NikiH wrote:Hmm funny but I think they said the rejection was the players had squat to do with the O's. Other then he's not coming here. I hope you are a Nationals fan.
I'm a huge O's fan but they are so vanilla it's rediculous. All we ever do is go after has-been hitters and never get any pitching. Pitching wins the World Series just like defense wins the Super Bowl. We just have the worst owner in all of sports, that's all.
Plenty of heart on this team but that will only get us so far. We have never had the right players in place for awhile now. I am fine with their heart I love the makeup of the team. We just never can make things happen in the second half of the season, never make any trades worth noting. I mean we need starting pitching and cant even go get AJ Burnett. Instead they were trying to trade a starting pitcher for another first baseman, who is hitting .263????????? Then we have no starting pitcher and yet someone else not hitting. They have just baffled me that's all. At least this year has been better than years past. Lets hope we can get it together and have a good finish rather than just being a fart in the wind with our good first half.
By Jorge Arangure Jr. Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 26, 2005; Page E06
BALTIMORE, July 25 -- The Baltimore Orioles' desire to shore up their outfield has them focused on Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Matt Lawton. The teams have spoken several times about Lawton, according to two baseball sources. To obtain Lawton, 33, Baltimore would send outfielder Larry Bigbie, whom the Pirates covet.
There are several issues in obtaining Lawton, though; most important that he is a free agent at the end of the season. Baltimore will likely not just want to rent Lawton for two months and then see him walk away in the offseason. The Orioles are discussing asking for a window to negotiate an extension with Lawton if they continue to aggressively pursue the outfielder. The Florida Marlins are also interested in Lawton.
The Orioles view Lawton, hitting .270 with 10 home runs, as an upgrade over Bigbie, who, at 27 years old, continues to be viewed mostly as a prospect.
Perhaps the other stumbling block to a trade is that Lawton is owed approximately $4.8 million this season. The Orioles might also ask the Pirates pay some of Lawton's salary.
Lawton would seem to be an ideal No. 2 hitter who could fit between Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora in the lineup. Baltimore has tried to find a No. 2 hitter since spring training, but no one on the roster has fit into that spot. Lawton's 53 walks would rank first on the Orioles and his .376 on-base percentage would trail only Roberts. Lawton has a career .370 on-base percentage.
The Pirates have already shown interest in Bigbie this season, who was batting .258 with five home runs prior to Monday's game against the Texas Rangers. It's possible the package for Lawton could be extended to include either pitcher Mark Redman or pitcher Kip Wells, but the Orioles' interest in those two pitchers appears to be mild.
By Jorge Arangure Jr. Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page E08
BALTIMORE, July 29 -- The Orioles have acquired outfielder Eric Byrnes from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for outfielder Larry Bigbie. The two teams spoke at length about Byrnes on Friday, according to an official with one of the teams involved, but at one point reached an impasse which seemed to kill the deal. Bigbie started Friday's game in left field and then was replaced by Luis Matos prior to the start of the fourth inning. That began the speculation that Bigbie had been traded, but no announcement from the Orioles was made until late in the game.
Prior to Friday, Byrnes was hitting .253 this season with seven home runs playing for both the Rockies and the Oakland Athletics. Byrnes was traded to the Rockies on July 13.
He can play all three outfield positions and has been dubbed the "Human Crash Test Dummy" for his spectacular running and diving catches.
Several in the Orioles organization like Byrnes's relentless energy, comparing it to that of Miguel Tejada. Byrnes likely will become the Orioles' starting left fielder.
Bigbie, 27, has been somewhat of a disappointment in his four-plus seasons with Baltimore. A first-round selection in 1999 (21st overall), Bigbie was hitting just .249 with five home runs and a .316 on-base percentage this year entering Friday's game. He began the season as the starting left fielder but never could get going offensively.
In the past few weeks, Bigbie's name had been mentioned in several trade rumors, including as part of deals for Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett and Pirates outfielder Matt Lawton. The trade rumors appeared to affect Bigbie on the field. He said he had a difficult time feeling part of the team when he knew he was likely headed elsewhere.
Very good trade, IMO. I feel bad for Bigbie. I really liked him when he was here but we will get a very fiery outfielder in return. Trade worked out prety well for us.
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#60 Chris Samuels: 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle!
