Less than a week before the Winter Meetings begin, if we're counting Sunday's flight to Las Vegas and scant opportunities for media access, and the Orioles seem to be in the phase of their managerial search where they compile a list of candidates to interview.
Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and his staff have conducted background searches and eliminated names that had grown to more than two dozen, he claimed Thursday night on the "Orioles Hot Stove" show on 105.7...
While the Orioles attempt to keep another tight lid on their managerial search, more names are seeping through the cracks.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal has confirmed that Nationals bench coach Chip Hale, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde and Royals quality control/catching coach Pedro Grifol are on the list of candidates. Diamondbacks director of player development Mike Bell, younger brother of new Reds manager David Bell, also will interview, according to MLB Network's Peter Gammons.
The Orioles...
Catcher Caleb Joseph, non-tendered Friday night by the Orioles and a free agent for the first time in his career, is drawing interest from a handful of teams.
It didn't take long.
Plenty of clubs are checking on available catchers, but the market is flooded, with MLBTradeRumors.com providing the latest update:
Drew Butera Robinson Chirinos A.J. Ellis Yasmani Grandal Chris Herrmann Nick Hundley Caleb Joseph Jose Lobaton Jonathan Lucroy MartÃn Maldonado Devin Mesoraco James McCann ...
I woke up yesterday morning feeling quite confident that Brian Graham was staying with the Orioles, whether as director of player development or with an adjusted title and set of duties. His knowledge of the organization, straight down through the farm system, was valued by new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. He was doing the heavy lifting before Elias' arrival and continued to take on big responsibilities.
Graham woke up yesterday with the same sense, given no...
The Orioles have decided to non-tender infielder Tim Beckham and catcher Caleb Joseph, releasing them into the free agent market and clearing two spots on the 40-man roster.
Every other player on the 40-man roster was tendered a contract, including pitchers Dylan Bundy and Mychal Givens and infielder Jonathan Villar, who are eligible for arbitration. The Orioles will try to avoid hearings with the trio.
Beckham didn't heat up at the plate until September, when he batted .297/.348/.484 with...
The Orioles are continuing to make dramatic changes throughout the organization, removing director of player development Brian Graham this morning, according to a source.
Graham returned to the organization in October 2007 after serving as the Pirates' interim general manager and was named director of player development six years later. He had been handling the GM duties for the Orioles on an interim basis after they decided to part ways with executive vice president Dan Duquette.
During his...
The latest deadline in baseball's offseason has arrived tonight with teams needing to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players by 8 p.m.
I've hit this subject harder than a Chinese food buffet, but hey, let's review it anyway:
The Orioles have three obvious decisions regarding Dylan Bundy, Mychal Givens and Jonathan Villar. They aren't candidates to be non-tendered and we'll find out later if executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is willing to trade them...
The search for a new Orioles manager remains the top priority for executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. No other task at the moment supersedes it. And while Elias is hesitant to offer too many specifics, he spoke tonight of progress made through the narrowing of his list.
Elias, a call-in guest to the "Orioles Hot Stove" radio show on 105.7 The Fan, said the staff has sifted through an impressive number of possibilities. He noted the input from assistant Sig Mejdal and...
Mike Elias has tapped into his Cardinals past to find pitching for the Orioles.
The Orioles announced this evening that they've signed right-hander Josh Lucas to a minor league contract. The Cardinals drafted him in the 21st round in 2010 and he spent seven seasons in the organization.
Elias, hired earlier this month as the Orioles' executive vice president and general manager, worked in the scouting department in St. Louis before joining the Astros in 2012.
Lucas, 28, appeared in five game...
Sig Mejdal had no idea that he'd eventually be working in the Orioles front office when deciding to let his contract with the Astros run out in order to pursue other opportunities. It wasn't part of some grand scheme to get inside the B&O Warehouse. He can be described as a visionary of sorts, but not in this way.
A perfect storm carried Mejdal to Baltimore. The organization surrendering to a full teardown and rebuild. The hiring of former Astros assistant Mike Elias as executive vice...
