Scott Boras on Matt Wieters, Zach Britton and Pedro Alvarez

Scott Boras on Matt Wieters, Zach Britton and Pedro Alvarez
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md - Baseball's most prominent agent, Scott Boras, said today that the door is still open for his client, catcher Matt Wieters, to return to the Orioles. He was asked if the free agent has played his last game with the Orioles. "Well, no, I mean, look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners," Boras said. "When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs. He's, you know, won Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers there. And the ERA of the pitching staff...
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A look at the Orioles' 2016 draft with Baseball America's John Manuel (video)

A look at the Orioles' 2016 draft with Baseball America's John Manuel (video)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Baseball America has given the Orioles solid reviews for their 2016 draft, which featured three pitchers from the Midwest as their top three picks: Cody Sedlock, Keegan Akin and Matthias Dietz. This morning at the Winter Meetings, I interviewed Baseball America editor in chief John Manuel to get his thoughts on the Orioles' draft. "First, I like that Cody Sedlock has a fairly fresh arm," Manuel said. " I like that profile - big, physical, Midwest arm, fairly fresh. I...
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Notes on the Rule 5 draft, Chance Sisco and one interesting tweet

Notes on the Rule 5 draft, Chance Sisco and one interesting tweet
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Baseball America's J.J. Cooper studies and reports on the Rule 5 draft as well as any reporter out there. Yesterday I sought out some of his thoughts on the draft. Last year, the Orioles added outfielder Joey Rickard from the Rays and lost first baseman Ji-man Choi to the Angels in the major league phase of the draft. While the Orioles are almost always active in this draft, Cooper said other teams have joined them in recent years. "Two years ago was kind of an historic...
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Harold Reynolds on Manny Machado: "It's hard to give one player all that money" (video)

Harold Reynolds on Manny Machado: "It's hard to give one player all that money" (video)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles fans and Orioles management both know it's the elephant in the room. Third baseman Manny Machado will be a free agent after the 2018 season. Can the team re-sign him to what would potentially be a massive contract or do the O's consider trading him if they can't re-up the 24-year-old superstar? In a video interview today at the Winter Meetings, MLB Network's Harold Reynolds, a former Oriole, talked about Machado and a future that could find him playing for...
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O's Brian Graham with a Hunter Harvey update (Sale to Boston)

O's Brian Graham with a Hunter Harvey update (Sale to Boston)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Since the middle of the 2014 season, Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey has thrown 12 2/3 innings. Despite that, the Orioles can envision a day when he is pitching at or near the top of their rotation. It is just going to take a while. Harvey was shut down late in July 2014 with a strained right flexor mass. The next year began with a shin injury in spring and later more elbow issues. In May, he underwent sports hernia surgery. And finally, on July 26 he had Tommy...
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O's skipper Buck Showalter talks pitch-framing and more (video)

O's skipper Buck Showalter talks pitch-framing and more (video)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - In a video interview this morning with MASNSports.com, Orioles manager Buck Showalter provided his take on pitch framing metrics for catchers. Orioles executive vice president yesterday Dan Duquette mentioned that some teams have given those metrics bigger importance when looking to evaluate and add catchers. The Orioles are looking for a catcher now. How does Showalter feel about the pitch framing stats? "There are a lot of variables," he said. "One thing that came...
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O's scouting director Gary Rajsich on the 2016 draft

O's scouting director Gary Rajsich on the 2016 draft
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - It wasn't long after Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich wrapped up a 2016 draft that is playing to some good reviews among national analysts that he began work on the next one. As it stands right now, the Orioles have the 23rd pick in round one of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. But here at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Rajsich took some time in a video interview to look back at his 2016 draft of 41 players, which included 27 pitchers and 14...
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No rush: O's look for catchers while they wait on Chance Sisco

No rush: O's look for catchers while they wait on Chance Sisco
Catcher Chance Sisco is the Orioles' No. 1-ranked prospect according to Baseball America and maybe is now positioned to rank among the top 100 prospects in baseball. He may be the future catcher of the Orioles, but right now the future can wait, as the club looks to add to its catching depth. That is depth that is likely losing Matt Wieters via free agency. The Orioles still have Caleb Joseph and Francisco Pena on their 40-man roster behind the plate and they re-signed Audry Perez to a minor...
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Dealing from strength: Should O's consider moving relievers?

