good bye, miggy

the baltimore orioles, unfortunately the squad that i support with great fervor, today traded the only "star" they've had since the retirement of venerable baseball god, cal ripken jr., when they traded miguel tejada to the houston astros for 5 players

all i say is that it's about fucking time


tejada, while still a good player, is no longer a franchise player...his production has declined since he first signed with the orioles and he's just not good enough any more to be paid $13 million a year (which the astros now have the pleasure of doing)...he was never a patient hitter, and as he gets older this will only hurt him more...his slg% dropped down .442 this past year, almost 60 points below 2006...his range at short has declined to the point that he's average at best and will probably be moved to third...in addition, it must be noted that all those consecutive games played (1152, the 5th longest streak in big league history) have probably taken their toll...the reason cal could handle it and miggy couldnt is simple: cal was a gigantic 6'4" and 225lbs, miggy stands at only 5'9" and 210lbs...that being said, he still has a good bat, and will certainly receive a statistical boost playing in the worst division in the inferior national league and instantly upgrades the astros paltry lineup

this trade was actually a decent one for the orioles...luke scott is a decent player: a good 3rd or 4th outfielder with some power in his bat and a versatile glove capable of playing all 3 outfield positions, and while he's probably better suited for part-time duty, he will immediately be asked to contribute on a regular basis in some capacity...matt albers is an average-to-good pitching prospect, which the orioles have an abundance of, who doesnt walk many, but also doesnt strike many out, he has gotten a lot better the last couple of years, a positive trend considering how many of the orioles pitching prospects seem to hit a wall and plateau...troy patton seems to be the top prospect of the deal, he has good stuff and decent polish...is only 22 but should immediately compete for a roster spot in spring training, though he'll likely be sent either to AAA norfolk or AA bowie for some more seasoning...Dennis Sarfate seems to be an afterthought and throw-in, a spot-starter/long-reliever type who has minimal big league experience; still, he likely will be given a chance to prove himself given the orioles overall shittiness...michael costanzo, besides possibly being related to argentine goalkeeper franco costanzo, is a very good prospect coming from the phillies system (he was acquired in the brad lidge trade) who has a very good power bat and is likely the orioles 3rd basemen of the future (or even the present) which does the orioles many favors: namely it allows billy rowell, arguably the orioles best position prospect to move to first base and focus more on hitting, and it allows the orioles to move melvin mora to a bench position instead of having him continue to eat up space on the field

in general, this worked out about as well as the orioles could have hoped...especially considering they blew it two years ago by not trading tejada to the angels for ervin santana and either erick aybar or brandon wood...this gets an aging star off the books with a pretty good return and frees up money to help sign erik bedard to an extension or to sign an impact free agent next offseason