The Pros and Cons of the George Sherrill Trade
The first thought in my mind after hearing that the Orioles traded away closer George Sherrill for two minor league baseball players was “what in the world are they doing?!”. It seemed like the team was burying itself by giving away a key piece in exchange for some scraps.
Fortunately, my mindset has shifted a bit since looking more into the players they received in return. Of course it would have been nice to have received players who can make an immediate impact, but Bell and Johnson both look like pretty promising prospects.
I understand this season has already gone down the toilet but we still shouldn’t write off the rest of the season. It’s one of the Orioles’ better seasons in recent memory thus far and it’s nice to see them winning some games (especially at home). On the other hand, this is another step in the Orioles’ rebuilding process.
Looking ahead, they’ll need to make moves in order to become a competitive team in the AL East. The Yankees and Red Sox will surely stay competitive, so it’ll likely take some big moves.
With Melvin Mora, 36, in his last year of his contract and having lost a good few steps, the Orioles needed a young player who could come up and take his spot in the future. Josh Bell, a third baseman, could most definitely fill any void that Mora leaves.
Josh Bell could easily fill his shoes, as his .296 batting average, 11 home runs and 52 RBI with Chattanooga are all solid 2009 numbers. Johnson’s posted very respectable numbers at the starting pitcher position for the same team, with a 9-5 record and a respectable 3.61 ERA. Both players have bright futures and could be key contributors to the Orioles in the years to come.
An already promising young collection of players just bolstered its strength by a bit. With a team that’s sure to improve in talent over the course of the next few years, it looks like Bell and Johnson can both carve out their roles as valuable contributors in Baltimore.
Can’t wait to see what becomes of this team!
Nicholas McMillan is an eternal MLB zealot, and is pleased to see improvement on the Orioles’ part. He often contributes his input at this Baltimore Orioles forum, and lurks at their sports forum whenever he needs a change of pace.
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