The Mariners equipment truck leaves Safeco Field for Peoria, Ariz., on Friday, a concrete illustration of just how quickly spring training is creeping up.
Whether there will be a locker in Peoria for left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard when the pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14 remains unknown.
After a turbulent week of tense negotiations, the final impediment to a trade bringing Bedard to the Mariners could be a last-ditch effort by the Baltimore Orioles to sign the 28-year-old to a long-term contract.
In exchange for Bedard, who last season set a Baltimore franchise record with 221 strikeouts, the Mariners would send the Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, left-handed reliever George Sherrill and 19-year-old pitcher Chris Tillman.
The M's are likely to add one more prospect, possibly pitcher Kam Mickolio or pitcher Tony Butler, to the package.
The Mariners, always cautious to speak about impending deals, were especially closemouthed on Wednesday, perhaps fearful of any comments that might displease the Orioles as talks reached a sensitive final stage.
In an e-mail to The Seattle Times, general manager Bill Bavasi declined to comment.
This we know. What else is there?
MLB.com, citing multiple major-league sources, said the teams are close to finalizing a deal.
But MLB.com, in a separate article later in the day, reported that Orioles owner Peter Angelos wants to retain Bedard and called him last Sunday to discuss a five-year contract.
Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail was noncommittal to The Baltimore Sun in assessing the status of trade talks.
"There's really been no change in our circumstance," he told The Sun. "We'll always keep an open mind, regardless of what time of year it is."
What time of year is it? Time to talk extension?
In last Saturday's Sun, MacPhail said the Orioles wanted to talk to Bedard's representatives about a multiyear deal during the winter, "and they suggested that they just do a one-year deal."
But in the same article, Bedard expressed disappointment that the Orioles haven't made a greater effort to sign him to an extension. At the same time, Bedard said he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process. MacPhail appears to be doing just that in Baltimore after trading Miguel Tejada to Houston for five prospects, with all-star second baseman Brian Roberts also on the trade block.
According to MLB.com, MacPhail was recently told by Pieper that it would take a seven-year, $100 million contract to retain Bedard in Baltimore. Angelos has been known to be reluctant to commit to such a long-term deal for a pitcher.
Head over to Geoff Baker's latest blog entry for more of an update. The main one being a rumor that can only be called "crazy"
Those crazy rumors out of Baltimore yesterday that Adam Jones has a degenerative hip condition? Toss them out the window. Not a touch of truth to it. Both sides are laughing that one off emphatically. Yes, Jones was being brought in for a physical. But it wasn't for a serious type of injury or anything that would be a deal-breaker. So, there's nothing on that front that would impede a trade.
Then, what is the holdup?
I heard on Sunday night, within moments of his being told, that Orioles owner Peter Angelos was furious to learn that news of the impending deal had broken. He was about to head into the hospital for a minor procedure the next day and could not believe Adam Jones had spilled the beans. Would it be beyond Angelos to hold things up another 48, or 72 hours before giving his go-ahead and making everyone sweat a little? Nope.
None of the usual Mariner fan blogs, have anything more on the "trade". Must be holding their collective breath.
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