More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

3 months ago: USA Team starting pitcher Chris Tillman throws during the first inning of the All-Star Futures baseball game at Busch Stadium Sunday, July 12, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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According to Drew Forrester at WNST, Chris Tillman is likely to make his Orioles debut next week during the Kansas City Royals series. I don't normally pay much attention to Forrester or WNST due to their constant Oriole bashing, but I happen to have WNST on my Twitter feed and saw this tidbit.

From Forrester's blog:

My little bird-in-a-tree, yes, the same one who told me earlier this year about Reimold’s call-up (the day before it happened) and Sarfate’s injury, has indicated that the plan is to have Chris Tillman make his major league debut sometime in next week’s series vs. Kansas City at Camden Yards.

When?  The "bird" didn’t know.  But Monday makes sense to me.  Jason Berken is pitching Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx. He’s likely to get lit up. Five days later, the O’s host the Royals.  That would be Berken’s turn to throw.  What better way - lowest of low risks - to bring a kid into the majors than to give Tillman the ball that night — against one of the Hapless Brothers…the Royals?

He’d then face Boston over the weekend at home.  Two starts, two home games.  

Makes sense to me.

Then again, I’m only reporting what I’ve been told up in the tree.

Of course, Rich Hill and Berken could both dazzle us over the next 28 hours or so and we’d have to re-think all of this, right?

I know, pigs will fly.

So let’s see how it plays out.  Does Tillman come up next week against KC?  Monday makes sense. 

Frankly, I'm ready to see Chris Tillman. Jason Berken and Rich Hill are killing my soul. Tillman currently has 93 innings pitched in AAA this year so it'd be nice to see him come up here and make 10 or more starts for the second half. I'm guessing it would give the team a jumpstart as well. I already have plans to go to Wednesday's O's-KC game but you can be sure that I'll be there at Tillman's debut if it's on Monday. I'm almost as excited for his debut as I was Matt Wieters.

Still, this is just a rumor. But he has to get here eventually, right?

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

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It's been discussed in a few Fan Posts, and now Ken Rosenthal has devoted a column to the possibility of trading George Sherrill before the deadline. From the article:

While a trade of Sherrill looks inevitable — "They will move him; they know he's the best available closer out there," one rival executive says — it is not yet imminent.

One general manager interested in Sherrill says the Orioles are "playing the 'don't-have-to-move-him-so-make-us' card" — a characterization the O's do not dispute.

"If it's something meaningful coming back, something we don't have, a building block for the future, we would have to consider it," says Andy MacPhail, the team's president of baseball operations.

The Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers and Angels are among the clubs pursuing Sherrill, major-league sources say. The Cubs, MacPhail's former team and one of his frequent trading partners, also have interest.

It's a little frightening that the Cubs are listed as having interest considering they are MacPhail's go-to trading partner. It'd be nice to see him make a trade with one of the other clubs. The fact that there is interest from multiple teams is encouraging, hopefully it'll be possible to build leverage with teams competing against each other.

The Orioles specifically want to find a long-term replacement for third baseman Melvin Mora, who is a free agent after this season. They also would like to add to their developing core of young pitching.

I know Georgie has been pretty shutdown this year, but it seems like a bit much to expect to get a young, viable 3B in return for a relief pitcher. It's been mentioned that Brandon Wood would be a great target if Sherrill goes to the Angels, but I think that might be overvaluing George a bit.

For those of you with better knowledge of the Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels, and Cubs systems, who would you like to see to fill a corner infield/pitching spot in exchange for George Sherrill?

Buster Olney (ESPN Insider) says that when the Bedard deal to Seattle goes through, expect Brian Roberts to be sent to the Cubs after all, ending that saga. No timetable, but don't expect them to wait long. Too close to pitchers and catchers reporting, and Brian and the Cubs coming over would probably like to know if they're headed to Florida or Arizona.

Says Olney:

Thanks for the compliment, Buster. It's not often national writers recognize how much Orioles fans really do care about the team, and how sick of this shit we are.

To fill the rotation hole that will be left with Bedard's departure, The Denver Post is reporting that the O's have shown some interest in Josh Fogg. I don't think they NEED that veteran starter, but Conventional Wisdom says they do, and it's not like Dave Trembley wants to go out there with Guthrie, Loewen, Cabrera, Gallagher and Patton, which would be my guess at a five-man rotation if the Roberts trade happens and we don't sign a vet.

Frankly, I prefer that to throwing Josh Fogg out there to "eat innings." But I also prefer Fogg to Trax or Lohse, so there's that.

Really, right now is just a continuation of the waiting game on Bedard, and now we throw Brian in there, too.

Just as a lot of us were working ourselves into righteous indignation at the very thought that the law offices of Peter G. Angelos would be responsible for killing a trade involving our favorite left-handed 13-win Canadian pitcher, things get even MORE interesting. Apparently this is the latest rumor concerning the stall on the Bedard to Seattle trade: Adam Jones may, just may, have a physical issue.

From Roch's blog:

That's an angle I have yet to read. But it certainly puts the non-events of the last few days in a new light, yes?

Basically, the way I read it is, Roch is confirming that the O's have a question about Jones' long-term health, but won't specifically say it's a hip injury they are worried about.

And just for the record, hip injuries are what killed the careers of Albert Belle and Bo Jackson, although they were two extremely different issues.

Use this space to address this particular angle, since the last post was approaching 60 entries already.

