According to a report by Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun the Orioles rejected a trade offer by the Braves that would have sent former Gold Glove Center Fielder Adam Jones to the ATL. The Braves would have sent Martin Prado, Jair Jurrjens and a pitching prospect to Baltimore in return for Jones and another player, possible Josh Bell.
The deal would have been a nice return for Jones, who is under team control for just two more seasons. Orioles GM Dan Duquette has stated that he wants to build around Jones, but the center fielder isn’t an impact hitter and is probably a bit overrated on defense. He’ll no doubt be seeking a major financial commitment to sign long term with the AL East doormat Orioles. Jurrjens, who is just 25, would have immediately become Baltimore’s staff ace. Given the Orioles inability to develop or sign top flight starters the addition of Jurrjens would be a major coup for Duquette. There are some concerns about Jurrjens durability Prado had a down year in 2011, but his versatility could help the Orioles who lack clear cut options at second and third base respectively. The addition of a pitching prospect coming from Atlanta would have been icing on the cake. This proposed deal sounds like it’s dead in the water but if Atlanta comes back to the table willing to offer a prime pitching prospect Duquette may be forced to pull the trigger.
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