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Thursday, December 8, 2016

Columns:  Once the Orioles build their bench, Buck Showalter wants to use it more to spell everyday players The Sun 12/8  Orioles say they're OK with slow progress in finding a catcher The Sun 12/7  Orioles refusing to discuss Manny Machado, Zach Britton in trade talks The Sun 12/7  Orioles notes: Hyun Soo Kim set for bigger role in 2017; no WBC for Zach Britton The Sun 12/7  Orioles manager Buck Showalter talks free-agent rumors, outfield and more at winter meetings The Sun 12/7  Face of the winter meetings: Matt Klentak The Sun 12/7  Scott Boras: Catching free-agent market still developing for Orioles catcher Matt Wieters The Sun 12/7  Dan Duquette: Orioles won't pursue Jose Bautista because he is a 'villain in Baltimore' The Sun 12/7  Ian Desmond was mentioned as a right field possibility for the Orioles, but really wasn't The Sun 12/7  Showalter addresses rumors tied to Orioles MLB.com 12/7  Winter Meetings interview with Buck Showalter MLB.com 12/7  Orioles not in market for Bautista MLB.com 12/7  Day Four of the Winter Meetings MASNsports.com 12/8  More from Day Three of the Winter Meetings MASNsports.com 12/7  Duquette on Bautista, trading core players and the WBC MASNsports.com 12/7  Zach Britton declines WBC invitation (and other notes) MASNsports.com 12/7  More from Showalter’s media session MASNsports.com 12/7  Showalter on rumors, his roster and the Rule 5 draft MASNsports.com 12/7  Trade the stars? O’s not going there right now MASNsports.com 12/8  ESPN’s Keith Law on Chance Sisco, Mark Trumbo, Zach Britton and more MASNsports.com 12/7  Scott Boras on Matt Wieters, Zach Britton and Pedro Alvarez MASNsports.com 12/7  MLB Rumor Central: Orioles eyeing Yankees OF Brett Gardner in trade? ESPN.com 12/8  Buck Showalter: Adam Jones Will Stay In Center Field PressBoxOnline.com 12/8  What The Rule 5 Draft Really Means To The Orioles PressBoxOnline.com 12/7  Dan Duquette: Jose Bautista Is 'A Villain In Baltimore' PressBoxOnline.com 12/7  Scott Boras Thinks There's Still A Chance For Orioles, Matt Wieters PressBoxOnline.com 12/7  Duquette on Bautista: ‘It’s true. The guy’s a villain in Baltimore’ BaltimoreBaseball.com 12/7  Boras: On Wieters’ market; Alvarez and the outfield; Britton and extension talks BaltimoreBaseball.com 12/7

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-once-the-orioles-build-their-bench-buck- showalter-wants-to-use-it-more-20161207-story.html

Once the Orioles build their bench, Buck Showalter wants to use it more to spell everyday players

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun December 8, 2016

It’s a pledge Orioles manager Buck Showalter often makes, but when he made it Wednesday at the winter meetings, there was one key thing missing.

Showalter said he intended to use his bench more and get players off their feet, but as it turns out, he doesn’t have much of a bench to be used.

The eventual signing of an everyday right fielder would make either Hyun Soo Kim or Joey Rickard the bench outfielder, and there will be a second catcher to join Caleb Joseph. But outside of utility infielder Ryan Flaherty, the bench isn’t returning intact.

That will change, as it always does late in the offseason. The Orioles’ inaction in the market so far doesn’t impact the fact that they can fill out their bench later.

The larger point stands, though. The Orioles’ everyday players, from young ones such as third baseman Manny Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop to veterans such as Mark Trumbo and Chris Davis, all tired down the stretch. Showalter said that “without a doubt” he wants to give the regulars more days off next year.

“I wanted to do it last year, and the year before,” Showalter said. “I really wanted to be able to get -- I don't care, just because a guy is 24, 25, they need some mental days, too. I really want to give Adam [rest] -- as much as he'll fight me on it. And we'll talk about how much they want to play every day, and I want them to play every day, but believe me, this is as much their makeup as it is of us writing the lineup that way. I really want to do a better job of giving them some time here.”

