Dan Duquette on Darren O'Day, a left-handed bat and starter, and more

NASHVILLE - Does stirring up the industry two straight years on the day before the official start of the Winter Meetings actually constitute a streak?

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette isn't being courted by the Blue Jays this year, but he has to address the confusion over an apparent agreement with reliever Darren O'Day on a four-year, $31 million contract.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney is now reporting that the final details in O'Day's talks with the Orioles center on "language/stipulations," which they're working through while attempting to complete the deal.

"The team has some more work to do if there's going to be an agreement with Darren O'Day, so that's not really a news item today," Duquette said during his session with the media in his suite at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

"So, suffice it to say, we've got more work to do on that. It's just more work to be done. It's not a deal until it's completed. There's just more work to do.

"I don't really handicap those things, but we'll see. We'll see."

O'Day sent out a tweet this afternoon saying reports of an agreement were "premature," but he was "flattered" by the attention.

"There was no public comment from the club and I think Darren's comments that were public made it clear that there wasn't a deal, so that's that," Duquette said.

Duquette didn't offer a specific timetable on O'Day.

"Our timetable, we said all along we wanted to add a relief pitcher and our timetable will be to add a relief pitcher before the season starts, right?" he said. "I'm confident that we can add a reliever."

The Orioles' shopping list extends beyond the bullpen. They're focused on a left-handed hitting outfielder.

"We picked up (Mark) Trumbo, who should help, and Trumbo's best position probably is first base," Duquette said. "We're still looking for help in the outfield. Our preference would be a left-handed hitter. We're looking at a couple options on the market to fill that need."

Duquette won't discuss specific free agents, of course, but the Orioles are known to be interested in Alex Gordon.

"He's a free agent, right?" Duquette said. "He's a left-handed hitter. There's some good players on that market that are outfielders. There's some good players there.

"Teams have been more focused on the pitching so far. You see these pitchers signed."

For lots and lots of cash.

"That market's moving pretty quick," Duquette said. "The top end of the market, the prices are staggering, staggering. I don't know it sustains itself. We'll see. It tells me we need to develop Kevin Gausman and Mike Wright and Ty Wilson and do everything we can to help them become good major league pitchers."

The rotation currently has four right-handers slated to break camp with the team in Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Gausman. Do the Orioles need a left-hander to replace Wei-Yin Chen?

"We could use a lefty to balance our rotation," Duquette replied. "We'd be OK with five righties, but ideally we'd like to get some balance to our lineup and our rotation."

Left-hander Brian Matusz could get another shot, though the current plan is to keep him in his bullpen role.

"We usually stretch him out in the spring, so that's something we could look at in the spring," Duquette said. "If we didn't have a lefty, that's something we might take a little longer look at. Brian usually throws pretty well in the spring, gets his pitches in shape, so Buck (Showalter) gives him that opportunity."

The Orioles will be linked to outfielder Justin Upton at these meetings, and they've held previous interest in him. Yoenis Cespedes also would fill the need for another outfielder. However, both players bat from the right side.

"We'd probably keep looking for a left-handed hitter," Duquette said.

Many of the in-house options are right-handed hitters, including Nolan Reimold, L.J. Hoes, Dariel Alvarez and Junior Lake.

"We do have a few right-handed options, and left-handed, we have (Henry) Urrutia," Duquette said. "Both first basemen are right-handed, (Christian) Walker and Trey Mancini. If we're going to balance out our roster, it's going to be with a left-handed hitter."

Walker is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Norfolk. He also could become a trade chip.

"I think Walker had a good year," Duquette said. "I think the thing you have to guard against is that ballpark in Norfolk. Even though we moved the fences in, for some reason, the ball doesn't carry well there.

"Walker is a pretty good ballplayer. There's quite a bit of interest in him from other clubs. Other clubs like him."

The Orioles remain intrigued by some of the pitchers and position players on the non-tender list.

"We're looking at all the markets," Duquette said. "We're looking at the non-tender market, the free agent market, the trade market, Rule 5 market, international market, the supermarket. We'll look at all of them. There's quite a few players who were non-tendered who are on the market this year and some of them are qualified major league players. So we need to look at that market."

Is the trade market more viable for the Orioles this week than the free agent market?

"We're looking at both of them," Duquette replied. "There's a few more players available on the open market."

There hasn't been any apparent progress in re-signing first baseman Chris Davis, but the Orioles aren't bowing out of the competition - in large part because they haven't been able to identify the competition.

"I don't know what the other teams' market is for him," Duquette said.

He's not alone. Check around the lobby here and you'll find scouts, agents and executives wondering if the Orioles are the frontrunners by default.

Duquette had a few meetings this afternoon, but none are scheduled for tonight. He figures to be busy again on Monday as the payroll gradually climbs.

"The message for fans to remember is that we want to be competitive every year and we want to have a good team every season you come out, so you have some hope that when you start the season, you have a chance to play in the postseason," Duquette said.

"We've been able to fulfill that hope a couple years, and the fans have come out and supported the team. And to the extent they've come out and supported the team, we've taken the money and invested it back in the team in payroll. So we've been able to increase the payroll the last couple of years. So we're going to continue doing that."