Anderson on Machado trade talk and some Mountcastle talk

During an interview session with reporters at FanFest, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson was asked if a trade of Manny Machado is still possible or if that ship has sailed already.

"There are a lot of teams throughout the league where he could change their outcome immediately," he said. "But there is quite a price to pay for a guy like Manny. You have to weigh the downside of giving up your best prospects, which we would certainly require, and then maybe only having Manny for a six-month season. Teams haven't been willing to do that. And we are not willing to give Manny away for anything less than we deserve in return for him."

Anderson looked at the current free agent and said it "has probably been the oddest offseason that I can remember, who has the deals and who hasn't. The lack of signings for some of these big names is some of unprecedented in my memory."

Anderson said he was still confident the Orioles could sign a solid pitcher for a reasonable price.

"We have an owner who, if it's not clear that he's willing to spend beyond our market position by now, it never will be. Resources haven't been an issue with us in quite some time," he said.

Meanwhile, during a player development fan forum that included Anderson with O's vice president Dan Duquette and director of player development Brian Graham, the trio was asked about top prospect Ryan Mountcastle. The question was whether the youngster could eventually be the player to replace Machado at third base.

"The kid has a terrific bat," Duquette said. "We moved him from short to third and the question will be if he will able to throw (well enough) to stay on the left side of the infield. We're going to give that a little bit more time. If Ryan can play third, there is always room for good third baseman in the big leagues."

Mountcastle, who hit .287/.312/.489 with 48 doubles, 18 homers and 62 RBIs last year, turns 21 next month. This week he was ranked as the No. 71 prospect in Baseball America's top 100. Manager Buck Showalter this morning during a forum said Mountcastle is coming to big league camp next month.

"Here is a guy with good hands, athleticism, balance and agility with quickness," Graham said. "He runs well and he can hit. We're going to find a place for him. If his arm plays at third base, he's going to be a good big league third baseman. If his arm doesn't play there, he will stay be a big league player and is a bright spot for our future."

Anderson added: "Ryan came to California (to train with me). I put ball on a tee for him and it looked like a slo-pitch softball home run derby. I never said a word to him because he's had success and I don't tamper with guys that have had success. If you watch Ryan compared to other minor leaguers, it sounds different. The bat speed is different. The ball jumps off his bat. There is a totally different sound to the ball off his bat from an average prospect."