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The Baltimore Sun believes the Cubs would part with Rich Hill in a deal for both Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts.

Hill, Felix Pie, Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Ronny Cedeno and two prospects for Bedard and Roberts? If the rumored seven-for-two deal really has been discussed, the package may have looked something like that. It's highly unlikely that the Cubs will land both Bedard and Roberts, but if they did, they'd have to be looked at as the NL's best team entering the season.
Source: Baltimore Sun



holy shtt, i hope not.

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A Cubs source told the Sun-Times that Orioles owner Peter Angelos killed a proposed seven-for-two trade that would have sent both Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts to Chicago.

Other sources have indicated that this was never on the table to be killed, though it's likely that the possibility of adding both Bedard and Roberts in the same deal is something the two sides have discussed. The Cubs would almost certainly have to part with Felix Pie in a deal for both. Their discussions for Roberts alone have center around players like Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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Angelos Killed 7-For-2 Bedard/Roberts Deal With Cubs?
UPDATE, 1-20-08 at 9:25am: Jim Hendry called the 7-for-2 report "not accurate." So three sources have weighed in on this Angelos-killed deal and two indicate that it is not to be believed. Meanwhile Roch Kubatko says that "it now appears the Cubs would be willing to part with Rich Hill" if they could get Roberts and Bedard. But the Orioles still don't want to package the two.

FROM 1-19-08 at 11:42am:

Eye-opening rumor from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times today. His Cubs source says Orioles owner Peter Angelos nixed a 7-for-2 blockbuster that would've netted the Cubs Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard (presumably for the Cubs' entire farm system). However, Wittenmyer also talked to an Orioles source who said there was no such deal on the table.

Seems a Roberts acquisition for the Cubs is becoming less likely. The focus may have shifted to Marlon Byrd. I wonder if the best thing for Felix Pie's development would be to just let him play every day and bat eighth, without bringing in veteran competition.

Wittenmyer says the Orioles plan to shop Roberts and Bedard through month's end and would prefer not to package them together.


from mlb trade rumors.

[BuddyBear]

Not even worth it for the Cubs to give all that up. True, Bedard may be one of the best pitchers in baseball and is certainly dominant right now and can be an instant #1, but RH is still young and developing into a very good pitcher in his own right.

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Cubs, Orioles talks back on?: The Cubs and Orioles have reportedly been given the go ahead to get a deal done. According to Phil Rogers, the deal would send Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts to the Cubs for at least seven prospects, including both Sean Gallagher and Felix Pie.

REACTION: Do it. This is a good trade for both sides. It gives the Cubs the upper hand in the division and allows them to pursue a Marlon Byrd trade, or sign someone like Kenny Lofton. Unloading your system is not always a bad thing, it just means that you must go out and draft players that will ask for more money. The Cubs will be able to keep Jeff Samardzija, along with Tyler Colvin, and have other prospects that will not be included in the deal. Although they acquire someone at the top of the order, Bedard has had some durability problems, which you'd hate to see happen if you unload seven prospects.

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Despite GM Jim Hendry's protestations, the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers says the Cubs and Orioles are talking about a massive deal involving Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts.

According to Rogers' very highly placed source, Orioles owner Peter Angelos did shoot the deal down at the end of last week, but talks were back on again recently. Rogers believes the Cubs could send Felix Pie to Baltimore and bring in Marlon Byrd to replace him.
Source: Chicago Tribune

[d ray]

Not even worth it for the Cubs to give all that up. True, Bedard may be one of the best pitchers in baseball and is certainly dominant right now and can be an instant #1, but RH is still young and developing into a very good pitcher in his own right.

being a cubs fan i disagree, i would love this trade, especially getting roberts to bat leadoff, something the Cubs haven't had in forever.

[d ray]

Originally posted: January 21, 2008
By Phil Rogers, 1:43 p.m.

So what's up with the supposed 7-for-2 deal with Bedard and Roberts? The read here is this involves a lot of both posturing and face-saving as the Cubs try to do the impossible -- that is, make a significant trade with the Orioles for players whom owner Peter Angelos has not ordered dumped (i.e., Miguel Tejada).

