Duquette on Markakis and a lot more

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette just finished his Q&A session with fans at the Babe Ruth Museum benefit at Dempsey's Brew Pub at Camden Yards.

Duquette won over the crowd despite a week that saw the Orioles lose Nelson Cruz to the Mariners and Nick Markakis to the Braves. I'll pass along a few of the highlights, starting with Duquette's summary of negotiations with Markakis.

Keep in mind that he's not going to offer specifics.

"We had several discussions with Nick," Duquette said while meeting with a small group of reporters earlier in the evening. "Nick's had a nice run with the Orioles. He's our longest-tenured player with the club and he's up there with a lot of the hitting leaders in the organization. It would have been nice for the club to come to an agreement with him. We weren't able to meet what he was looking for and it sounds like he's going to be headed to the National League and we wish him a lot of luck. We wish him well and we thank him for his time with the Orioles. A dependable ballplayer and he posted and played a lot of games over the course of his career with the Orioles.

"We got fairly close a couple times, but we couldn't close the deal. We had a concern that made the term an issue for us and it was going to take us a little bit longer time to resolve that. I think the timing of the other offer, I think Nick felt compelled that he needed to move on that."

Though he didn't go into detail, Duquette is referring to an issue with a disc in Markakis' cervical spine, according to multiple sources. The Braves apparently don't share the same concerns, which is why they're willing to sign him to a four-year, $44 million contract.

Duquette was braced for fans being upset with the failure to keep Markakis in the organization.

"Everybody has their time and place on a ballclub and we have some other people that can do that job," Duquette said. "There's no irreplaceable person on a team. We appreciate the work that Nick did and his dependability to the team, but now we're charged with having someone else do that job. We do have some people in place that we think can fill that job, players that we already have on the team and in the organization. And beyond that, we'll look for some other players that are capable, established major leaguers.

"We appreciate the work that Nick did and now it's time to turn the page."

Duquette wouldn't comment on reports that the Orioles lowered their offer to three years.

"We were sincere in having Nick stay with the club," Duquette said. "We just weren't comfortable where the values ended up and that's the way it rolls.

"I think what people respected around the ballclub about Nick Markakis was that he posted and he's an everyday ballplayer, and that's an admirable trait. I hope that the players we replace him with and the players that follow him in an Orioles uniform understand what it's like to be an everyday ballplayer.

"I have a lot of respect for the players that show up to play ball every day."

Duquette made it clear that there's room on the roster for Alejandro De Aza and David Lough.

"De Aza, over the last three years, has been a very similar player to Nick Markakis," Duquette said. "If you take a look at his overall contribution in the American League during that time, it's very comparable. And David Lough was one of our better players over the last three months of the season. Had a rough start, but he did very well and I'm sure he would like some more opportunities. And we all saw what Steve Pearce did last year when he got the opportunity later on in his career. So there's opportunity there obviously for players to step forward.

"We have another player down in the farm system in Mike Yastrzemski. Left-handed hitter, left-handed thrower. Given some more time and experience, he's also got a very similar skill set to Nick. Obviously, he needs more seasoning. But the club's not without options within the organization."

Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez ranks among the top prospects in the organization. However, Duquette said he probably needs "a bit more seasoning" in the minors before being ready to contribute to the Orioles.

"He posts every day, too, and certainly he's on the horizon," Duquette added. "I'm sure Buck (Showalter) will give him a good look in the spring."

Duquette also said the Orioles "need on-base capability," especially after losing Markakis.

Later in the night, Duquette told fans that he's had dialogue with free agent outfielder Delmon Young. I heard that Young is seeking a two-year deal.

A woman asked Duquette how he could let left-hander reliever Andrew Miller sign with the Yankees or Red Sox.

"That's a loaded question," he replied, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Andrew Miller is a setup reliever," Duquette said. "I don't want to diminish his value. I'm glad we had Andrew Miller. He did a great job for us and we love him.

"There were 14 teams trying to trade for him. We paid a premium by giving them a good pitcher (Eduardo Rodriguez). We hated to do it, but it was required. If (Miller) didn't go with us, he would have gone to the Tigers and would have been pitching against us in the playoffs. Anyway, he was the difference in that series.

"Now he's a free agent and there's 22 clubs trying to sign him other than the Orioles. There's only one Andrew Miller out there. He's only going to sign with one club and I'm not sure we can support paying him the kind of money in that job that makes sense for our ballclub and this city. I'm not sure a relief pitcher has that kind of economic value for this ballclub in this market.

"If Andrew Miller signs with another club, and I understand there's three major market teams trying to sign him, it will be because he got paid more money and he may have more value in that market than he has in this market."

Besides looking for outfield and bullpen depth, Duquette said he's also in the market for another catcher.

Duquette was asked why the Orioles didn't make Markakis a qualifying offer. He noted how the club felt the Orioles would get production out of Cruz to match the $15.3 million that would have been invested. In other words, he didn't share the same feeling about Markakis.

Duquette mentioned that Athletics general manager Billy Beane had interest in Pearce. The Orioles are glad they kept him.

Duquette said he would be comfortable going into the season with all six starting pitchers.

And finally, Duquette remains confident that third baseman Manny Machado will be ready for opening day. He also said catcher Matt Wieters "is on schedule."