Duquette on Trumbo, free agent and trade talks, bullpen and more

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - So what did we learn today about the Orioles at the Winter Meetings?

They're still focused on outfielders and catchers, whether via free agency or trade. I was told by multiple sources that the Orioles weren't scheduled to meet with Mark Trumbo's representatives, contradicting a report, but executive vice president Dan Duquette didn't bite when asked about it. I'm not ready to state with any certainty that it did or didn't happen.

"That's a fluid conversation," Duquette said while meeting with the local media in his suite at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. "We're still pursuing outfielders on a number of different fronts."

What about the report that the Orioles' four-year offer was off the table? Are they approaching Chris Davis negotiation territory where they must decide to shift their focus on other options?

"I think there's a lot of hitters on the market and we're just looking to see if we can staff our team as strong as we can staff it," Duquette replied, not directly answering the question. "We're talking to a number of different people, which is customary this time of the year."

The Orioles must decide whether they want Trumbo back or the draft pick attached to him after he refused the qualifying offer.

"That's part of the consideration," Duquette said.

Duquette was asked whether the money saved from not re-signing Trumbo and catcher Matt Wieters could cover the cost of raises for the arbitration-eligible players who were tendered contracts.

"Fortunately, we've got (Trey) Mancini and (Chance) Sisco knocking on the door," he replied. "It's not always that you have guys ready to step in, but those guys should be ready to help the team in the coming year in those two areas. And the guys who did well that are in the arbitration system, they're all getting raises.

"Is $26 (million) enough to cover it? We probably need a little more. But the point is, we're still going to have a very aggressive payroll for our market and we're going to try to field as competitive a team as we can. But when the players do good, they get paid. Under the system they get paid. And right now it looks like all boats are rising with the tide. Some of these contracts these players are getting, these players who are in bit roles in the play are getting a lot of money."

The Orioles would need to cover for the lost talent if Trumbo and Wieters sign with other clubs.

"We're going to move forward and staff our team as strong as we can staff it," Duquette said. "Fortunately, you have some very capable players coming up to help your team. Both Sisco and Mancini can hit. They hit for high average in the minors, they have high on-base capabilities, so now we're going to see if they can play in the field. And those guys are young, so we should have those guys for a long period of time.

"We're going to have to do something to replace those home runs in our lineup for sure. That's something we've got to take a hard look at."

Another report today suggested that the Orioles reached out to Chris Carter's representative while searching for a power bat. Carter hit 41 home runs this year, but he also batted .222 and has exceeded 200 strikeouts in two of the past four seasons. He fanned 182 times in 2014.

"We're looking to add some outfielders," Duquette said. "We have a couple of hitters. I'd rather see us add some outfielders.

"We met with a couple more teams today and explored a couple more trade possibilities. We're still looking for an outfielder and a catcher. We're not quite there yet, but we're making progress. And then we also met with some agents, looking for a catcher and outfielders.

"I think that market is slowing down a little bit on the hitters, especially the hitters who have the qualifying offer, so that's going to take a little time it looks like for that to get resolved. And we're still working on the Rule 5 draft to see if we're going to add to our roster that way, and then we're also trying to sign some other players on the international market."

Duquette indicated a willingness to trade one of his top relievers - not closer Zach Britton - if the price is right on a right fielder.

"We'd like to have a good bullpen in the coming year, but I think we have some depth to our bullpen and I think there's some more possibilities to add to our bullpen that we could add in the event we would trade a player," Duquette said.

It's no surprise that teams are circling the Orioles because of their bullpen depth.

"Other clubs are looking to staff their bullpens and we've had a strong bullpen," Duquette said. "It's been a strength of the team. We like our bullpen, but there's been a lot of interest in our bullpen pitchers. As there should be. Those guys are good."

Duquette is surprised by the inflated cost of the second-tier free agents.

"Yeah, absolutely," he said. "I wasn't ready for the prices. Particularly in a couple of the markets, right? Extra outfielders, that market went up a lot."

So is a trade more likely?

"I think that's going to have an impact on the trade market," Duquette said. "But usually you see more pitching available in the free agent market, but this year's there's not a lot of pitching, so clubs are spending their money in other areas of the ballclub. But I'm not convinced the value is there in that market."

A group from the Beverly Hills Sports Council was inside Duquette's suite this afternoon before the media was allowed inside. They discussed free agent clients and Chris Tillman's name naturally came up.

Tillman is a free agent after next season and the Orioles haven't revisited contract extension talks from 2015 that never advance beyond a preliminary offer. The subject came up today, but Duquette is more interested in acquiring players here.

Asked about any efforts to sign arbitration-eligible players who were tendered to 2017 contracts, Duquette replied, "We haven't really focused on that. We do touch base with the player agents for the players who are on our roster, so we've talked to a couple agents today who represent a couple players on our roster. We touch base while we're talking about the players that they represent with us."

The Red Sox turned four prospects into left-hander Chris Sale today, completing a trade with the White Sox that's been the talk of the Winter Meetings. Duquette joked when passing along his reaction.

"The Red Sox got Chris Sale," he said, grinning.

"Well, Chris Sale is a pretty good pitcher. I did see, though, that the Orioles have a pretty good record against him, which is helpful. But the Red Sox went out and gave (Yoan) Moncada a lot of money. They paid a premium for him on the market and then they paid a tax to Major League Baseball and then they made the trade, right? So when you make those kinds of investments in the international market, then you have the chips to be able to play in that arena and that's how the Red Sox acquired one of the top left-handers in the league.

"They were aggressive in the international market and then they had the players that Chicago was looking for."

Duquette won't react directly to what other teams have done, but he's aware of the Orioles' issues against left-handers this season, the .234 average that ranked 29th in the majors.

"We need to staff our team so it's balanced and we can produce against both right- and left-handed pitchers," he said."We did pretty well against lefties early in the year. We had problems against them later in the year. Our team will be a little bit different this year, so we'll have to see how that presents itself.

"We're always looking at that and this American League East is a tough division. Look at the resources the Yankees, Red Sox, Toronto are putting in there. So we've got to do everything we can to be competitive."

And that includes keeping hope alive that they can leave National Harbor with more than just one or two Rule 5 picks.

"We're still active and we're working our way through the market and we're talking to a number of catchers, we're talking to a number of outfielders," Duquette said. "Are we going to get a deal? I don't know. We had a couple trade discussions today that were interesting. They might bear fruit. But you never know when they'll come together, right?

"Once these pieces in the other market fall, then some of these trade possibilities, they come around pretty quickly."