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Home , Adam Jones (baseball), Alejandro De Aza, Alexi Casilla, Andrew Miller (baseball), Delmon Young, Evan Meek

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Columns:  What you need to know about how free agency affects the Orioles The Sun 10/29  For Leon Day's widow, ' is mental therapy' The Sun 10/29  Orioles outright right-hander Evan Meek to -A Norfolk The Sun 10/29  Time to stock the shelves in the free agent market MASNsports.com 10/30  The Orioles' offense: Productive with homers, but don't expect a high OBP MASNsports.com 10/30  Orioles outright Meek MASNsports.com 10/29  Camden Yards experience garners perfect score, top ranking from Stadium Journey MASNsports.com 10/28  THE HYPOTHETICAL COST OF THE ORIOLES' STARTING NINE IN 2015 PressBoxOnline.com 10/29  Orioles trim 40-man roster, outright Meek to Norfolk CSN 10/29  Quietly, Hunter becomes one loud force for Orioles CSN Baltimore 10/29  Another Day at the Ballpark WHAG 10/29

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-free-agency-starts-at-9-am-thursday- 20141028-story.html What you need to know about how free agency affects the Orioles By Dan Connolly /

October 29, 2014

The won their third in five years Wednesday night when they defeated the , 3-2, in Game 7. But the important thing here is that the end of the series means the start of free agency.

Players with no contractual obligations for 2015 officially become free agents starting at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday. What that means is that as many as 11 Orioles from the 2014 American League East championship squad could be looking for employment elsewhere very soon -- but not all of them by Thursday morning.

The club’s initial free-agent list includes 2014 Most Valuable Oriole , impressive left-handed reliever and AL Division Series hero , as well as infielders Kelly Johnson and Alexi Casilla and left-handers Joe Saunders and Johan Santana. They immediately come off the 40-man roster at 9 a.m. Thursday (Santana was actually on the 60-day disabled list, so he didn’t count against the 40-man roster anyway).

Within the next few days, the club’s longest tenured player, , and dependable , are also expected to free agency after their options are not picked up. Markakis has a $17.5 million mutual option with a $2 million buyout, and Hundley has a $5 million team option with no buyout.

Two more Orioles can become free agents if their options aren’t exercised by the team, but left-hander Wei-Yin Chen ($4.75 million with a $372,000 buyout) and side-arming reliever Darren O’Day ($4.25 million with a $400,000 buyout) both are priced reasonably given the market. It would be a major surprise if either option wasn’t selected.

Based on the collective bargaining agreement, final decisions on options must be rendered within five days after the World Series. Individual contracts may require that a decision comes earlier, though. According to the basic agreement, a team option must be exercised within three days. As for a mutual option, like Markakis’, it must be exercised by the team within two days and the player within four days of the end of the World Series.

It’s a little confusing, but the bottom line is we should know how many overall free agents the Orioles have by this weekend, but it most likely will be nine. The Orioles would like to retain Markakis, Cruz and Miller. The club will continue to have discussions with that trio’s respective representation.

The Orioles have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents for a five-day period, basically until 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday. Other teams can let a player know they have interest, but can’t talk about money until after the “quiet period” ends.

The club also must inform its eligible players whether it will be making a qualifying offer by Monday before the “quiet period” ends. The player then has seven days to decide whether to accept or reject it. If the one-year offer -- which is worth $15.3 million for 2015 -- is rejected by the player, the team then receives a draft pick the following June if that player signs elsewhere.

The Orioles are expected to make such an offer to Cruz, who led the major leagues with 40 home runs. They also could make a qualifying offer to Markakis. Miller, who was traded during the season, is not eligible for one.

In addition to the pending free agents, the Orioles also have 11 players eligible for arbitration -- meaning they’ll be getting raises for 2015 if the Orioles offer them a contract.

Those players are Zach Britton, , Alejandro De Aza, , Miguel Gonzalez, , , Bud Norris, , and .

Those decisions don’t have to be made until early December, though. That’s a primer for another day. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-leon-day-1030-20141029-story.html For Leon Day's widow, 'baseball is mental therapy' By Mike Klingaman / The Baltimore Sun

October 29, 2014

Thursday, which would have been Leon Day's 98th birthday, the widow of the baseball Hall of Famer plans to pay homage to her man. She'll drive to Arbutus Memorial Park, kneel by his graveside and tie a balloon to the stone. Happy Birthday, one side of the balloon will read; a happy face will grace the other.

