The FOXSports blog from the general manager meetings in Chicago includes mention of the Orioles and Giants as the clubs in strongest pursuit of Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla. Click here to read it.
Both teams would move Uggla to third base. The Orioles have an opening, and they need a right-handed power bat. It does make sense, though Uggla hasn't played third in the majors.
His range is limited, so better to keep him away from second, where he committed 29 errors the last two seasons....
Brandon Snyder has taken his last swings in the Arizona Fall League.
Snyder returned home to attend a wedding this weekend, and he won't rejoin the Phoenix Desert Dogs. He batted .354 with five doubles, one triple, three homers and 18 RBIs in 17 games.
Brandon Waring is starting at first base tonight, but this will be his last game, too. He also has a wedding to attend and will be removed from the roster.
The final AFL game is slated for Nov. 19. The league doesn't play on Sundays.
"It...
Josh Bell went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI last night in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 12-3 win over Scottsdale. He's batting .317.
Matt Angle (.278) was 1-for-3 with an RBI, walk and two runs scored. Brandon Waring (.257) was 0-for-4 with an RBI in his final game in the AFL.
I placed a call to Orioles first base coach John "T-Bone" Shelby yesterday because it seemed appropriate to get his thoughts on Adam Jones winning the Gold Glove. Shelby has been working with him since spring training...
Major League Baseball announced its Silver Slugger Award winners. No Orioles on the list, but congrats to Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
American League:
1B - Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
2B - Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
3B - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
SS - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
OF - Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
OF - Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox
OF - Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels
C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
DH - Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays
National League:
1B -...
Josh Bell went 2-for-5 with three RBIs yesterday for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, leaving his average at .324. Josh Perrault tossed a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Former Oriole Adam Loewen went 1-for-5 with an RBI and four strikeouts. He's batting .179.
Special thanks to Jay Cutler for those five picks last night. The guy who took San Francisco -3 appreciated each and every one of them. But he could have done without that final drive. Not good for his blood...
A story has moved on the AP wire that quotes Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos as expressing interest in again staging exhibitions against the Cuban national team in Havana and Baltimore, as he did back in 1999.
Click here for the story.
"Hopefully as next spring approaches, both governments will see clearer to improve the relations and make it rather easy for there to be a reciprocal arrangement," Angelos says in the story. "Personally, I think the relations between the two countries...
One of my loyal readers unearthed a portion of the Orioles' 2010 spring training schedule on 4sarasota.com. Plenty of dates still need to be filled, but you can check out the rough draft.
The Orioles apparently will open at home - and that's Sarasota, in case you've been away for a while - on March 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays. We'll also see the Pirates, Tigers and Phillies (oh my!), so it won't be the same batch of opponents that were forced down our collective throats all these...
Here's a rarity in the hitter-happy Arizona Fall League: A 1-0 game.
Matt Angle homered in the second inning to provide all the scoring in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 1-0 win over Peoria Saguaros. Angle, starting in center field, went deep for the first time in the AFL.
Josh Bell was 1-for-3 with a double and walk. He's batting .320.
Stephen Strasburg allowed one hit, walked two and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings. He improved to 4-1 because you don't have to go a minimum five innings to...
If I see one more advertisement that includes a talking pothole or dogs that save Christmas, my head might explode. But at least I can be reminded every 12 minutes that I need to buy diamonds or I'll die alone.
With the winter meetings coming up in three weeks, I find my thoughts drifting back to a few names that were tied to the Orioles at last year's gathering in Las Vegas.
Braden Looper drew their interest, and we kicked around the pros and cons of adding him to the rotation. He went...
Interesting strategy by the Jaguars today to keep taking a knee in the final minute with the ball on the Jets' 1-yard line and trailing by one point.
They played for the field goal and to ensure that the Jets wouldn't have any time left on the clock for a game-winning drive.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew could have easily scored on a burst up the middle, and the Jets did nothing to stop him, but he purposely slid down at the 1. Quarterback David Garrard knelt on the next few snaps, and...
