Orioles (6-1)

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Originally, the two best parts of the Miguel Tejada trade were thought to be the timing (they dealt him on the eve of the Mitchell Report) and the quantity (it was a five-for-one deal). But already the Orioles are getting major contributions from three of the five young players they acquired: reliever Dennis Sarfate is 2-0, reliever Matt Albers is 1-0 and outfielder Luke Scott is hitting .500.

It's a little early to declare the trade a hit, but the Orioles definitely did the right thing by starting over. And they should continue their efforts by dealing the veterans -- including Brian Roberts, Kevin Millar and Jay Payton -- that remain, if they can. I also like that they ate the $11.9 million on the contract of Mr. Big Arms himself, Jay Gibbons, which showed again how serious they are serious about rebuilding.

Verdict: Not this year. Heading in the right direction, but it will take awhile. I still say this is a last-place team.

Around the Majors

• The Mets starting pitching situation is pretty desperate right now, so the Claudio Vargas signing will make plenty of sense if it happens.

• Dan Johnson's release from the A's was a surprise. And the Giants' apparent non-interest in Johnson (as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle) is an even bigger surprise.

• Outfielder Chris Young's new $27-million, five-year deal included a no-trade provision. Still a great deal for the D-Backs.

• Andruw Jones is killing the Dodgers so far. He has a .161 slugging percentage. The Giants probably would have given him a five-year deal (for about $80 million) before they took Aaron Rowand for $60 million. But Jones only wanted to go to the Dodgers. Lucky them.

• The Tigers might have to start questioning whether they rushed into long-term contracts with Nate Robertson (three years, $21.25 million, agreed to this January) and Dontrelle Willis (three years, $29 million) now. It's sometimes smart to lock up a talented pitchers when they're down (see Josh Beckett with Boston), but both are coming off sub-.500 seasons and neither has been productive since 2006.

• Brian McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, has a point that Rusty Hardin shouldn't be cross-examining Andy Pettitte considering Pettitte consulted with Hardin before hiring a better lawyer. However, I still wonder why McNamee's lawyers would like Hardin off the Clemens case. Nobody could possibly do worse than he's doing so far. And by the way, the tab's into the millions already, I hear.

• Good for MLB hiring an overseer for its testing program, as the New York Times reported. If consulted, I'd still favor independent testing, however.

• Question of the day: How is that Spiezio cops a plea after a DUI incident in which he also allegedly beats up a friend, and he can get a job (with the Braves), but Barry Bonds, who has not pleaded guilty to anything and is an all-time great, remains unemployed? Just asking.