In years past, it has proven to be a difficult path to navigate. With their pitching staff providing little margin for error in what’s always a tight division race, a core of players that want to play every day and a manager who knows every game will matter in the end make for a busy season for a lot of the team’s top stars.

“They want to post up and be there and kind of play through some things,” Showalter said. “It's one of those things, you're not going to get them to come and say, ‘I need a day.' You're going to have to take the bull by the horns and just do it.

"But then if you do it, first thing is everybody is standing in front of their locker saying, 'What's wrong with you today,' and you're asking me that, and rightfully so. So you actually create -- I think they get almost a guilt trip, and I don't want to take that away from them, but it's not. You're actually making our club better, because somebody's playing makes him better and it's giving you some time here or there. So what does that mean that Jonathan Schoop plays 159 instead of 162? How much of a difference is it that going to make? Usually the game makes you take some days off, but we'll see.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-winter-meetings-1208-20161207- story.html

Orioles say they're OK with slow progress in finding a catcher

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

The Orioles arrived at this week's winter meetings hoping to gain better clarity on their future at catcher. One of executive vice president Dan Duquette's first acts Sunday night, as teams and agents settled into the Gaylord National Resort, was reaching out to agents of free-agent backstops to gauge the market at the position.

And as sun set on the banks of the Potomac River on the third and final full day of the meetings, the Orioles were still searching for their next starting catcher. They know they might remain waiting well into the offseason to find that player.

The Orioles have succeeded in waiting out the market to find free-agent talent that slips through the cracks, but filling the catcher position is no easy fix. A new catcher's responsibilities are plentiful, and the transition of getting accustomed to his pitchers, handling a staff and assuming leadership qualities on the field doesn't happen overnight.

"It's an important position, obviously — probably the most important position on the team, so who we choose will have a lot [of impact on] what kind of team we have and how competitive we are, so we want to make the right choice," Duquette said Wednesday evening in the team's suite several floors above the bustling hotel lobby. "We want to have a catcher who can help us run the game and contribute offensively, and those catchers are hard to find."

The Orioles have prospect Chance Sisco, who they believe is the catcher of the future, but need a stopgap. Duquette said he's also unclear when Sisco will be ready to handle the responsibilities of being an every-day catcher.

As Duquette spoke, two free agent catchers came off the board. Former Washington National Wilson Ramos, who is coming off major knee surgery, netted a two-year, $12.5-million deal with the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays and veteran A.J. Ellis agreed to a one-year, $2.5- million deal with the Miami Marlins.

Other free-agent catching options are unspectacular. All have their warts, from limited offensive output to below-average defensive metrics. Names on their list include Welington Castillo, a surprise non-tender of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and former Oriole Nick Hundley, who spent the past two years with the Colorado Rockies. The team has also sent out feelers on Kurt Suzuki and Chris Iannetta.

"That market goes in a hurry," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "There's times that we can see it, you don't have to strike with it, but a person's got to be there. I'm thinking the right person, you know, currently in-house, without getting into who that might be. We're going to have some maneuverability on our roster. We're only [at 36 players] now. We're going to be able to move some things around, unlike a lot of these clubs that aren't."

That could still bring them back to Matt Wieters, the homegrown product who is now testing free-agent waters. Duquette, Showalter and Wieters' agent, Scott Boras, said an eventual reunion with Wieters is possible. It's still not likely.

"Matt's always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it's always a possibility," Boras said. "… Look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners. When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs. He's won Gold Gloves … and his ERA of the pitching staff is one run lower than when other catchers catch. I think Baltimore has a real commodity there. He's performed at high levels there."

"Matt's going to end up a good place," Showalter added. "And I haven't turned my back on the fact that he might be with us, because this market, like back to the tortoise and the hare, you have to be good at judging how this thing is going to fall when the chairs stop moving around, who has a chair. But Matt's going to have a big chair. He's going to do well." Said Duquette: "Matt is still on our list of catchers."

