Navarro in Baltimore, more on free agents and hitting coach situation

Infielder Rey Navarro, who agreed to a major league contract over the weekend, flew into Baltimore last night and will take his physical this morning. The Orioles will announce his signing and addition to the 40-man roster once they receive the results.

The Orioles will have two open spots on their 40-man. One is reserved for the Rule 5 draft.

Keep in mind that the Orioles can create more room at any time. I keep noting how infielder Steve Lombardozzi is likely to be removed. It just hasn't happened yet.

I received another question on Twitter yesterday regarding the Orioles' trio of free agents - outfielders Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz and left-hander Andrew Miller. Of course, I responded that I had information, but preferred to keep it a secret. Never gets old.

I continue to hear that there's nothing hot regarding negotiations with Markakis. It's been fairly quiet, which also means there's nothing loud regarding negotiations with Markakis.

I'm sure it's frustrating on his side, and his agent will continue to seek offers from other clubs. The Orioles will react accordingly.

I was fooled into thinking negotiations would be fairly simple, considering how badly Markakis and his family want to stay here and how ownership and manager Buck Showalter feel about him. Live and learn.

Cruz still wants a five-year deal, but he would settle for four. The Orioles are willing to give him three years and are waiting for the market to play out.

Again, nothing real newsy here.

It's not as though Cruz is going to jump at their offer in November, and there's no reason for the Orioles to consider going outside their comfort zone at this stage. If you expected a quick resolution, you were blinded by wishful thinking.

(I have no idea whether wishful thinking actually impairs a person's vision, but I'm sticking with it.)

The Orioles were never going to outbid everyone else for Miller. They were never going to be responsible for Miller shattering the record for highest annual average value for a non-closer.

They weren't giving Jim Johnson $10 million to close and they weren't giving Miller a megadeal to set up Zach Britton. I tried to warn you, but I know some fans are highly upset about it.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette met with Miller's agent at the general managers' meetings in Phoenix. It's known as doing your due diligence. But the Orioles weren't positioned to become finalists for Miller, no matter how thoroughly he dominated hitters in 2014.

It's just a matter of time before he signs with another club. The Orioles have been prepared for it all along, which explains why left-handed relief is a top priority on their winter shopping list.

The Orioles surrendered one of their top pitching prospects, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, to pry Miller from the Red Sox. They shouldn't have any regrets. Rodriguez's stock in the organization was dropping - the trade may have served as a wake-up call - and the Orioles were going for it in 2014.

There's that expression again.

Welcome to life on the contender side of the ledger. Teams trade prospects for potential rentals who may be the final piece to the puzzle. And Miller was everything they wanted and expected. He just priced himself out of Baltimore.

The Orioles will be criticized by a portion of the fan base for making the trade if they weren't going to re-sign Miller. They would have been crushed by fans if they held onto Rodriguez, let the Tigers acquire Miller instead and lost in the American League Division Series.

Can't please 'em all.

We were supposed to get through the winter without a coaching search, but no such luck. It's become a tradition in Maryland, like football and crab cakes.

As far as I know, Jim Presley will be the only coach replaced this winter. Then again, Showalter sounded confident the past two months that his staff would remain intact.

I was warned recently that I might be busy over the next few weeks. My first thought was, "Oh, please, not another suspension."

Judging from the comments on the blog, it appears that former Oriole Jeff Manto would be a popular hire as hitting coach. However, don't assume that he's the favorite now simply because he interviewed yesterday. Being among the first doesn't necessarily mean he's the first choice.

Showalter thinks highly of Manto and instructed him to join the team in Chicago this summer for the White Sox series, knowing the former Oriole was familiar with their hitters.

Denny Walling would've been an internal candidate for the job if he hadn't retired as Triple-A Norfolk's hitting coach.

As I wrote yesterday, former Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo isn't presently viewed as a candidate despite his ties to Showalter. I'm told "not right now." Maybe the landscape changes next month.

The Orioles aren't in a major rush to find Presley's replacement.

I wouldn't assume that the new hitting coach will be contacting players such as Adam Jones and saying, "OK, start taking more pitches and work the count." If that approach is important to the Orioles, they need to bring in players who live by it.

In case you missed last night's updates, no other interviews are scheduled for the next few days. Showalter is flying back to Dallas later today.

Charlie Manuel came close to accepting the job before declining the offer. Manuel apparently turned down the Yankees, as well.

Jim Thome declined a chance to interview with the Orioles. Raul Ibanez informed the club that he'd sit out a year if he doesn't get the Rays' managing job. Harold Baines wanted to stay in Chicago.

Terry Crowley and Einar Diaz aren't internal candidates.