After rumor-filled Sunday, focus turns to addressing offense

SAN DIEGO - How about some actual baseball talk? Sunday was highlighted by the report that the Toronto Blue Jays have interest in Dan Duquette as a candidate to be their CEO/president. Both Duquette and Orioles managing partner Peter G. Angelos threw cold water on the report. Angelos basically said the Orioles would not allow Toronto to talk to Duquette. When told of Angelos' comments on MLB Network Radio, Duquette said, "That's good to hear and I do have a contract and I always honor my contract." You sense we have not heard the last of this story. But for now, back to baseball. The Orioles are at these Winter Meetings looking for outfielders among other things. Is this a chance for the Orioles to reshape their offense? They led the majors in homers last year and have hit 200 or more for three straight seasons. But they lack team speed and players with good on-base percentages. Perhaps they see players like current Orioles Alejandro De Aza and David Lough, and a free agent like Nori Aoki as players that can help in the speed and/or on-base departments. In 2014, the Orioles ranked first in the American League in homers and second in slugging. They ranked 11th in OBP and last in stolen bases. Is now a chance to begin to change that? De Aza and Lough add some speed while Aoki had a .349 OBP last year with 17 steals. Aoki has a .353 OBP in his three-year big league career with 67 steals. Even Michael Morse - remembered by Orioles fans for going 3-for-29 late in the 2013 season after they traded for him - brings something to the table here. He is a batter with some pop, with a career .808 OPS and a .335 OBP. That is not a great on-base number, but it still would have rated second among O's regulars last season. The counterpoint might be that the Orioles feature a power-laden offense and they should continue to be who they are. Why get away from that now? The Orioles need some bats right now and the losses of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis provide the brass a chance to reshape the offense a bit in doing so. More on Duquette: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com continues to report that the Duquette to Toronto story will not go away. "He is still the general manager of the Orioles, but I am told that he wants to become the president and CEO of the Blue Jays," Rosenthal said last night on MLB Network. "And the reason is it's a huge position. There is a business element to this position - higher salary and higher responsibility. It is kind of the ultimate for an executive, similar to what Dave Dombrowski does with the Tigers. "It is unclear where this is going or how it will affect the Orioles going forward. I am told that there are people in the Orioles organization who would not be opposed to Duquette departing, but Peter Angelos, the owner, very much is opposed from what he is saying publicly." So what will today bring on this story? Several people in the industry said here last night that while their understanding is that allowing someone on your staff to interview for a better position with another team is a courtesy often granted, it does not have to be granted. And the O's position is that they want to keep Duquette and not let Toronto pursue him. Just another AL East rivalry right? Will Duquette make a strong denial with Baltimore reporters here today and come and out say he is definitely not going to Toronto? Sources also indicate that Duquette does not have an out-clause in his contract that would allow him to pursue a higher position with another club. He is signed through 2018 with the Orioles.