Lots happened over the weekend for the hometown ball club; Raffy's 3000th hit, and a somewhat disappointing 4-game split with Seattle. It looks like more big news may be around the corner, as Baltimore may be on the verge of trading reliever Jorge Julio, top pitching prospect Hayden Penn, and outfielder Larry Bigbie to Florida for starter A.J. Burnett and third-baseman Mike Lowell.
I think this is a trade the Orioles should make, for several reasons. Burnett is a solid pitcher who instantly becomes the ace of the staff (and hopefully moves Ponson out of the rotation? Probably not, but I can dream). Lowell has had a terrible year, but has been an All-Star in the past, has only 2 years left on his big contract, and they're already paying Sammy Sosa to do nothing this year so just replace one hole in the lineup with another. Sosa is hitting like he belongs on the bench, this trade could be a good excuse to put him there more often. On the O's side, Julio is nothing if not inconsistent, and Bigbie is in his late 20s and no longer a prospect - it's likely that he is the kind of player that he's been the past 2 seasons or so; over a full season, he'll hit .260 to .275, with 15-20 HR power and above average defense. A decent enough player, but not someone who you would hesitate to trade. Yes, a team always hates to part with a top pitching prospect such as Penn, but Baltimore is going to have to give up something other than Julio and Bigbie, and Penn is that player.
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