Bedard

Seattle Times Mariners beat writer Geoff Baker blogs that starting pitcher Erik Bedard went on the air with a Philadelphia ESPN radio affiliate as trade rumors swirl around his possible dealing to the Phillies. Not sure how great an interview it was since Bedard has a penchant for one word answers to questions, but apparently he may be warming to the idea of heading out of Seattle. If Philly is in

With Seattle not contending, plus having almost no shot of winning the bidding war for Bedard next season, I think we should try to pry Erik away from the Mariners, right now. I would offer them a package of Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, Alan Horne and Justin Christian. I think they would bite. If they want [...]

The Phillies need another starting pitcher. This past 9-game stretch, where we've gone 3-6 against 3 of top teams in the MLB, has shown that come playoff time, you cannot rely on a streaky offense and one good pitcher to win you 7-game series. Up until yesterday, I figured that the starter we need could either come from within the organization (i.e. Brett Myers pulling a Gavin Floyd and finally p

Ah, Erik Bedard, perhaps he might now regret going to Seattle and not staying with Baltimore. As for us, man, does Andy MacPhail look more like a genius each and every day.I feel for Mariners fans, this deal has needless to say not worked out in their favor.Now Seattle skipper John McLaren has blown a gasket, and his tirade now will perhaps inspire -- however, not likely -- they're simply not a go

Erik Bedard combined with two relievers on a two-hitter as the Mariners beat the Red Sox 1-0 at Safeco Field. Yuniesky Betancourt homered in the third inning for the game's only run. Bedard gave up two hits and three walks while striking out eight over seven innings for his fourth win. Brandon Morrow and J.J. Putz worked one inning each, with Putz posting his sixth save. Tim Wakefield also fan

Do you think Seattle fans are happy now? If you have not heard, Erik Bedard is on the 15-day DL with a bum hip...Like some people have noticed, Bedard may be a solid pitcher; however, except for 2006, he's never been able to go without a stint at least once every season on the disabled list.I wish the lad a lot of luck, but Seattle gave up a lot and for their sake, they better hope he does not become a bust.

The red hot Orioles won against last night as they beat the Mariners, 6-4. Luke Scott had a big night as he went 3 for 3 with 2 RBI, Melvin Mora had 3 hits, & Matt Albers got the win in relief after Adam Loewen left in the fifth inning.The Mariners homers, both two run shots from Jose Vidro and Jose Lopez; however, Baltimore took the lead in the fifth thanks to a base loaded walk and added another run in the seventh thanks to an Adam Jones sacrifice fly.George Sherill got his third save of the season; meanwhile, Miguel Batista took the loss for Seattle.***Well, after going to York, Pa., this afternoon, a bunch of baseball fans & myself were talking about the occasion this afternoon, and then the talk turned to the Baltimore Orioles.It was not good.For the most part, a lot of people

Erik Bedard and Sam Perlozzo return to Baltimore this weekend for the four game series against the Seattle Mariners. Granted, Perlozzo's visit to Charm City may be bittersweet due to the circumstances of his firing (I think he was on watch after the Mother's Day Massacre); however, he was nothing but nice and gracious to the fans. He tried his best, but it didn't work out.I think Bedard was a great talent and it was nice to see him develop in Baltimore; in retrospect, he needed to be traded for the good of the organization. He was not going to sign a long term deal here, and simply just wanted to be part of a winner.Despite what has been said about him in the media, I'll always root for him, as he was a nice enough when I met him, and enjoyed seeing him on the mound.Peter Schmuck has a gre

I'll be looking forward to Sunday, as Erik Bedard returns to face his old team -- the Baltimore Orioles. He looked okay in his first start against Texas, and got shelled in Spring Training but; however, on Sunday, I think he'll be all business against the Orioles.Personally, I'll be rooting for Bedard (well not on Sunday). Not withstanding some of the media reports I have gotten about his surly behavior and whatever, I found him to be a little shy but quite polite at least when I crossed paths with him.He's an exceptional talent, I'll be rooting for him to do well. Unlike Huff, who disrespected the city and Millar rooting for the Sox, Bedard never openly dissed the city or said anything negative.Tonight, the Orioles play their second game of the season and let's hope Daniel Cabrera can kic

