By Reuben Mitrani

The worst thing happening for the game of baseball is the big market to small market divide, a problem that is affecting baseball far more negatively than steroids. While steroids is a problem that by a casual observer cannot always be noticed (sometimes it is even ignored), the divide between larger market teams such as the New York Yankees; New York Mets; Boston Red Sox; and Los Angeles Dodgers, and smaller market teams such as the Baltimore Orioles; Minnesota Twins; or Oakland Athletics cannot be overlooked.

The game of baseball has become so rich and the players are looking for a larger piece of the pie. This sounds fine, but the best players are beginning to require contracts so large that no small market teams can possibly afford them. This causes teams like the Twins, Orioles, or Athletics to trade away their talent before it comes time to pay the big bucks. This is seen in this winter's four biggest trades; Miquel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for 6 prospects; Dan Haren to the D-Backs for a bundle of prospects; Johan Santana to the Mets for four prospects; and the soon be finalized Erik Bedard trade to the Mariners for prospects. The teams trading these players away cannot afford to pay them, and this creates a severe divide in opportunity for the teams with less money.

Major League Baseballl needs to do something about this problem. While I am not insinuating that they should install a salary cap, perhaps they should put a cap on maximum player contracts. The Player's Union would never agree to this though, leaving immediate options bleak for small market teams.

I am not saying that the Mets should not have paid Johan Santana, nor that the Yankees have paid Alex Rodriguez, I am simply recognizing that there is a problem in the game of baseball that is going seemingly unnoticed and some sort of attention needs to be given to it. As Mets fans, we are fortunate enough to be on the winning side of this problem, but that means that there is all the more reason to help raise awareness towards a solution. If the Mets win the National League East and the World Series this year, will Braves and Phillies fans use our far superior budget as an excuse? Maybe. Is it unfair for the Mets to take advantage of their superior resources? No. Is it fair for the Twins to have to allow their best two players to leave this season because of a lack of sufficient funds? Absolutely not.

This problem could possibly be solved by increasing the luxury tax in baseball. This and further increases in revenue sharing, would help to level the playing field in baseball. Until the owners agree on such terms, this problem in baseball will not go away and may possibly get worse with even bigger budget free agents hitting open-market next winter.

Read More...

A number of sources are reporting that the Mets are close to a deal that would send Phillip Humber, Aaron Heilman, Ryan Church, and possibly Kevin Mulvey to the Orioles for starting pitcher Erik Bedard.

Meanwhile, over at Metsblog Matt Cerrone is reporting that the deal may involve a third team and Orioles' SS Miguel Tejada. This report is unconfirmed as well.

Remember this is just speculation, but a deal does seem close. This would be a fabulous trade for the Mets if they can manage to get the 28 year old Bedard without giving up Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Gomez or Fernando Martinez.

This deal may go down tonight, tomorrow, the next day or maybe not at all. It is kinda hard to imagine the Orioles will do anything with Bedard until after the Twins decide what to do with Johan Santana. But be sure to keep checking back as we will have more information as this story unfolds.

UPDATE: The report that suggested Erik Bedard is on his way to the Mets is "false," according to one executive with the Mets. However, talks are ongoing.

Looks like we may have jumped the gun with this one... thanks to mlb-rumors for clarifying that earlier post.
Read More...

Over the weekend, the Orioles rejected the Mets' trade offer of outfield prospect Carlos Gomez, reliever Aaron Heilman and pitching prospect Philip Humber for Erik Bedard, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The Sun reports that Bedard has attracted a lot of attention in a trade market that also includes Johan Santana. But it remains unknown whether the Orioles will trade him and, according to a team source, several members of the organization remain opposed to parting with Bedard, who is two years away from free agency.

The Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are among other teams that have expressed interest in the star lefty.The Yankees apparently view Bedard as a backup plan if they do not land Johan Santana, but its unlikely the Orioles would trade him within the division. One Orioles sportswriter suggested that Bedard could cost the Yankees Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Melky Cabrera.

