According to the Baltimore Sun, Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa will be traded to the Baltimore Orioles for infielder Jerry Hairston and minor leaguers, second baseman Mike Fontenot and pitcher David Crouthers. Sosa would take over in RF and move Jay Gibbons to 1B where he can hopefully be decent defensively. Brian Roberts gets a lot of job security.

I'm not a huge fan of this move if it involves giving a contract extension to Sosa. I have no problem with the minor leaguers given up as they don't look like anything special. I hate to see Hairston go but since the O's wouldn't play him at 2B, where he belongs, and he gets hurt all the time, I can live with it.

I don't have a problem with this move if Sosa is a one year rental. He'll bring some more fans to Camden and maybe the O's can even flip him to a contender later in the season to get prospects. That would be a wise move.

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Jerry Crasnick on the deal.