Brad Wilkerson and the Mariners agreed Thursday to a $3M, one-year deal, a move that could signal Seattle is close to finally acquiring Erik Bedard from Baltimore. Wilkerson can play all three outfield positions plus first base, and for weeks the Mariners have discussed trading outfielder Adam Jones to Baltimore, along with others, for Bedard.

Talks between the Orioles and Mariners regarding pitcher Erik Bedard are still alive but appear to have been placed on low heat, according to ESPN.com. There is a chance that some other teams might get involved in the deal, but MLB.com maintains that the two teams are very close to agreeing to a deal. "We continue to talk," Orioles' President Andy MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun when asked about the proposed deal.

Orioles' owner Peter Angelos hasn't yet signed off on the proposed deal that would send Erik Bedard to Seattle, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The deal has reportedly been close to official for the past several days.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Orioles' President Andy MacPhail has denied that the team has agreed to a trade with the Mariners that would send pitcher Erik Bedard to Seattle. "We do not have an agreement with the Mariners," MacPhail told the Sun. Rumors began to swirl when The Seattle Times reported that center fielder Adam Jones told a reporter that the team asked him to pull out of winter ball because he was headed to Baltimore for a physical.

It looks like the Mariners are setting in motion a chain of events that will land them Orioles ace Erik Bedard, according to reports in the Seattle Times. The Mariners pulled Adam Jones from the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs and are reportedly sending him to Baltimore for a physical. Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly confirmed that Jones will no longer be playing in Venezuela, but he did not give any further comment on a trade for Bedard.

The Orioles' Erik Bedard told the Baltimore Sun on Saturday that he expects to be traded and is disappointed that the team hasn't made a better effort to sign him to an extension.

In an attempt to add depth to their starting rotation, the Orioles have added pitcher Lance Cormier, signing him to a minor-league deal, as reported by Associated Press. Cormier went 2-6 with a 7.09 ERA in 10 games with the Braves in 2007. He was dropped from the Braves' 40-man roster in December, to make room for veteran pitcher Tom Glavine and released less than a week later.

Cubs' General Manager Jim Hendry alternated between being aghast and amused Saturday over a report that had the Cubs sending seven players to the Baltimore Orioles for second baseman Brian Roberts and left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard. The "deal" reportedly was killed by Orioles' owner Peter Angelos, who last year hired former Cubs' President Andy MacPhail to run his baseball operation. "First of all, that story was not accurate," Hendry told the crowd at the Cubs' convention. "I think it mentioned the owner nixing the trade. That certainly hasn't been the path we've been on. I don't think it would ever get to the ownership-type level. Andy MacPhail is certainly capable of making deals. That is not accurate." "I'd like to know who we gave up."

Jeremy Guthrie agreed to a one-year contract with the Orioles on Wednesday that will pay him $770,000 if he remains on the big league roster for the entire season.

Though the Orioles don't consider finding a closer to be a top priority this winter, they have been talking with the representative for free-agent reliever Octavio Dotel. Team President Andy MacPhail spoke again with Danny Horwitz a few days ago. Neither side will disclose specifics, but the Orioles are believed to be exploring a one-year deal. Dotel, 34, went 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA and 11 saves with the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves last season. The Orioles consider him an option to replace Chris Ray, who is expected to miss the entire 2008 season after undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Horwitz said he continues to talk with five teams "on a regular basis."