Duquette said the Orioles are willing to offer a catcher a multi-year deal, which would give the team security while top prospect Sisco is ready to assume the reins.

"It depends," Duquette said. "Sometimes of you wait, the market comes to you. Sometimes if you wait, it goes away. It depends. When I was in Boston, [former Boston Red Sox CEO John] Harrington used to say, 'We can live with anybody for two years.' So the two-year contracts, that's always an option for the team."

It's still unlikely that fit is Wieters, who stands to make a lucrative deal that could be four years deep. The Orioles paid Wieters $15.8 million last season, after he signed the qualifying offer, and the team didn't make Wieters a $17.2-million qualifying offer this season. That was a significant investment, and unless Wieters' market slides, it's not likely the Orioles can retain him.

Boras echoed that the catching market is slow, and said Wieters might not get the deal he wants until late in the offseason.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-refusing-to-discuss-manny- machado-zach-britton-in-trade-talks-20161207-story.html

Orioles refusing to discuss Manny Machado, Zach Britton in trade talks

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

This offseason, it might be natural for the Orioles to at least explore the trade markets for All- Star closer Zach Britton and third baseman Manny Machado, a pair of superstar talents with two years of club control left.

With relievers drawing premium talent via trade and in line for major contracts, and with generational talents rarely available in trades, some believe the Orioles would be well served to at least see if there’s an offer out there that they can’t refuse.

That hasn’t happened, executive vice president Dan Duquette said. And they don’t come up in discussions because Duquette doesn’t let them.

“There’s always interest in your best players, but I don’t really talk about our best players in trade talks because people take that the wrong way,” Duquette said. “They don’t take it the way that it’s intended to be, and that is we like this player on our team and we’re putting our team together with them on the team.

"As soon as they’re mentioned in a trade discussion, it’s always a team is marketing him. We’re putting together our team around our closer and our best everyday ballplayer.”

Machado is coming off another career year in his age-23 season, batting .294/.343/.533 while setting career highs with 37 home runs and 96 RBIs. Britton converted all 47 of his save opportunities and posted a 0.54 ERA in 69 appearances. Britton finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting, and 11th in the Most Valuable Player voting. Machado finished fifth in MVP voting.

“We have some real good core players on our roster,” Duquette said. “They had great years, and we consider them core players. We’re looking to put our team together around those core players. We’re trying to assemble our team with all those core players.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-hyun-soo-kim-set-for-bigger- role-in-2017-no-wbc-for-zach-britton-20161207-story.html

Orioles notes: Hyun Soo Kim set for bigger role in 2017; no WBC for Zach Britton

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, a man who began 2016 as an encumbrance on manager Buck Showalter and the Orioles and barely played for the first two months of the season, is being welcomed into 2017 with a different tune.

Showalter on Wednesday at the winter meetings tapped Kim as a growth stock for 2017, saying the team not only will ask more of him but has reason to expect it.

“I think about all the things that challenged him last year that are not going to challenge him this year, and we talk about guys that could go to another level, I think he's got that potential,” Showalter said. “We saw flashes of it. You know, the left-handed pitching thing just kind of snowballed. He's a lot better than that. I think he's an adequate defender, a guy that I could play right field instead of left field if we needed to, especially in our ballpark.”

It’s all a far cry from the early pessimism that surrounded Kim, who went hitless over the first few weeks of spring training, endured a minor controversy about him exercising his contractual right to refuse an assignment to the minors and played but once a week in April and May.

Once that changed, Kim became a reliable platoon outfielder, batting .302/.382/.420 with six home runs in 95 games. A year of experience in the United States for the South Korean star will help him start stronger next year, the team hopes, though the World Baseball Classic could complicate that.

Kim was one of four major league players announced on the preliminary roster for South Korea in the March tournament, and the Orioles will support him if he wants to play. It’s unclear whether it will help or hurt his preparation, though.

