The Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners have, finally, officially completed a five-for-one deal involving pitcher Erik Bedard. The Orioles send the left-hander to the M's for outfielder Adam Jones, as well as pitchers Tony Butler, Kam Mickolio, George Sherill, and Chris Tillman.
Jones is likely to be the team's every day centerfielder, and was twice Seattle's minor league player of the year, including last year. Tillman was the Mariner's pitcher of the year last year.
Jones and Sherill are both on the 40-man roster, and to make room, the Orioles also designated outfielder Chris Roberson for assignment. He was expected to patrol center field in AAA this year and still could do so if he passes through waivers. Tillman and Mickolio are non-roster invitees to spring training this year, while Butler, a 6-7 lefty, will report to Sarasota.
The trade clearly signals a new direction for the Orioles who haven’t posted a winning season in a decade. 28-year-old Bedard set the team record for strikeouts in a season (221) on his way to finishing 5th in the American League Cy Young Award voting despite missing the last few weeks of he season with a strained oblique.
Jones, 22, projects to a Torii Hunter-type of outfielder, a prototypical multi-tool player who will pair well with OF Nick Markakis and form one of the better young corner outfield duos in baseball.
From the Orioles press release...
Jones, 22, was Seattle’s Minor League Player of the Year for the second time in 2007 after leading Mariners minor leaguers with a .314 batting average, finishing tied for the organization lead in home runs (24) and tied for third in RBI (84). He was named to the AAA All-Star team by both Baseball America and Topps. A right-handed hitting center fielder, he has seen limited action with Seattle each of the last two seasons, hitting .246 with 2 homers and 4 RBI in 41 games this past season. He was Seattle’s first round selection (37th overall) in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.
Sherrill, 30, led the Mariners and tied for 7th in the American League with 73 relief appearances last season, going 2-0 with 3 saves and a 2.36 ERA. He limited opponents to a .179 batting average, 3rd lowest among AL relievers, and averaged 11.04 strikeouts per 9.0 IP, 4th best among AL relievers. His 145 appearances over the last two seasons are tied for the most in the AL . Sherrill owns a 10-8 record, with 4 saves and a 3.65 ERA in four seasons with Seattle .
Tillman, 19, was Seattle ’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2007, combining to go 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 28 starts at the Class A level last year between Wisconsin and High Desert , with 109 strikeouts in 105.2 innings pitched in his second pro season. The 6-foot-5 hurler was Seattle’s 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft.
Mickolio, 23, was the Mariners’ 18th round pick in the 2006 draft. The 6-foot-9 reliever combined to go 6-4 with 3 saves and a 2.68 ERA in 32 games between AA West Tennessee and AAA Tacoma last season.
Butler, 20, was Seattle ’s 3rd round selection in the 2006 draft. The 6-foot-7 pitcher was 4-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 20 games at Class A Wisconsin in 2007.
