Trade talks starting to wear on Roberts

By Jeff Zrebiec

Baltimore Sun

March 21, 2008

He was supposed to have been somewhere in Arizona today, wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey, playing second base and batting leadoff for a team with legitimate World Series aspirations.

Instead, Brian Roberts was at Roger Dean Stadium, wearing an Orioles jersey and wondering about his future with the only organization he has ever known. Ten days before Opening Day, the uncertainty is the last thing Roberts expected or wanted.

'At some point in your career, your name is going to be thrown out there in trades and it's going to create some uncertainty,' Roberts said before the Orioles' 7-4 loss today to the St. Louis Cardinals . 'But, no, I didn't expect this to go all the way through spring training . It's not something that I'd want to go through every year, that's for sure.'

The Orioles and Cubs first started discussing a trade involving the two-time All-Star in December. It was expected to be the final of three trades in the Orioles' big offseason rebuilding project, masterminded by president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. Miguel Tejada went first and Erik Bedard went next, setting the stage for Roberts' exit.

However, the Orioles and Cubs have been negotiating for more than three months and still haven't reached a deal. The talk around baseball and among the scouts who have been at Orioles games the past couple of days is that one could be imminent, but that's been said since spring training began.

Nearly every day, Roberts is approached by an opposing player and asked about the potential trade. Umpires and fans have also asked Roberts regularly about his future, but those inquiries are far more tolerable than the daily questions from the media. Roberts has visibly grown tired of them, and it's becoming harder and harder for him to remain upbeat and accommodating.

'When you're talking about your life circumstances, yeah, it's tough not to think about it,' said Roberts, who went 0-for-4 today and hit into two double plays, his spring average dropping to .293. 'I'm trying to block it out the best I can. But that's tough when everybody wants to talk about it. It's frustrating at times. And times, you say, 'It's out of my control.' Most of the time, that's how I look at it. I'm here for a reason right now and I'll make the best of every day, but there comes a time where you'd like to know what's going on.'

MacPhail has consulted with Roberts a couple of times this spring to update him, but the two haven't spoken recently. Roberts said that he hopes to hear from MacPhail soon.

'I think at some point that needs to happen,' Roberts said. 'I'm not saying it has to be today or tomorrow, but if it gets to be Opening Day, I don't really want to deal with it for two more months. I can't imagine that [a trade] would happen on April 20. That doesn't really make much sense. I'd think if it doesn't happen by the end of spring training, it's probably not going to.

'I wouldn't say it would be a letdown if [a trade] doesn't happen. I'm going to play baseball either way. I love my teammates, the city of Baltimore. It's not like it would be the end of the world. But like I've said before, everybody wants to win and you always want to be in a situation where you feel like you have the best chance of doing that.'

Earlier this spring, the Cubs made a four-player offer of shortstop Ronny Cedeno , pitching prospects Sean Gallagher and Donald Veal and a fourth player. That player is believed to be Jose Ceda, the Cubs' top pitching prospect.

However, the Orioles are holding out for more, and MacPhail said yesterday that he has no plans of putting a deadline on the trade talks. There have been several reports that the Cubs have grown tired of waiting for the Orioles to pull the trigger on a deal.

'I'm not much on putting deadlines on myself or other people for that matter,' MacPhail said. 'You always evaluate things on if you perceive them to be in your best interest or not. It's that simple. I would expect the Cubs or any other team for that matter to act in their own self interest.'

The potential deal continues to be a popular topic in the Orioles' clubhouse with players regularly asking reporters if it will get done. Nobody seems to be sure of the answer. When asked if the trade will go down, three different Orioles officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, gave three different answers. One said yes, one said no and the other said it was '50-50'. No wonder Orioles manager Dave Trembley is proceeding with the idea that Roberts will be on his side on Opening Day, and won't be distracted.

'He told me the very first day [this spring], 'Dave, if you ever see me slipping away or getting out of my lane so to speak, just come up and tell me,'' Trembley said. 'I have not had to do that. Brian Roberts is the epitome of a professional baseball player and a professional person. I couldn't ask for somebody any better than Brian Roberts.'

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com

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