I had the craziest dream last night that Bill Belichick went for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28-yard line with 2:08 left and his team holding a six-point lead.
Must have been something I ate.
Maybe Belichick needs a bench coach. I hear Dave Jauss is still available.
I exchanged e-mails with Orioles manager Dave Trembley, and not to tease him about Notre Dame. He attended Saturday's Family FanFest in Sarasota, Fla., and had the opportunity to check on Nolan Reimold, Brad Bergesen and...
Oakland closer Andrew Bailey has been named the AL's Rookie of the Year.
Bailey received 13 first-place votes. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus finished second, one point ahead of Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello, after garnering eight first-place votes (one more than Porcello).
Jeff Niemann was fourth, followed by Gordon Beckham and Brett Anderson.
Florida outfielder Chris Coghlan won the NL award.
Third baseman Josh Bell hit his second home run tonight in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 11-1 win over Mesa.
Bell also doubled, walked and drove in three runs. He's batting .329 with seven doubles and 18 RBIs.
The double came against former Oriole Randor Bierd. Bell homered off right-hander Tim Kiely.
Matt Angle, batting leadoff and starting in center field, went 1-for-3 with an RBI, run scored and walk. Josh Perrault lowered his ERA to 1.86 with a scoreless ninth.
The Orioles placed a call yesterday to reliever Mark Hendrickson's agent, Joe Urbon, and were waiting to hear back from him.
There isn't much to report beyond that little nugget.
Teams no longer will hold exclusive negotiating rights with their free agents after Thursday. Hendrickson would like to re-sign with the Orioles, who are interested in keeping him.
Manager Dave Trembley speaks highly of the left-hander, who became a valuable member of the bullpen as the season progressed -...
Major League Baseball will announce the AL's Cy Young Award winner later today, and judging by the title of this entry, you probably think I'm choosing CC Sabathia.
Well, you'd be wrong.
I'm guessing that Kansas City's Zack Greinke takes home the hardware after going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 229 1/3 innings.
Greinke had six complete games, which used to be routine back in the Palmer/McNally/Cuellar/Dobson days. Not so much now. He also tossed three shutouts.
Voters...
Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke received 25 of a possible 28 first-place votes to win the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide.
Seattle's Felix Hernandez, the runner-up, received two first-place votes. Detroit's Justin Verlander had the other first-place vote and finished third.
CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Greinke also had three second-place votes.
Josh Bell went 1-for-5 with a double in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 5-4 loss to Scottsdale. Bell (.321) started at third base and batted cleanup.
Right fielder Matt Angle led off for the Desert Dogs and went 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored.
Eddie Gamboa allowed an unearned run and two hits in the bottom of the eighth, which proved costly when Phoenix rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth.
Then again, Phoenix already clinched the East Division title and will play in the championship...
I had no idea that Delino DeShields spent the summer as hitting coach for the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League. So you can imagine my reaction when I read yesterday that he was named manager.
Delino DeShields?
Yep, that guy.
I never thought of DeShields as manager material, but the Cincinnati Reds obviously disagree. Perhaps a baserunning instructor, but definitely not a motivational speaker.
DeShields, nicknamed "Bop," did a lot of pouting during his three seasons with the...
Major League Baseball will announce its Managers of the Year in the AL and NL later today. I'm predicting that Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire is honored after leading the Twins to the Central Division title, with Texas' Ron Washington and Seattle's Don Wakamatsu also collecting votes.
The Twins looked like toast after Justin Morneau was shut down, but they made the playoffs. And it's not like they loaded up on pricey free agents over the winter.
After revealing the Orioles' interest in...
The Angels' Mike Scioscia was named the AL's Manager of the Year after receiving 15 first-place votes, 10 for second and one for third.
Minnesota's Ron Gardehire was the runner-up. He received six first-place votes, 12 second and six third. The Yankees' Joe Girardi (four, three, five) finished third.
Seattle's Don Wakamatsu and Texas' Ron Washington also received first-place votes. Detroit's Jim Leyland garnered two third-place votes.
In the NL, Colorado's Jim Tracy took home the...