Whither Daniel Cabrera

Well, losing two out of three to a pretty-hot Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field isn't completely unbearable. That said, you can't help but wonder what happens if Jay Payon extends his arm out on the Yuniesky Betencourt double on Monday and if Chad Bradford could've hit the strike zone one more time against Adrian Beltre on Wednesday. As disappointing as it was, the Orioles played some tough baseball. Their bats would occasionally go flat, but they were still good for an eight-run eruption on Tuesday and a four-run comeback on Wednesday (wow, how many times have they done that in the last few weeks?). Personally, I am pretty happy with the pen. They gave up a couple of runs in eight or nine innings. Danys Baez went one batter too long, but I didn't get that churn in my stomach when he entered the game. Meanwhile, Chad Bradford pitched after a decent rest--that's nice to see. You wonder how much of the bullpen's progress has to do with Dave Trembley and how much would've happened with Perlozzo. Same goes for the resurgence of Corey Patterson (wow, is he fun to watch so far this half) and Jay Gibbons (slowly, but surely). They continue to play without Tejada & Mora, but they don't look as overmatched as I would've guessed (props to Gomez and Luis Hernandez for filling in admirably).

My take is that with the 2-3 months remaining, they are playing for 500 baseball and momentum into 2008. Adjusting the bullpen (Jim Hoey better be up by the end of August and we might as well look at Corey Doyne), determining a couple of resignings (which Corey Patterson would we have?), and setting next year's rotation are priorities. That means any start by Steve Trachsel is an audition. If the O's keep a veteran, it'll be Kris Benson. Tracshel may not have a ton of trade value, but if a team can take Jason Kendall, there must be demand for Trachsel. Even if they get an Adam Stern in return (like last year's unloading of Javy Lopez), that's fine. You clear a path for both Olson and Burres to get their shots. Frankly, While Bedard & Guthrie are the only locks, only one is in the rotation next year, assuming Adam Loewen is back and healthy. Plus, you'll need room in the rotation for Hayden Penn to get some September starts. He's still only 22, but at some point, the Orioles will need to get final judgment on him. It'd be great to see him accrue some trade value if the Orioles decide he is not part of the future. But that does bring up one huge wild card. And when I say huge, I mean six feet and nine inches of a wild card.

As you'll notice, I didn't describe Daniel Cabrera as a lock. Sadly, he may have the highest ceiling of any of the Orioles. But here's a guy that just can't put it together and keep it together. He has been tutored by two of the best (Miller & Mazzone) and you just never know what you'll get with him. When he's on, he embarasses hitters with a devastating fastball and unhittable curve. WHen he's not, he's behind 2-0 and 3-1 and either issuing walks or throwing the world's fastest BP pitches. This is his fourth year in the big leagues and we get excited every year about what he is capable of doing. I spent yesterday watching the game and thinking "I just can't take much of this anymore". It's unnerving as a fan and I can only imagine what it does to a manager and GM. Until he gets it together, this team will NEVER do anything worthy of contention. Of course, if you trade him, you risk being the Montreal Expos, who dealt Randy Johnson at 26 and assumed he'd never reach his potential. Nearly 20 years later, he is still pitching and may go down as the greatest lefty of all-time. Will that be Cabrera. Given the Orioles have had quite a few talented guys leave to find success (Byrnes, Cust, Maine), you never know. As I recall, the O's gave up on Jose Mesa at a similar age and he had a pretty impressive career. Of course, I never bemoaned that because I just knew it wouldn't happen in an Orioles uniform. What could Cabrera fetch in the trade market? Some GM has to believe he can unearth a steal here and might be willing to take a gamble for the same payoff the Mariners got with Randy Johnson. If so, maybe it's time for the Orioles to gamble by giving him up. With Bedard, Guthrie, Loewen, Penn, Olson, and Burres all being 28 or under, the future of the rotation has a lot of options (and I haven't even touched on Beato, Erbe, and some of the other talented guys that may be further down the road).

Frankly, I'd like nothing more than to see Cabrera win a Cy Young in an Oriole uniform. But I don't think that'll happen and I'd rather see Penn or Olson get the starting spot. At least the team will save $$ on the amount of antacids it'll need to watch a game.