Quiet day for MacPhail
The non-waiver trade deadline came and went at 4 p.m. Thursday and the Orioles did not complete any deals.
"It was pretty quiet, I was a little surprised," team president Andy MacPhail said. "We had on our board some guys we thought would be dealt that were not. There were more high-profile trades than I expected.
"We didn't get close on any deals. We never had multiple conversations with a club. We hold out hope that we could make some deals in August but only if it makes sense for the club. We won't do it just to make a deal."
While basically confirming that George Sherrill was the most sought-after Oriole, MacPhail would not disclose his asking price for the left-handed reliever.
"We would have needed to acquire a meaningful piece moving forward (for Sherrill). I don't see any great importance that we had to do something today. In my judgement there will be a larger field to choose from later on (in the off-season). I wasn't going to do something just so we didn't stay on the sidelines."
MacPhail seemed to indicate that he just never got what he wanted in return for the value he had set on his players.
"We had opportunities to do something stupid and we didn't do it," he said.
He said it doesn't surprise him that the O's could be involved with more activity in August than July. He said he had a list of 10 possible left-handed relievers that could have been dealt and only two were, and that there were no trades for right-handed bullpen pitchers.
MacPhail talked about the possibility of moves in the off-season.
"It will be different then, as some teams lose players through free agency. There will be a more wide-open field. Plus our needs may evolve and change as we make judgements over the next few months."
MacPhail explained his philosophy on claiming players off waivers in August. He said if his team is in contention, he might block a competitor from claiming someone. If his team is out of it he wouldn't block a claim that would lead to a deal where his competitor improves itself in the short term but weakens its future.
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