Is anyone else burned out from all this general manager talk?
I'd like to go the rest of the year without typing the word "candidate."
I'd like to go the rest of my life without typing it, but I don't know whether Dan Duquette has that kind of staying power.
My assumption is that Duquette will be introduced Tuesday as the new president of baseball operations. You can be sure that it will happen this week. The search is over. We can put that "short list" to bed.
Duquette won't have much time to unpack and enjoy his new view from the warehouse. He needs to hire a scouting director and decide whether to reassign anyone. Manager Buck Showalter has two openings on his coaching staff. And in case anyone didn't notice, the free agent market is open for business.
Clubs are willing to talk trades, too. And if the Orioles are going to find a frontline starting pitcher, they'll probably have to pry one from another organization.
The Giants are deep in starting pitching and are looking for a center fielder. Is this the time to trade Adam Jones? The Rays could move B.J. Upton, which would create an opening in center field, and they're deep in starting pitching. Is this the time to trade Adam Jones?
There are so many areas where Duquette could make an impact if he's aggressive and given the proper funds.
I want him to give the Orioles a strong presence internationally. Rival executives and scouts mock this organization for being so far behind. I want him to buy the bats and find the arms. I want him to fleece other teams the way he did in Montreal and Boston.
Duquette made Delino DeShields and Heathcliff Slocumb and Tony Armas Jr. look appealing to other clubs. And he didn't use a chloroform rag.
Duquette needs to get acclimated and get busy.
Update: The Orioles are expected to introduce Duquette to the local media tomorrow morning. More details to come later.
Meanwhile, "The Bill James Handbook 2012" rates the Orioles and Pirates as having the 13th-best double play combinations in baseball.
As he explains it, James and Baseball Info Solutions track "defensive runs saved" to see who the best-fielding shortstops and second basemen were in 2011. In short, defensive runs saved is an estimate of the number of runs each fielder saves with his defense, combining John Dewan's Plus/Minus System with analyses of bunts, double plays and more to form a complete evaluation of a fielder.
Got all that?
J.J. Hardy finished No. 13 among shortstops with three runs saved (Seattle's Brendan Ryan was tops with 18), while Robert Andino tallied 0 runs saved among second basemen (Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist led the way with 17).
Here's the list:
Elvis Andrus/Ian Kinsler, Rangers, 29
Brendan Ryan/Dustin Ackley, Mariners, 28
Reid Brignac/Ben Zobrist, Rays, 25
Troy Tulowitzki/Mark Ellis, Rockies, 16
Erick Aybar/Howie Kendrick, Angels, 15
Paul Janish/Brandon Phillips, Reds, 15
Marco Scutaro/Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, 14
Alexei Ramirez/Gordon Beckham, White Sox, 11
Clint Barmes/Jose Altuve, Astros, 10
Yunel Escobar/Aaron Hill, Blue Jays, 8
Alcides Escobar/Chris Getz, Royals, 7
Alex Gonzalez/Dan Uggla, Braves, 6
J.J. Hardy/Robert Andino, Orioles, 3
Ronny Cedeno/Neil Walker, Pirates, 3
Ian Desmond/Danny Espinosa, Nationals, 2
Jimmy Rollins/Chase Utley, Phillies, 2
Brandon Crawford/Freddy Sanchez, Giants, 1
Yuniesky Betancourt/Rickie Weeks, Brewers, -3
Asdrubal Cabrera/Orlando Cabrera, Indians, -4
Jhonny Peralta/Ramon Santiago, Tigers, -4
Stephen Drew/Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks, -5
Hanley Ramirez/Omar Infante, Marlins, -9
Tsuyoshi Nishioka/Alexi Casilla, Twins, -9
Jamey Carroll/Aaron Miles, Dodgers, -9
Cliff Pennington/Jemile Weeks, Athletics, -10
Derek Jeter/Robinson Cano, Yankees, -12
Jason Bartlett/Orlando Hudson, Padres, -17
Ryan Theriot/Skip Schumaker, Cardinals, -18
Starlin Castro/Darwin Barney, Cubs, -20
Jose Reyes/Justin Turner, Mets, -22
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