"It's something I always do," said Geraldine Day, 75, of Catonsville. They'd been married 34 years when Day, who grew up in Baltimore and starred as a in the Negro leagues, died in 1995 of heart failure at St. Agnes Hospital — six days after learning of his election to the Hall of Fame.

She'll not forget his last words. "I asked Leon, 'You're not gonna leave me, are you?' and he said, 'No, baby, I'm gonna be here for you — and I've got to go up there [to Cooperstown] to get my Hall of Fame ring.'

"Fifteen minutes later, he was gone."

His death hit Geraldine Day hard.

"For a year, I went to the cemetery every day," she said. "I sat by Leon's grave, on a bench under a big tree, and read my Bible — unless the Orioles were playing. Then I'd turn on the car radio and leave the door open so I could sit there and hear the ball game. That's how I grieved; Leon loved baseball."

That passion lives on in his widow. She attended "about a dozen" Orioles games this past season and watched the rest on television, even those on the West Coast that started late. Those nights, she sat in a straight-backed chair, in the living room of her small apartment, lest she nod off during an Orioles' rally.

Camden Yards is her second home. Routinely, Day loiters with fans above the dugout before games to get autographs and to chat with Orioles who know her, like and Buck Showalter.

Then she stops at 's barbecue stand for a turkey sandwich and a hug from the owner before settling into her seat in Section 16 to cheer the team — and to speak her mind.

"I'll be fussin' most of the time at the players, when they're makin' those errors or swingin' their bats down in the dirt," she said. "Or I'll be arguin' at Buck to take out the pitcher. I'll holler, 'If I can see he ain't got nothin', then you should see it, too.'

"Buck's a great manager, but sometimes I get disgusted with him for letting certain relief pitchers, like [Darren] O'Day and [Tommy] Hunter, stay in too long. I'll be talking to my TV saying, "Please don't bring O'Day back out to pitch a second inning,' but here comes O'Day, and there goes a ."

Day's fancy for the club is real, said Ray Banks, curator of the Hubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball in Owings Mills.

"The love she has for her Orioles is unbelievable. If Geraldine is at Camden Yards and those around her aren't talking baseball, she'll get up and move to a seat where she can concentrate on the game," said Banks, of Rosedale. "Baseball is mental therapy for her. The way the Orioles are playing keeps her going."

Day's favorite players? "I love J.J. Hardy. He's out of sight," she said. "Adam Jones is one of the best center fielders around but, , he gets too excited. Some balls he swings at are ridiculous. 'Keep that home run out of your mind and just get on base,' I'll say.

"Nelson Cruz? I hope they try to keep him one more season. [Manny] Machado? That young boy is good, whenever he's playing. But they should trade [pitcher Wei-Yin] Chen — he can't hardly get past four innings."

Evaluations aside, the Orioles' future is bright, she said: "They've got a taste of [the postseason] now; they know how it feels. They're going all the way next year."

Day owns a stack of Orioles T-shirts, from Matt Wieters to Chris Davis, "the one who messed up." A prize keepsake is an Orioles cap, kept under plastic and signed by four of the club's Hall of Famers — , , and Cal Ripken Jr.

"I'm missing [Jim] Palmer and Brooks [Robinson], but I hope to get them next year at Cooperstown," Day said. She has taken part in every Hall of Fame induction ceremony since 1995, when she accepted the plaque for her husband with a heartfelt speech that moved the crowd.

Leon Day played 10 years in the Negro — a right-hander who won about 300 games while defeating the more-celebrated three of the four times they met.

Born in Alexandria, Va., Day moved with his family to Baltimore and attended Douglass High School. He began his career in 1934 with the Baltimore Black Sox, then starred eight years for the Newark (N.J.) Eagles while pitching in a record seven Negro League All-Star Games.

He went undefeated (13-0) in 1937. Five years later, Day — known for his no wind-up delivery — struck out 18 batters in a one-hit victory over the Baltimore Elite Giants. Quiet and unassuming, he'd retired from baseball and was tending bar in Newark in 1960 when Geraldine Ingram walked in the door.

He was 44; she was half his age.

"I liked that he was no young punk," she said. "Leon was old school. He knew how to treat a lady, which was what I was looking for in a man."

She's the one who broke the ice.

