It may be too late in Baltimore
Posted: Mon May 25, 1998 at 2:07 PM ET
ST. LOUIS (CNN/SI) -- In Baltimore, the time is now -- or maybe never.
The Baltimore Orioles, who many picked to win the American League East, are floundering around at the bottom of the division and looking for a way out.
The team has started talking trades, with two of their best players -- first baseman Rafael Palmeiro and second baseman Roberto Alomar -- the big names on the block. The Orioles evidently have talked to the New York Mets about a swap involving first baseman John Olerud and second baseman Carlos Baerga. Others may be involved.
What good does this do for the desperate O's? Is it enough?
With the way the New York Yankees are playing, it all may be for naught. The Yankees have the pedal to the metal and are not looking back. They're playing as well as anyone has played in a long time, up and down the lineup.
The problem for the Orioles is, they could win 20 straight and, the way the Yankees are playing, still be 12 games out.
A big trade for the Orioles could shake things up. A little change of scenery could do all the players involved some good. Alomar has had a tough go of it ever since the spitting incident with umpire John Hirschbeck. And Palmeiro, as good a player as he is, could fit into the mold of a journeyman, a guy who can only spend a few years in one place. If the Orioles keep going like they're going, Alomar and Palmeiro will be the first two. They won't be the last.
Whatever happens, the Orioles still have to address their most serious problem: pitching. Mike Mussina was their big guy, and he's been out of the lineup on two different occasions, with a wart on one of the fingers of his pitching hand and a broken nose from a smash up the middle.
Every team needs at least one guy, preferably two, who every five days can go out there and win a ballgame for you. Without Mussina, the Orioles don't have it. Plus, another of their starters, Jimmy Key, is hurting. The Orioles have to address that.
Is it too early for the O's to make some changes? It's going to take some great play from here on out just to get in a position for a wildcard. And the Orioles probably don't have the pitching, day in and day out, to shut people out. Things aren't looking good.
Waiting until the All-Star break may be too long for the Orioles to wait.
The 6-4-3 with Ozzie: Somebody, somewhere, needs to take J.D. Drew aside and do what's in the best interest of J.D. Drew.
The former Florida State outfielder has yet to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies despite an offer that includes a record $2.6 million signing bonus. He's been playing with the St. Paul Saints and may end up back in the college draft.
Drew should be playing ball, making his way up through the minors, not be caught up in contract nonsense. The money will be there if the kid is capable of doing what his agent, Scott Boras, says he's capable of doing.
In baseball, you have to prove you're worth it before you get the big money. At least, that's the way it should be.
Ozzie Smith is baseball analyst for CNNSI, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. His column appears every Monday on CNNSI.com.
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