Hot- Stove

Left-hander Erik Bedard was acquired by the Seattle Mariners from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in a long-delayed trade for five prospects. Baltimore received outfielder Adam Jones, who probably will start in center field in opening day. The Orioles also obtained reliever Georg Sherrill and pitchers Chris Tillman, Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio.

Bedard, Baltimore’s opening-day starter last year, joins a rotation that includes newly signed Carlos Silva and holdovers Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista.

The departure of Bedard is yet another move to youth by the Orioles under president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. Shortstop Miguel Tejada, a former AL MVP, was traded to Houston on Dec. 12.

Baltimore had failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with Bedard, who can become a free agent after the 2009 season. He went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA last season and set a franchise record with 221 strikeouts. Opponents batted .212 against Bedard, including an AL-low .196 on the road.

The 28-year-old Bedard ranked among the AL leaders in several pitching categories before a rib injury ended his season in late August. He was leading the league in strikeouts at the time and, although he finished third, his average of 10.93 strikeouts per nine innings was tops in the AL and an Orioles record.

Jones, 22, was Seattle’s top pick in the 2003 amateur draft. He batted .246 in 41 games with the Mariners last season and hit .314 with 25 home runs and 84 RBIs for Triple-A Tacoma. He began his career in 2006 with an 0-for-12 drought that ended in Baltimore on July 18, when he got his first major league hit.

Sherrill went 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA and three saves in seven opportunities in 2007. He will probably be given a look as the closer for Chris Ray, expected to miss the season after elbow ligament replacement surgery on Aug. 16.

Tillman, 19, was Seattle’s minor league pitcher of the year in 2007. Neither Tillman, Butler or Mickolio were on the Mariners’ 40-man roster.

The Mariners’ quest to land Orioles lefty Erik Bedard is on hold — and possibly off — due to the involvement of O’s owner Peter Angelos, according to major-league sources. The reasons for Angelos’ hesitation are unclear. However, Angelos’ first choice is to sign Bedard to a contract extension, according to one source. The owner was under the impression that Bedard was unwilling to consider such a deal, the source says, but recently learned that the pitcher would entertain an offer if the Orioles were willing to extend him at least five years.

The trade amounts to a litmus test for the authority of Andy MacPhail, the Orioles president of baseball operations, who was hired last summer with the understanding that he would operate with autonomy over baseball operations.

Angelos has a history of interfering with his front office over personnel moves. His involvement has caused tension with several prior general managers.

The Orioles’ trade of Bedard would signal a major reconstruction. Another significant deal involving second baseman Brian Roberts likely would follow. The Cubs remain heavily interested in Roberts, and the Orioles could receive prospects such as pitcher Sean Gallagher and outfielder Felix Pie or veterans such as RHP Jason Marquis and outfielder Matt Murton.

Bedard: A trade between the Orioles and Mariners is only one player away from completion, major-league sources say, but that one player could be right-hander Chris Tillman, a 19-year-old that the M’s would prefer to retain.

Outfielder Adam Jones would be the centerpiece of the deal for the Orioles, and left-handed reliever George Sherrill and 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Triunfel are among the other players under discussion.

The Mariners also have inquired about A’s right-hander Joe Blanton, but the A’s would insist upon Jones and the Mariners might not be willing to trade their top position prospect within the division.