Who's on first?

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

April 02, 2010, 1:17pm

Comments

We still don't know. Orioles manager Dave Trembley remains convinced that the first base situation "will be addressed before spring training," as he wrote in an e-mail to me earlier today. That could mean Garrett Atkins or an acquisition from outside the organization. It doesn't sound like Trembley expects to rummage through the inventory, but he might be playing a hunch. More likely, he's basing that opinion on conversations with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. I've been told that Lou Montanez is getting a look at first base in Puerto Rico, though that doesn't necessarily put him in line for the job on Opening Day. It could, however, make it easier to find at-bats for him on a team that's not hurting for outfielders. Trembley said he's "aware" of what's happening with Montanez in winter ball, and he hasn't dismissed the idea of Nolan Reimold taking ground balls at first in spring training. But Trembley isn't anticipating an open competition, or preparing to experiment, once the team reports to Sarasota. Maybe we'll know more in the next few weeks. How long does it take for a market to play out?