Orioles Q&A with Dan Connolly

Dan, Rockford, Ill.: What would the Chicago Cubs have to include in the rumored Brian Roberts deal to make Andy MacPhail pull the trigger? Do you think a Roberts trade will happen before the season starts?

Dan Connolly: I think a trade still could happen before the end of March. The Cubs covet Roberts, they want to win this year and he's a perfect leadoff man/gritty competitor for manager Lou Piniella. And, after the Erik Bedard trade, there is no question the Orioles are rebuilding. It just comes down to whether the Orioles like the package offered by the Cubs for their most popular player.

My guess is it is going to take two legitimate pitching prospects and a couple other guys. We've heard a lot about pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton and shortstop Ronny Cedeno as a package for Roberts. But I think the Orioles view Cedeno and Murton as at least somewhat similar to what they already have in Luis Hernandez and Luke Scott (although Murton's a righty while Scott's a lefty) and so I don't think that package gets it done. I was under the impression that the Orioles wouldn't move Roberts without one of the Cubs' two young outfielders, Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin, included. But I have been told now that's not necessarily the case. An educated guess says that Gallagher and either pitching prospects Donald Veal or Jose Ceda along with a couple lesser players would have to be involved for it to happen. We'll see.

Bill: What do you foresee for Jay Gibbons in Baltimore? At this point, is there a better alternative than addition by subtraction -- in other words, the team cutting ties and getting nothing in return?

Dan Connolly: Gibbons is stuck with the Orioles and the Orioles are stuck with Gibbons. Right now, there's no way around it. Truthfully, a change of scenery likely would benefit both parties. But Gibbons is coming off shoulder surgery, is owed nearly $12 million over the next two years and will serve a 15-day suspension to start the season for hGH use. He currently has no trade market value. Cutting him, though, wouldn't be smart either. First, that's a lot of money to eat. Secondly, he's only 31 in March and two seasons removed from a 26-homer season. The Orioles have little power in their lineup and if either Kevin Millar or Aubrey Huff gets injured, Gibbons would be a full-timer again.

If he has a good season, he might be able to yield the team a prospect or two in a trade at the All-Star break or next offseason. So the Orioles have to hold onto him and hope for his and their sakes that he rebounds.

William, Middletown, Conn: Is Corey Patterson still on the Orioles' radar now that they've acquired Adam Jones? If not, any idea where Patterson could end up?

Dan Connolly: Patterson's inability to find a team is pretty mind-boggling. He may not be a budding star anymore, but he is still a serviceable big leaguer. The common feeling is that he can help a team with his legs and glove but no club is going to overpay. The Orioles would still bring him back in the right, short-term deal (Dave Trembley likes him a lot), but Adam Jones is in center now and Luke Scott, like Patterson, bats left-handed, making a platoon in left unlikely. I doubt Patterson wants to be a fourth/fifth outfielder, but at some point he is going to have to take a job. Other potential landing spots we have heard include Cincinnati, Kansas City and Texas. He's a real good guy, so here's hoping he gets to play somewhere.

John, Sudbury, Canada: What exactly is [executive vice president] Mike Flanagan's role now that [president of baseball operations] Andy MacPhail seems to be making all the major decisions?

Dan Connolly: MacPhail is absolutely in charge, and that leaves Flanagan without a specified role. Right now, he maintains his title, executive vice president, and he has moved from the top office to the No. 2 spot in the small spring training complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (an office he held when he shared duties with former vice president Jim Beattie). MacPhail's reputation is that when he comes into a new organization, he doesn't fire people but he puts them in positions he thinks will best suit them.

But Flanagan, whose contract expires at the end of this season, is no longer a decision-maker. His duties may become clearer in March, when MacPhail is supposed to make announcements that will round out his staff. MacPhail is expected to move John Stockstill, assistant general manager for pro scouting, into a role in which he oversees the international operation. The guess is that some of his duties will be picked up by MacPhail's nephew, Lee. There also will be at least one more hire, perhaps a new No. 2, and what that person will do might affect Flanagan's role even further.

Dave, Washington: We have all heard about some of the more prominent prospects in the Orioles' farm system, but who are some of the players that scouts see as potential diamonds in the rough?

Dan Connolly: The thing about the Orioles system is that it has been so thin for years that any prospect with a chance to be a future major leaguer is targeted early by educated fans (and often times grossly overhyped by the time he makes his debut). So most of the guys I would tab as "diamonds in the rough" are probably already household names for many die-hards.

The obvious one is former Catonsville Community College pitcher Chorye Spoone, who was an eighth-round pick in 2005. He throws hard, has a great curveball and scouts believe he has improved his focus and really matured. In Baseball America's organizational rankings for the Orioles, Spoone, 22, soared from 25th to 8th in one year.

Another guy scouts love is reliever Bob McCrory, a potential closer who lights up the radar gun (99 mph). He's 25 and because of injuries has had just half of a season at Double-A. But he was dominant in the Arizona Fall League and at least one scout I know who watched him there said the kid would finish games in the big leagues if he improves his command.

One more potential diamond in the rough: 22-year-old outfielder Matt Angle, who the Orioles drafted out of Ohio State in last year's seventh round. He's one of those dirt dog types who would run through a wall for fun. He's a leadoff hitter with great speed. It's too early to project whether he can play with the big boys, but he'd be fun to watch if he gets here.

Related topic galleries: Spring Training, Chicago Cubs, Aubrey Huff, Public Employees, Government, Brian Roberts, Ronny Cedeno

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