Daily dose of Duquette and wondering who will be most overhyped

I woke up this morning, checked my e-mails, text messages and Twitter, and knew that Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette hadn't changed jobs.

Why I also checked my Facebook page is beyond me. I must have still been groggy.

There may not be any significant updates today on Duquette's situation, but trust me, there will be updates. A day can't pass without them, which is just one of the myriad issues here.

Anyone remember that this team still wants to find a left-handed-hitting outfielder and perhaps a veteran starter and right-handed reliever for Triple-A? How about the six arbitration-eligible players who exchanged salary figures with the Orioles and would like to avoid a hearing next month?

I still won't place odds on Duquette leaving the Orioles, but it's much more likely to happen than I projected at the beginning of the week. The only snag, in my opinion, would be the Blue Jays' objection to the compensation. And if they resist and turn their attention elsewhere, they must not be too concerned about tampering charges that seem almost certain to be delivered.

The Orioles may be painted as the bad guys by Major League Baseball, which takes that stance with pretty much everything the club does, but they gladly would have proceeded with Duquette in his current role. Four years remaining on his contract. No distractions to muck up the works.

They didn't push him on the Blue Jays and there's no reason why they should just hand him over to a division rival without attempting to secure proper compensation.

That contract isn't made out of Fruit Roll-Ups. It's legit.

Duquette declined comment again last night at the BBWAA awards dinner in Boston and most likely will do the same Saturday night in New York. The local beat writers appreciate it.

While perusing the list of Orioles transactions from last year, I was reminded of how much time and energy is wasted on players who never make it to Camden Yards.

I'm referring specifically to reporters and other media types - I always try to separate them because they're not one and the same - who spend countless hours tracking acquisitions that didn't warrant the effort. We don't always realized it until it's too late.

I'm looking at you, Francisco Peguero.

The Orioles actually signed Peguero on Dec. 7, 2013, giving him a major league deal worth $550,000 after the Giants non-tendered him. He's listed in the 2014 transactions because the Orioles placed him on the 15-day disabled list on March 30 with right wrist tendinitis and outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk on June 23.

Peguero became a minor league free agent in November after batting .273/.306/.362 in 78 games at Triple-A Norfolk, and I believe he's still on the market.

His name came up repeatedly during the 2013 Winter Meetings, as Duquette reminded us of the signing and all the tools that Peguero brought to the table. He could prove a bargain to another team, lightning in a bottle, but he fizzled after the Orioles got him.

I'm also looking at you, Edgmer Escalona.

The Orioles signed Escalona as a free agent on Nov. 20, 2013. The Yankees signed him as a minor league free agent on July 2 after he was designated for assignment and refused his outright assignment.

Escalona spent most of spring training in the trainers room and eventually landed on the 60-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement. He made six appearances for Norfolk, including three starts, and posted a 6.10 ERA in 20 1/3 innings.

In Escalona's last outing, he surrendered seven runs and 10 hits in four innings. But he chose to forfeit his salary in order to test the free agent market.

If only I could regain all the time spent in spring training updating Escalona's shoulder injury.

I'm also looking at you, Kelvin De La Cruz.

I kept getting De La Cruz and Escalona confused in spring training. Not that it really mattered.

The Orioles signed De La Cruz to a major league deal on Nov. 18, 2013 to add left-handed depth to their bullpen. He was brought along slowly in spring training due to a hamstring injury and the Orioles designated him for assignment on March 22 to clear 40-man roster space for infielder David Adams. They outrighted De La Cruz three days later.

De La Cruz allowed two runs and four hits over six spring innings, with four walks and three strikeouts. He went 1-4 with a 5.98 ERA in 37 appearances with Norfolk. He never sniffed Baltimore.

Who are this year's candidates to waste my time?

The 40-man roster doesn't seem to carry as many overhyped types, though they're not necessarily evident in January and other acquisitions are always possible. The Orioles have limited the number of outsiders.

Jason Garcia and Logan Verrett are worth the effort because they're Rule 5 pitchers who impressed manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti at the minicamp.

The Orioles signed infielder Rey Navarro to a major league deal in November and he remains on the 40-man roster. He was chosen to the Puerto Rican Winter League All-Star team after batting .310/.361/.437 with six doubles, four home runs and 25 RBIs in 37 games with Criollos de Caguas.

Alex Hassan's spot on the 40-man roster could be in jeopardy if the Orioles sign or trade for another outfielder. However, they like him enough that they made two attempts to claim him off waivers, succeeding the second time after the Athletics exposed him.

Notes: The Orioles still haven't notified left-hander Mark Hendrickson whether they're going to sign him to a minor league deal after his tryout at minicamp.

If the Orioles choose to sign Hendrickson, they must decide whether to give him a spring training invitation or send him to Twin Lakes Park.

The Orioles weren't among the teams attending Cuban outfielder Dayron Varona's workout Tuesday in Florida. They're going to pass on him due to the money they believe his representative is seeking.

The Orioles notified their season ticket holders that they will receive plan information via e-mail on Feb. 2.

This information normally is available in December, which leads to speculation that the Orioles may increase ticket prices. Last year's increase was the first since 2008.

I expect another one, but we'll see.