A Plea to Orioles Management

As the trade deadline looms I grow more and more anxious. There seems to be nothing that sports writers like to talk about more than trade speculations. Well, maybe, just at this time of year. But either way, I'm not excited about the talk on the town about my team. I understand the Orioles want to trade some people and have had success from the Bedard and Tejada trades but right now there is talk about trading the wrong players.

George Sherrill should not be traded under any circumstance. Well, I guess if we were going to get an entire rotation of proven starting pitchers, that would be ok, but short of that, we need to keep him. Not only has he been a shining start in our injury plagued bullpen, he's basically the team mascot. His silly uncurled brim has become a trademark of the winning Orioles. During O's games out at the bar, there are now tons of people sporting the flat brim. This team of misfits has rallied around him. He's more than a great closer, he's a symbol of what the team can achieve. Don't take him away from the team or the fans.

Please don't trade Brian Roberts. I know he our most valuable trading chip. But he also is a huge part of this team. Right now we don't have a shortstop, and you want to get rid of our second baseman as well. That's just crazy talk. He's a great player and a fan favorite. And he's never done anything but be good for Baltimore. He's not clubhouse cancer like Tejada, and I doubt we're going to get the same value for him we got for injury prone Bedard. I know he looks like a good trading chip, but after that bare handed catch the other night, I was reminded of how much I don't want to see him go. He's exhilarating to watch and has been a really great leader. With a young team like this we need leaders.

As for Cabrera, there aren't nearly as many rumors floating around about him, but there are still some. Please give him a little more time. He has progressed well this year and really has done well in the struggling rotation. You know you'll be kicking yourself if he gets his head totally together and starts pitching shutouts and/or complete games on a regular basis. Which, he has the potential to do. Just a little bit more time for him, please, please. Plus, I love him and would be very sad to see him leave Baltimore.

Maybe I'm too optimistic or just too attached to the team chemistry we have now. But the only person I'd really be willing to trade is Huff. Yes, he's having a great year. And yes, he's usually a second half player, so he could do good things for us this year. But he's not that young, and he probably won't be around for much longer. So maybe we should get something for him now while his value is so high. It'd better be good though. Because he is hot and has been the difference in more than one game.

Overall, I don't think we should mess with the team very much. And if anything, we should be aquiring more pitching, not trading it away. It's hard to get a team to really believe in each other like this one does. And the fans deserve a chance to see a team win some games in the second half. So don't sell the farm right now for some prospects. Give us a chance to keep watching baseball. I know its been a long time since I was still watching this late in the season. And I don't want to stop.