Bedard trade talks hit a snag

Talks between the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles about a trade involving ace pitcher Erik Bedard are at a standstill.

A source familiar with the negotiations said a potential deal is being held up on the Orioles’ end and unspecified issues still need to be resolved for the trade to go through. One of those might be Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail obtaining the approval of owner Peter Angelos.

Mariners center fielder Adam Jones, the centerpiece of Seattle’s offer for Bedard, had been expected to be in Baltimore in preparation for a physical today, a club source said. However, those plans were scuttled, an indication that the deal has hit a snag or is on hold.

The Orioles don’t have a physical scheduled for Jones, the source said.

“We are where we were last night,” MacPhail said Monday. “We have no agreement.”

MacPhail said he didn’t expect any developments for a couple of days. Asked whether an agreement could be pending, MacPhail said, “I don’t know.”

A source indicated that the Mariners and Orioles have agreed to the general framework of the deal, which would send Jones, veteran reliever George Sherrill, 19-year-old pitching prospect Chris Tillman and one or two other prospects to the Orioles for Bedard.

ESPN.com first reported that Angelos, who is dealing with a personal matter and is unavailable to comment, hasn’t signed off on the deal.

The Orioles have been involved in trade discussions about Bedard, who went 13-5 last season with a 3.16 ERA, for more than two months. MacPhail has said he would like to have the situation resolved by the end of the month, but he also has said there is no concrete deadline.

Knoblauch agrees to talk

Former Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch agreed to talk to a House committee investigating drug use in baseball, and the session was postponed until later this week.

The committee issued a subpoena for Knoblauch last week after he failed to respond to an invitation to testify. Knoblauch originally was to give a deposition Jan. 24, a session that was postponed until today. Under the new schedule, Knoblauch will give a deposition or transcribed interview Friday.

Clearing the bases

Nolan Ryan could be a candidate to become president of the Texas Rangers. The Hall of Fame pitcher hasn’t talked specifically with Rangers owner Tom Hicks about the possibility of taking the job, but their meeting last week did include discussion about whether such an opportunity would be attractive to Ryan, who is a special assistant in Houston. … Free-agent third baseman Pedro Feliz and the Phillies agreed to an $8.5 million, two-year contract.