It makes total sense for the Cubs to pursue both players, not just Roberts. I believe Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has tried to soft sell his interest in hopes of expanding a possible Roberts deal. If Andy MacPhail couldn't get Angelos to sign off on the deal at the end of last week, a combination of frustration and gamesmanship could have led Hendry and Lou Piniella to declare the deal dead at the Cubs' convention. I trust the source who has said it has been revived -- something that could not have happened if Hendry had revealed that Angelos was undercutting MacPhail's authority, which he pledged not to do -- so the question is whether Hendry can balance the needs of the Orioles and Rangers and somehow land Bedard, Roberts and Byrd, maybe even in a three-way deal.

And there's still the question of what to do with Mark DeRosa, if Roberts arrives. Some have said the Cubs are worried about Bedard's "medicals,'' but others around baseball believe he should be fine after being shut down at the end of the season with a strained muscle in his side.


Part of Phil Rodgers Blog - chicagosports.com

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bedard would be the cy young award winner in the nl in 2008 and make the cubs the fav in game 1 over anyone in a playoff series. roberts is an awesome leadoff man that stole 50 last year while being thrown out 7 times. i would hate for the os to send these guys to the cubs for anything the cubs have.


as for buddybear, well, hill is one year younger than bedard and had much worse numbers in a much easier division. hill is decent, but he wouldnt make a flea on bedards ass.

[5 star bomb]

bedard would be the cy young award winner in the nl in 2008 and make the cubs the fav in game 1 over anyone in a playoff series. roberts is an awesome leadoff man that stole 50 last year while being thrown out 7 times. i would hate for the os to send these guys to the cubs for anything the cubs have.


as for buddybear, well, hill is one year younger than bedard and had much worse numbers in a much easier division. hill is decent, but he wouldnt make a flea on bedards ass.

Bedard has HUGE durability question marks... And last year was Rich Hill's first full season, sky is the limit for him

[5 star bomb]

Not even worth it for the Cubs to give all that up. True, Bedard may be one of the best pitchers in baseball and is certainly dominant right now and can be an instant #1, but RH is still young and developing into a very good pitcher in his own right.

I am on the fence here Buddybear... I agree with you on Rich Hill he is really a young stud pitcher ready to bust out on the scene... however if the Cubs could get both Bedard and Roberts that would give the Cubs a SCARY looking team and would make them the favorites in the NL imo... I am just worried with Bedard's injury history and it is a lot to give up even if we are getting 2 studs in return.

[mofome]

Bedard has HUGE durability question marks... And last year was Rich Hill's first full season, sky is the limit for him

haha how is the sky the limit? why was it his first full year? fact is, hes 1 year younger than bedard and he had much worse numbers in a much much much easier division. hill is a nice little pitcher, but he isnt nearly as good as bedard. i'll vomit if thats who we get for bedard. pitching in the nl is neat, just stay in the nl.

[Willie Bee]

Theoretically, any pitcher's numbers should go up (ERA, WHIP) moving from the NL to the AL due to the fact the AL has that weenie DH rule

Seriously, that's just not enough, even that wild 7-for-2 rumor, for Bedard and Roberts in my opinion. Those are two guys, plus Markakis and Loewen, they should be locking up and building around. They've got the head case Cabrera plus just got Patton and Albers (who I think is going to eventually post some solid numbers). They really need for Mora, Millar, Scott & Huff, some trio of that quartet, to drive in runs if they're going to have any shot of at least putting a scare in the Big 2 of the ALE. But I just don't see why you'd trade Bedard and Roberts really, except that Angelos is an idiot at times like a lot of the rest of them.

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Theoretically, any pitcher's numbers should go up (ERA, WHIP) moving from the NL to the AL due to the fact the AL has that weenie DH rule

Seriously, that's just not enough, even that wild 7-for-2 rumor, for Bedard and Roberts in my opinion. Those are two guys, plus Markakis and Loewen, they should be locking up and building around. They've got the head case Cabrera plus just got Patton and Albers (who I think is going to eventually post some solid numbers). They really need for Mora, Millar, Scott & Huff, some trio of that quartet, to drive in runs if they're going to have any shot of at least putting a scare in the Big 2 of the ALE. But I just don't see why you'd trade Bedard and Roberts really, except that Angelos is an idiot at times like a lot of the rest of them.

bedard doesnt want to resign here, so dealing him is in our best interest imo. i think we need to get as much quality youth as possible. the cubs dont have much that i want, so i hope we dont deal with them. id love to work with cinci, but it seems that those talks are dead. seattle is next in line.

as for the os, Markakis, Loewen, Guthrie, Ray, Hoey, Patton, and Liz give us some decent young talent, but we're so far away from being decent that its ridiculous. deal bedard for A jones, triufel, clement/tillman and move forward.