“That’s an interesting question, because one of the things about Kim last year was he didn’t get off to a very good start because he was used to a much longer preparation period,” executive vice president Dan Duquette said. “Spring training was a lot longer in Korea, so there’s two ways to look at that. If he’s out playing competitive games early on in spring training, he’s probably getting the reps there to get ready for the season. But I don’t know what his decision is going to be. That’s a personal decision.”

Culturally, the WBC and international competition in general are great points of pride in Korea. Kim won the Olympic gold medal in baseball in 2008 and has competed for his country all his life, so what’s best for his professional career might not align with his responsibilities back home.

“I'm real sensitive to the pressure those guys are under,” Showalter said. “I know a little bit more than what I'm going to speak about here about where he is at, playing or not playing. We're going to support all of our guys in the WBC -- I'm going to look out what's best for the Orioles, but also you're trying to bridge that with the pressures. I know it's real important to Korea. And whichever way he decides to go, we're going to be in full support of it. Would I rather he play, not play? We all have a perfect-world scenario.”

So far, Kim has joined third baseman Manny Machado (Dominican Republic), center fielder Adam Jones (United States) and second baseman Jonathan Schoop (Netherlands) as players committed to play if asked.

If that list grows, it won’t include Zach Britton. Duquette said Britton was contacted by United States general manager Joe Torre and asked to play recently.

“Zach was flattered by the interest, but he has elected to decline,” Duquette said. “He cited the need to spend more time with his family. He just had a baby recently, and he’ll be in camp with us preparing for the season.”

According to an ESPN report, reliever Mychal Givens also wants to play for the United States, but Duquette said he hadn’t been informed one way or another whether that would happen. MLB, which owns the tournament, has capped the amount of players from one club who can play at four.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-manager-buck-showalter-talks-free- agent-rumors-outfield-and-more-at-winter-meetings-20161207-story.html

Orioles manager Buck Showalter talks free-agent rumors, outfield and more at winter meetings

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, in his annual media availability at the winter meetings, played a quick-fire game of rumor-mill roundup and said the club has discussed several players among the slew of those the team has been connected to.

Showalter said free-agent catchers Welington Castillo and Nick Hundley have been discussed by the team’s brass, as have outfielders Michael Saunders and Michael Bourn.

With the caveat that executive vice president Dan Duquette could be working quietly on some players, Showalter shot down any interest in a trade for New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and Seattle Mariners outfielder Seth Smith, as well as free-agent slugger Chris Carter.

But before he got to the rumors, he referred to an old fable when discussing how he handles all of the Orioles’ rivals making big splashes in December.

“Sometimes, we have selective memory,” Showalter said. “I know I try to. This went on last year to some extent, the year before. Whether it’s the Yankees or whether it’s the Red Sox or Blue Jays, it’s part of the job description in our division. I was thinking about it today. It’s like that tortoise and hare story. We’re kind of the tortoise in winter meetings. Sometimes we catch up to the hare.”

In the wide-ranging, 25-minute session, Showalter hit all the usual points. He said the team expects to take at least one player in the Rule 5 draft Thursday, and will be active in the minor league phase as well. He didn’t rule out a reunion with the Orioles' own free agents, including catcher Matt Wieters, designated hitter Pedro Alvarez and right fielder Mark Trumbo.

He also mentioned that teams were calling the Orioles about their surplus of starting pitchers. In addition to their six returning starters from the September rotation, he mentioned Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and Chris Lee as rotation depth.

There was a lot of talk about the outfield, naturally. On center fielder Adam Jones, Showalter said there were no plans to move him to right field to accommodate a center fielder brought in via trade or free agency. He stopped short of saying that last year’s Rule 5 pick, Joey Rickard, showed enough in his injury-shortened 2016 season to be counted on as an everyday player this year. Showalter said he believes Rickard showed enough, but a new set of pressures and expectations can impact players in their second seasons.

Showalter is hopeful that left fielder Hyun Soo Kim, with one year in the United States under his belt, enjoys a much better 2017 season. Showalter even mentioned Kim as a possibility to play right field, and said the team will support him fully if he decides to participate in the World Baseball Classic for South Korea.

