No longer necessary to question O's willingness to deal with Yankees

The time has come, and it's long overdue, to bury the narrative that the Orioles won't consummate trades with the Yankees. Dig the hole until you strike oil.

The Orioles were willing to do it at the Winter Meetings despite reports to the contrary. Executive vice president Dan Duquette made the declaration in his suite at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in a room full of media members. Everyone heard it. It was written and repeated over the airwaves. And it wasn't just lip service.

Multiple players came up in discussions with the Yankees, including Manny Machado and Zach Britton. The sides reached agreement Tuesday night on a deal involving the former All-Star closer and minor league pitchers Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers and Cody Carroll.

The rich get richer. An old narrative gets laid to rest.

The Orioles have acquired pitchers Richard Bleier and Yefry Ramírez from the Yankees in the last 17 months. Much smaller transactions, but evidence that there wasn't a wall built between the franchises.

They were willing to put Machado in pinstripes if the return had included a top pitching prospect such as Justus Sheffield. An infielder other than Brandon Drury also was desired.

The deal that came together Tuesday night marked the first in-season player-for-player trade between the clubs since the Orioles acquired outfielder Stanley Jefferson for pitcher John Habyan in July 1989, according to STATS. I'm old enough to remember the Paul Blair-Elliott Maddox swap in 1977 and the 10-player deal a year earlier that included Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez and Rick Dempsey.

There have been gaps. But no roads are closed as the Orioles begin the process of rebuilding. It would be front office malpractice.

You want Adam Jones? Make them an offer. You want Brad Brach? Make them an offer. Same with Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop. No one is untouchable and no team is blocked.

The Orioles are moving at a less deliberate pace these days, but they've still been focused on dealing one player at a time. The pace may be accelerated with Machado and Britton off the books and the non-waiver deadline less than a week away.

There hadn't been much of a buzz regarding Jones, with the Indians deemed the most likely team to trade for him, until the Phillies surfaced yesterday in reports as a possible suitor. I get the sense that the Orioles would like to have him in the lineup on opening day 2019, a move to right field inevitable, but why not get something for him now with the idea of negotiating a return later?

Assuming, of course, that Jones will waive his 10-5 rights and approve a trade.

Manager Buck Showalter is growing more sentimental as he gets older, just like the rest of us, and he reflected this week on his relationship with Jones.

"I remember having a conversation with him the first week or 10 days that I was here that I really need my best players to play the game right. Otherwise, everything we're doing is not going to work. It's not going to happen. I had that conversation with three or four of them, and Adam took that mantle very seriously," Showalter said.

"I told him I didn't really care what had gone on with him in the past and what have you. I showed him a couple examples of what we were talking about. The conversation with him has been few and far between since then. He took it and ran with it. He really wanted to win. He was willing to do the things ...

"At some point you've got to get a return for it. He does a lot of things that people just can't do. I'm talking about post up and play the way he plays. Watch the game every night. Look at the effort. It's important to him to play the game right, you know? He's not a guy who's going to go seek people out about something. Be careful what you ask him because he's going to tell you what's on his mind.

"I enjoy talking to him. It's very entertaining. He's allowed me to be more modern than I should be. I'm up to speed on a lot of things that I normally wouldn't be. I catch him every once in a while. He's very interested in the past. That's what I love about him. He's very interested. He'll ask me questions all the time. 'Hey, back when you took infield and you did a lot of things ...' "

As Britton was saying his goodbyes to teammates and heading out the door to join the Yankees, rookie Yefry Ramírez savored his first major league win and probably wondered if anyone noticed.

Ramírez got lost in the trade shuffle and that's understood. He didn't seem to care, smiling at reporters and assorted members of the media who gathered at his locker.

Five innings, three solo home runs allowed and an Orioles rally that transformed his fourth loss into his first victory.

Ramírez, speaking through translator Ramón Alarcón, said he's growing more comfortable in the majors.

"The experience really helps, the environment, my teammates," he said. "I'm really thankful for that."

The probable starters for the Orioles' series with the Rays included Ramírez in Sunday's finale before last night's rainout. He can expect to keep getting the ball unless he suddenly becomes too overmatched to handle the responsibility.

"I think for the moment I should receive that opportunity," he said, "but I'll be careful and just pay attention to whatever the coaches decide."

Note: Jones' sixth annual "Stay Hungry" tailgate will be held on Nov. 25 outside M&T Bank Stadium, with proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore. Tickets go on sale Aug. 1.

Last year's event raised more than $100,000.