I would be shocked if Bedard gets a less than two year deal. He proved this past season that when he is healthy, that he’s still a dominant pitcher. He showed it to us this year when he destroyed us in Seattle.

Although, I would love to have Bedard, I wouldn’t sign him more than two years. If we could sign him without overpaying and also with a two year an third year team option type contract, I hope we ink it on the spot.

That said, I am unconvinced that Bedard is going to be come as cheaply as most people seem to think. There aren’t many teams in baseball that would look the other way if they had an opportunity to sign him and those that do probably are stacked with lefty starters, such as the Phillies (Lee, Hamels) and the Yankees (Sabathia, Pettitte–if he decides to pitch next year).

In other words, there could be a small-scale bidding war for his services (I say “small-scale” only as opposed to the mega-contract Lackey will probably get). He could be a bit pricier than many seem to think, although starting the season late will drive the price down somewhat. I just hope he signs with the O’s.