Brian Roberts to the South Side?

By Neil on January 2, 2009 27 Vote 0 Votes

Brian Roberts might be playing ball in Chicago next season but for the White Sox and not the Cubs. Roch Kubatko reported on his blog Friday night that the Orioles and White Sox have discussed a deal that would send Gavin Floyd to the Orioles for Brian Roberts.

Not long after Kubatko broke the rumor, he joined Dave Kaplan on Sports Central and discussed the possibility of Roberts being traded to the Sox.....

According to Roch Kubatko's blog post, the White Sox would want to trade 17-game winner Gavin Floyd straight up for Brian Roberts but the Orioles would want more for the face of their franchise.

Kubatko told Dave Kaplan that Kenny Williams loves Brian Roberts and has wanted to add him to the Sox for a while....Kubatko threw in the fact Williams would probably like to stick it to the Cubs as well.

Kubatko sees the possible deal as the Sox selling high on Gavin Floyd and mentioned the Orioles asked about Floyd, not the other way around. Dave Kaplan brought up the fact to Kubatko that he does not feel Andy MacPhail would ever trade Brian Roberts to the Cubs. Kubatko disagreed and said in the right deal MacPhail would trade him to the Cubs.

Kubatko said a contract extension for Brian Roberts seems unlikely at this point. Roberts wants to play meaningful games in September and does not want to be a part of the rebuilding process. Roberts will become a free agent following the 2009 season.

Kubatko said Chris Getz might be the other player involved in the deal going from the White Sox to the Orioles. He said he would make the White Sox the favorite to land Roberts over the Cubs because the Sox are offering a better deal.

After Kaplan finished talking to Kubatko he added that he does not think Andy MacPhail would ever trade Brian Roberts to his former employer. He said the two teams agreed on the list of players that would have been sent to Baltimore for Roberts last year then MacPhail changed his mind.

Scott

Neil, good point....it's also NOT OVER YET. Granted, I have been scratching my head for the past 4 weeks, but I'm not going to jump on "bash JH-Express" unless he doesn't do anything else by ST.

Sorry been absent for so long...have a new business I'm starting and it's been keeping me stupid-busy.

Good to see you all again...

erik

This must be J.H. worse year as a CUBS GM . all the contending teams are going out there addressing there needs and getting ready for 2009, come on!!! you let go of Derosa im assuming your working up a deal , but what are you waiting for!!! i know J.M. has asked the fans to be patient ,but your killing me Jimmy!! as much as i ilke Fontenot we need a lead off hitting 2B(Roberts Hello!!) and a left hand hitting RF with some pop . trade Marquise already so you can sing Bradley and trade for Roberts; our line up and our make up would be awsomw with those 2 guys ,our starting pitching is very good ,our bullpen is good aswell and deep and Marmol will do great as the closer. with all that being said i know is easier done than said but of become and i'm sure i'm speaking for alot of Cubs fans aswell i've become very unpatient , i want to win NOW!!! do you blame me people you know you feel the same as i do.

Neil

Erik, by no means am I defending Hendry with this statement, but it is not his worst off-season. I remember a winter that involved a Jason Dubois, Todd Hollandsworth platoon in left not long ago.

erik

if J.H. let the white sox get B.Roberts that would be a slap to our face.

JimK

Hmmmm...Re. Roberts and the W. Sox. Not True??? NSDT: No S..., Dick Tracey!

News that may matter to the Blue: Boras saves a little face in the Andrew Jones debacle. Andrew's $15 mil due in 2009 will now be spread over 6 years--with no interest. The hope seems to be that someone will pick him up for a year or two at the reduced level. The restructuring would seem to enable the Dodgers to make their best offer to Manny--something like 2 and $45 mil. That possibility, or deal, could speed-up announcements re deals for Bradley, Abreu, etc.

The D-Backs exec, Jeff Moorad, has left AZ to buy the Padres. He apparently heads a group that can do that. That could mean that Peavy stays, and that the Pads' fire sale is over.

I wonder if a buyout of the franchise can happen that quickly--but maybe the desparate situation of the Pads enables fast-tracking the deal. I was/am hoping that our slim chance for Peavy happens.

My sources, MI and JG tell me that SusyS is close to JH and has asked him to bring back pitchers Bill Bonham and Joe Decker from her dream team. JH asked if those guys aren't getting older, and she said, "Yes, but the older we get the older old gets, too."

SuzyS

Now Jim...you need better sources.

Scott Sanderson was cuter...and the brothers Reuschel...much more fun...and they look like JH too!!!

Neil

Will have more up from Bruce Levine later, but he confirmed from his sources that "the talk about Floyd for Roberts is a load of crap."

SuzyS

Glad to hear it. Even from a white sox

perspective...it didn't make sense...they already have 2 rotation holes to fill...and Floyd is a KW jewel.

