Notes on general managers meetings and coaching candidates

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette flew home last night from the general managers meetings in Arizona with a clearer read on the free agent and trade markets, holding firm to the same desires.

Duquette wants to upgrade the outfield defense. He's searching for a left-handed bat, the need amplified with Matt Wieters and Pedro Alvarez potentially lost to free agency. He wants to improve the catching and bullpen depth.

"We got an idea of what some other clubs are looking to deal in the offseason and we got a better idea who we might be able to partner with on a potential trade," Duquette said. "And then we also got a chance to meet with some agents and canvass the free agent market and see what's available. Some of the clubs you don't match up with."

A replacement for Wieters could be found via free agency or trade. Duquette explored both possibilities during the meetings.

"We're looking for some catching depth," he said. "We talked to a couple of clubs about potential trades and then we talked to some agents."

The outfield defense is a major priority. The Orioles want to re-sign Mark Trumbo, but it's clear that they'd rather slot him as the primary designated hitter instead of returning him to right field. They hold interest in free agents Ian Desmond and Josh Reddick, though Duquette won't comment on specific names.

"When you look at our outfield last year, we didn't improve our defense and we're going to need to do that to compete against the best clubs in the league. So that's something that we need to take a look at: How are we going to improve our overall outfield defense?" Duquette said.

"Our interior defense, our infield, was really solid, but the one area we could improve on as a club is our outfield defense. And, of course, if you improve your outfield defense, you're also improving your pitching as long as you keep it in the ballpark."

The New York Post suggested earlier this week that the Orioles could move Adam Jones out of center field, observing how Duquette never gave a clear answer when asked multiple times about the possibility.

"That's not what I was talking about," Duquette said today. "I was talking about improving our outfield defense. There are some things I think we could do with our positioning as well as getting some more speed and quickness in the outfield."

Hyun Soo Kim was better than advertised in left field, but he's not going to compete for a Gold Glove.

"Kim was OK. Kim was OK," Duquette said.

The Orioles could use another reliever, whether left-handed or right-handed. Rookie southpaw Donnie Hart was outstanding over 22 appearances, holding lefties to a .132 average in 38 at-bats. Right-handers were 7-for-24. He's going to compete for a spot in the bullpen on opening day, but a veteran specialist still brings appeal to the Orioles.

"Hart did a good job and he's not just a left-handed specialist. He can defend himself against righties, although he's not as good against righties as he is against lefties," Duquette said.

"I thought he did a really nice job for us, but we're always looking for pitching depth. That's another item that we're looking at. That's why we picked up that kid (Jed Bradley) from Georgia Tech that we claimed on waivers. We're still looking for pitching depth, but left-handed and right."

The Orioles won't ignore the starting pitching market, but they're content with having Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez and Wade Miley compete in spring training.

"Our rotation in September in particular was one of the best in the league," Duquette said. "We had the best pitching in the league in September between our rotation and our bullpen. Second half of the season, we had the exact same pitching as Cleveland had, so I think it's important for people to know that our starting pitching improved as the season progressed.

"Not only did Gausman and Bundy improve a lot to go along with Tillman, who's a staple, but the veteran pitchers pitched well, too - Miley, Jimenez and Gallardo. But the big thing about the starting pitching is how those two young kids developed over the course of the season. They're good winning pitchers."

The math still says six starters for five spots.

"We've got a little bit of depth and the quality's pretty good," Duquette said, "primarily because of the developing of those young pitchers."

They're going to have new instructors. The Orioles are continuing to interview candidates for pitching and bullpen coach and an announcement now isn't expected before next week.

"We're still working on that," Duquette said. "We're going to be working on that today and through the weekend. We're trying to get a few things done."

I've reported that former Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, Double-A Bowie pitching coach Alan Mills and Cardinals minor league pitching coordinator Tim Leveque have interviewed for either position. Mills seems to be a more likely fit in the bullpen.

The Orioles aren't providing a list of names, but Triple-A Las Vegas pitching coach Frank Viola and Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark also interviewed, according to sources.

Viola, the former Cy Young Award winner, has been the Mets' Triple-A pitching coach since 2014 and has worked with the likes of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. He also spent two seasons in the same role at Single-A Savannah after one year at short-season Single-A Brooklyn.

Clark became the Rangers' minor league pitching coordinator in 2009. He spent six seasons as head coach at Milligan College in Tennessee before the Rangers hired him in 2006 as pitching coach at Single-A Spokane. He held the same role at Single-A Clinton in 2007-2008.

Clark interviewed for the Rangers pitching coach job after Mike Maddux left, but they hired Doug Brocail.