Showalter indicated Kim is under a lot of pressure to play, but given his nightmarish spring training a season ago, there’s some value in remaining with the team. The final rosters will not be announced until Feb. 6.

On his returning players, Showalter said Chris Davis is willing to play anywhere the team needs, but they don’t want him to have to move to the outfield. And to a question about third baseman Manny Machado only having two years of team control left, Showalter quipped that his own contract was up at the same time.

“Timing is everything,” Showalter joked. “Manny’s not going to be here? There’s your answer. If he goes, I go — there’s a headline.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-face-of-the-winter-meetings-matt- klentak-20161207-story.html

Face of the winter meetings: Matt Klentak

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak should be familiar to Orioles fans. He worked closely with Andy MacPhail to rebuild a long-struggling Orioles franchise before heading west to serve as assistant general manager under then-Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto. Now, he's back working under MacPhail trying to refocus a Phillies organization that fell into decline after winning 102 games and the National League East title in 2011.

Klentak, who is taking part in the winter meetings at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, paused to reflect on the front office journey that carried him into one of the top jobs in baseball a year ago at the age of 35. It started in Baltimore.

“I loved working for the Orioles. I loved living in Baltimore. I thought the city was awesome and I was very fortunate during my time there to have a mentor like Andy MacPhail, who has had a Hall of Fame career and is a Hall of Fame person," Klentak said. "I think it was important in my career, when Andy left, it was important for me to try something different. And again, I was very fortunate to go work for Jerry Dipoto and experience what it’s like to work for a big-market team and live at the beach, which wasn’t bad either.

“I had four great years there and had the pleasure of watching Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and some superstar players over there, and when the stars aligned that Andy was in Philadelphia – I’m from the northeast myself, from the Boston area – the chance to move back home and take over the baseball operations group of a franchise that has a lot to look forward to, it was a decision I couldn’t pass on.

“I’ve been unbelievably fortunate in my career to have worked for the people I have and to have some of the opportunities I’ve had at a young age. I really am."

Klentak and MacPhail certainly deserve some of the credit for the way the Orioles finally blossomed under Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, since many of the key players were drafted or acquired during their time here. But Klentak said he's just happy to see that the Orioles got where they were trying to go.

“The whole time that we were working there, we felt that we were doing the right thing," Klentak said. "I think we knew that sometimes you don’t know exactly when it was going to come together, but we felt like we were doing it the right way. And what Buck and Dan and Brady [Anderson] and the rest of that group have done over the last handful of years to take that next step forward, they deserve all the credit in the world. It’s been great.

“For me, I’m happy I went through that experience because now that I’m with the Phillies and again, we’re going young and we’re placing a premium on the draft and player development, we have a model and we’ve done it in Baltimore and we know that it can work. So, it gives us confidence for the Phillies.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-scott-boras-catching-free-agent-market- yet-to-develop-for-matt-wieters-20161207-story.html

Scott Boras: Catching free-agent market still developing for Orioles catcher Matt Wieters

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

Agent Scott Boras said Wednesday he has had discussions with several teams regarding catcher Matt Wieters – and he considers the Orioles still in play – but the market on free-agent backstops has yet to develop.

“All the teams kind of check in on catching and we’ve been meeting with clubs about him,” Boras said Wednesday at his annual winter meetings media scrum. “We’re kind of going through the process of scheduling things with him, meetings with such, so it’s going fine.”

The market on Wieters has been slow to form. But after another free-agent catcher -- former Washington Nationals backstop Wilson Ramos -- came off the board Tuesday, signing a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, Wieters is unquestionably the top free- agent catcher remaining.

Boras acknowledged that the market might still take time to play out, and Wieters might not find a landing spot until late in the offseason.

“The clubs that need catching are pretty well defined,” Boras said. “Some are thinking about moving players to make room for him, so the timetable always on catching, I don’t know what it is; it’s always been -- I can’t think of one I’ve represented that didn’t sign in January, but they do.”

