It's Time to Move or Move On by Bob Bryant - January 9, 2004

It looks pretty obvious at this point that there is a fundamental question that every Orioles fan, as well as the management team, must be asking themselves:

Do you want to tie up a huge sum of money in a player who doesn't want to be here?

Because, I think we can all surmise, that is the situation with which the Orioles are faced.

If Vlad wanted to play here, he'd be signed. No one has come close to the Orioles' offer, in terms of years, or dollars per season. Not even remotely close. Yet, he remains unsigned.

I know he's a wunderkind, one of those talented players that comes along only once in a blue moon.

But really, does the team want someone who so reluctantly takes the money to slip on orange and black?

I don't take this personally. Players are free to choose where they wish to play, for all sorts of reasons. Vlad has a reputation as being an unusual guy, so this reluctance on his part really shouldn't be a surprise.

Though why he would consider playing in New York amazes me. Does he or his handlers think for one minute that the press in New York is going to 'let him alone'? And as for the "Dominican population" thing, what's that about? Is he going to live in Washington Heights? Does he think that Dominicans come to Shea Stadium in droves? If the Orioles had demonstrated an "anti-Dominican bias" or something, then one could possibly understand, but they just gave the biggest free agent contract of the year to a Dominican!

And then there's this National League thing. Knowing the pitchers? I thought that Vlad didn't study pitchers at all, that he just got up there and whacked the ball. That's what I've always read, anyway. I've barely seen the guy play, since Montreal isn't on TV all that often.

So who knows what's really going on? But, folks, let's face it. Something is.

Beattie and Flanagan need to use the Pudge lever to make something happen. Either sign Vlad by the middle of the week at the latest, or move on. It's not like there aren't other outfielders out there that will be on the market a year from now, and the O's are not building for 2004, but 2005. It'd be a pity to miss out on such a young free agent, with all of his talent, but he does have some sort of back problem, and some sort of problem with coming to Baltimore.

Tell him to put up or shut up, and move on. It's the only thing to do.