And if Werth becomes expendable because he is obviously better than a back-up catcher in two or three years, then so be it. That situation can be taken care of when it arises. But it's not as if having two capable starting catchers on a roster would be a bad thing. Johnson is only 28. And he and Mussina make possibly the best battery in baseball.
Baseball is back in Baltimore in a big way.
The city has again accepted the O's and you can even sense it by reading the newspaper or listening to radio call-in shows. This is a baseball town and it probably will always be. Angelos and the Orioles organization have the chance to solidify that claim by re-signing Mussina and Johnson now. It will certainly be easier to do so at the present time, rather than wait until after the season. Even making higher offers to the two will create a positive buzz.