The Orioles haven't laid out a time frame for hiring a new manager, with Mike Elias offering confirmation last week during his introduction as executive vice president and general manager. A process too important to be rushed. A list too long to be chopped in hasty fashion.
To quote Elias: "It's not something to rush for the sake of meeting artificial dates in the wintertime."
Meanwhile, contracts for the entire coaching staff expired on Oct. 31. No one has landed a new job, from what I can...
The sweeping changes within the Orioles organization have impacted director of scouting Gary Rajsich.
Rajsich won't return to the Orioles next season, according to multiple sources. The decision was made before his contract expired on Friday.
New executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is in charge of making hires within each department, and scouting is undergoing a major overhaul.
Former executive vice president Dan Duquette hired Rajsich in November 2011 as one of his first...
Elgelb Vielma might actually stick with one organization before spring training.
The Orioles outrighted Vielma to Triple-A Norfolk this morning after designating him for assignment on Tuesday to create an opening for pitcher Dillon Tate on the 40-man roster. Tate's contract was purchased from Double-A Bowie to protect him in the Rule 5 draft that's going to be held on Dec. 13 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
Engelb cleared waivers, a departure from his odyssey last offseason.
The Giants...
The Winter Meetings in Las Vegas get underway in less than two weeks, which will give the local media a chance to begin forging a relationship with new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.
You can really get to know a person when congregating daily inside his suite and engaging in formal and casual conversations. Learn more about his tactics to construct a roster and his personality.
The Orioles also could have a new manager, which is a top priority as we move closer to...
Orioles reliever Donnie Hart arrived at yesterday morning's #StayHungry Purple Tailgate with a box of donuts in his hands. He was definitely in the right place.
Adam Jones walked up to Hart, reached inside the box and pulled out one of his favorite treats. Glazed are his preference. Nothing too fancy.
Jones and his sweet tooth were back in Baltimore because there's always more charitable work to be done. On this day, he managed to raise more than $125,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of...
Adam Jones has no idea whether his annual #StayHungry Purple Tailgate will extend to a seventh year in 2019. He doesn't know where he'll be playing and whether it will be convenient to get back to Baltimore.
Free agency tends to drape a person in uncertainty.
Here's a fact: Today's event raised a record amount of $125,010 for the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore and the Living Classrooms Foundation. Food, drinks, live music and temperatures that climbed into the 60s created the perfect...
The Orioles have less than a week to make a decision on director of scouting Gary Rajsich before his contract expires.
While the contracts of other employees ended on Oct. 31, Rajsich continues to be paid through November and is awaiting a decision.
There have been numerous changes in the baseball operations department, player development and scouting since the Orioles concluded a 115-loss season and began their search for a replacement for executive vice president Dan Duquette. And more are on...
The Orioles have moved back into the slow lane while navigating through the Thanksgiving holiday.
They hired Sig Mejdal as an assistant to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias, which shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone. They selected pitcher Dillon Tate's contract from Double-A Bowie, which shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.
They signed four players to minor league contracts, including infielder Jace Peterson, which might have surprised some people. I...
The Orioles hire a top executive for their baseball operations department and fans wonder how it might impact Chris Davis.
Mike Elias brings in Sig Mejdal as an assistant in charge of analytics and fans wonder how it might impact Chris Davis.
The managerial search is underway, with Elias already doing background work and tapping into his vast network, and fans wonder how it might impact Chris Davis.
A new hitting coach? A true commitment to rebuilding? The chance for snow next month?
Fans...
Before accepting the yearly challenge of consuming as much food as possible without losing consciousness, please take a moment and try to separate Orioles fact from fiction.
You won't need a carving knife.
Sig Mejdal ranks among the most, yes, significant hires in recent memory. Fact. And the hire, wait for it, signifies that the Orioles are dead serious about incorporating analytics and taking a vastly different approach moving forward. It isn't just lip service. The former NASA...
