When is Mr. Roberts going to Chicago?

Most baseball people still think Brian Roberts will go to the Cubs before spring is over. What may be delaying a trade is for the Orioles to complete their scouting of the Cubs' minor leaguers.

The teams have discussed pitchers Sean Gallagher and Sean Marshall, outfielder Matt Murton and infielder Ronny Cedeno as potential trade compensation, and the Baltimore Sun recently reported that one offer was for Gallagher, Cedeno, pitching prospect Donald Veal and a fourth player.

Roberts recently told me he considered the Cubs "a tremendous organization." Meanwhile, Roberts' spring locker mate, Kevin Millar, who's already seen star shortstop Miguel Tejada and talented young lefty Erik Bedard leave in Baltimore's overdue rebuilding project, implored, "Make sure the Cubs know he's broken down and they can't take him.'' (Millar was kidding. Roberts is fine.)

Andre Ethier: baseball's best backup

Both L.A. teams have followed the same pattern in acquiring outfielders. Both made a big center-field signing last year (Juan Pierre for the Dodgers, and Gary Matthews Jr. for the Angels). But neither was completely satisfied with the performance of those players. So they signed even bigger center fielders this winter (Andruw Jones for the Dodgers, and Torii Hunter for the Angels). The idea now is to move both Pierre and Matthews to left field. Which means that for now Andre Ethier and Juan Rivera look to be bench players.

Rivera is good enough to start for many teams. But Ethier may be the best of the backups. "I'd like to see what that guy could do with 500 at-bats,'' one NL coach said.

He might have to wait to see, assuming Ethier stays stuck on the Dodgers' bench. Texas tried hard to trade for Ethier last summer when the two clubs were talking about Mark Teixeira, and the Rangers tried hard again this winter after the Dodgers signed Jones. But the Dodgers said no. Maybe they don't want to see him bat 500 times elsewhere.

Around the Camps

• One GM summed up what he saw as the Braves' chances to keep Teixeira: "No chance.'' That GM predicted the Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees would all be lining up -- and possibly the Giants, Mariners, Angels and Dodgers, too (though L.A. should feel comfortable with James Loney at first). Most see Teixeira wanting to stay somewhere on the East Coast, anyway.

• One NL scout said he's been very impressed with Scott Podsednik in Rockies camp so far. "He looks like the player he was two years ago,'' the scout said.

• Good job by Yankees GM Brian Cashman to sit down with Joba Chamberlain and give him some rules, even beyond the pitch count limitations. Not that there's any evidence of a problem (I'm still young enough not to consider a nipple ring a problem), but there's no sense letting this sort of talent get off track.

• Ichiro is 0-for-14. There's more evidence of why spring stats are meaningless.

• Interesting story on Leo Mazzone in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday. He's hanging out at home collecting his $500,000 salary and hoping someone recalls the success he had in Atlanta before things disintegrated in Baltimore. Has anyone fallen faster than Mazzone, who was called for none of six pitching coach openings this winter?

• I see the Brewers are going to bat Jason Kendall ninth. That, I understand (he may have been the worst offensive player in the bigs last year; a dismal .610 OPS). What I didn't get was paying $4.25 million to sign him.

• Lincecum once said that the biggest misconception about him is that he isn't 18. Actually, he looks closer to 14.