is not to debunk the original post. Again, months have past, and variables have changed. I would have been opposed to trading Roberts before, but I would have admitted that the move would have most likely been a good one. Now, with the team on pace to finish .500 and having nowhere to go but up, I believe that holding onto Roberts is the best move for this franchise. [ Reply to Comment ]

OnThMove

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer

Trading Roberts May Be The Answer