First off, hope everyone is having a good weekend and we are only less than eight days from real baseball.It's obvious that the Baltimore Orioles will have their 11th losing season, and parts of the season, will be frankly painful -- let's keep in the mind changes made.Second, we finally have started to rebuild -- something that needed to be done long ago. With new blood on the roster, perhaps they can be part of the core for the subsequent seasons ahead.As mentioned yesterday, Jeremy Guthrie will get the Opening Day nod, and the team made the right choice. Steve Trachsel may be a veteran; however, the numbers don't lie -- Guthrie is better.***Well, our former talented, surly, enigmatic ace, Erik Bedard is being lit up in Cactus League action.From the Sun: Former Oriole Erik Bedard struggl

Erik Bedard may have left Baltimore, but the memory of his surliness and pissing off some members of the media here have not been forgotten.Well, on March 5th after a Cactus league start, Erik decided to opine this thoughts to the Seattle media - you've got to read this...From the Seattle Times:Oh man, I know this topic is going to start something. The reporters who cover the team just got back from talking to Bedard after his performance. Total time on my recorder of the interview session: 1 minute, 18 seconds. Even the security guard who let us back into the stadium knew the deal."Didn't have much to say to ya, did he?" she said.Yup, Bedard was...Bedard. He set the tone right off."You get four questions," he told the group.1. Can you tell the difference from start to start?Bedard: "No, n

Erik Bedard's days with the Orioles appear to be numbered. Indications are the team is close to finalizing a deal that would send the ace lefty to Seattle for among others, Adam Jones. The "Sun" reports the 22-year-old phenom told a reporter in Venezuela that he was headed to Baltimore for a physical. Jones went on to say the Mariners had informed him he was the centerpiece of a deal for Bedard. So far, the O's are saying there's no agreement with Seattle.

We have all been hearing the Bedard rumors for a while now, but it seems that a deal may be real close. Varying reports have the O's trading Bedard to the Mariners for a deal centered around young phenom Adam Jones. I find it hard to believe the O's backed down from their demand of Brandon Morrow, but it's looking like it.Another reports says that the Mets may not quite be out of the mix just yet, leaving about four teams still in the hunt: Mariners, Reds, Indians and Mets.A deal is imminent for Orioles infielder Brian Roberts according to various sources. The trade would send Roberts to the Cubs for Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Ronny Cedeno. According to sources close to the Orioles, it is going to take Rich Hill, Felix Pie, and Tyler Colvin.Frankly, I think you can leave Rich

Seems that on day two of the winter meetings, the Orioles have been courted much like the pretty girl at the high school dance.Well, if you all have not noticed, Erik Bedard is in demand...Here are the latest rumors:From Fox Sports: "The Orioles, among the busiest talkers at these meetings, continue to signal that they are trying to trade catcher Ramon Hernandez. They are interested in Michael Barrett as a free agent and want either Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli as well as pitching if they trade shortstop Miguel Tejada to the Angels, according to sources."From Fox Sports: "The Blue Jays are willing to trade outfielder Alex Rios in a deal for a premium starting pitcher and have talked to the Giants about Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. The Giants are reluctant to move either pitcher, but would consider a hitter such as Rios, who is three years away from free agency.If the Jays traded Rios, they likely would go with Adam Lind in left field and a platoon of Reed Johnson and Matt Stairs in right

A big tip of the hat for Ian of Sox and Dawgs for emailing me this:From ESPN: 2:56 p.m. ET, from Amy Nelson"The Orioles and Dodgers may be close on a deal that will send left-hander Erik Bedard to Los Angeles, a baseball source said. The O's are in need of a center fielder and a closer who can play at the major league level, and the Dogders seem willing to part with outfielder Matt Kemp and reliever Jonathan Broxton, who could come in a close in lieu of Chris Ray, out for the year after Tommy John surgery. "They want Bedard bad," said the source."Like I said, don't be surprised that MacPhail jumped on a chance to get some good youngsters who could contribute immediately. The Dodgers have a deep minor league system and a lot of prospects, so it is only prudent that the Orioles take advantage of it.Now this:From the ESPN Winter meetings blog: The Blue Jays continue to talk with the Orioles about left-hander Erik Bedard. Toronto probably has the young pitching to anchor a deal.Ok,

