The Baltimore Orioles are in rebuilding mode and that’s not a good thing in the American League East where every team is better than the O’s heading into the 2008 season. Every veteran on the roster that someone else wants will likely be traded during this season. With that in mind I think it would be a miracle for the Orioles to win more than 65 games this season. Be smart, and take the under.

With the exception of Steve Trachsel the Orioles will be going with young pitchers in the starting rotation. The “#1″ starter will be 29-year old righty Jeremy Guthrie who was saved off the Indians junk heap in 2007. He pitched in 32 games (26 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 7-5 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Guthrie has good stuff so he’s the Orioles starting pitcher with the best chance of having a win/loss record over .500 this season.

27-year old righty Daniel Cabrera has the most talent of anyone on the entire Orioles’ pitching staff but he has never really learned how too pitch. The Orioles should consider moving Cabrera to the bullpen where he wouldn’t have to concentrate over 5-6 innings and he could just let the ball fly for an inning. But, the Orioles don’t have that luxury this season. Cabrera started 34 games for the Orioles last season and he was 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He whiffed 166 batters and walked 108 in 204.1 innings last season. Look for more of the same in 2008.

Ancient 37-year old righty Steve Trachsel is back for a return engagement in the Orioles’ rotation. He started 29 games for the Orioles & Cubs last season and he was 7-11 with a 4.90 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. The Orioles hope that Trachsel can pitch well enough to net them a couple of prospects at either the end of July or August like he did last season when the Orioles got Scott Moore and Rock Cherry from the Cubs for him.

24-year old lefty Adam Loewen will be the #4 starter and he has a very solid upside. He started only 6 games last season before suffering a broken elbow. He was 2-0 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP last year for the Orioles. He needs to throw more strikes however as he walked 26 batters in only 30.1 innings last season.

27-year old lefty Brian Burres will be the #5 starter when the season starts. He pitched in 37 games (17 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 6-8 with a 5.95 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Don’t expect him to keep a starting job all season long.

24-year old lefty Garrett Olson is one of the better prospects that the Orioles have and he will be a chance in the rotation at some point this season. He looked overmatched in his first taste of the majors last season. He started 7 games for the Orioles last season and he was 1-3 with a 7.79 ERA and a 2.16 WHIP. Olson was outstanding in AAA last season however as he started 22 games and he was 9-7 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.

23-year old Hayden Penn might also get a chance to realize his potential this season. He only started 10 games last season in Rookie+A+AAA ball last season and he was 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.

25-year old righty Matt Albers was part of the Miguel Tejada haul from the Astros last season and he could start at some point this season but he will open the year in the bullpen. He pitched in 31 games (18 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 4-11 with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP.

25-year old righty Radhames Liz is another prospect with a good arm. He pitched in 9 games (4 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 0-2 with a 6.93 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. He did pitch pretty well in AA-ball last season as he started 25 games and was 11-4 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He also whiffed 161 batters in 137 innings which shows what kind of stuff he has.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: D

24-year old lefty swinging Nick Markakis had a breakout season in 2007. It will be interesting to see how he does this season as he won’t have as much help as he had last season with Miguel Tejada gone. Markakis played in 161 games for the Orioles last season and he was 191 for 637 (.300 avg, .847 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 23 homers, 112 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Markakis only made 2 errors in 161 games in RF last season and he had 13 assists while showing average range. The sky is the limit for Markakis.

31-year old lefty swinging Jay Gibbons is still around but he likely won’t get much playing time. He will miss the first 15 games of the season due to a league suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. He played in 84 games for the Orioles last season and he was 62 for 270 (.230 avg, .620 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers and 28 RBIs. Gibbons’ best days are behind him because he can’t cheat any more.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

The key to the trade of Erik Bedard over the winter was 22-year old righty swinging CF Adam Jones. Jones played in 41 games last season for the Mariners and he was 16 for 65 (.246 avg, .700 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He also played in 101 games in AAA where he was 132 for 420 (.314 avg, .968 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 25 homers, 84 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Jones is also an above average defender in CF so he should be quite a player for the Orioles starting in 2008.

31-year old lefty swinging Tike Redman was a sparkplug for the Orioles last season. He played in 40 games for the Orioles last season and he was 42 for 132 (.318 avg, .803 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 2 homers, 16 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Redman played in 28 games in CF for the Orioles and he only made 1 error there while showing outstanding range. He should win a spot on the bench after his play for the Orioles last season.

28-year old switch hitting Chris Roberson was also acquired in the off-season to provide depth. He played in 28 games for the Phillies last season and he was 8 for 28 (.286 avg, .596 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Roberson played in 113 games in AAA last season and he was 123 for 463 (.266 avg, .663 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 4 homers, 48 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He will have a hard time making the team.

Jay Payton also could get some time in CF. He played in 17 games there last season for the Orioles and he made 2 errors while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C

30-year old lefty swinging Luke Scott will likely get all of the time in LF against righty starting pitchers and if he can handle lefties he will likely start all of the time. If Scott has any problems with lefties he will likely platoon with Jay Payton. Scott played in 132 games last season for the Astros last season and he was 94 for 369 (.255 avg, .855 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 18 homers and 64 RBIs. Scott played mostly in right field last season for the Astros where he showed above average range.

35-year old righty swinging Jay Payton will likely also get some playing time in LF. He has the range of a center fielder but he did make 5 errors in 123 games in LF last season for the Orioles. Payton played in 131 games for the Orioles last season and he was 111 for 434 (.256 avg, .668 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 7 homers and 58 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C