Roberts has said he wouldn't be interested in having contract talks once spring training begins....

Roberts has said he wouldn't be interested in having contract talks once spring training begins. That's why it was expected this offseason that the Orioles would gauge Roberts' interest in staying long-term and entertain trade talks if a deal couldn't be reached. A number of teams, including several clubs that expressed interest in Roberts in the past, are looking to acquire a second baseman. But MacPhail said the Orioles' focus is to retain Roberts, not trade him.

I'm sure Roberts has been discussed in the recent past, but I haven't seen it so I'd like to bring it up so I can hear your opinions. If the Orioles are forced to trade Roberts, what would it take to pry him away?

Comments

Oh he’s been discussed a lot. I think most people like the idea of signing him, but are wary because the Orioles tend to overvalue their prospects.

by world dictator on Oct 30, 2008 12:55 PM EDT reply actions

Sorry I’m just a little confused on your wording… did you mean “players” or were you referring to “prospects” as their chances of being a competitive team?

by danvail on Oct 30, 2008 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

The Orioles’ recent trade history relies on finding gullible GMs willing to trade away the farm for MLB starters (paging Messrs. Wade and Bavasi). They clearly overvalue their players, and Shapiro doesn’t. In my view, that makes a trade unlikely.

by FredOx on Oct 30, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah I meant they overvalue their players.

by world dictator on Oct 30, 2008 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

The Orioles are absolute idiots for not having traded Roberts three months ago, ten months ago, 15 months ago, 22 months ago …

by Jay on Oct 30, 2008 1:01 PM EDT reply actions

So then, little chance they suddenly come to their senses and make a reasonable deal?

by danvail on Oct 30, 2008 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Are you sure they’re “idiots”? Couldn’t they just be “morons”, or “imbeciles”?

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Oct 30, 2008 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

After passing up opportunities to trade him four times? No. Idiots.

by Jay on Oct 30, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Steve Phillips is an imbecile. The Orioles are idiots

by Roger Dorn on Oct 30, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

True, you couldn’t dress up the Orioles in a suit and have them read off a teleprompter.

by Jay on Oct 30, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions

But if you could, I would pay to see it.

by Voltaire on Oct 31, 2008 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Seeing how they have been so reluctant to trade him over the past couple years it makes perfect sense that they would now deal him for our spare parts.

by ClarkM on Oct 30, 2008 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Once more into the breach!

by afh4 on Oct 30, 2008 1:11 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I just looked at Roberts’ numbers.

He is a really weird player.

by afh4 on Oct 30, 2008 1:13 PM EDT reply actions

how so?

by APV on Oct 30, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

He plays Sunday home games with a ferret in his pants. That’s pretty weird.

by FredOx on Oct 30, 2008 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs

Very weird is probably an overstatement but…
He has OPS’d over 110 three times and under 100 three times. It’s tempting to link his big year to steroids because of the immediate fall-off but then he comes back and puts together 2 good years, back to back.

I guess he just strikes me as odd because he bloomed sort of late, after being pretty lousy early on, and then, relatively late in his career has become sort of consistently good.

He’s not really all that weird. It’s just that he’s, at times, portrayed as a guy who’s an offensive wonder and has been so for a while but, in actuality, he’s much more of a mixed bag.

by afh4 on Oct 30, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Didn’t he have some sort of major injury at some point?

by Roger Dorn on Oct 30, 2008 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

He had a pretty bad elbow injury (dislocation) at the end of the 2005 season.

by macasson on Oct 30, 2008 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

His numbers are weird for the extent to which his slugging percentage (and his OPS+, sort of) depend upon his ability to hit lots and lots of doubles and triples instead of just knocking the ball over the fence. I wonder how much of this is based on his speed, and how much those XBH totals will be impacted by losing a step or two as he hits his mid-30’s.

