Huff To Be Traded?

Andy MacPhail, the Orioles president of baseball operations, is not kidding himself about where his team is in the trade market, even if he himself is not sure yet where his team is in the standings. "Clearly, we're in a seller's position," he said by phone Monday from his office in Baltimore. "We're nine games under .500, 14 games out or whatever it is, I'm not really sure. "

MacPhail was right about the team's record and place in the standings, and its place as the trade deadline approaches. But even though he is looking to deal, he cautions, "We're not going to be a farm system for everybody else, though."

Few teams figure to have as many intriguing parts as the Orioles do. One O's person said it should be "an interesting few days" for the franchise as they wait to see which (and how many) players will be sent off. Closer George Sherrill seems like the most likely to go. Other possible departures include first baseman Aubrey Huff, outfielder Luke Scott and perhaps pitcher Danys Baez -- who has asked MacPhail to inform him (rather than his agent) if he's about to be traded -- and infielder Melvin Mora as well.

Already, the team roster posted on the visitor's clubhouse door at Yankee Stadium had one adjustment to it. The typed name of Oscar Salazar had been crossed out and the name Cla Meredith had been written by hand above it (the O's added the sidearming reliever from the Padres in a minor deal on Sunday). That almost certainly won't be the last adjustment to the team's roster before these next two weeks are done.

As for the players whose names have popped up, Sherrill said, "A few guys [on the team] have joked with me, being like, 'What are you still doing here,' " he says. "I definitely don't want to leave, but there are positives and negatives to it. The negatives are I wouldn't be on this club anymore. The positives are I would be going to a contender. It wouldn't be as a closer, so that would be a job change, but it wouldn't be anything that would affect me."

Huff has grown so tired of the constant questions about him being traded that he's threatening to post a sign over his locker with his pat answer of "I don't know" and just point to it and say, "Read this" whenever he's asked about it. "I've been in trade rumors six of the nine years I've been playing," he says. "I don't want to hear about it, I just want to play baseball. [The rumors] are annoying. I don't care. I can't wait until this is over and done with."

Huff will have to hang on a little longer -- MacPhail said teams have mostly "kicked the tires" about his players and that "lots of teams aren't prepared to commit" to a deal since so few know for certain if they should be buying or selling yet. Entering play on Tuesday, nine of the 14 American League teams were within 4 1/2 games of a  playoff berth and 12 of the 16 National League teams were no more than 6 1/2 games out.



(cnnsi.com)