Guthrie, Orioles have discussed long-term contract

Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said today at FanFest that he and the club have had a conversation about the possibility of a long-term contract. "I don't think the parties agreed on the length of it, but I love Baltimore. I love pitching here and anytime you can provide your family with security, it's a great option. I'm very happy to also play it out year-by-year and have the motivation to go out and do the best that I can. Whatever happens, I'll be a good spot," Guthrie said. While the sides had one discussion on the topic, the Orioles don't appear to be ready to offer Guthrie a long-term deal at this point. If the O's don't agree with Guthrie on a 2011 contract, the sides could go to an arbitration hearing and they already exchanged dollar figures with the O's at $5 million and Guthrie and his agent seeking $6.5 million. "I've been very involved with my agent, going over my case for four months now. It is a very intriguing and interesting process; it's fascinating recently. We'll finish this up either way, whether we go to a hearing or negotiate a contract," Guthrie said. Guthrie would love to see the O's starting rotation begin the new season as it ended last year. "We pitched very well the last two months of the year," he said. "If we can pitch like we did those last two months, we could be in playoff contention. I don't think you can expect that, but I don't think we will struggle like we did as the starting staff in the first four months."