[5 star bomb]

haha how is the sky the limit? why was it his first full year? fact is, hes 1 year younger than bedard and he had much worse numbers in a much much much easier division. hill is a nice little pitcher, but he isnt nearly as good as bedard. i'll vomit if thats who we get for bedard. pitching in the nl is neat, just stay in the nl.

5th in NL in K's with a sub 4 era in his first full season... Trust me this kid is going to be good. He has the best curve ball in all of baseball and has heat to go with it. Has developed a pretty good change up and has good control. Why does it matter if it was his first full season? It takes some guys longer to develop and get their chance. I have no doubts that Rich Hill will be a very high quality pitcher for many years to come. Im honestly not sure he doesnt have more upside over Bedard since Bedard has a hard time staying healthy

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5th in NL in K's with a sub 4 era in his first full season... Trust me this kid is going to be good. He has the best curve ball in all of baseball and has heat to go with it. Has developed a pretty good change up and has good control. Why does it matter if it was his first full season? It takes some guys longer to develop and get their chance. I have no doubts that Rich Hill will be a very high quality pitcher for many years to come. Im honestly not sure he doesnt have more upside over Bedard since Bedard has a hard time staying healthy

best curve ball in all of baseball? i do believe thats ridiculous. bedard had 10.93 ks per 9 in the toughest division in baseball, the gap between these guys is large. bedard has 2 fbs that are better than anything hill has and a better breaking ball. that doesnt mean hill is bad, i think you're just underestimating bedard. hill had a nice season, hell he was great in the beginning, but pitching in the al east is nothing like pitching in the nl c. night and day.

[5 star bomb]

best curve ball in all of baseball? i do believe thats ridiculous. bedard had 10.93 ks per 9 in the toughest division in baseball, the gap between these guys is large. bedard has 2 fbs that are better than anything hill has and a better breaking ball. that doesnt mean hill is bad, i think you're just underestimating bedard. hill had a nice season, hell he was great in the beginning, but pitching in the al east is nothing like pitching in the nl c. night and day.

Bedard has a better breaking ball than Hill? LOL, Mofo you just gave me a good laugh!! Seriously I think the whole AL East argument is overrated, im not saying the AL isnt tougher to pitch in, obviously im not going there bc I know it is tougher. But its not like Bedard is facing off against the Yanks and Red Sox every week or something. Bedard had a great season but once again like I have said his durability is a major concern. Rich Hill the sky is the limit, just watch and learn. I will bump this thread during the season when Rich Hill is dominating fools!

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Bedard has a better breaking ball than Hill? LOL, Mofo you just gave me a good laugh!! Seriously I think the whole AL East argument is overrated, im not saying the AL isnt tougher to pitch in, obviously im not going there bc I know it is tougher. But its not like Bedard is facing off against the Yanks and Red Sox every week or something. Bedard had a great season but once again like I have said his durability is a major concern. Rich Hill the sky is the limit, just watch and learn. I will bump this thread during the season when Rich Hill is dominating fools!

yes, well, my friend, when hes not facing the sox or yanks hes still facing tougher lineups almost every game than hill ever faces in the nl. maybe the tigers, or indians? the nl c may be the worst division in sports. bedard does have a better breaking ball than hill, i dont think thats even up for debate; sharper and harder to make contact with. then again, whats 10.93ks per 9 in the al vs what hill showed? the sky is the limit for hill, how so? 1 year younger and much worse at baseball doesnt exactly make you wet your pants if you're an os fan hearing about the possibility of hill coming to town. you can bump all you like, but i dont think you're understanding just how much more dominant bedards numbers are than hills. its not all that close.

[Checkerboard]

OT: I thought the Tribune was trying to pare down the payroll in preparation of selling off the operation . . .