Jason A. Churchill at Prospect Insider has this:

I'm being told by three different sources that the trade is as close to being done as it can get without an actual deal. ...it's Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill, Tony Butler and Kameron Mickolio going to Baltimore. ... Press conference likely Tuesday as the teams are probably awaiting physical results for all players involved.

Looks like this is going to happen very quickly, and I would think it'll all get finalized and announced today.

Thanks for the good times, Erik.

I don't love the deal. I like Jones and Tillman, but Sherrill and Mickolio are parts and nothing more. But Bedard has to be dealt. And if Luke Scott hits a little bit, the Orioles could have their first real outfield in years. The rotation could get really ugly, but I have faith in Guthrie, Patton and Olson, if nobody else.

It'll be a long year, though. Let's just hope that along the way, we get some inspired play.

Of course, this could all be bullshit and fall through. I actually hope it's not.

Update, 9:29 AM: Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly has confirmed that Jones was asked to return to the U.S. -- this is probably hours away from being announced.

Update, 12:30pm: (h/t OEutaw below) Jayson Stark at ESPN.com reports that Sherrill has also informed teammates he has been asked to take a physical in conjunction with the trade. In the same article, Stark also quotes his source as saying that Angelos has not yet signed off on the deal, and that he is unavailable to sign off today due to a personal matter. This makes it likely that the earliest a potential deal would be announced is Tuesday.

So today's topics include....

*Does Brian Roberts get shipped to the Cubs?

*Does Miguel Tejada get shipped to the Dodgers?

*Does Erik Bedard get shipped anywhere?

*Does anyone care about Ramon Hernandez anymore?

*Did you see where Yahoo! didn't rank Paul Bako as the worst free agent catcher?

*Can we just ship Jay Gibbons anywhere? Toledo, maybe? I'm sure we could use some more buckets of balls....

Discuss.

From the Yahoo! rumor mill: "Asked whether he has heard a lot of speculation about a potential Tejada trade, one American League GM said: 'No, not much at all.'"

Tom Glavine is being openly courted by his old team, the Atlanta Braves, and they would appear to be the front-runner in what may not amount to much of a sweepstakes. Frank Wren also says the team will fill their center field void via trade, not free agency. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

The Marlins want a starting pitcher and a center fielder for Miguel Cabrera. The Dodgers are making a very hard push, which would take another suitor out of the A-Rod running. [Palm Beach Post]

Buster Olney is saying that the Twins are exploring a deal for Scott Rolen. Negotiations are underway.

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox have made a "strong" three-year offer to Mike Lowell. I didn't expect Boston to offer three years to Lowell, but mounting pressure to bring him back might have something to do with it. [Boston Herald]

The Phillies have traded for former Astros closer Brad Lidge. The Phils also get Eric Bruntlett, and the Astros received Geoff Geary, Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo. Phillies assistant GM Rubern Amaro, Jr., said, "We're getting one of the premier closers in the game." Uh. Well. He did have a nice bounce-back season.

Kenny Rogers wants to pitch next year, and the Tigers want him back. But Scott Boras seems to be urging Rogers to see what else is out there.

Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are going to be offered nice deals by the Yankees. The Mets are also interested in Posada. Posada wants a four-year deal, and is entirely open to leaving the Yankees.

The Nationals have talked to Andruw Jones, and also plan to send out feelers to Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand. They've also had preliminary talks with Livan Hernandez, fatass Bartolo Colon, and Jason Jennings. Hunter is expected to be heavily courted by the White Sox, Astros and Rangers. He wants a five-year deal.

In looking to replace A-Rod, the Yankees have had talks with the White Sox about Joe Crede, but they are fearful of his injury history. I'd be fearful about how easy it is for Joe Crede to be an offensive zero.

The rumor, of course, is that with Grady Little "resigning," Joe Torre is considering a three-year offer to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I don't think it'll really work out all that well, unless the Dodgers are prepared to plunk some money down. But, look: There's nothing stopping the Dodgers from making a play for Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Tejada. There's nothing stopping the Dodgers from signing any free agent they might want, for that matter. And given that GM Ned Colletti seems to infer that the Dodgers are more interested in a veteran club that competes yearly rather than bringing along their young talent (which carried them a lot this season), could we just be looking at the Los Angeles Dodgers as the NL Yankees?

If Torre does sign on, expect Mattingly, at least, to follow him. There's no point in Posada unless they trade Russell Martin, which would be absurd considering Martin is 24 and could be an All-Star for the next ten years. How many catchers out there are on top of the list for pinch-running duty on their day off?

I wouldn't bet on Pettitte, as Andy Pettitte really seems like he prefers to play for the Yankees, close to home in Texas, or not at all. Roger Clemens, Los Angeles Dodger? Never say never with Roger. Plus, you know. "Roger Dodger."

Frankly, the Dodgers are a team that could use a third baseman (hey, A-Rod!) and a healthy rotation next year and probably win 95 games with the team they're going in with. If Penny, Lowe, Schmidt, Billingsley, and Wolf were healthy, they're gonna be OK in the pitching department. The bullpen is good. They have hitters.

What Joe Torre would change with the Dodgers is not so much anything on the field, but just perception. Joe Torre's Dodgers are more attractive than Grady Little's Dodgers. Grady Little could win the World Series three years in a row and have trouble shaking off the Pedro thing.

It's a fine idea for what the Dodgers want to do. Torre is a player manager that stays out of the way. The Dodgers are a team of players, they hope, that can be left alone to win games. It fits.