When the teams that lose out on the Johan Santana sweepstakes decide to move on the next target, they'll set their eyes on Erik Bedard.Now, there's a new player in the Bedard sweepstakes -- the Seattle Mariners.From the News Tribune (Seattle): The Mariners officially acknowledged they were out of the run for Johan Santana, and turned their attention to another coveted pitcher – Baltimore’s Erik Bedard.Bedard isn’t nearly the marquee name Santana is, but he’s a 29-year-old left-hander with a 40-35 record and a 3.83 lifetime earned run average. Unfortuantely for Seattle, he’s hardly a secret.Among the teams already pursuing Bedard are the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, and the team that finishes second in the Santana derby is almost certain to join this fray.As with Santana, Bedard will come dear – Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail wants to remake his roster by moving Bedard and shortstop Miguel Tejada. That means ready-for-the-majors talent.For the Mariners, th

As I have opined time and time on this blog and on Oriole Magic, I didn't think that Erik Bedard was all that hip to signing an extension and staying in Baltimore.Now according to the Washington Post's Dave Shenin and Barry Svrluga, Bedard does not want to stay in BaltimoreFor those teams that lose out on Santana, there still is no shortage of attractive pitchers available on the trade market.Perhaps the best of those is left-hander Erik Bedard of the Baltimore Orioles, who is definitely available now that, according to league sources, he has informed the team he has no interest in signing an extension to stay in Baltimore beyond 2009, when he hits free agency. And Bedard, who is perhaps one more solid year away from establishing himself as a true No. 1 starter, could be a poor man's Santana, costing a team half the talent and less than half the money (if they are interested in extending him) in a trade.I have said before, he may not stay with the Orioles and considering his success

According to the Baltimore Sun's beat reporter, Jeff Zrebiec, the contract talks between Erik Bedard's representatives and the Orioles have stalled, which obviously increases the likelihood of a deal between some team possibly taking place.'The Orioles already have gotten several trade offers for Bedard, who went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA last season and set a franchise record with 221 strikeouts. They figure to get more next week in Nashville, Tenn., though MacPhail said that the cooling of talks shouldn't be taken as a sign that the Orioles are ready to unload Bedard."I'm not concerned," MacPhail said. "My experience tells me that this isn't unusual. I'd be hesitant to read too much into it."MacPhail said earlier this week that he and Pieper had been having "periodic" and "conceptual" conversations about an extension for Bedard, 28. MacPhail said that no contract figures were ever exchanged.'We all have no idea if the Baltimore will indeed dangle Erik or just keep him in 2008 into

B, who has been a tremendous help on the blog and who has a great tab on the Orioles wrote a post on Bedard earlier this week and the interest he’s had on the open market.The Orioles are right now trying to determine what to do with Erik as he’s a valuable piece not only on the field, but as potential trade bait. The latest rumor being thrown out there is that Dodgers are looking at getting him; however, they are preoccupied with a way to get the Marlins’ Miguel Cabrera via trade.With Baltimore on the verge of a potential and lengthy rebuilding process, perhaps the best thing to do would be to trade Bedard considering the value he could get in return.This evening, I read a interesting piece on Press Box’s column, the “Oriole Insider” and Craig Heist has a Q&A with Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and one of the questions center around Erik.Here’s what Rosenthal opined: “... I think the only way to really gauge that interest is to make him an offer. Now, if I were Erik Be

A few days ago, I mentioned that the Orioles were looking to sign left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard to a long term contract, but now it appears that they are talking trades with a few teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers in particular.According to a rumor report on Yahoo! Sports, the Orioles are looking for a package deal of younger position players, Matt Kemp in particular - so they can take advantgage of the free agent market being thin in pitching, and so the organization can perhaps return to contention in the next couple of years.The full article can be found here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmeRwDTxV18p5CZkS_DsqDwRvLYF?slug=ti-dodgersorioles112007&prov=yhoo&type=lgnsI understand where the writer, and the organization, is coming from; the Orioles need to make changes in order to become a threat in the AL East, but at the same time, I would hate to see Bedard leave. I know he'll eventually leave the team either via a trade or free agency, but there is a part of me that