"I approached him and said, 'Why do you keep looking at me from the bar and not saying anything?' So he asked my name and took me to dinner across town at a restaurant where all the oldtimey baseball players went. As we walked in, one of them said, 'Hey Leon, whose mother's crib did you done rob?' " They married a year later, moved to Baltimore and embraced the Orioles — all the while hoping for the phone call from Cooperstown that finally came.

In March 2014, Day attended the opening of the black baseball museum in the Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library.

"When she got off the elevator on the third floor, there in front of her was a 12-foot tall photo of Leon,"

Banks said. "Well, Geraldine almost had a heart attack.

"The lady loved him, and she really knows baseball. She could watch it eight days a week. If you put four or five TVs in one room, each with a different game going on, she'd be in heaven." http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-outright-right-hander-evan-meek- to-triple-a-norfolk-20141029-story.html Orioles outright right-hander Evan Meek to Triple-A Norfolk By Dean Jones Jr. / The Baltimore Sun

October 29, 2014

The Orioles announced Wednesday that they have outrighted right-handed Evan Meek to Triple-A Norfolk. Meek can reject the assignment and become a free agent.

With the move, the Orioles now have 38 players on their 40-man roster. When free agency begins Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, that will drop to 32.

Meek, 31, split the 2014 season between the major leagues and Triple-A. In 23 games with the Orioles, he was 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA. He had a 2-0 record with a 1.94 ERA and 16 saves for Norfolk.

Signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to in February, Meek made the roster after only giving up one run in nine innings in the Grapefruit League.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2014/10/time-to-stock-the-shelves-in-the-free-agent- market.html Time to stock the shelves in the free agent market By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

October 30, 2014 5:42 AM

The World Series has finally come to an end, with Giants left-hander flushing the Royals in Game 7 while carrying an entire team on his back. Don't try it at home.

My rooting interest was having seven close games with lots of late-inning drama. Most of them were blowouts, but not last night's finale.

A World Series Game 7 has got to be the finest event in sports. As long as the Orioles aren't playing the Pirates, of course.

Too soon. And I'm still talking about 1971.

Last night's conclusion impacts the Orioles due to the start of free agency this morning. The Orioles technically have 11 players who could hit the market, a list that I'll share again.

You can skip it if I start to sound like a broken record. However, skipping still sounds like a broken record to me.

The Orioles' potential free agents are Alexi Casilla, Wei-Yin Chen, Nelson Cruz, Nick Hundley, Kelly Johnson, Nick Markakis, Andrew Miller, Darren O'Day, Johan Santana, Joe Saunders and Delmon Young. They have exclusive negotiating rights with their players for the next five days before other teams are allowed to make offers.

Cross Chen and O'Day off the list, since the Orioles will pick up their respective options of $4.75 million and $4.25 million. They will decline Markakis' $17.5 million option and Hundley's $5 million option unless the plan has changed over the last 12 hours.

Markakis has a mutual option, so he'd have to agree to it. He's seeking a long-term extension and has no interest in a one-year deal.

The Orioles must decide on the options within five days of the World Series, but it shouldn't take that long.

The Orioles also continue to negotiate with Cruz's representative - the outfielder switched from Adam Katz to Diego Bentz - and it sounds as though the sides are far apart. Basically the size of an ocean.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been following along. The Orioles aren't giving Cruz a four- or five-year deal, and he's got no reason to settle for anything less in October. He's going to test the market and hope that it's more favorable this winter.

It should be more forgiving after he hit 40 home runs in the regular season and two more in the Division Series. The stain from his 50-game suspension in 2013 may have faded for some teams.

The issue is his age - he turns 35 on July 1 - and whether he can stay healthy if making most of his starts in the outfield. A National League team would be taking a risk without the .

It's encouraging for the Orioles that players take away a positive experience when leaving here or approaching free agency. You won't find guys rushing out the door and ripping the organization to their friends. A few have offered recommendations, including pitcher Randy Wolf.

Naturally, it's a huge selling point when the club has posted a winning record in three consecutive seasons and made the playoffs in two of the past three years. A winning atmosphere has increased Cruz's interest in returning, as he pointed out following Game 4 of the Championship Series.

"I want to come back, no doubt. Just wait and see what happens," he said while standing at his locker at Kauffman Stadium.

"I love the clubhouse, I love all my teammates. The whole organization is great from top to bottom. Even the guys you don't see every day, they treat us the right way and makes your transition here, makes every game more easy for you. They find a way to get it done. I appreciate that."

