FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -Brian Roberts arrived early at the clubhouse Wednesday before settling into his usual routine, which included a cursory visit to the training room and taking a seat in the whirlpool.
The Baltimore Orioles second baseman didn’t have to make the trip to Port St. Lucie for a game against the New York Mets, so he participated in some drills and took batting practice with those left behind. It was a typical day of spring training, not unlike hundreds he experienced before.
This, however, is no ordinary camp for Roberts. He has been the topic of trade rumors for three months now, most of them involving the Chicago Cubs. Rarely does an hour go by when the two-time All-Star isn’t reminded about his seemingly imminent departure from the organization with which he has spent his entire career.
“I don’t have a choice about thinking about it because I get asked every day. My friends call me all the time, fans yell at me about it, guys from other teams ask me about it. It’s pretty much nonstop,” Roberts said. “You think about it when somebody’s asking, but other than that, you go about your day the same way you always do. My job is to get ready for the season, whether it’s here or someplace else.”
The Orioles have absolutely no problem with Roberts’ play or his contribution in the clubhouse. But Baltimore is in a rebuilding mode, and a leadoff hitter with power, speed and skill in the field can fetch quite a bit from a contender willing to part with a handful of prospects.
Orioles president Andy MacPhail, who has already dealt away stars Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard, isn’t going to jettison Roberts without getting plenty in return. To this point, MacPhail simply hasn’t been presented with a suitable proposition. So Roberts must wait and wonder what uniform he will be wearing when spring training ends.
“The way things are going right now, it may sound funny, but I even looked at opening day. I haven’t given a thought of what it would be like in another place or here,” he said. “I’ve always tried to live for today. I’m here right now for a reason and I’m going to make the best of every day I have here.”
Roberts isn’t the first player to be forced to deal with this kind of uncertainty. But never before has he been thrust into this situation.
“If this is the first time, it’s probably more difficult. I had two or three years with the Cubs that every time it got near the trading deadline, or even in spring training, I was getting traded to Cleveland or Cincinnati,” Orioles right-hander Steve Trachsel said. “The first year it kind of shook me up a little bit, but the more it happens, the more you get used to it.”
First baseman Kevin Millar said, “It’s part of what we do, dealing with trade rumors. An injury here, an injury there, and all of a sudden, boom, they start plucking at different situations. But for him, I’m sure it’s like, ‘Is it going to happen? Is it going to happen?’ I’m sure it’s nerve-racking.”
Before the Orioles committed to this rebuilding project, Roberts was considered the cornerstone of the team’s future. Now, it appears several other clubs want him to be a key component of their present. Every time he plays an exhibition game, Roberts does so in front of a handful of scouts surveying his every move.
“We joke with him, like when he steals a base, ‘The Cubs are watching!”’ Millar said. “You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes or who they’re asking for, but you know it’s out there.”
Roberts insists that once he walks onto the field, his lone purpose is to get ready for opening day. Impressing the scouts doesn’t enter into the equation.
“I have a baseball card. They can go look at it if they want to know what I can do,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the scouts have seen me before. I’ve had scouts watching me since I was 16 years old, so I’m not all that concerned about a scout in the stands. That’s just too much to worry about.”
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