Quick hits from Duquette's media session

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

December 10, 2014, 2:03pm

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SAN DIEGO - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he came close to trading for a pitcher today at the Winter Meetings. He had the foundation to get a deal done and "it didn't work out."

No name given, of course.

Duquette had a few new discussions today and said it's still more likely that the Orioles sign a free agent than pull off a trade.

The Orioles have more meetings planned for later tonight. Officials are scheduled to fly out of San Diego on Thursday at 1 p.m. PST.

Duquette remains reluctant to trade a starting pitcher. He's fine with six arms for five slots.

Though Wei-Yin Chen is drawing considerable interest from other clubs and is a pending free agent, Duquette said he's expects the left-hander to stay with the club in 2015 rather than be dealt to fill a hole in the roster.

Duquette said Kevin Gausman looks like he's ready to have "a breakout year as a starting pitcher."

The Orioles have looked at video and scouting reports on approximately 60 players across every organization in preparation for Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft. The Orioles have a later pick, but they're still expected to make a selection.