Mariners | Sides stay quiet as trade talks persist

The Mariners equipment truck leaves Safeco Field for Peoria, Ariz., on Friday, a concrete illustration of just how quickly spring training is creeping up.

Whether there will be a locker in Peoria for left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard when the pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14 remains unknown.

After a turbulent week of tense negotiations, the final impediment to a trade bringing Bedard to the Mariners could be a last-ditch effort by the Baltimore Orioles to sign the 28-year-old to a long-term contract.

In exchange for Bedard, who last season set a Baltimore franchise record with 221 strikeouts, the Mariners would send the Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, left-handed reliever George Sherrill and 19-year-old pitcher Chris Tillman.

The M's are likely to add one more prospect, possibly pitcher Kam Mickolio or pitcher Tony Butler, to the package.

The Mariners, always cautious to speak about impending deals, were especially closemouthed on Wednesday, perhaps fearful of any comments that might displease the Orioles as talks reached a sensitive final stage.

In an e-mail to The Seattle Times, general manager Bill Bavasi declined to comment.

MLB.com, citing multiple major-league sources, said the teams are close to finalizing a deal.

But MLB.com, in a separate article later in the day, reported that Orioles owner Peter Angelos wants to retain Bedard and called him last Sunday to discuss a five-year contract.

Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail was noncommittal to The Baltimore Sun in assessing the status of trade talks.

"There's really been no change in our circumstance," he told The Sun. "We'll always keep an open mind, regardless of what time of year it is."

MacPhail also told The Sun that Angelos has not nixed any trade proposals, despite industry speculation that the heavily involved owner was behind the halting of what once appeared to be an imminent trade.

Angelos was reportedly upset when details of talks with the Mariners leaked after Jones was removed from winter ball in Venezuela on Sunday.

Bedard's agent, Mark Pieper, didn't return messages on Wednesday. Bedard becomes eligible for free agency after the 2009 season. He has filed for salary arbitration for 2008, submitting an $8 million salary request, while the Orioles have offered $6 million.

Bedard earned $3.4 million last year, when he went 13-5 with a 3.16 earned-run average in 28 starts. He was a leading contender for the Cy Young award until an oblique injury sidelined him after Aug. 26.

In last Saturday's Sun, MacPhail said the Orioles wanted to talk to Bedard's representatives about a multiyear deal during the winter, "and they suggested that they just do a one-year deal."

But in the same article, Bedard expressed disappointment that the Orioles haven't made a greater effort to sign him to an extension. At the same time, Bedard said he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process. MacPhail appears to be doing just that in Baltimore after trading Miguel Tejada to Houston for five prospects, with all-star second baseman Brian Roberts also on the trade block.

According to MLB.com, MacPhail was recently told by Pieper that it would take a seven-year, $100 million contract to retain Bedard in Baltimore. Angelos has been known to be reluctant to commit to such a long-term deal for a pitcher.

Before any trade with Seattle is culminated, all the main parties would likely have to undergo physical exams. Jones was originally scheduled to have a physical in Baltimore on Tuesday before trade talks hit a snag and the exam was called off.

Jones was pulled from the lineup of the Lara Cardinals in Venezuela on Sunday. Jones told a reporter from Diario Panorama of Maracaibo, Venezuela, that Mariners management had told him he was the "centerpiece" of a trade to the Orioles for Bedard.

Neither Jones nor his agent, Mark Humenik, could be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Sherrill was reached by The Seattle Times in Mesquite, Nev., where he was spending the night with relatives before completing his drive from Salt Lake City to Peoria, Ariz. He said he had received no word from the Mariners or Orioles about a trade.

On Wednesday, Sherrill left Utah, where he lives in the offseason, to avoid an upcoming snowstorm, aware that he might have to turn around and fly from Phoenix to Baltimore. He plans to make the five-hour drive from Mesquite to Peoria today.

Seattle Times reporter Geoff Baker contributed to this report; Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com