Duquette: "We're still trying to make the playoffs for this season"

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette continues to sound optimistic that he'll be able to make a trade by Friday's non-waiver deadline, though he knows that other deals can be consummated next month.

It's a deadline. It's not a brick wall.

"We're always talking and trying," Duquette said today during batting practice. "We're a good week away from having people being really enthusiastic about our ballclub again."

Duquette remains in buyer mode and shows little interest in trading away pending free agents with an eye toward 2016.

"We're trying to build our team and we're trying to make the playoffs this year,' Duquette said, "so we're hoping to make some moves that will help our club."

The Orioles could choose to extend qualifying offers to some of their pending free agents, including Matt Wieters, Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen, and receive draft picks as compensation instead of trading them to other contenders.

"There's plenty of built-in insurance on potential free agents in the future with the draft picks that you can acquire and utilize to draft future talent, so it's not that strong of a consideration at this point in the season," Duquette said.

"We're still trying to make the playoffs for this season."

The Orioles falling seven games behind the Yankees in the American League East hasn't discouraged him.

The desired pieces remain the same. Duquette wants to improve the Orioles' pitching depth and find a corner outfielder to increase run production.

Asked if anything is hot at this point, Duquette replied, "I think the market is going to come into focus now that there's a couple trades already been made. That will give the market a little bit more focus."

An ESPN.com report today stated that the Orioles remain in talks with the Padres regarding outfielder Justin Upton, who's also in the final year of his contract, and maybe a starting pitcher as part of a package.

Duquette didn't shoot it down.

"Well, like I said, we're trying to add to the outfield and some pitching," Duquette said. "I've already said that about six times. I can't comment on names on the market, but that's what our focus is."

The question remains whether the Orioles have the desirable prospects to complete a trade and which ones they're willing to part with to acquire a player the caliber of Upton. They don't seem inclined to part with Kevin Gausman, who starts tonight.

"We don't have (Dylan) Bundy and Hunter Harvey healthy, right? So the marquee prospects aren't healthy," Duquette said. "We have some other players that other clubs like."

Duquette continues to deny rumors that surfaced over the weekend that the Orioles were close to trading Davis to the Pirates for two minor league pitchers.

"I don't know where that came from," he said. "That sounds like gossip. I don't know. It's that time of the year."

Duquette noted that the Orioles could call up players from the minor league system to aid their push toward another postseason berth. Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Dariel Alvarez, first baseman Christian Walker and pitcher Mike Wright, and Double-A Bowie reliever Mychal Givens are possibilities.

"I still think that we have some players in the minors who can help us," Duquette said.