Appreciation only goes so far, however. Cruz remains a long shot to re-sign with the Orioles, but it doesn't hurt to continue negotiations before deciding to make the $15.3 qualifying offer and take the draft pick.

So, you've got the list of free agents. Go ahead and give me your priority signings. Where do you sink the most money, knowing that you don't have an unlimited budget?

Also keep in mind that the Orioles have 11 arbitration-eligible players, listed below, which requires enough funds to dole out raises to the ones who aren't non-tendered.

Zach Britton

Chris Davis

Alejandro De Aza

Ryan Flaherty Miguel Gonzalez

Tommy Hunter

Brian Matusz

Bud Norris

Steve Pearce

Chris Tillman

Matt Wieters http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2014/10/the-orioles-offense-productive-with- homers-but-dont-expect-a-high-obp.html The Orioles' offense: Productive with homers, but don't expect a high OBP By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

October 30, 2014 7:50 AM

When it comes to the Orioles' offense, we pretty much know what we are going to get. They are going to score enough runs to win enough games to make the playoffs and they are going to do it with the longball and not as an offense that features variety.

Despite some fans' constant calls for better on-base percentage and more working the count, the Orioles - as individual players for the most part and as a team for sure - just don't excel in that area and that is not likely to change much.

The O's offense the last three years:

* 2012 - 712 runs with a .311 OBP and 214 homers

* 2013 - 745 runs with a .313 OBP and 212 homers

* 2014 - 705 runs with a .311 OBP and 211 homers

Can you guess how many runs they will score and what those other numbers will look like in 2015?

Despite what some readers here have said, the Orioles are not the worst team in baseball history in OBP. They ranked 11th in the American League at .311 this year, under the AL average of .316. They don't have the best team OBP, but they don't have the worst either. But for those that are fans of that stat, it is true that the five highest scoring AL teams in 2014 also ranked in the top five in OBP. The O's were sixth in runs, but 11th in OBP - the only AL team to score 700 runs or more last year and not rank in the top five in OBP.

Furthermore, when you look at the career on-base percentage numbers for players likely to start for the O's next year, you see a similar picture to the last few years.

Here are players who could be starting next season and their career OBPs:

* Catcher Matt Wieters, .320

* Chris Davis, .322

* , .246

* J.J. Hardy, .312

* , .313

* Alejandro De Aza, .330

* Adam Jones, .320

* Right fielder Nick Markakis, .358

Yes, I included Markakis and De Aza, who are not yet signed for 2015, and did not include Nelson Cruz, who has a career .328 OBP.

Note that only three players on this list have a career number better than the much-maligned Jones, who is far from the only Oriole to not excel in OBP.

Steve Pearce provides some help - maybe more than you would think - in the on-base department. In 138 plate appearances in 2013, Pearce hit .261 with a .362 OBP. In 383 plate appearances last season, he hit .293 with a .373 OBP. Pearce figures to get a lot of at-bats next season.

The opinion gets expressed that the Orioles need to change their hitting approach. But when you have veteran hitters with several years in the league, how much can we expect those players to change and/or improve here? Very little, most likely.

The Orioles are an aggressive team at the plate, which works well at times and not so well other times. The Orioles swung at the first pitch 28.1 percent of the time last season to rank tied for fourth in the AL. They were 11th in the league in seeing 3.8 pitches per plate appearance. To get significant change in team on-base percentage, the Orioles would probably need to add two or more starters to upgrade over what they have now. But would that include a tradeoff in power and/or defense? All of that has to be considered.

The 2015 Orioles will likely again be a team that can exceed 700 runs and rank among the top five or six offenses in the league. They will probably get there in a fashion similar to what we have seen over the last three seasons. http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2014/10/orioles-outright-meek.html Orioles outright Meek By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

October 29, 2014 1:32 PM

The Orioles cleared another spot on their 40-man roster this afternoon by outrighting reliever Evan Meek to Triple-A Norfolk.

Meek, who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles in February following a tryout at Camden Yards during FanFest, cleared waivers before coming off the roster. He can refuse the assignment and become a free agent.

Meek, 31, went 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA in 23 1/3 innings over 23 games with the Orioles and 2-0 with a 1.94 ERA and 16 saves in 41 2/3 innings over 39 games with Norfolk. He made the Orioles' opening day roster instead of veteran , who agreed to terms with the Orioles during their minicamp in January.

Meek was an All-Star with the Pirates in 2010.

