Even before Erik Bedard started an eight-decision winning streak that elevated him to an American League Cy Young Award candidate, the Orioles vowed to explore signing their 28-year-old ace to a long-term contract extension.
Bedard is under contractual control by the Orioles through the 2009 season, but with each dominating outing the pitcher delivers, securing him for the long term might be more and more of a priority.
"We have him for the next couple of years, but I think it is very appropriate to consider him in that Cy Young caliber," said Andy MacPhail, Orioles president of baseball operations. "He's been extraordinarily impressive. Why wouldn't you want him here for a long time? I'm sure we'll prioritize those things that we want to attack and I'd imagine that one of those things will be having conversations with his representation and him to see how comfortable he is being here long term."
That's where things could get interesting. There has been much speculation about whether Bedard would want to sign an extension with the Orioles and eschew a potentially huge free-agent payday in the process. For his part, Bedard sees no point in discussing that or the Orioles' failed attempt to sign him to an extension this past offseason.
His focus remains on the 2007 season, and his numbers indicate he's become not only a legitimate No. 1 starter, but one of the top pitchers in the major leagues.
"Everybody has thought about [free agency], but it's not an issue that I'm thinking about," said Bedard, who is 12-4 with a 3.09 ERA. "I guess it will be attractive when we start actually talking about it. Right now, I know I'm going to be here for the next two years. That's why I'm not worried about it. If [an extension] happens, fine. If it doesn't, you move on."
Cy Young contender
Bedard, who won 15 games last year, had a rough April, going 3-2 with a 6.09 ERA. But he has lost only twice in 18 starts since, and not at all since June 10. It's a career-long streak that he hopes continues later this week when he faces the Boston Red Sox in his next outing.
He leads the major leagues with 192 strikeouts, 28 more than any other pitcher, and he's on pace to obliterate Mike Mussina's 1997 franchise record of 218 in a season. "He clearly has demonstrated to me that he's a winning type player and definitely somebody that you can build around," MacPhail said.
