FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- After hearing his name get tossed around in trade rumors for three months without a deal being consummated, Brian Roberts hardly needed the confirmation.

That's why he offered little reaction to club president Andy MacPhail's comments on Wednesday that the All-Star second baseman wasn't likely to be traded to the Chicago Cubs, or any other team, before Opening Day.

"I look at it the same way I've looked at it all year. If I'm here today, I'm here today," Roberts said. "I don't know what [MacPhail] said first of all. He told me if I was here Opening Day, it probably wasn't going to happen. That's all I know."

Roberts said he spoke to MacPhail for two minutes on Wednesday and was told it was highly unlikely he would be dealt. Later in the day, MacPhail told reporters the closer the Orioles got to Monday's opener, the less likely Roberts was going to be traded. Roberts said last week that he was hopeful MacPhail would make an announcement about his future so he could stop dealing with the constant questions.

"Highly unlikely doesn't seem like a resolution to me," said Roberts, who's hitting .273 this spring with six RBIs and seven steals. He has sat out three straight exhibition games because of a sore back, but he took batting practice yesterday and said he'll be in the lineup for today's final Grapefruit League game.

"I'm here today. That's all I know," Roberts said. "Once the season starts, I'm not dealing with [the questions] anymore. I have a job to do at that point."

The reports that Roberts wasn't expected to be traded soon were well-received inside the Orioles' clubhouse.

"It's good news anytime you get a player of his ability to stay around," outfielder Nick Markakis said. "You want that kind of guy on your team. I'm sure [the rumors] have bothered him a little bit. It would bother anybody if you didn't know where you were going to be. But I think he's done a good job handling it."

Third baseman Melvin Mora said: "I think Brian Roberts is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball right now. Everybody in the league would like to have Brian Roberts."

Change for better

Manager Dave Trembley expects pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, Monday's starter, to be more effective now that the right-hander has "softened up his game."

Guthrie is throwing more changeups, especially in fastball counts.

"I think that's really going to help him," Trembley said. "You can be too much of a strike-thrower and depend too much on your fastball, and I think I saw that last year, especially within our division when you're playing teams three or four times and he's starting against them. Usually about the third time through the order, that's when teams caught up to him.

"He came here this spring with the idea that he's going to have to come up with a changeup and at times double up with it."

Trembley also wants Guthrie to pitch inside more.

"Teams have a way of getting a little too comfortable with him because he does throw the ball over the plate," Trembley said. "I'd like to see him move some feet a little bit."

Around the horn

The Orioles optioned pitcher Jim Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk and selected pitcher Steve Trachsel's contract from the Tides. ... Pitcher Jon Leicester accepted his assignment to Triple-A Norfolk rather than opt for free agency. ... Trembley took most of the responsibility for the shoddy outfield play in Wednesday's loss, which included two dropped fly balls. "That's my fault, because I had the wrong guys out there," he said. "I won't have the wrong guys out there the next time. You have to be able to make the routine plays. If you can't make the routine plays, it's the big leagues, you shouldn't be out there. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anybody, but come on, it's late in the spring, and when things like that happen, that's not acceptable."

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com roch.kubatko@baltsun.com