Tejada to the Cubs?

If the Orioles decide to enter rebuilding mode, Miguel Tejada is a prime bargaining chip. The Cubs are a logical destination for the star shortstop because 1) the Orioles and Cubs have a recent history of deals (Sosa and Patterson), 2) the Os' new CEO, Andy MacPhail, used to be with the Cubs, 3) the Cubs don't seem to be satisfied with Ryan Theriot at shortstop, 4) the Orioles could also fulfill the Cubs' desire for another relief pitcher, and most importantly 5) the Cubs are in contention and should be in "win now" mode.

What do the Cubs have at AAA Iowa that might interest the Orioles? A lot ... even without including Felix Pie, who's untouchable. Three players who should interest the Orioles are Scott Moore, Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton.

Scott Moore is a 23-year-old third-baseman. He's hitting .254/.361/.451 in 268 AB at Iowa. He's murdering RHP (.283/.396/.529 with 10 homers and 31 walks in 191 AB) but hasn't touched LHP (.182/.267/.260). Moore is young enough to grow out of that huge split, but it would also be easy to pick up a Scott Seabol or Aaron Herr to handle the lefties for him. The Cubs don't need Moore because they have Aramis Ramirez at 3B.

Ronny Cedeno is a 24-year-old shortstop and the leading hitter in the Pacific Coast League (.364/.435/.579). He didn't hit with the Cubs last season, but he was only 23. In 2005 Cedeno hit .355/.403/.518 as a 22-year-old at Iowa, and .300/.356/.375 that season with the Cubbies. Tejada would make Cedeno irrelevant for the Cubs, and the Cubs may have prematurely given up on the youngster anyway.

Matt Murton is a 25-year-old left-fielder who hit .297/.365/.444 for the Cubs last season and .321/.386/.521 in 140 AB as a 23-year-old for them in 2005. Regardless, the Cubs shipped him to Iowa this year, where he's hitting .297/.379/.505 with 10 doubles, 3 home runs, 12 walks and only 11 strikeouts in 101 at bats. Alfonso Soriano has LF locked up for the Cubs.

There you have it -- 3 young, talented, major-league-ready players that the Cubs don't need. They would form a fine foundation for rebuilding the Orioles, and the Os should be willing to trade Tejada and a relief pitcher (Bradford or Walker) to get them.