I am ambivalent about mortgaging the ranch to sign Tex. We will be in 5th with or without him next year. Our minor league system now has pitching prospects, but-Weiters aside-no blue chip position prospects. The best position players we can come up with are Reimold, Snyder, Rowell, and Montanez. Reimold is now old, and if AF thought he was a winner, he would not have signed Freel. Snyder has a suspect glove and limited power for First Base. Rowell looks like a bust. Montanez is also old. So, my instinct would be to trade Roberts and Huff and add prospects. If we draft wisely, maybe we can compete in 2011 or 2012. On the other hand, we don’t have a legit First Base prospect in the organization. So, Tex would be a corner stone to build around. The imponderable is what needed steps the Orioles would not take (better international scouting, better domestic scouting, and better minor league instruction) if so much of the club’s money is tied up on one player. We need more prospects to compete down the road.

if our crappy owner would just step up and offer mark something legit he would be an oriole for sure. lets make up for the albert belle tradegy and get a great player back in birdland. our offense is very potent, locking up mark would allow us to develop the young pitching like liz and olsen with some money available in a year or so to sign a nice free agent starter to solidify a starting rotation.

show him the money

If Boston offers him the most money, that’s where he’ll end up