These guys  were all garbage and everyone knew it. They had no potential and chances of them ever helping the MLB roster was non existant.

Yeah, sorta. Stern would be a fine fifth outfielder, which is a part of an MLB roster.

They DO have to field minor league teams somehow, and most of those players aren't any good. But these are not losses, I agree.

I think these decisions were pretty easy.  I'm much more interested in whether or not we extend Bedard and what we receive for Tejada.  My fear is that we'll trade Tejada for Juan Bell and two late 20 something relievers, not extend Bedard (and decide to keep him) and not really do much of anything.  There does exist a scenario that the team really doesn't improve itself for the long term or the short term.

Also, I always rooted for Val.  It's too bad injuries wrecked his career.

I'm not against purging the junk; but who exactly are they going to replace these guys with; who aren't themselves complete junk?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/19/AR2007101900049.html?nav=most_emaile d

"But as the Indians, Rockies and D-backs all proved this year, you can be in the bottom half of the sport in attendance, and in the bottom quarter in payroll, yet still reach the final four if you draft, scout, trade and develop players wisely enough."

Makes ya wanna believe.

or atmospheric physics.  (A bitch of a course for someone who is the least bit math challenged.)

Where the hell do people think Pujols came from?  A Cardinal scout found him while watching JC games.  I've been arguing for years, hell decades now, that the O's needed to be putting money into scouting and player development.  

They should have Baseball Academys in the DR, Venezuala and perhaps Nicauruaga or Mexico.  They should have a full time Asian scout, maybe two.  They should be trying to identify the best evaluators of talent and the best teachers and developers of talent and pay them top dollar, not FA's for the major league roster.  

But what the fuck do I know?