Orioles Possible Home For Pitcher Hill

Seriously: The Orioles will trade for anyone in a Cubs uniform

Just yesterday, we wrote about the Cubs' desire to trade pitcher Rich Hill. Once a top prospect for the Cubs, Hill has lost nearly all of his value to one season of erratic mound behavior, not to mention a propensity for walking players that usually ends with a pitcher leaving the majors for good. Who would want Hill, we wondered? Isn't his value almost nil? Why trade him and get nothing in return?

How silly we were. Of course the Orioles are interested:

One industry source said it's a "strong possibility" that Hill will wind up with the Orioles, perhaps as early as next week. The Orioles will likely give up a player to be named, who could be contingent on Hill's success in Baltimore. "We are talking to them," Orioles president Andy MacPhail said about the Cubs. "We are talking to a lot of teams about a lot of players."

The Orioles want to be the Cubs. That's the only explanation for this. Corey Patterson, Sammy Sosa, Felix Pie, and now Rich Hill -- is there no Cubs player in which the Orioles aren't interested?

In any case, this could actually be a decent pull for the Orioles. Maybe Hill does need a change of scenery. Maybe he can regain his 27-year-old form. Maybe he can get his control back. Who knows, right? The risk is low -- the Orioles are only offering "player to be named later" right now and the rewards are high. Hey, this could be the best Orioles-Cubs trade yet.

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