No Trade

Orioles right fielder Albert Belle used the occasion of yesterday's offensive breakout to address local media for the first time since spring training, and his comments during a third-floor news conference included a denial that he recently renounced the blanket no-trade provision in his five-year, $65 million contract and disappointment with the reception he has received from many Orioles fans.Interrupting a media boycott, Belle criticized last week's report by The Sun that he approached the club last month to renounce the no-trade provision.

DANA POINT, Calif. -- Orioles officials continued to explore possible player moves at the general managers' meetings yesterday at the scenic Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but the most intriguing trade talks involving the club may have taken place during the World Series.Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd confirmed that the clubs talked about possible trade combinations involving controversial Orioles superstar Albert Belle and Rockies stars Dante Bichette and Darryl Kile, but could not agree on a suitable package.

Orioles right fielder Albert Belle has agreed to renounce the blanket no-trade clause within his five-year, $65 million contract, freeing the Orioles to engage at least two clubs in trade discussions regarding one of the game's most imposing offensive forces, industry and club sources confirmed yesterday.Belle apparently consented to void the provision last month shortly after Orioles officials learned of a June 4 incident in which he allegedly made obscene gestures to fans seated in the bleachers.

He is the best reason to watch the Orioles, unbeaten at home, 6-1 on the season, pitching in a must-win situation in nearly every start and coming through nearly every time.But if the Orioles were going to rebuild by trading veterans for prospects, what player would command more value than their ace right-hander, Mike Mussina?The answer is no one, and the team that probably is most eager to deal for a No. 1 starter might be the one team that could persuade Mussina to waive his no-trade clause.

Orioles right fielder Albert Belle has agreed to renounce the blanket no-trade clause within his five-year, $65 million contract, freeing the Orioles to engage at least two clubs in trade discussions regarding one of the game's most imposing offensive forces, according to an industry source.Belle apparently consented to void the provision last month shortly after Orioles officials learned of a June 4 incident in which he allegedly made obscene gestures to fans seated in the bleachers. Club sources say Belle was not fined, but punitive action was taken.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Orioles moved to address two of their most pressing needs as baseball's winter meetings opened yesterday by trading team elder Jesse Orosco to the New York Mets for reliever Chuck McElroy and nearing a deal with free-agent catcher Greg Myers to back up Charles Johnson.The exchange of left-handed middle relievers was influenced by the Orioles' desire for greater flexibility from their bullpen and Orosco's uncomfortable past with new manager Mike Hargrove. Both situations were addressed by the team's willingness to buy out Orosco's no-trade protection and director of player personnel Syd Thrift's ability to rekindle interest initially expressed by the Mets last summer.

Trust us, it's better this way. Better that it's decisive. Better that it's a crash-and-burn rather than a deceptive wild-card tease.Just as the Orioles needed to go 0-21 to realize how far they had fallen in 1988, they needed to reach rock bottom this season.Needed to get swept by Tampa Bay and Montreal. Needed to be questioned by staff ace Mike Mussina, and ridiculed by Expos manager Felipe Alou.The Orioles collapsed in similar fashion under different ownership in the late 1980s, ignoring their farm system, wasting free-agent dollars, trying to relive their '83 magic.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The month of positive spin has come to a halt. No longer can the Orioles portray their slide as an aberration. Trades and chemistry have crept into the clubhouse vocabulary.Asked if his club's chemistry has become a problem, manager Ray Miller conceded that the mix has at times been uncomfortable and that the scrutiny of an underachieving start has only heightened the stress involved."Everything is more focused. You pop the ball up and you don't run. The manager says something to the player, but it becomes a focal thing around the country.

The Orioles not only announced the anticipated signing of Texas Rangers free-agent first baseman Will Clark to a two-year, $11 million contract yesterday, they used his acquisition to trumpet a new era within a clubhouse even club officials now criticize as previously uninspired and "lackadaisical."General manager Frank Wren formally appointed Clark as the successor to defector Rafael Palmeiro as well as a prod among a group that distinguished itself for little last season except post-game vanishing acts.

SEATTLE -- A deal that would have sent first baseman Rafael Palmeiro and second baseman Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets in return for a three-player package has been taken off the table, at least in part due to the objection of Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos, according to club sources.The deal was presented for Angelos' authorization last week but failed to gain approval for two reasons -- a perceived loss in talent and the partial no-trade provision in Palmeiro's contract that lists the Mets as one of the clubs he could veto.

Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora wants to play baseball for four more years; he's just not sure what's going to happen in the next four days. In the final season of a guaranteed contract, Mora has not been asked by the club about potentially waiving his no-trade clause, meaning he almost certainly will remain with the Orioles after Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline passes. But he's taking nothing for granted. "In this business nobody knows," Mora said. "In this business, it's crazy."

$39.99 for Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rated Everyone ** (2 STARS) Let us state the obvious: This game isn't for everyone. In fact, baseball fans, unless you've memorized cold the science of everything from Rule 5 drafts to the difference between someone who's designated for assignment and out of options, the first version of MLB Front Office Manager probably isn't for you, either. It's not for lack of trying. On the surface, Manager appears to have everything a good general manager simulator needs.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -When Brian Roberts signed the four-year, $40 million contract extension that ties him to the Orioles through the 2013 season, he did so without getting significant no-trade protection for the first couple years of the deal. Roberts had a very limited no-trade clause for the final year of his previous contract, allowing him to designate four teams to which he could not be traded. That was carried forward when the final year of the old deal was rolled into what essentially is a new five-year contract.

Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora will leave this week to play winter ball in his native Venezuela for the first time in several years, and he will try to familiarize himself with another position in the process. Mora will split time between third base and the outfield during winter league play, said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who this month granted Mora permission to play through the veteran's agent, Lon Babby. "He had an idea on how often and where he wanted to play, and I was fine with that," MacPhail said.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Melvin Mora dearly wants to remain an Oriole, but at this point of his career, he also desperately wants to be on a winning team. That's why the longest-tenured Oriole acknowledged yesterday that he would consider dropping his blanket no-trade clause if the team enters a rebuilding stage that would likely result in more losing in the short term. "I want to see what they say, and when [president of baseball operations] Andy MacPhail calls me and calls my agent, we'll go from there," said Mora, an Oriole since 2000.

JUPITER, FLA. -- The Orioles nearly traded Brian Roberts in December, agreeing to the components of a deal that would have sent the popular second baseman and pitching prospect Hayden Penn to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Adam LaRoche and second baseman Marcus Giles. However, Orioles owner Peter Angelos nixed the trade, and, now, Roberts' future with the club has become more secure. After about seven weeks of discussions, the Orioles have agreed in principle to a two-year contract extension with Roberts that, barring a trade, will keep him in Baltimore through the 2009 season.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA. -- The Orioles are not only prepared to finalize a contract extension that will keep second baseman Brian Roberts with the club through the 2009 season, but they're also willing to offer him an added sense of security. Roberts' contract will likely include a limited no-trade clause that will allow him to submit a "small" number of teams that he cannot be traded to without his consent, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations. Nationals@Mets Today, 1:05 p.m., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mid-Atlantic Sports Network

The New York Yankees apparently are looking to trade Randy Johnson, who just happens to possess a no-trade clause in his contract. He'd probably surrender it for a chance to pitch on the West Coast. He won't be coming to Baltimore. Just to halt that rumor before it starts. I guess the Yankees need to make room for Carl Pavano, just in case he's ready to, you know, pitch. The Orioles remain in talks with the representatives for Craig Wilson and Aubrey Huff, but it doesn't appear that anything is imminent.

After mulling over the decision for about two days, San Diego Padres first baseman Phil Nevin decided that he'd rather stay at home than become an Oriole. Nevin last night declined to waive the no-trade clause in his contract that prohibits the Padres from sending him to the Orioles and seven other teams without his consent. As a result, the proposed deal that would have exchanged Nevin for right-handed pitcher Sidney Ponson was scuttled, and another Orioles trade that once appeared to be a formality went bust.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have reached a tentative deal that would send much-maligned pitcher Sidney Ponson to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Phil Nevin, according to industry sources, though the trade won't go through until it gets Nevin's approval. Reached at his home last night, Nevin's agent, Barry Axelrod, described the chances of Nevin accepting the deal as "less than 50-50." Nevin has a no-trade clause in his contract that requires his consent to be traded to eight teams, one of which is the Orioles.