O's Duquette: Machado is "coveted by a lot of teams"

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette does not say the club is looking to trade pending free agent third baseman Manny Machado. But in an interview this afternoon with MASNsports.com, he did confirm that teams are asking about Machado.

He said Machado is "coveted by a lot of teams." Machado has one year left on his Orioles contract before he can hit the open market via free agency and perhaps cash in a on a deal that will prove to be too rich for many clubs, possibly including the Orioles.

"There have been reports in the media about Manny being on the trade market and a lot of clubs are checking in," Duquette said. "Why wouldn't they check in? Manny has been a top-notch player for the O's over the last couple of years. He's got a lot of value to our ballclub and we're looking forward to having him. I'm sure there are other clubs out there that would like to have him, too. But he's with the Orioles."

I asked Duquette if there is a scenario where he could get an offer too good to pass up.

"Well, you know, the organization has a big decision on Manny," Duquette said. "And, you know, Manny was a top player in the draft. He's been a top performer for us and we have to decide what is the future for the Orioles beyond this year. Manny has one year left on his contract. So that's a big decision for the Orioles. That is something we give a lot of consideration to. We're taking a look at all of the considerations. Manny is highly skilled and he's coveted by a lot of teams."

Earlier today, MASNsports.com reported that the Philadelphia Phillies are one of those teams.

During an interview session this afternoon with Baltimore reporters, Duquette was asked if the club would sign a free agent pitcher to a contract of four years length or longer. He said he would recommend against doing that.

"I'm not sure you have to do that to have a good pitching staff," he said. "If we can sign and develop a pitcher, if we can trade for a pitcher, if we can sign a pitcher. We have to be active in all those markets."

With the Yankees adding Giancarlo Stanton and defending American League East champion Boston expected to add a big hitter, the Orioles' attempt to try to catch the big boys in the AL East looks almost insurmountable right now.

But that won't stop the Orioles from trying and Duquette said they are not going into rebuild mode now that New York's lineup features a pair of 50-homer hitters.

"I think it's the most challenging (offseason for the front office). We really have our work cut out for us," he said. "But we've been able to do that before. We've been able to restaff our pitching staff and hopefully we'll be able to do it again.

"I don't know how you rebuild. I think you have to reload and be as competitive as you can be. In this case the rich got richer. That's going to make our job even tougher this year. But we'll go out there, we'll compete and we'll put together the best club that we can. Fortunately I think we still have a good bullpen and the last time I checked, good pitching will beat good hitting."