The Orioles website just announce a rumor that's been floating around other sports news sites for a few weeks - they'd rather sign staff ace Erik Bedard to an extension rather than trade him.Andy MacPhail brought up points that "young lefties don't grow on trees" and that the organization is planning on meeting with Bedard's agent before Winter Meetings next month.Full story here - http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071115&content_id=2301023&vkey=news_bal&fext=.jsp&c_id=balThe Orioles would be smart to sign Bedard long term - as the article points out, if Bedard leaves, the rotation is left without an ace pitcher, something the organization definitely needs.What are your thoughts on signing Erik and of the teams that were supposedly interested in him? When I saw the New York Yankees in the mix, I had flashbacks to when we lost Mussina to free agency...~B

This afternoon at the ESPN Zone in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Oriole ace and Cy Young Award candidate, Erik Bedard took out time from his schedule to meet and greet fans.I will say that I have not missed one event this year, and in my opinion, his appearance at the restaurant perhaps has drawn so far the most amount of fans I have ever seen.I was interested in this event in particular, mostly because the way Erik has been portrayed in the national and local media. He's more or less been seen as an arrogant, moody, ornery athlete who despises the media and fans in general.However, on Thursday afternoon, those who got to meet him would think different about our ace.Although I would say Bedard is fairly reserved, low-key (just by his demeanor), comes off as a little shy and perhaps unaware of the attention he's now receiving for his mastery on the mound; however, he was relaxed and down to earth.The fans who were in attendance only gave Erik a lot of love and high praise, as he's a

I've decided to start a new feature here at Vegas Watch, where I arbitrarily select a player that doesn't get as much attention as he probably deserves, and write a lot about him. These things will run every Monday, in theory. If you have a suggestion for a profile, please e-mail me at VegasWatch@gmail.com. Erik Bedard is on pace to strike out more batters (271) than any AL pitcher has since 2000 (Pedro, 284). You probably didn't know that (I didn't until I just looked it up), because Bedard plays for the fourth place Orioles, and is just 24th in the majors with 12 wins.Bedard is having a breakout year, but he isn't exactly new on the scene. He has been the Orioles' ace since 2005 (although, before this year, calling someone the Orioles' ace was like telling them they're the wittiest FanHouse commenter), and won 15 games last year.But things have been different for Bedard in 2007, as he's been the second most valuable starter in baseball (behind Peavy). I thought I'd take a l

This just in.Erik Bedard and Jeremy Guthrie are good, and only now is the national media is starting to take notice.The sometimes defacto Yankee-Red Sox network, ESPN has a great profile on Erik Bedard and his case for the Cy Young and a Video of Jeremy Guthrie on their website.Bedard may be enigmatic and surly to the media; however, he is looking now as one of the best pitchers were have seen in recent memory. He had a shaky start to his career, but under the tutledge of Leo Mazzone, his changeup and a jolt of confidence, Erik's career is taking off.And what can we say about Guthrie -- a great guy, pious, and he's got an incredible arm. The Orioles should be appreciative of every day he wears that uniform. I have chatted with Jeremy several times, and let's celebrate having him on the team because he is a class act.Check it out!Also, check out David Picker's article in the New York Times about Erik Bedard...

Erik Bedard keeps rolling, and it is safe to say that he’s one of the best starters in baseball today. If it has not already, the sport needs to take notice. Okay, so he was not immaculate on Sunday afternoon, but he did a decent job as the Orioles whooped up on Tampa Bay, 11-3. He struck out 11. The Oriole offense came through in a big way as Miguel Tejada, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora homered. Finally, the team is playing as it should be with the talent on the roster, and just imagine if they had played like this early on – the O’s would be in the wild card hunt. Corey Patterson drove in three runs and Nick Markakis drove in two. *** The Baltimore Sun has a recap of the game, as does the Baltimore Examiner, and the Washington Post. Aubrey Huff has been a disappointment in general, but this weekend he got out of a prolonged (that would be an understatement) slump and bashed his old team. Roch Kubatko has an interesting piece on Orioles’ prospect, Dav

The quiet, sometimes anti-social, but hell of an ace Erik Bedard is on a roll. Last night, he won his 5th straight game, struck out 11, and had a no-hitter into the sixth inning as the O’s beat the A’s 5-1.The boys from Baltimore took advantage of an Oakland team in a tailspin, as every starter had a hit; Brian Roberts drove in two runs, and Nick Markakis, Kevin Millar, and Luis Hernandez each drove in a run.The two teams continue the series on Saturday and Sunday.***The Orioles MLB site, Baltimore Examiner, Washington Post, & Orioles Hangout have a recap of the game last night.Let’s face it folks: Aubrey Huff has been extremely underwhelming as a player, and has not lived up to expectations. His batting average is decent, but he’s not been the power force that the team needs. Despite the struggles, Huff is trying to remain upbeat…The Baltimore Sun has more on Aubrey Huff…Roch Kubatko has no sympathy for Nick Swisher who has destroyed the Orioles…Tony Pente of Orioles Han

