Orioles pitcher Brad Bergesen came out on the losing side in yesterday's arbitration hearing in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Bergesen will make $800,000 this season after earning $434,000 in 2011. He sought $1.2 million.
The Orioles haven't lost a hearing since 1995 with pitcher Ben McDonald. They're 7-0 with general counsel H. Russell Smouse.
Yesterday's hearing included Smouse, executive vice president Dan Duquette, director of baseball administration Tripp Norton and assistant director of...
We should find out today whether Brad Bergesen was declared the winner in his arbitration hearing, which would represent the Orioles' first defeat since 1995 with former pitcher Ben McDonald.
Don't feel bad if it happens. The money isn't coming out of your checking account.
Either way, Bergesen will receive a healthy raise. In this economy, that's reason to celebrate.
Also, the Orioles could announce that they've reached agreement on a minor league deal with first baseman Nick Johnson....
The Orioles have discussed signing free-agent first baseman Nick Johnson to a minor league contract. No word yet on whether an agreement has been reached, but his name has come up in the warehouse.
Update: No deal is in place, but the sides are close to an agreement.
Johnson, 33, didn't play in the majors last year. He appeared in 53 games with Triple-A Columbus and batted .201/.316/.332 with six doubles, six homers and 13 RBIs.
Johnson has dealt with a myriad of health issues over the...
Just a reminder that Brad Bergesen's arbitration hearing is scheduled for today in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bergesen is seeking $1.2 million and the Orioles are offering $800,000. He made $434,000 last season.
Adam Jones' hearing is scheduled for Feb. 17. He's seeking $7.4 million and the Orioles countered at $5 million. He made $3.25 million last season.
I'll say it again: The Orioles need to figure out whether they can sign Jones to a long-term deal. He's a free agent in 2014. His value...
The Orioles are still trying to determine their level of interest in Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The next step is for Fred Ferreira, their executive director of international recruiting, to take another look at him.
Ferreira will head to the Dominican Republic in about 10 days to watch Cespedes work out. This will be his first look at the 26-year-old Cuban defector since shortly after the Winter Meetings in December.
Ferreira has been reading reports provided by a few of his scouts...
I have the unfortunate task of passing along some tragic news regarding former Orioles outfielder Danny Clyburn.
Clyburn was shot and killed early this morning in Lancaster, S.C., according to a report in The Herald. He would have been 38 on opening day.
The Herald reported that Derrick Lamont Mcilwain, 36, of Lancaster, has been arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
A witness told police that Clyburn was arguing with a man just before a shot was...
I woke up this morning without another pitcher being traded. We're off to a good start.
Brad Bergesen's arbitration hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in St. Petersburg, Fla., and there will have to be a flurry of activity between the two sides today to avoid it. Right now, it seems inevitable.
Bergesen, also a trade candidate, is seeking $1.2 million. The Orioles are offering $800,000. He was 2-7 with a 5.70 ERA in 34 appearances, including 12 starts, last season.
He has an option...
One member of the organization insisted today that the Rockies provided "by far the best offer" that the Orioles received for pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Some teams wanted the Orioles to eat a lot of salary and they weren't dangling prospects in return.
The Orioles and Guthrie were $3 million apart and headed to arbitration this morning. The Orioles weren't going to split the difference, and they most definitely weren't going to pay him the $10.25 million that he sought. They deemed it to be...
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette just completed a conference call with reporters that also included new pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. He described them as being dependable, durable, qualified major league pitchers. Hammel is viewed as capable of replacing Jeremy Guthrie's innings in the rotation, and Lindstrom will work the back end of the bullpen with experience as a closer and set-up man.
Duquette referenced Jim Johnson as another power arm in the back of the 'pen,...
The Orioles officially announced today's trade that sent Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom.
They also confirmed that left-handed specialist Clay Rapada has been designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Guthrie said the deal was pretty much done Saturday night.
"I talked to my agent, Brodie (Van Wagenen) and all parties involved and they let us know that's what was going to happen," he said.
"At first, you're a...
