"Done deal"?

You may have noticed that Adam Jones ('04) was not in the Rattlers in Venezuela post below. I was curious. Now, you don't have to be:

Is Jones-Bedard trade a done deal?

A winter-long quest by the Mariners to obtain Baltimore Orioles pitcher Erik Bedard is expected to play itself out later today.

The oft-rumored trade between the teams is said to be close to completion, with Seattle having called outfielder Adam Jones home early from his winter-ball stint in Venezuela. Jones told a reporter in Venezuela that he was headed to Baltimore for a physical and that Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi had made him the centerpiece of a deal for Bedard.

"We've told him to come home to the U.S.," Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly said of Jones leaving his team in the middle of the Venezuelan winter league's championship series. "I can't say anything beyond that."

The Orioles spent much of Sunday denying that a deal had been finalized.

A few quotes from one of the tradees:

"[Bavasi] called me [Saturday] and told me the news," Jones told the Venezuelan newspaper. "I've got to go to Baltimore [this] morning and handle things there. I'm the centerpiece of the deal on the Mariners' side. It's an honor to get traded for such a highly talented pitcher as Bedard is.

"He's one of the best. Last year, he finished up as arguably one of the top candidates for the Cy Young. He's that good, so for me, it's an honor. You know, I like Seattle, but if I am in Baltimore, as I think I am now, I'm going to embrace it and have the best time of my life in Major League Baseball."

Best guess, Geoff Baker's Blog or SeattleMariners.com or mlb.com is where the story will break. Shortly thereafter, checkout Lookout Landing. They are already at it...just go over there.

Prospect Insider has a report on the minor leaguers involved. Recognize any names?

What I am getting is that it’s Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill, Tony Butler and Kameron Mickolio going to Baltimore.

So far, no word on anyone but Erik Bedard coming back to Seattle in the deal, and still no word on whether the two sides were allowed to get extension talks started pre-deal.

USS Mariner has some reaction as well. Posts titled Zero days since a bad move and 22 Things I believe about this trade are worth checking out. And there are already over 200 comments on the 22 Things post.

Mariner Minors will probably have a few notes on the minor leaguers involved in the trade.