The last few years have been nothing but lackluster for the Orioles, but last night, ace Erik Bedard threw one of the best games by any pitcher this year. No disrespect to Daniel Cabrera, but I think what Bedard did last night was even masterful than his one hitter against the Yankees. In deep heart of sweltering Texas, Erik Bedard struck out 15 and gave up 2 hits as the Orioles beat the Rangers 3-0 on Saturday. Criticized by most in the media for being standoffish, not going deep into game and at times “just packing it in”, he seemingly took his game to a new level as he stymied the Rangers and was just plain nasty. He was so good last night, he struck out the side in the ninth inning. I didn’t see the game live, but I caught a replay online and he looked like I guy I had never seen before – and keep in mind, he leads the league in strikeouts. Things went so well last night that the struggling Jay Gibbons homered, and had three hits. The Wit and Prose

Comicon's Pulse, which is a lot better than Newsarama, did an interview with Tony Bedard, who's now getting the job of writing Supergirl at DC. He says he enjoys writing books with female leads. That figures, since he first came to prominence writing at least two books for CrossGen that had two lady leads.Bedard might be just what the Maiden of Might needs just now in scriptwriting, as he does seem to have some good talent for writing books with ladies in the lead. It should be hoped though that he won't come up against any editorial interference, something that's become more noticable of recent.

(click to see the large image...)Sorry, I found this the other day in my archives while compiling an upcoming gallery of pictures to be posted on this blog. I was at Yankee Stadium on a freezing Sunday when I got a chance to snap this picture.As we all know, Kevin Millar is a fun loving guy, and as they were walking to the dugout, he decided to show Paul Bako, the Orioles backup catcher some love. In the image, you also see pitcher Erik Bedard accompanying them.

As much as I have criticized MASN, one of the most interesting aspects of the coverage of the Orioles on that network is this year is that you get a lot of in-depth and post game stuff that is fairly rare on other networks.Last night (keep in mind, I never watch the post-game stuff either because I am at the game, or I have better things to do), but Erik Bedard put on one of the most bizzare, yet alluring post game interviews I have ever heard.I watched, laughed in amazement and then asked myself why Erik Bedard was such a dick last night.Basically, I saw the wit, brilliance and utter ignorance of our ace.Both Matt Palmer of the Baltimore Examiner and Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun have the transcript of the post-game interview on their respective blogs, but I just copied and pasted it from Roch's. Reporter: "Were you just in a zone with those strikeouts?" Bedard: "It just happened. I was throwing strikes and they were swinging." Reporter: "Is there any difference in how you pi

The O's and Erik Bedard are gearing up for an arbitration showdown within the next few days. Jeff Zrebiec, Baltimore Sun writer, took a look at the situation at hand in his latest article. Does he deserve the money? Guess whose record his numbers compare closely to.BedardZito Zito. The 126 million dollar-man. Will Bedard win? Maybe. Bedard has a legitimate for the money he wants, and considering the market is for pitching, he might have a shot to win. To be honest, the Orioles are depending on him for the future, and it might be a good thing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this argument. Here's Bedard's take: Bedard, his agent, Mark Pieper, and Orioles officials have not made much progress on settling on a one-year deal for the 2007 season. Bedard, who went 15-11 with a 3.76 ERA last season, is asking for $4 million, while the Orioles offered $2.7 million. If the two sides don't compromise, the case will be heard by an independent arbitrator Tu

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with Erik Bedard just this morning.From the Sun: Bedard was asking for $4 million, while the Orioles were offering $2.7 million. The Orioles exceeded the midpoint to get the deal done, according to one club source, and will pay the pitcher approximately $3.4 million. "I am happy," Bedard said. "The biggest part is not to go to a court hearing and hear you [stink]. I am just glad it's over with." Woohoo. This is good news for the Orioles and even moreso for Bedard. He can finally focus on Opening Day and the task at hand - the 2007 baseball season.If he has a standout 2007, look for a contract extension…