Neil...can you find out where this really came from?

I can see Andy...(that needs pitching)ask

KW what he wants for a pitcher...but I can't fathom anything more than that. To get Roberts on the south side would likely be a multi-team deal involving Dye

and without the WSox giving up ANY pitching.

Neil

Suzy, are you talking about the original rumor that the Orioles and Sox were talking about a deal?

SuzyS

Yes...where did Roch/Roche get that junk?

Neil

Suzy, Roch used to be the Orioles beat reporter for the Baltimore Sun. MASN is the Orioles network. He does have connections and is usually very reliable.

Last year when the Roberts rumors were flying, he was on with Dave Kaplan all the time....he has also been on Charley Steiner's show on XM.

I wonder if he was told the Orioles asked about Floyd and with Kenny Williams wanting to add a leadoff hitter, tried to put two and two together.

Brian Roberts is a very good player and will become a very rich man next season, but the Orioles, the Baltimore media and the Orioles' fans really over value him.

I visited Orioles Hangout last night to see what they were saying and those people wanted more than Gavin Floyd for Roberts....I was shocked. A one-year rental for a young arm and a solid position prospect...plus. Just unreal.

I agree with Kaplan, I do not see Andy MacPhail trading Roberts to his former employer when he knows if the Cubs had Roberts they would have all of the pieces in place to do what he couldn't.

SuzyS

I checked out the Orioles sight and Roch's blog earlier...& like you was surprised they wanted more.

BUT although KW likes Roberts like we do,

It would leave the White Sox too thin in the starting rotation to make ANY sort of baseball sense unless KW had some other pitching deals ready to fly.

For the Cubs...if we got Roberts and Peavy...it would be Sutcliff & Dernier

all over again...with hopefully a better

outcome.

But reality says that is a tall order.

Do you really think MacP is that small?

If he could better the O's while the Cubs

won the WS...you think he would pass?

Neil

Suzy, I agree with Kaplan.

JustWin1

Sox fans are pathetic. Really it all comes down to jealousy. They know that Chicago is and always will be a Cubs town. How many times can they throw the 05' series in our faces? Its all they have. They live in our shadow and they know it. The White Sox can go out and get whoever they want....they still suck.

agustin rexach

lol! we hate bridgeport...right Jim tp?

Rich

if i am not mistaken didn't we get some worthless crap back for JJ. I am sure we ate a good portion of his salary too. I think Neifi helped them until he got busted for steroids. Thank goodness that didn't happen with the Cubs. Sox fans still won't shut up about Sammy.

Boseph Heyden

Actually, on Neifi, he really didn't help at all, to the point where Leyland said "I thought he was supposed to be good". And on Jacques, we got Omar Infante for him, who we promptly traded to the Braves with Will Ohman for Ascanio (or was it Ceda? I forget).

Boseph Heyden

The Tigers aren't TOO likely to be willing to help us out by finally giving us a player, I mean, we've tricked them twice now into taking our worst player off our hands (Neifi in 06, Jacques last year)...how likely do you think they are to want to HELP us?

CC002600

polanco is right handed.

doublep16

so what if polanco is right handed? were going to be getting our left in bradley so why not go out and get polanco to lead off?

doublep16

With all this talk about BR going to the south side, why dont the cubs look at placido polanco of the tigers? Heres a lefty who bats leadoff and is a superb defender. He probably wouldnt cost much. Maybe marshall and another player?

Raymond Robert Koenig

The last sentence of the article says it all. MacPhail agreed on the players he'd accept from the Cubs for Roberts, then changed his mind. He has no class.

Rich

leave it to the White Sox. When you're feeling kind of down about your offseason moves. Here they come. I hate the Sox and their goofy fans.

JimK

Hmmmm...Sox offer Gavin +, and McPhail wants more. A young 17 game winner has a lot of value--when your guy will be a free agent in a year.

Hmmmm...Kubatko promotes the idea that a trade for Roberts is likely and/or doable--again and again and...

Hmmmm...No one has yet heard from the team owner, Final Say Angelos (sp).

Hmmmm...I think I've seen this movie before. No thanks, I don't want to see it again.

Since the Cubs likely can't offer Roberts an acceptable extension at this time--and would be at risk to lose him after 2009--he isn't worth more to us than DeRosa was to the Indians, IMO. Also, IMO, MacPhail has all but worn out his welcome with JH. I say JH is focussed on the big bat above all else for now.

doublep16

Why dont the cubs offer vitters and a pitching prospect

I know we would give up vitters and the ONLY way i would do this is if did what the mets did last year with santana which is sign him before the deal is completed

JustWin1

OK this is rediculous...GAVIN FLOYD????

Why can't the Cubs offer up Pie (who the Orioles LOVE!) and Marshall for Roberts? That is a way better deal than Floyd...Throw in Stevens if you have to.