The Post is saying that there has been a rumored deal between the Orioles and Braves that would send Brian Roberts to Atlanta for Marcus Giles and Adam LaRoche. The rumor is pretty much shot down within itself, as it's said that there's "not really" a chance that it will happen.
If this is from OUR side, why the hell not?
Let's call a spade a spade here, and be totally honest: Brian Roberts is OK. He's an OK player. He's an OK second baseman, he's an OK hitter. He's a good baserunner. He can't hit lefties. He's 29.
Giles is an OK player. He's an OK second baseman, he's an OK hitter, he's an OK baserunner. He's actually a little bit younger than Brian Bob is. He had a terrible start last season, and still wound up having a season that was comparable to Roberts' offensively, though it wasn't quite as good.
Roberts has had one above average season, and it was a marvelous year, but I am 99.9999% sure it was a career year. Giles has had three good years.
LaRoche just turned 27, is entering what should be his prime, and hit 32 homers and slugged .561 last year. He hit .285/.354. He's a young, left-handed first baseman with power.
Giles and Roberts are similar in value, Roberts might be a little better. LaRoche is a damn good hitter that might be ready to really bust out.
What sense would not taking this deal from our side make, other than (arguably misguided) loyalty to Roberts? Giles can ably fill second base, and LaRoche is a massive upgrade at first. We lose a fan favorite, but chances are we'll lose him eventually anyway, and there's a reasonable shot that the rest of his career won't be as good as Giles' will be.
I'm just saying, as much as I love Brian Roberts, that if it was my call to buy or sell on this one, I'd buy every day of the week and twice on Sunday.