The Orioles now have 38 players on their 40-man roster. More spots will open up as free agency begins Thursday morning following Game 7 of the World Series.

The list of potential free agents is comprised of Alexi Casilla, Wei-Yin Chen, Nelson Cruz, Nick Hundley, Kelly Johnson, Nick Markakis, Andrew Miller, Darren O'Day, Johan Santana, Joe Saunders and Delmon Young. The Orioles will pick up the options on Chen and O'Day, reducing the total to nine. Santana is on the 60-day DL and doesn't count against the current 40-man total.

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2014/10/camden-yards-experience-garners-perfect- score-from-stadium-journey.html Camden Yards experience garners perfect score, top ranking from Stadium Journey By Pete Kerzel / MASNsports.com

October 28, 2014 8:58 AM

Those of us who regularly attend Orioles games already know Camden Yards is a gem. From its pristine field, retro feel and storied history to its fantastic views, cool vibe and the winning team that inhabits it, the downtown ballpark really is the stadium that changed baseball.

Seems others have noticed, too.

Stadium Journey, a website that chronicles venues for college and pro sports across North America and beyond, is out with its 2014 Ballpark Experience Rankings, and not only does Camden Yards top its list of 30 major league parks, but the 22-year-old stadium received the survey's first perfect rating in history.

Using its FANFARE scale - which takes into account food and beverage options, general atmosphere, neighborhood, fans, access (parking, traffic, restrooms, handicap accessibility), return on investment and unique features - Stadium Journey says the ballpark experience at Camden Yards is the best in the big leagues.

I'll take a break while you hoist a Natty Boh to properly honor this achievement.

Correspondent Richard Smith, who contributes locally to The Baltimore Wire blog, says the opening of Camden Yards in 1992 changed the landscape of impersonal multipurpose stadiums that previously populated most large cities.

"After Baltimore built this fine stadium, it upped the ante and forced teams to build places that cater to the fans," he writes.

He lauds the variety of food options ("not cheap, but not exactly unreasonable, either"), from the offerings at Baltimore institutions like Roma Sausage House, Gino's or Polock Johnny's to the pit goodness at Boog's BBQ on Eutaw Street, with a special nod to innovative eats like the grub at Tako Korean BBQ.

The in-game experience at Camden Yards gets high marks for its ability to please both casual fans and baseball purists. Music and activities are carefully intertwined and the "O!" during the national anthem and seventh-inning hoedown to "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" are praised as Baltimore standards. Smith suggests Pickles Pub or Sliders Bar & Grille as nearby stops for pregame and postgame fun, and points visits to Charm City to the correct blend between tourist (Inner Harbor) and local (Federal Hill) haunts. He correctly notes the stadium's proximity to 's birthplace and suggests fans make time for a visit there and to Sports Legends Museum adjacent to the ballpark.

Orioles fans get their due as knowledgeable fans, and the plethora of parking garages nearby and easy access to Interstate 95 are praised. Tickets are readily available, Smith notes, even though the O's recent success has started pumping attendance figures.

Smith notes recent changes and additions to Camden Yards - the center field roof deck and the statue garden bearing the bronze likenesses of the team's six Hall of Famers that were dedicated in 2012.

"History was made by Oriole Park at Camden Yards," Smith concludes. "Its opening changed baseball and the way fans chose to experience games. A fan will revel in its festival-like atmosphere while still enjoying the purity of quality baseball."

Hard to believe there was once prolonged debate about whether a downtown stadium could draw fans in sufficient numbers, isn't it?

The rest of the top 10 finishers in the 2014 rankings by Stadium Journey: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, in Boston, Chase Field in Phoenix, in Chicago, AT&T Park in San Francisco, in Minneapolis, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Coors Field in Denver. http://www.pressboxonline.com/2014/10/29/the-hypothetical-cost-of-the-orioles-starting-nine-in- 2015 THE HYPOTHETICAL COST OF THE ORIOLES' STARTING NINE IN 2015 By Stan Charles / PressBoxOnline.com

October 29, 2014

As the Orioles brain trust of , John Stockstill, Buck Showalter and the young set of sabermetricians on staff begin to roll up their sleeves and dig into the hard work of making the Orioles incrementally better in 2015, I can make you one promise: Ownership will swallow mightily and OK an increase in the cost of doing business.

