The Orioles are continuing their efforts to reach an agreement with free agent outfielder Mark Trumbo.
Unwilling to offer specifics on Trumbo during most of his media sessions at the Winter Meetings, executive vice president Dan Duquette said he sat down earlier this afternoon with the slugger's representative, Joel Wolfe, before leaving the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.
Duquette offered confirmation tonight on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan.
The Orioles have made multiple offers to Trumbo, who led the majors with 47 home runs in his only season in Baltimore. Talks appeared to stall due to the large discrepancy in guaranteed money and Trumbo's insistence on a full no-trade clause. However, today represented another attempt to get a deal done.
Duquette mentioned on Sunday that the sides had been in discussions for the past few weeks. Trumbo's camp was seeking an $80 million deal over four years, along with the no-trade clause, but a source said it was flexible to the point of lowering the price in the $70-$75 million range.
ESPN reported the Orioles' offer around $52 million.
The Rockies are known to retain serious interest in Trumbo as a first baseman, but other potential landing spots have been eliminated as more teams fill openings at designated hitter and first base.
Trumbo has been marked as a priority since the season ended with a wild card loss in Toronto. He would serve mostly as the designated hitter while the Orioles attempt to find a plus defender in right field who also could bat leadoff.
Duquette also indicated that he won't wait until January to find a veteran catcher, which is the month agent Scott Boras seemed to target yesterday while talking to reporters. Duquette knows the market is moving swiftly and he's most interested in Welington Castillo, with momentum building toward a deal, according to FanRagSports.
Nothing is imminent, according to a source.
The Orioles also like Nick Hundley, but Castillo has been their preference since before the Diamondbacks non-tendered him. They would have explored a trade.
Also tonight, Duquette repeated that he has no interest in trading closer Zach Britton.
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