Dealing from strength: Should O's consider moving relievers?
When other teams come knocking at the Orioles' door looking for relievers, should they listen? Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said today that other clubs are showing a lot of interest in pitchers in the Orioles bullpen in trade discussions. There are a couple of good reasons for that. For one, the O's 'pen led the American League with a 3.40 ERA that ranked third in the majors. Secondly, the club's top relievers are under team control for at least two years, some more than...
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Talking O's prospects with MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis (video)

Talking O's prospects with MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis (video)
During an interview with MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis at the Winter Meetings this afternoon, we touched on several Orioles topics, on both the major league and minor league levels. Here are some of Callis' comments: Did top prospect Chance Sisco make solid progress this year? "He did get better. I think the question still long term is going to be can he catch and can he catch at the big league level. He's improved defensively. A year or two ago, most scouts I talked to said, 'Not much of a...
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New Hall of Famer John Schuerholz remembers start with the Orioles

New Hall of Famer John Schuerholz remembers start with the Orioles
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - While still trying to get used to the wonderful news that he is headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Baltimore native John Schuerholz took some time this morning to remember his Orioles roots. It began when he glanced across the street from his high school, hoping to one day play at Memorial Stadium. That didn't happen, but in 1966 a letter to he wrote to then-Orioles owner Jerold Hoffberger led to the team hiring Schuerholz. He instantly worked with some of the...
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Steve and Roch preview the Orioles at the Winter Meetings (video)

Steve and Roch preview the Orioles at the Winter Meetings (video)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - As the first day of the Winter Meetings is now underway at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko and I took a look at the what the next few days could hold for the Orioles. In this video, we discussed the club's interest in free agent outfielder Michael Saunders, the situation with Mark Trumbo and more. #orioles have definite interest in Michael Saunders as they try to find a RF. Helps that he's a LH hitter. -- Roch Kubatko...
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Baltimore native John Schuerholz, Bud Selig elected to Hall of Fame

Baltimore native John Schuerholz, Bud Selig elected to Hall of Fame
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Baltimore native John Schuerholz, who began his long baseball career with the Orioles, is headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Today's Game Era candidates Schuerholz and former commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig were elected to the Hall tonight, becoming members 313 and 314 of the Cooperstown shrine. They will join any members from the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot who gain election on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. The Class...
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A preview of the Orioles at the Winter Meetings with Jim Duquette (with video)

A preview of the Orioles at the Winter Meetings with Jim Duquette (with video)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Orioles contingent had to leave its city but not its state for the latest edition of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings. The pursuit of a corner outfielder, a catcher and perhaps more continues this week inside the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. On Sunday afternoon, before the official start of the meetings, I interviewed former Orioles executive Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM Radio. While most do not expect a major signing by...
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Another look at some outfield options

Another look at some outfield options
As Major League Baseball general managers, managers and other executives get ready to convene for another Winter Meetings, the Orioles are still looking for outfield additions. The Orioles currently have six outfielders listed on their 40-man roster: Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Joey Rickard, Dariel Alvarez, Christian Walker and Adam Walker. Meanwhile, Mark Trumbo, Michael Bourn and Nolan Reimold are free agents. Right now, the Orioles don't seem inclined to give considerable playing time to...
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Could Adam Walker be a platoon option in left field?

Could Adam Walker be a platoon option in left field?
A team that has featured a few hitters with both big home run and strikeout totals added another such player Friday afternoon. The Orioles claimed right-handed hitter Adam Walker off waivers from Milwaukee, which on Nov. 18 had claimed him off waivers from Minnesota. After this offseason plays out, we should have a better idea how much Walker could impact the big league roster in 2017. From 2013-2015, Walker led three minor leagues in home runs, RBIs and total bases, while also racking up big...
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The new CBA and how it could impact the Orioles

The new CBA and how it could impact the Orioles
A few thoughts as more and more details emerge about the new five-year collective bargaining agreement in Major League Baseball. The All-Star Game: It will no longer decide home field advantage in the World Series. This was a terrible idea from the start and now the team with the best record will hold the home-field advantage. It was a surprise to me that MLB stuck with such a bad idea in the first place for so long. The international signing rules: MLB did not get an international draft, but...
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Notes on Logan Verrett, Roger McDowell and the CBA

Notes on Logan Verrett, Roger McDowell and the CBA
The Orioles have acquired pitcher Logan Verrett again. They took the right-hander as one of two Rule 5 picks they added in December 2014. Verrett was selected from the Mets. He eventually made it back to New York and the O's added him in a deal yesterday from the Mets for cash considerations. In this space Wednesday, we wondered if the Orioles could part with right-hander Vance Worley, who is arbitration-eligible, and Verrett's addition would seem to make it tougher for the O's to now keep...
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Will the Orioles have a tough call on Vance Worley?

Will the Orioles have a tough call on Vance Worley?
Right-hander Vance Worley was valuable for the 2016 Orioles. He could pitch as a starter or a reliever. He could pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen. He could get out both left- and right-handed batters. He could sit idle for days, then come into a game and be effective. But will the Orioles even make Worley a contract offer for the 2017 season? He is arbitration-eligible and MLBTradeRumors.com projects he would earn $3.3 million in arbitration. The Orioles could non-tender Worley and...
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Orlando Gomez retires after a 52-year career in baseball

Orlando Gomez retires after a 52-year career in baseball
He managed Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop and the 2011 Frederick Keys to the Single-A Carolina League championship. Now, after a 52-year career in baseball, Orlando Gomez is retiring. Gomez was named the recipient of the Orioles' Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award after leading Frederick to a 80-59 record in 2011. He has worked for the Orioles for 12 years, managing three of the last four seasons as skipper of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team. Gomez managed Frederick from 2010-12...
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