The Orioles had an arbitration hearing scheduled today with pitcher Jeremy Guthrie in St. Petersburg, Fla., but it's been postponed amid rumors that he's about to be traded. And according to a source, a deal is close with the Rockies that would bring pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom to Baltimore.
Hammel, 29, was 7-13 with a 4.76 ERA in 32 games - including 27 starts - for the Rockies last season. He's 34-45 with a 4.99 ERA in 169 games, including 115 starts in six seasons spent with...
Let's get this one out of the way first:
Giants 27, Patriots 24. Victor Cruz is MVP. And the Ravens are still the best team in the AFC.
Judging by the 310 comments I've received on yesterday's Manny Ramirez entry, it appears that the majority of readers here don't want the Orioles to sign him. It's an unscientific poll, but that's telling.
According to MLBTradeRumor's free-agent chart, there are four first basemen still on the market:
Russell Branyan (36)
Ross Gload (36)
Derrek Lee...
I opened yesterday's "Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" with a mini-rant against the Orioles signing Manny Ramirez. I may as well expand on it here.
I'm just searching for the logic behind their interest, beyond a few obvious points.
First of all, executive vice president Dan Duquette is looking for another bat, and it would fit nicely in the designated hitter and cleanup spots. As it currently stands, Wilson Betemit could be the primary DH, and that's not an ideal scenario.
The market is...
Former Tigers and Athletics outfielder Jeff Larish posted on Facebook today that he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles. A team official confirmed it.
That's the usual order. Facebook first, then the team.
Larish 29, won't receive an invitation to spring training.
Larish, a left-handed hitter, has been a corner infielder and outfielder. He's hitting .224/.308/.360 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in parts of three major league seasons, the last one in 2010. He hit .240/.330/.449...
I realize that pitchers and catchers don't report to spring training for 15 more days, but I'm already making a mental list of the most important story lines that I'll be following through March. I should probably write them down, since I don't trust my memory, but I'd probably forget where I put the list.
There are three that instantly come to my mind. I'm not exactly sure of the order, but I think it goes something like this:
1. Brian Roberts' status and what happens if he can't...
The Nationals just confirmed that they have reached agreement with free-agent pitcher Edwin Jackson on a one-year deal. Various reports place its worth at approximately $10 million.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to tweet the news, saying that Jackson was spotted at the airport as he arrived in town for his physical.
Heyman didn't specify which airport. Plenty of people fly into Dulles on their way to Baltimore.
Forget it. Jackson wasn't going to sign with the Orioles unless they...
If Chris Tillman isn't part of the Orioles' rotation when they break camp, it won't be from a lack of effort.
Tillman continues to work out with Orioles special assistant Brady Anderson in California, part of a group that also includes Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter, Scott Beerer and Rick VandenHurk.
"Workout-wise, we're getting after it pretty good, whether Brady is here or not," Tillman said. "There's always a guy there to watch us. It's tough to get back in shape and to get in really...
This is going to qualify as one of those non-update updates that you've grown to love or hate.
I'm not sure which side you're on, but here it comes.
Adam Katz, the agent for Yoenis Cespedes, would only confirm earlier today that "several teams are involved" with the Cuban outfielder, who became a free agent last month. The Orioles are one of them, and executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira was scheduled to fly to the Dominican today to watch Cespedes work out.
The...
Breaking news: The Orioles aren't expected to sign Edwin Jackson.
In other news, Rhode Island isn't a road or an island, and Billy Cundiff isn't automatic from inside the 35.
The Orioles weren't going to give Jackson more than three guaranteed years for the money he's been seeking, and he wasn't going to sign with them for one year and re-enter the free-agent market next winter. Not when he's looking to pitch for a contender and improve his value. That's been the case all along.
I...
The Orioles announced today that they've reached an agreement with State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) Manatees Baseball, to play an exhibition game at Ed Smith Stadium on Tuesday, April 3 at 1:05 p.m.
There will be no admission charge to attend the game except for reserved tickets near the SCF dugout that will be sold by the college, with proceeds supporting Manatees athletics. Tickets can be reserved through the SCF athletic department at 941-752-5261.
For the last 12 years,...
