Monday, February 11, 2008

IN OR OUT

With an eye on the future, the Orioles will be sifting through their in-house talent to determine which pieces will fit for the long term and which probably won't. In some cases, that distinction is clear. Right fielder Nick Markakis is the center of the Orioles' youth movement. Markakis, 24, showed no signs of a sophomore slump last season, leading Baltimore in homers (23), batting average (.300) and RBI (112) in 161 games. But in other cases, things aren't so clear, such as with starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera. Despite talent that most believe could carry him to the top of the rotation, the 26-year-old clearly hasn't fixed his control problems; he led the AL in walks for the second straight year.

LET THE REBUILDING BEGIN

With the organization finally committed to a full-blown rebuilding job, the Orioles' streak of 10 consecutive losing seasons likely will continue. But the job already has begun. High-priced, baggage-laden shortstop Miguel Tejada was jettisoned via an offseason trade to Houston. Ace left-hander Erik Bedard was next, part of a six-player deal with Seattle that was completed on Friday. Second baseman Brian Roberts, long one of the faces of the franchise and its last remaining desired commodity, has been the subject of trade rumors. Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail must extract young arms and solid prospects from these deals to set a solid foundation for the rebuilding process. The Bedard deal -- in which the Orioles received reliever George Sherrill and major league-ready center field prospect Adam Jones-- is a step in the right direction.

CONTROL ISSUES

MacPhail has maintained that he wouldn't have taken the job as Orioles president if he didn't think he would enjoy autonomy from notoriously meddlesome owner Peter Angelos. The fact that Baltimore even is undertaking this massive reshuffling may be a sign that Angelos is backing off. With the Orioles expected to endure a long season -- they could hit a new low and finish behind the improved Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East -- expect the relationship between owner and president to be tested. But for MacPhail to have a chance of turning around the moribund franchise, he will need freedom to maneuver.

HOW MUCH DO THESE

GUYS HAVE LEFT?

Although they are getting younger at most positions, the Orioles have several veterans -- such as third baseman Melvin Mora, right, designated hitter Aubrey Huff and outfielder Jay Gibbons, left, -- who are locked into contracts that make them difficult to move. Mora, 36 -- who has a no-trade clause in his extension, which takes him to 2009 -- continued a steady four-year decline in 2007, hitting just 14 homers while driving in only 58 runs. Huff, brought in as a free agent last year to provide some pop to the lineup, was nothing more than a doubles hitter. Gibbons, who will be suspended the first 15 games of for using performance-enhancing drugs, hopes to recover from major shoulder surgery that ended his season early. Best case for the Orioles: One or more of these players rebounds well enough to become trade bait for a contending team, or at least produces enough to make Year One of a rebuilding less painful.

IN SEARCH OF RELIEF

After spending more than $40 million to bolster its bullpen last season, the investment returned a 5.71 ERA, 13th in the American League and the worst in franchise history. The prospects are only slightly brighter for this year. Closer Chris Ray and reliever Danys B¿ez are expected to miss most, if not all, of this season recovering from ligament replacement surgery. An indication of how wide open some of the middle relief spots will be: Non-roster invitee Esteban Yan might have a chance. Newcomers Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate, both acquired from Houston in the Tejada trade, could make an immediate impact. As will hard-throwing lefty Sherrill, acquired in the Bedard deal.