Andy MacPhail's comments on the Huff trade

Here are some comments from O's team president Andy MacPhail on the Aubrey Huff trade. "This has more to do with the status that he is going to be a free agent in six weeks. There are a couple of benefits to this including sending the player to a first-place team. "From a self-interest standpoint, this is probably a time when you can get a prospect from a club because a game or two might make all the difference to them. The Tigers have plenty of good arms, relievers that are attractive. "We feel like we got a young player that is going to be helpful, for the inventory. Also we'll get to see Luke Scott at first base for a while and see how he does. We'll get Pie more involved in the outfield because of this. For six weeks, we get to find out more about our club." On pitcher Brett Jacobson - "He's a fourth rounder last year. He is a hard thrower, we've seen him touch 96 this year. His role is in the pen. He had a good year last year and will report to Frederick for us. He's been a player of interest." Will Rhyne Hughes come to Baltimore? - "Right now he's going to report to Norfolk. Possibly, not necessarily right away. With Snyder, Aubrey and Hughes, between first and DH at Norfolk that logjam has been taken care of. One of the reasons we got Hughes is I anticipated there could be a market for Huff at the end of the month, I didn't think it would be now." Will you look outside the organization for next year's first baseman ? - "It will be a position where we will look outside, how hard we look will depend on the performances of Brandon Snyder, Micheal Aubrey and Ryhne Hughes. It will be an area that we give some attention to in the off-season. We've already had our scouts out looking at what might be available." Are you opposed to calling up Brandon Snyder in September ? - "I listen to what our evaluaters think, our coaches and managers in Norfolk. I don't want to introduce any player if I don't think there are sufficient at bats. Or I think it's going to expose him sooner than he should be exposed." Are you open to a competiton in camp next year among your young players for the first base job ? - "Again it depends on what's available to us outside the organization. What else we are able to do, what other needs we perceive." Is now too soon for Snyder ? "I wouldn't look for him tomorrow, I'll put it that way." Could Luke Scott be the answer at first - ? "We'll that's one of the things we'll find out over the next six weeks. Some of this is not rocket science. The way you find out is let them play and sometimes the answers become self evident. Not just to us, but our fans too. One of the beauties of this deal is you find out more, you may not like what you find out but at least you are going to know." MacPhail was asked if the club could still sign second-round draft pick Mychal Givens - "That's really up to Joe. He's been pretty forthright with where that stands. He's been doing the negotiations. I will say, Joe's strategy right from the start, with the rules the way they are now, if you don't sign one of your first three rounders, you just defer that pick, you get the pick next year. "The one thing we did not want to have happen to us, is leave a lot of money we earmarked for that process unspent. Joe's taken care of that with two pretty big signings with Ohlman and Cameron Coffey. We're all for signing the player, but it's lot more palatable to the club if you're just deferring the pick and not coming up with a zero."