The Orioles seem to prefer to retain their ace if a contract extension can be reached. However, with contract negotiations reportedly stalled, a trade is looking more and more likely. Orioles President Andy MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun last week that stalled contract talks won't "dramatically" affect the club's position on Bedard, and that talks could revive in the days ahead.

Bedard could be the solution to the Mets' starting pitching woes, but what would the price be? Apparently Bedard is not going to be cheap, and the Mets must be careful not to sell their whole future to land one player. Read More...

July 30, 2004... A day that most Mets fans recognize as the day our "illustrious" General Manager Jim Duquette orchestrated one of the worst trades in Mets History. The Mets had a record of 49-53, and were in fourth place in the NL East, sitting 7 games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves. At this year's trading deadline, the Mets thought that they were still contenders in what was an already disappointing season. It was announced that day, that the Mets had traded highly touted prospect Scott Kazmir and minor leaguer Jose Diaz to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the injury prone and ineffective Victor Zambrano. And the rest is history... Zambrano continued to be mediocre at best, and couldn't stay healthy enough to pitch very many games, while Kazmir went on to flourish into a top pitcher for the Devil Rays.

It was a day that I myself hate reliving, but even I had to chuckle when today I had discovered that Jim Duquette, now the Assistant General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles, has once again acquired Victor Zambrano from the Pittsburgh Pirates for CASH...

Will September 9, 2007 be remembered as the day Orioles fans wish they had their cash back? Probably not, but they will regret ever hiring Jim Duquette as their Assistant General Manager. What the hell does this guy see in Victor Zambrano? Zambrano wasn't good enough to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates who are arguably the worst team in baseball. Last season, Zambrano had an ERA of 6.57 for the Mets, which is absolutely horrendous. But Zambrano wanted to prove he was even worse than that... This season, his ERA with the Blue Jays was 10.97.

Certainly, Zambrano must have pitched better in the minors this season right??? WRONG... Zambrano started the season with a 4.50 ERA in single A ball, and followed that up with a 6.00 ERA in double A. not to be outdone, Zambrano continued his mediocrity with a 7.46 ERA in triple A, before finally being released by the Blue Jays. He then had a brief stint in the Pirates minor league organization before Jim Duquette came calling for his favorite player of all time.

The only winner here is the Pirates, who at least got some compensation for their Victor Zambrano experiment. But hey, good luck to you Victor, I'm sure your luck will change with the Orioles. As for you Jim Duquette... get ready to find a new job.
Read More...

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have traded ex-Met Steve Trachsel to the Cubs for two prospects.

The Orioles today traded veteran right-hander Steve Trachsel to the Chicago Cubs for Triple-A reliever Rocky Cherry and Triple-A third baseman Scott Moore.

Cherry, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 2-0 with a 4.59 ERA and seven saves in 43 games for Triple-A Iowa. He also made 12 relief appearances for the Cubs, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Moore, 23, batted .265 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs for Iowa. He appeared in two games for the Cubs and went hitless in five plate appearances. He played 16 games for the Cubs last season, hitting .263 with two homers and five RBIs.

Baseball America named Moore, the eighth overall pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2002 draft, the Cubs' seventh best prospect after last season.

Both players are expected to join the Orioles in Boston when rosters expand tomorrow.

Trachsel, who the Orioles signed just days before spring training when they learned that Kris Benson would likely need shoulder surgery and miss the entire season, went 6-8 with a 4.48 ERA in 20 starts for the Orioles.

He allowed three earned runs or less in 17 of 25 starts and was especially good in August, going 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA. Today marks the last day for teams to acquire players that are eligible for the playoff roster.

This is a great trade for Trachsel, he moves from the bottom of the AL East to the thick of the NL Central. Trachsel figures to be a big part of the Cubs' playoff chase. The Orioles also benefit by unloading an aging pitcher who does not factor into their 2008 plans. In exchange they acquire a reliever (Cherry) who could help reshape their horrible bullpen and some infield depth (Moore).

