Rob Carlin - WMAR Baltimore

Rob Carlin, Sports Anchor with WMAR in Baltimore, MD made his return to The Hot Corner. He covered everything from the Brian Roberts' rumors, Jeremy Guthrie and who the closer will be for the Orioles in 2008.


Todd Kaufmann: There was an article in the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles had interest in the Astros utility man Mark Loretta. Is this the start to the long rumored Brian Roberts trade?

Rob Carlin: I don't think the interest in Loretta is directly related to Roberts. The O's don't necessarily have a backup 2nd baseman, if the Roberts deal goes down. Freddy Bynum just had surgery, Luis Hernandez is a shortstop and Brandon Fahey is more suited to short as well. They have been working Scott Moore out at 2nd, but it's a new position for him as well, with all those guys, it's learning how to turn with a runner coming at you on double plays, it's always the hardest part.

One of the names mentioned in the Roberts deal is also a shortstop, Ronny Cedeno. I believe the Loretta interest has more to do with depth at 2nd in case the deal does go down, at this point, though, I would hold onto Roberts until the trading deadline. He's been red-hot in spring training and could draw more interest, and better trade prospects, down the line.


Todd Kaufmann: How does Jeremy Guthrie look so far? With the departure of Erik Bedard, is he the ace of this staff?

Rob Carlin: Without actually traveling to Ft. Lauderdale, it's hard to know really how Guthrie has looked. He was outstanding yesterday, going 4 innings, allowing just 1 run and striking out 4 against the Mets, he would certainly be considered the Orioles ace right now but that's both a compliment to him and an indictment on the rest of the staff. Adam Loewen is coming back from elbow surgery and has been wild this spring. Daniel Cabrera is, as always, wildly inconsistent, Steve Trachsel is a solid vet for the 4 spot and they're still trying to find a 5. It's hardly Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. It's not even Mussina, Erickson and Key. The O's have some good young arms, but there's still lots of question marks, and not much major league ready talent in the rotation.


Todd Kaufmann: Nick Markakis really had a big year for the Orioles in 2007. Do you expect the same for him in 2008?

Rob Carlin: I absolutely have high expectations for Nick Markakis. I think he's going to be one of the top rightfielders in baseball, he's hitting .400 this spring and I expect him to have a monster season. He's a quiet guy, keeps to himself, not a big talker but he'll likely hit around .300 with 25 HR and 100 RBI. The O's didn't exactly make him too happy last week, giving him a very modest raise. He'll make $455,000 this year, up from $400,000 last year. Players with less than 3 years of service must accept a contract renewal if they can't agree to a one year deal. Markakis told the Baltimore Sun, "I don't have much of a choice. I'm just going to have to deal with it." Clearly, he was disappointed, it's really the only time, though, that the club has the power over the player.

The O's will give him a big contract one day and they're going to try to rebuild around him, but it just wasn't a good precedent to set with what they hope will be the face of their franchise one day and it could come back to haunt them down the line.


Todd Kaufmann: With Chris Ray and Danys Baez probably missing the entire 2008 season, who are the candidates for the 8th and 9th innings?

Rob Carlin: The closer role will likely be filled by George Sherrill, he was one of the guys acquired in the Erik Bedard trade with Seattle. He's a lefty, who only has 4 career saves but he's been lights out this spring, they'll likely make the official announcement next week. That pushes Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker back to 7th and 8th inning work, they were part of the horrendous bullpen last year when the O's gave up leads in 120 of the 162 games and lost 16 games in which they led after the 7th inning.

Another name to look out for is Dennis Sarfate, he was acquired from Houston in the Miguel Tejada trade, his fastball is mid-90's. Andy MacPhail has been stockpiling arms in all the trades he's been making, his philosophy, and it's the right one, is you can never have enough pitching, last year, the O's used 21 different guys out of the bullpen.


Todd Kaufmann: Daniel Cabrera really had control problems in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals, walking 5 in 3 innings of work. Is this something he can fix or is this something the team should be concerned about?

Rob Carlin: I think Daniel Cabrera is past the point of fixing, he's just not consistent never was, never will be. The O's will keep him because he's capable of throwing a 1 hitter(as he did at the end of the '06 season against the Yankees), but he's just as capable of walking 5 in 2 innings. He's a huge kid, with an overpowering fastball, but I don't think he'll ever be a great major league pitcher.