They started that process Oct. 9, when they signed shortstop J.J. Hardy to a three-year extension with an option on year four. That process continues with Duquette fighting mano a mano with Nick Markakis' representation as they try to get something done before the right fielder actually becomes a free agent. Markakis has a $17.5 million team option for 2014 or a $2 million buyout. The Orioles have three players they'll try to re-sign and extend: Markakis, the power-hitting designated hitter and outfielder Nelson Cruz and the tall, lanky, dominating left hander out of the pen, Andrew Miller.

For the purposes of this exercise, let's stick with the club's starting nine. Collectively, they earned just a tick less than $63 million in 2014. If you take the team's total 2014 payroll of $105 million, which placed them No. 15 in all of MLB, and calculate it, the starting nine took up 62 percent of the teams' compensation.

Here are the players and their 2014 compensation, according to Baseball Reference:

First baseman Chris Davis, $10,380,000

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop, $501,000

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, $7,000,000

Third baseman Manny Machado, $519,000

Left fielder Steve Pearce, $700,000

Center fielder Adam Jones, $13,000,000

Right fielder Nick Markakis, $15,000,000

Cather Matt Wieters, $7,700,000

Designated hitter Nelson Cruz, $8,000,000

Let's pretend for a moment that the club wants all nine players back and factor in raises and extensions. Here is what 2015 might look like, with my projected salary increases in parentheses:

Davis, $11,300,000 (+$920,000)

Schoop, $575,000 (+$74,000)

Hardy, $11,500,000 (+$4.5 million)

Machado, $675,000 (+$156,000)

Pearce, $ 2,200,000 (+$1.5 million)

Jones, $13,000,000 (no change)

Markakis, $12,500,000 (-$2.5 million)

Wieters, $8,700,000 (+$1 million) Cruz, $10,000,000 (+$2 million)

As mentioned before, this scenario was created as a hypothetical where money is no object and the club wants each member of the starting nine back in the fold. But the reality is this: Not every club has a seemingly endless revenue stream that alleviates the need to make hard decisions.

When one looks around the starting nine for 2015, the hardest decision seems to be what might need to be done to afford to bring back Markakis and Cruz.

To start with, the club is going to be asking Markakis to take some sort of deduction in his compensation for 2015. Markakis and his representation are trying to come as close to the $15 million he made this year, and the club is probably trying to the line at between $12.5 million and $13 million.

While ego can get in the way, Markakis is not the type who seems to want to be commuting to Citi Field as a member of the . At least that is the way I see it, and I think the Orioles will structure his new deal to max out at what his old deal paid him this past season. To me, Markakis signs a three-year deal that comes in at $11.5 in 2015, goes to $13 million in 2016 and hits $14.5 million in 2017. That does not include the $2 million the club is going to have to pony up to buy out his $17.5 million club option for $2015. There probably could be some sort of mutual option for 2018, again giving the club an out at that $2 million mark.

With Cruz, while he is saying all the right things, if the Red Sox or Mariners come calling with Monopoly money, all bets are off and he could indeed be one and done as an Oriole.

But, as is the case with Jones, Hardy and Markakis, there is a buy-in to the Showalter Way. Cruz knows how Showalter will look out for him. He knows his fit in this locker room, and he also knows the damage he can do during a 162-game season with 81 of those games taking place at the friendly confines of Camden Yards.

The Orioles, under executive vice president of baseball operations Duquette, want to pay players for what they will produce, not what they have produced. If Cruz is fair and wants to make Baltimore his last stop, I could see a three-year deal with a total compensation package of $42-45 million.

Later on this week I'll take out my abacus, calculator, pad and eraser and try to look at how the pitching staff could look in 2015.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-trim-40-man-roster-outright-meek- norfolk Orioles trim 40-man roster, outright Meek to Norfolk By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

October 29, 2014, 2:00 pm

The Orioles removed right-handed pitcher Evan Meek from their 40-man roster and outrighted him to Norfolk. Meek is expected to refuse the assignment and elect free agency.

He’s the second pitcher to be removed from the roster in the last five days. Last week, local product Steve Johnson was outrighted, but he may stay with the organization.

Meek, who was an All-Star with the in 2010, was 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA in 24 games with the Orioles.

He was invited to spring training after auditioning for the team during February’s FanFest, and made the team.

Meek was sent down on May 1, but had four more stints with the team. His most notable was his final one when he allowed the game-ending to in his last game at on Sept. 25.

