FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- --The jewel from last month's Erik Bedard trade with the Seattle Mariners is sleek outfielder Adam Jones, and there's no question about that after watching the 22-year-old glide around a diamond.
And Chris Tillman, a 19-year-old with a blessed right arm, could end up being the best of the quintet that the Mariners graciously handed over to the Orioles.
Pitchers Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio are, in baseball-ese, "projects with high ceilings."
The remaining piece from that deal is George Sherrill, the comparative old guy whom Orioles manager Dave Trembley named yesterday as the team's closer.
"I think he's our best option right now," Trembley said. "He's competitive. He has finish on his pitches. It doesn't bother him [to face] right- or left-handed hitters."
Sherrill, who once toiled in the independent leagues, is eager for the opportunity.
"It's something special," Sherrill said. "To be playing this game, it's something that I don't take for granted. Looking back, it's a long trip, but I'm finally here."
At first glance, Sherrill doesn't seem to fit into team president Andy MacPhail's rebuilding plan. He turns 31 in April, and though he's not a free agent until after 2011, he'll be looking at some nice paydays soon thanks to arbitration.
So why not take another early 20-something guy in the trade who still will be cheap when this team is ready to sniff the American League East's rarified air?
Or why not immediately flip Sherrill, who is left-handed and effective, to a contender for a hitting prospect?
Because Sherrill might be the club's most important player this season. If he is successful, he could inadvertently be a huge part of the future, even if he is wearing a different uniform at some point in 2009.
The conventional wisdom is that a bad team doesn't need a quality closer - and every indication is that the 2008 Orioles will be south of good.
But every club, good or bad, needs someone to assume the closer's job, to grab the ball in the ninth and to keep every other reliever in a set role.
"It's definitely important to have a closer," Orioles left-hander Jamie Walker said. "A closer by committee doesn't work. It never has, never will work."
Walker and fellow setup man Chad Bradford shared the role last season when Chris Ray and Danys Baez were injured. Walker and Bradford did yeoman's work, and Trembley tried his best mixing and matching. But it was difficult for all involved.