There were 143 players listed as active in baseball-reference.com for 2008 who had 300+ extra-base hits in their careers. Only 21 of them averaged 7+ (doubles+triples) per 100 at-bats. Roberts was one of them. He averaged 1.6 HR per 100 AB. The next lowest of that group of 21 is our old friend Ron Belliard, and he’s up at 2.2. Frank Catalonatto and Jimmy Rollins are the only other guys in that group of 21 who don’t hit HRs at least 50% more frequently than Roberts. That’s pretty strange.

Is it relevant?

If he loses 10 bases because of loss of speed (5 triples become doubles, 5 doubles become singles, 5 singles become outs) last year’s 378/450 (117 OPS+) turns into about 370/425. That’s about what Matsui hit, good for a 108 OPS+. That would still pretty good for second baseman, so maybe it’s not relevant.

Unless loss of speed costs him even more than 10 bases/year…

by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Oct 30, 2008 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s probably what was sticking out to me, though I guess I couldn’t quite figure it out.

At any rate, this is well said and interesting. It makes me pretty wary of Roberts.

by afh4 on Oct 31, 2008 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Roberts is a great player and would be a perfect fit for this team in 2009. That’s why we will never get him.

DebbyDowner.jpg

by Toxicadam on Oct 30, 2008 2:52 PM EDT reply actions

Go hard or go home, Adam.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 30, 2008 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Brian Roberts is SO the Jason Bay of 2009.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 30, 2008 2:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Quick, somebody create multiple fanshots about him!

by world dictator on Oct 30, 2008 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Free Brian Roberts!

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Oct 30, 2008 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

He’s no Mark Teahan.

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Oct 30, 2008 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Damn, you beat me to it!

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Oct 31, 2008 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Okay, so … should we start throwing names out there?

Prospect A, Wes Hodges, and Prospect C. Whether or not there is a C depends on A I suppose. I guess the obvious choice is Huff. But for one year of Roberts (maybe)?

Really I guess there’s no point in the rosterbation until we actually have something to go on like we did with the Teahen report.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 30, 2008 6:08 PM EDT reply actions

ROSTERBATION!!!!

Yours? Cause I’m going to mail you a check if you made it up.

by NickFantana on Oct 30, 2008 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions

No, but you can mail me a check anyway. I swear I’ll use it for beer.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 31, 2008 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Can’t give up Huff on a one-year rental, I don’t think. Just can’t.

by Jay on Oct 30, 2008 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

The Front Office allegedly thinks Huff could start in the rotation this year. I doubt they’ll trade huff for anyone, unless he’s part of a trade to get an impact player

by world dictator on Oct 31, 2008 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d further refine impact player to impact starting pitcher.

by Ryan on Oct 31, 2008 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.

by westbrook on Nov 1, 2008 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Matt Cain is sexy.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Nov 2, 2008 5:33 PM EST up reply actions

No way.

Roberts isn’t that valuable. It’s one year of him and he’s not a guarantee to be awesome-he’s not exactly a perennial MVP.

I’d do Hodges and a low level guy.

by afh4 on Oct 31, 2008 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Let me be clear, I would never give up Huff for Roberts. I’m pretty wary of giving up Huff for anyone. I was thinking about what the Orioles ask for.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 31, 2008 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Hello Nick,

Thanks for the clarification – to that request, I’d certainly say “no” to the Orioles. :-)

Just my 2 cents.

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Oct 31, 2008 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Hello Nick,

No – as Jay mentioned (and I mentioned in another thread), Huff can’t be included for a one-year rental of Roberts, and for me, you’d have to have Roberts agree to a multi-year deal before I even think about including Huff (and I’d probably prefer substituting someone else – Lewis, Sowers, Jackson, etc. – instead, especially if Hodges is already in that deal).

And, as both IMT and Andrew both mentioned or implied, how much speed and value will Roberts lose in the coming years. Is he worth signing to a 3-year deal with an option or even a 2-year deal with an option? I’m not sure.

Just my 2 cents.

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Oct 31, 2008 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions