The Orioles are expected to announce more minor league signings this week, including former Nationals prospect Chris Marrero. They're also in the process of finalizing a deal with infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr.
The first person to use the stale "start printing those World Series tickets" line gets coal in his stocking.
Camden Yards has become a popular gathering spot for pitchers and position players to work out during the offseason. The Orioles scatter in the winter, but they always seem to...
Another day has passed without the Orioles signing a closer.
Are they getting closer?
The Orioles still have a two-year offer on the table for Grant Balfour, refusing to include a guaranteed third year, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations.
I've heard from one source that Balfour's agent is now seeking a vesting option for 2016 after initially holding out for a third year.
So far, the Orioles haven't budged. However, a team source indicated that they might...
The Orioles have signed first baseman Chris Marrero to a minor league contract, according to a team official.
The Nationals made Marrero, a right-handed hitter, the 15th overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Marrero, 25, has posted a .232/.256/.272 slash line in 39 major league games in 2011 and 2013, with five doubles, 11 RBIs, four walks and 31 RBIs in 133 plate appearances. He went 2-for-16 with an RBI this season.
Marrero batted .270/.331/.402 with 17 doubles, two triples,...
Nick Markakis donated baseball gloves and served lunch this morning to students from Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Baltimore as part of the 35th annual OriolesREACH Holiday Party for Kids at Dave & Busters at Arundel Mills Mall.
I barely recognized Markakis when he walked through the door. The thick beard and curly hair fool me every time.
"Duck Dynasty" comes to Hanover? Nope, just the Orioles' starting right fielder and, possibly, their leadoff hitter.
More on that...
Still nothing to report on the Orioles, as we've moved into a new week and the Winter Meetings begin to disappear in the rearview mirror.
John Axford, a fallback option as closer if the Orioles failed to sign Grant Balfour, reportedly has reached agreement with the Indians. The news will come as a relief - so to speak - for fans who didn't think he was a suitable replacement for Jim Johnson. It will disturb others who wonder if the Orioles are going to sign anyone before opening day.
Mark...
While the rest of us wait to find out whether the Orioles re-sign Brian Roberts, bring in another second baseman or choose an in-house candidate, Ryan Flaherty has been working out at Camden Yards and receiving tips on hitting from a member of the organization's Hall of Fame.
Flaherty left the frigid weather in Maine and headed to Baltimore. When we spoke over the phone yesterday, he was visiting a friend down in Fort Lauderdale.
This guy avoids snow like it's a runner trying to break up a...
The stack of e-mails and tweets from today's "Wall to Wall Baseball" show on MASN included one about Rule 5 pick Michael Almanzar and how his presence on the 25-man roster may impact Danny Valencia.
Almanzar was a curious selection. He's a right-handed hitting corner infielder who isn't regarded as a plus defender, though his arm is plenty strong. Valencia is a right-handed hitting corner infielder - he's going to get more reps at first base in spring training - who actually plays a...
The news that the Orioles are interested in signing A.J. Burnett has received mixed reviews, judging by the comments on this blog.
And those comments are the only ones I care about.
Could I possibly be in the minority of people who think it makes sense for the Orioles?
They won't hand out four- or five-year contracts to free agent pitchers. They're not comfortable offering three years to someone like Bronson Arroyo.
Many of us are trying to wrap our heads around Phil Hughes getting a...
The Orioles aren't expected to make any announcements tonight. I've been told it's "status quo," with a lot of executives and agents traveling today.
I guess it's harder to leave Lake Buena Vista, Fla., than I realized.
Nothing new to report on closer Grant Balfour, who continues to put the Orioles and other teams on hold.
"There are plenty of closers on the market," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "I'm not that concerned about it. We'll see how things go. We're...
I'm not going to point out that it's still early in the offseason. Not with the Winter Meetings behind us and the Orioles' best acquisition being reliever Ryan Webb.
Let me stress again that I really like the Webb signing. The Orioles stepped up with a two-year, $4.5 million deal for a quality sinkerballer who will be a valuable option in the sixth-to-eighth innings. He was in great demand and the Orioles acted quickly, which certainly goes against their reputation.
Unfortunately, they...
I left the Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., yesterday and realized that the temperature had been in the 80s during my entire stay. I never ventured outside the hotel until hailing a cab for the return trip to the Orlando airport.
Quite a shock to the ol' system when I stepped off the plane at BWI.
The Orioles announced their acquisition of minor league catcher David Freitas as the PTBN in the Jim Johnson-Jemile Weeks trade a few minutes before I boarded my flight. Timing is...
ORLANDO, Fla. - Now that the Rule 5 draft has been completed, the Orioles received minor league catcher David Freitas from the Athletics as the player to be named in the Jim Johnson trade.
Freitas, who turns 25 on March 18, is the exact kind of hitter Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is looking to add to the organization - a high on-base guy.
The backstop has a career .377 on-base percentage in 373 minor league games spanning four seasons since he was a 15th-round pick of the...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles are trying to get a deal done with closer Grant Balfour before Friday morning's flight back to Baltimore.
Though the lobby area is mostly empty now, minus the tourists, the latest buzz is that the Orioles remain the favorites to sign Balfour. They're the top team on his list of preferred destinations.
The Orioles have a two-year offer on the table, as I mentioned last night. Balfour is holding out for a third year, which has presented an obvious...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Rule 5 draft has ended and baseball executives are racing to the airport as if there's a treasure chest waiting at curbside check-in.
The Orioles would have settled for a closer, a starting pitcher and a left-handed bat. Keep the trinkets.
Technically, the Orioles obtained a left-handed hitting outfielder by selecting Julio Borbon in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5. And their agreement with reliever Ryan Webb became official this week.
In reality, they failed...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles were among nine teams making selections in the major league phase of this morning's Rule 5 draft, taking third baseman Michael Almanzar off Triple-A Pawtucket's roster.
Almanzar, 23, batted .268/.328/.432 last season at Double-A Portland of the Red Sox's organization, with 29 doubles, 16 homers, 81 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 131 games. He's a career .250/.302/.373 hitter in six minor league seasons.
Almanzar, a right-handed hitter from the Dominican...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles are heavy favorites to select another player in the Rule 5 draft, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Swan and Dolphin Resort.
I won't leave you in suspense any longer.
I'm in the Dolphin building.
This explains why Larry Csonka left a mint on my pillow.
I'm anticipating that the Orioles will take another reliever, as they did last winter with T.J. McFarland. But they chose infielder Ryan Flaherty the previous year.
"The Rule 5's a bit of a crap shoot,...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Orioles have made a two-year offer to free-agent closer Grant Balfour, according to an industry source.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette told reporters earlier today that he had offers on the table to starting pitchers, relievers and left-handed hitters. He also indicated that the Orioles were interested in more than one closer, and it's believed that they've extended an offer to John Axford.
The Orioles talked parameters with Balfour's agent earlier this...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette met with reporters and other media types again today in his suite, part of his daily routine at the Winter Meetings.
Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's suite is directly across the hall. I mention it only because he joked that we were trying to break into his room while we waited for Duquette.
Probably didn't help that I was swiping the lock with my credit card.
Anyway, here's a sampling of quotes from...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's made offers to starting pitchers, relievers and hitters as he increases efforts to add players to the roster before heading home from the Winter Meetings.
No names were provided, of course, but he indicated that the Orioles retain interest in more than one closer.
Duquette also said he's been active on the trade front, though a couple of left-handed hitters came off the board.
Duquette said it's possible that the...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - With no news to report and another hour remaining before executive vice president Dan Duquette meets with reporters, I decided to flip through my notebook and pass along the latest musings from the hotel lobby.
Keep in mind that things change quickly. A few of these nuggets were unearthed much earlier in the day - long before I began stalking agent Scott Boras.
* The Orioles met with Shin-Soo Choo's representatives on the first day of the meetings, according to a...