After that game, Meek seemed almost giddy about allowing the hit to Jeter. He did not get serious consideration for inclusion on the postseason roster.

The 40-man roster now is at 38. http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/quietly-hunter-becomes-one-loud-force-orioles Quietly, Hunter becomes one loud force for Orioles By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

October 29, 2014, 12:45 pm

One of the problems that comes with being more successful is that decisions become harder to make. The Orioles’ success of the past three years leads to high payrolls.

While the Orioles have to make immediate decisions on Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller, they have other decisions that need to be made that can be just as important.

One of those is what to do with Tommy Hunter. Hunter would love to stay with the Orioles. He’s made that clear, and the Orioles would like to keep him, for the right price.

If Miller stays, and he probably won’t, Hunter would likely go. Miller would command a healthy paycheck, and the team wouldn’t be able to afford three members of the making more than $4 million.

Darren O’Day has a $4.25 million option that the Orioles are sure to pick up. Miller is likely to command more than $5 million a year, and some have put his value at $8 million year over four years.

Hunter made $3 million in 2014, his final year before he’s eligible for free agency.

Miller further solidified the backend of the Orioles bullpen. He, O’Day and Zach Britton effectively shortened many games. Hunter and helped, too. If Miller leaves, Hunter can be a big help. Of course, the Orioles could well pursue another reliever or two in the free agent market.

Hunter started the season as the , then gave way to Britton in mid-May. Around then, Hunter suffered a groin injury.

In the second half of the season, Hunter was much more effective, pitching to a 1.86 ERA, and in 12 September appearances, he didn’t allow a run.

Hunter has clearly grown as a pitcher. In 2012 when he began his transition to a reliever, he allowed 32 home runs, 2.2 every nine innings. In 2013, he cut that in half, and this year allowed just four in 60 2/3 innings--.6 per nine innings. From May 17 through the end of the season, Hunter gave up just one.

He’s clearly become a much more valuable and underappreciated reliever.

Hunter’s 2015 paycheck could exceed O’Day’s.

If the Orioles put him on the market, there would be many suitors. Perhaps one of them would try and return him to starting.

Hunter is one of the loudest, if not the loudest member of the Orioles, but quietly he’s become one of the more cherished.

http://www.your4state.com/story/d/story/baltimore-orioles-major-league-baseball- sports/33257/mY43geW_AU2aPy0L29DT8A Another Day at the Ballpark By Dorian Craft / WHAG

10/29/2014 04:12 PM

Most Orioles fans only ever get to see a game from the upper deck - or the lower level, if they're lucky. But one local Boonsboro fan, Andrew Himes, got a special experience - Camden Yards, all to himself.

Andrew has Hurlers Syndrome, a genetic disorder that if left untreated, would have killed him ten years ago.

"It was really upsetting. For a while, we thought he was going to die," said Anne Himes, Andrew's mother.

Before his surgery, the Orioles brought Andrew to Camden Yards to take batting practice, field some grounders and run the bases.

But it never would've happened without a letter.

"I came into his room in the morning to wake him, and I saw his book bag was packed and I thought maybe he had packed to go to the hospital," Anne said. "I opened it up and I saw his baseball shirt and his baseball pants, and I dug a little deeper and I found his cleats!"

"And I thought, well, he's not going to the hospital in his cleats, so when I woke him up I asked, 'are you going someplace?' And he was kind of sleepy and he said, 'yeah, I'm going to Kansas City.'"

After watching his team lose the first three games of the ALCS, Andrew packed his bag and left his mom a note - he was going to Kansas City because the Orioles needed his help. And what words of wisdom did he have for his favorite players once he got there?

"Hit them, them long balls. Them home run balls. For me," Andrew said.

And when it comes to hitting home runs for the Orioles, there's no one better to talk to than Chris Davis. But Davis knows about more than just hitting home runs.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow, man?" Davis asked.

"A little scared," said Andrew.

"A little scared? Dude, surgery is a breeze man," assured Davis. But this surgery wasn't like the first fourteen. This surgery fused Andrew's spine, leaving him immobilized and in a halo for the next four months. It's a procedure that could end his baseball career, and while his family hopes that doesn't happen, they know they'll always have this one day at Camden Yards.

"This is certainly a wonderful day, and something I hope will help him continue to love baseball, even if he wasn't playing it. Because he does, and I would never want him to lose that, that love of baseball," Anne said.

For Andrew, it was just another day at the ballpark.