Sources: Cubs trade CF Pie to Orioles

The chances of Felix Pie becoming a fixture for the Cubs in center field are over.

The Cubs have reached agreement with the Orioles on a deal that will send Pie to Baltimore for left-hander Garrett Olson and Class A right-hander Henry Williamson, according to major-league sources.

Pie, rated the Cubs' No. 1 prospect by Baseball America in 2007, has yet to prove he can hit in the majors, batting .223 with a .284 on-base percentage in 287 career plate appearances.

Olson, the 48th overall pick in the 2005 draft, could fit for the Cubs as a middle reliever if lefty Sean Marshall moves into the team's rotation.

The Padres wanted Olson as part of a three-team trade for Jake Peavy earlier this off-season, and could ask for him again from the Cubs if those talks revive.

Olson, 25, is 10-13 with a 6.87 ERA in 33 major-league starts, but probably needed more seasoning before the Orioles promoted him to the majors in 2006.

The Cubs' signing of free-agent right fielder Milton Bradley to a three-year contract effectively squeezed out Pie. Reed Johnson and Kosuke Fukudome likely will alternate in center, with Fukudome also playing right.

But Pie, who turns 24 on Feb. 8, remains a player with rare speed and athleticism. In 2007, Baseball America said that his tools were "reminiscent of Carlos Belran's," calling him a "power-hitting center fielder with basestealing ability."

The Orioles could start off Pie as a backup at all three outfield positions. They also could play him in left while using Aubrey Huff at first and Luke Scott as their DH.

Pie would add to the Orioles' core of young players, a group that includes center fielder Adam Jones and right fielder Nick Markakis.

The team is close to signing Markakis to a six-year contract between $64 and $66 million, according to The Baltimore Sun.

When I first saw the title I thought the Orioles traded for A PIE!

I remember when he was supposed to be an elite prospect. I watched his first (or one of his first) games as a Cub and the announcers kept going on and on about how great he was going to be.

This is why I don't have a problem trading can't-miss prospects for proven players...can't-miss prospects miss all the time. You always see a guy pinch-hitting or pitching out of middle relief and hear the announcer go "Here's (some guy), he was once the number one prospect for (insert team)".