Duquette with latest Machado update and more

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The interest in Orioles third baseman Manny Machado continues to build as more teams meet with executive vice president Dan Duquette. Determining the market is an ongoing process, Duquette said this afternoon during his daily media briefing, but there's no real sense whether a trade gets done before Thursday's departures at the Winter Meetings, later in the offseason or never.

"We're making good progress on that," Duquette said. "We met with a couple of teams today, so we've got an idea of what their interest is and see if we match up. We did some of that last night, also, so that's moving along."

More than a handful of teams have become involved after word spread that the Orioles were open to trading Machado, though there are members of the organization who dispute that they're "shopping" the three-time All-Star

"The clubs we talked to are the ones we think we might have a fit," Duquette said. "We might see a fit, right?"

The Orioles want major league-ready pitching in return. Machado's pending free agency and likely disinterest in granting a 72-hour window to negotiate an extension work against it.

"We'd like to try our staff to be as strong as it can be this year and that would be our first choice," Duquette said. "Whether we can do that or not, that's another story, but that would be our first choice."

There doesn't appear to be a firm deadline in place on trading Machado or closer Zach Britton. How long the process could drag on is unknown. Where's the finish line?

"They're putting their teams together now, so that window when clubs are adding key pieces to their ballclub usually goes on now through the first of the year," Duquette said. "There are a lot of players that need to be signed, a lot of players still out on the free agent market. And it's a fluid situation.

"There's a lot more work to be done in the offseason. At some point you have to decide if you're going to fish or cut bait, right? So that's a little ways down the track.

"I think that's taking its natural course. You need to find out what the teams are interested in, if you match up with certain teams. And there's a little more time to do that."

Duquette indicated that trading within the division, specifically a deal that would put Machado in the Bronx or at Fenway Park, could happen for the right return. It would require ownership approval, of course, which might be a major stumbling block, but Duquette is open to it.

It wouldn't make sense for him to publicly state otherwise and reduce the market.

"Yeah, yeah, we've made trades with the Yankees, we've made trades with the Red Sox," he said. "I just think it's in the club's interest to see what the market is. You canvass the entire market, see what the opportunities are and what the options are. So we made a few trades with both of those clubs recently."

None that involved a player of Machado's caliber, however.

A 10-player blockbuster with the Yankees in 1976 brought pitchers Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez and Rudy May and catcher Rick Dempsey to Baltimore for a package that included pitchers Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander and Grant Jackson and catcher Elrod Hendricks. Outfielder Elliott Maddox was sent to the Orioles the following year for center fielder Paul Blair, an eight-time All-Star and my favorite player growing up.

Duquette acquired left-hander Richard Bleier and minor league pitcher Yefry Ramirez earlier this year.

Not quite the same as having to face Machado 19 times.

"Right now, we control that," Duquette said. "A year from now we won't be controlling that."

Here's more from Duquette:

On today's activity: "We talked to several clubs today and several agents and we're still accessing the market for some of our opportunities. Still looking for starting pitching and additional pitching depth. We don't have any transactions yet, but we're still working on it."

On whether he's closer to obtaining a pitcher: "Yeah, we're getting there. We're getting there. But that's a dynamic market. Hopefully, we'll be able to come out of here with a pitcher or two."

On whether business has been slower at the meetings: "The market's been robust for the relief pitchers. I'm not talking about the closers, either. I'm talking about relievers and setup relievers. I've seen some stunning deals recently, absolutely stunning. A couple of relief pitcher deals. Usually clubs will go out and sign the starting pitchers first, right? And the money they're spending on the middle relievers is just unbelievable."

On his own bullpen: "We have good relievers and I think they're signed to cost-effective contracts. Some of these contracts I'm seeing, I don't see how they're cost effective. They certainly wouldn't be cost effective in Baltimore. I was just floored by the contracts I saw this morning."

On teams' interest in his relievers: "The short-term commitments for less money are certainly more attractive than the long-term commitments for a lot of money, so from that sense it's a plus for the Orioles. But long term, that can't be a plus when the market jumps that quickly and swiftly in that area of the market. That can't be a good thing long term."

On why there's more interest in relief pitching and if starters are devalued: "I haven't seen that devaluation of starting pitching, but you have seen the escalation for the relievers. The multi-inning relievers pitching more often and shortening the game, with the starters coming out of the game after two times around. The Dodgers did that effectively (this) year. So adding the pitching depth and dependable pitching depth is always important. I'm not sure the market that rewards the middle relievers with those kinds of contracts is going to be good long-term, but I guess that's the way the market's going, right? So that's the change we've seen in the market."

On major league scout Bruce Kison's retirement: "He's been with the club since 1999, so he's been with us for over 18 years and we recognized him last night at the cocktail party for the organization. Bruce has done a great job. He had a great career as a major league pitcher and then he's worn a lot of different hats for the Orioles. I think he survived six different general managers during his tenure, so he was very loyal to the Orioles organization and we thanked him for the years of service he gave to the club. Always a good presence in spring training and a thoughtful observer of talent for the club."