Three weeks from today, pitchers and catchers will take the field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium for the Orioles' first workout of the spring. Will Erik Bedard, the team's ace, even be there?
Aside from a December trade that sent star shortstop Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros for five players, the Orioles have failed to dramatically overhaul their roster or produce many short- or long-term answers in the first offseason of Andy MacPhail's rebuilding project.
They haven't settled on a shortstop or a closer, they don't have a projected everyday center fielder and they would like to add a veteran starting pitcher and a backup catcher.
MacPhail, the Orioles' president of baseball operations, continues to ponder trades to fill those holes, with Bedard and All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts dominating the discussions. However, after months of trade talks, MacPhail still hasn't found a deal he views suitable, and time is running out.
"I've been telling everybody by the end of the month," MacPhail said when asked whether there was a deadline to decide whether to keep or trade Bedard and Roberts. "But it's not necessarily a calendar issue. There is no magic date between Jan. 22 and Feb. 2. The date that probably matters more is Feb. 13."
That's the date pitchers and catchers are required to report to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to begin workouts. It is rare - though not unprecedented - for major trades to be made during spring training.
To this point, trade talks have moved slowly for the admittedly deliberate MacPhail. The Chicago Cubs remain the likely landing spot for Roberts for a package that is expected to include pitcher Sean Gallagher and one of the Cubs' young outfielders. The teams have discussed several scenarios but have yet to agree on a package.
Bedard has attracted interest from numerous teams, but a couple have dropped out of the sweepstakes, including the Cincinnati Reds. When the Reds learned at the winter meetings that the Orioles were insistent on top outfield prospect Jay Bruce in a Bedard trade, talks quickly broke off.
The Seattle Mariners, whose package would have to be headlined by young center fielder Adam Jones, remain the most likely team to land Bedard, and the talks between the teams are ongoing. However, MacPhail said he is talking to several teams about certain players.