This weekend, a huge event in North American professional sports occurred in a small village in Upstate New York. The event was largely overshadowed by the negative events going on in the sports world. In a time where we have to worry about overrated NFL quarterbacks mass murdering dogs, an asterisk next to a home run record, and the MAFIA fixing NBA games through referees, a lot of Americans overlooked what should have been one of the greatest days of the summer; the induction of Tony Gwynn, and Cal Ripken Jr. into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. The two of them today would be considered a rare breed. While the two men were loyal to baseball, they were also loyal to their respective teams, and respective fans, and would never dream of leaving their respective cities. So since the national media didn’t give them the honor and recognition that they deserve, they are going to get it right here.

Ripken was a player of the likes that we might never see again in Major League Baseball. Ripken was called up to the Baltimore Orioles in 1981, and by 1982 Ripken was Baltimore’s everyday shortstop. From May 30, 1982 until September 19, 1998 Ripken never took a break, amassing an astounding streak of playing in 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken’s accomplishments along the way solidified his Hall Of Fame status. Two MVP Awards, two Gold Glove Awards, eight Silver Slugger Awards, the 1982 AL Rookie Of The Year, 19 All Star Game selections (including two MVP Awards), and being named to the MLB All Century Team. Not to mention Ripken did it all with his beloved hometown Baltimore Orioles, with whom he led to the 1983 World Series title. After 2,632 consecutive games Ripken took himself out of the starting lineup in the Orioles last home game of the 1998 season against the Yankees. In 2000 Ripken collected his 3,000th hit, and during the 2001 season he announced he would be retiring at season’s end. What followed was a farewell tour, the likes that I have never seen in my whole life. Opposing ballparks would sell out when the Orioles came to town, just to see Ripken one last time. Ripken is still involved with not only the Orioles organization, but also the whole state of Maryland.

Equally as great as Ripekn, Gwynn brought as much joy to San Diego for 20 seasons as Ripekn did to Baltimore. Gwynn made his name as one of the best pure hitters in Major League Baseball winning eight National League Batting Titles, and seven Silver Slugger Awards. Gwynn was also an expert in right field winning five Gold Glove Awards. Along the way Gwynn was selected to 15 All Star Games, led the league in hits seven times, en route to becoming a member of the 3,000 hit club. By the end of his career Gwynn was regarded as the best pure hitter in the game since Ted Williams. In the strike shortened 1994 season Gwynn finished with a batting average of .394; the closest anyone has gotten to .400 since Teddy Ballgame. Gwynn also led his Padres to two National League Pennants (1984, 1999). By the end of his career Gwynn had a career batting average of .338 and had amassed 3,141 hits. In an era where power and home runs overshadowed the game, Gwynn still managed to make a name for himself as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Gwynn is still involved with baseball in San Diego, as he is the manager of the San Diego State baseball squad, and is still active around all of Southern California.

In a time where sports are ripe with scandal, it is great to see two men who exemplify what it is to be not just a great athlete, but also a great human being. Men who help in the community, who stay out of trouble, who are ambassadors to the game, and men who are loved by baseball fans all over the world. It’s time for some of the athletes and sports figures of today to take a look back at guys like Ripken and Gwynn, and take a look at how not so much to be a great ballplayer, but how to be a great human being. Congratulations Tony and Cal, your accomplishments, and contributions to the game were not forgotten.
Read More...

Fox Sports is reporting that the Mets have talked with the A's about starting pitcher Joe Blanton, but Oakland wants Milledge and more, and the Mets can't deal Milledge right now with all of their outfield health issues...In fact, the outfield issues have the Mets sniffing around for available outfield bats. They like Baltimore's Jay Payton, and may have a better chance to get him now that the Cubs' interest in him seems to have waned. And yes, believe it or not, they've spoken with the Rangers about Sammy Sosa, who could platoon in right field with Shawn Green. Sosa has clobbered left-handed pitchers this year, but the Mets are wary of bringing him in because of the controversy that surrounds him...The Mets also have spoken with the Rangers about Gagne, though they would need Texas to drop its asking price. Read More...