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I understand that the O's are rebuilding and stockpiling ML talent, but how can Pedro hurt the Orioles? Sign him to a 2 yr deal, They are beyond thin with starting pitching. what is going to happen if and when Guthrie or Uehara gets hurt? Using Hendrickson/Pauley/Eaton to 'fill' a spot in the rotation is going to be a disaster, especially against the AL East. We need some veteran SP that have had success before, and Pedro used to be one of the best, and sadly would be a legit #2 starter on the O's. Sign him before he's gone.

In other words, the answer is "we always are, if there's anyone out there who's better than anyone we've got." I don't understand why anyone told you the first answer if it was followed by the second one.

Also, with regard to Pauley, Trembley is right. Perfection isn't out there. If he were perfect, he'da been promoted to the Red Sox by now instead of being left at Pawtucket and having been available to the O's. The Sox must not be worried about his coming back to face them.

That's hilarious. Who gave you those double talk quotes Roch? potter or little nickie? AM can't have had that many martinis yet....

Pedro has fallen off from what he was, no doubt, but he is definitely significantly better than several potential starters in camp. All irrelevant, Pedro would never $ign here.

Yeah-I guess your right. Pedro doesn't qualify:) Geesh. We need another proven arm in camp and that becomes more apparent as time goes on in my opinion. Gutherie isn't going to be 100% and injuries are mounting with other candiates. Adding another pitcher seems very sensible to me.

Pedro looks OK so far, but he had a 5.61 ERA in the National League last year. I'd be willing to take a look if the price was reasonable, but it's hard to imagine that he (or Hendrickson or Eaton for that matter) will lose a run or two from their ERA when they move to the AL East.

That is today...keep pitchers getting hurt or giving up 17 hits and they may change their mind.

Hey Roch, I do not understand why the Orioles refuse to take a look at established veterans, who are free agents. The camp is beginning to look like a MASH unit. Can you explain why they refuse to consider any of the veterans like Pedro as a short term bandage?
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In Pedro's case, too much money for aging player on the decline. And for team that's not expected to contend anyway. - Roch

Is it because of the money???
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Money, age, on the decline... - Roch

I can't think of a better one year rental. If he is affective, he is an easy trade for more young players at the trading deadline. I don't seehow you can pass on the guy. What do you think Roch?

SIGN PEDRO!!! SIGN PEDRO!!!

Roch, I earnestly hope that this is the end of the discussion regarding Pedro, despite the seeming finality of Andy MacPhail. I say this because with the injuries mounting up and the unproven pitchers vying for starting spots, the rotation may be in a world of trouble.

Think about it. Does Dave Trembley have a solid five in mind he can say are the ones he believes will be there on Opening Day? No, of course not. True, most managers still have one, maybe two spots that are open for grabs this early in camp, but spots that have solid candidates from which to pick. In Trembley's case, he has three openings in the rotation, but so little is settled as far as narrowing down viable candidates that it might as well be three Black Holes.

Obviously, things can and will change between now and then, but just look at the candidates as I've handicapped them:

LOCKS

Jeremy Guthrie, Koji Uehara.

BEST OF THE REST AT THE MOMENT [BUT UNTESTED]

Brad Bergensen.

HEALTH WILL DICTATE

Rich Hill.

STAMINA WILL DICTATE

Danys Baez.

COMMAND WILL DICTATE

Radhames Liz, David Pauley.

SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE

Hayden "DL" Penn.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

Brian Bass.

TOO LATE TO CAMP?

Adam Eaton.

EMERGENCY STARTER LAST YEAR

Dennis Sarfate.

LATER THIS YEAR?

Chris Tillman.

MAYBE NEXT YEAR

Matt Albers, Brad Hennessey, John Parrish, Troy Patton.

YOUNG GUNS [TO BE CONTINUED]

Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN

Chris Waters.

IF ALL ELSE REALLY FAILS

Mark Hendrickson.

OFF LIMITS AS STARTER [BUT WITH STARTER STUFF]

Jim Johnson.

PITCHER WHO INTRIGUES ME [BUT WON'T GET A CHANCE TO START]

Kam Mickolio.

So, this is what the Orioles have from which to choose, but let me get this straight: Despite all this uncertainty, they have absolutely no interest in getting a dependable veteran starter (read Pedro) to shore up their rotation, which as it stands is littered with question marks, held together with baling wire and for all the world looks like another late season collapse waiting to happen?

Folks, is it just me or is something very wrong with this picture?

Roch,

Correction: The beginning of my last post should have read: "I earnestly hope that this is not the end of the discussion regarding Pedro,..."

Yes Pedro is getting up there in years and is on the decline, but so is Gregg Zaun and that didn't stop the Orioles from signing him short term.

The Sun's Peter Schmuck interviewed some O's after they faced the furture Hall of Famer this spring, and the consensus was that he still had something left and could help solidify the rotation. His WBC performance did nothing to change that perception. B-Rob said it best:

"Pedro will always be able to pitch," he said. "Obviously, he's not going to throw 96 again, but he's still Pedro."

So, would it be a crazy idea to add him to an Orioles staff that is short on healthy bodies and experience?

"No," Roberts said. "I said when he was pitching against us, 'If he was healthy, I'd take him.'"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.schmuck12mar12,0,7620821.column

The point is that even in decline, Pedro is a better pitcher than most of those in O's camp. More importantly, he's someone who Dave Trembley send out to the mound and not know pretty much what he's going to get from start to start, rather than worry about whether it's the good Liz or the bad Liz (not picking on him, just citing an example) he'll have pencilled in as starter.

What it really comes down to is money, because the O's front office is hesistant about spending much on a free agent pitcher--any free agent pitcher, but one who's approaching 40--with the fear of him breaking down mid-season. Understood. This is one of Andy MacPhail's big bugaboos and it's this prudence and due diligence on his part that makes him a great executive.

But we're not talking about spending the money on Steve Trachsel,Omar Daal, Rich Helling, Jared Wright, Victor Santos, Victor Zambrano, etc. No this is Pedro Martinez, winner of 214 games, 3 Cy Young Awards, Game 3 of the 2004 World Series, etc., etc.

He knows how to pitch, can at the very least work into the fifth or sixth inning of games and take a little heat off of the bullpen (one thing the O's desperately need if they're to take even baby steps towards respectability) and give the staff the veteran presence of a winner.

Given MacPhail's preferences, I know this would be a bit reach, but not too much of one. It's not like it would be a long term deal, and he's already gone against form a little this spring by bringing in some iffy, less talented pitchers from out of the organization (Hill, Eaton, Pauley, Hendrickson--I leave Koji out of the list because he is less iffy and with a record of excellence in Japan that parallels Pedro's).

Best case scenario would be that the starting rotation becomes clearer here shortly, but if it doesn't, I think the O's need to look elsewhere and do whatever it takes to make this year's team more consistently competitive; to do that, it's going to need to find a way to assure that the 'pen doesn't get beaten down and demoralized again.

And Pedro might just be the answer.

Sign Pedro, don't sign Pedro, who cares. Tampa Bay got to where it is by being *abysmal* for a long time. We've only been bad for a long time. Finishing 60-102 is OK this year -- better than 81-81 and still in fourth place.