Still, Boras left the door open for a possible return to Baltimore as the Orioles are shopping for lower-cost alternatives such as free agents Welington Castillo and Nick Hundley.

“Matt’s always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it’s always a possibility,” Boras said. “… Look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners. When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs. He’s won Gold Gloves … and his ERA of the pitching staff is one run lower than when other catchers catch. I think Baltimore has a real commodity there. He’s performed at high levels there.”

-- Boras also said he has held talks with clubs regarding another Orioles free agent, Pedro Alvarez, and added that Alvarez is currently experimenting with playing the outfield to become a better commodity. Alvarez’s glove was a liability. He made all but six of his 91 starts last season at designated hitter. His six non-DH starts came filling in as an emergency third baseman for starter Manny Machado.

-- No extension talks regarding Orioles closer Zach Britton have taken place, Boras said. Britton becomes a free agent following the 2018 season. Those extension discussions would be more likely to develop later in the offseason when players go through the arbitration process. Britton is coming off a season in which he converted all 47 save opportunities and finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-duquette-orioles-won-t-pursue-jose- bautista-because-he-is-a-villain-in-baltimore-20161207-story.html

Dan Duquette: Orioles won't pursue Jose Bautista because he is a 'villain in Baltimore'

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

There’s one free-agent outfielder that executive vice president Dan Duquette is making clear the Orioles are not interested in signing.

The agent of veteran slugger Jose Bautista has reached out to the Orioles on numerous occasions, including at this week’s winter meetings. But Duquette said he has rebuffed him at every turn because he knows that the team’s fan base would not be receptive to any notion of pursuing Bautista.

“That’s true,” Duquette told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday morning. “That’s true. The agent called and I said, ‘Really? Jose is a villain in Baltimore and I’m not going to go tell our fans that we’re courting Jose Bautista for the Orioles because they’re not going to be happy.'”

The 36-year-old Bautista is also one of several free-agent sluggers tied to draft-pick compensation, which Duquette added was another factor in the lack of interest.

Asked later in the day if his stance would change if Bautista's price tag dropped later in the offseason, Duquette smiled and said, "I’ll have to check with the fans."

Credit Duquette for knowing his team’s fan base. Of course, Orioles fans have their favorites to dislike for years. Recently retired slugger David Ortiz has been a longtime enemy. Severna Park’s Mark Teixeira was booed before every at-bat at Camden Yards since he chose to sign with the New York Yankees over his hometown team. Even universally beloved future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter received salty receptions in Baltimore.

But for Orioles fans, no player currently fits the Public Enemy No. 1 stigma like Bautista. Over the past several years, a rivalry between the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays has formed, rooted from the perception that the division rivals don’t like each other. Fans from both teams followed suit, as seen most recently in this year’s American League wild-card game in Toronto, where a beer was thrown on the field at Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim.

Bautista has usually been at the center of any friction between the teams. Long before his bat flip in the 2015 AL Division Series gained notoriety, Orioles players and staff scoffed at Bautista’s exaggerated at-bats, long stares at strike calls, flipping his bat down after drawing walks and staring down of opposing pitchers.

It began with a longstanding feud with Orioles right-hander Darren O’Day. And it boiled over two years ago when Bautista stared down struggling Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia after homering in a midseason contest in Toronto.

The Orioles were struggling trying to carry Garcia on their major league roster, and on that day the right-hander was struggling with his control, throwing a fastball behind Bautista earlier in the at-bat. Bautista then hit a center-cut fastball out of the park, and stared down the rookie as he slowly trotted out of the batter’s box.

That drew the ire of Orioles players. Infielder Ryan Flaherty yelled at Bautista as he rounded the bases. Center fielder Adam Jones yelled at Bautista coming off the field between innings.

Still, Bautista has gotten the best of the Orioles on many occasions, owning an .861 OPS against them in his career. Though he’s 36 and entering the latter stages of his career, Bautista has averaged 36 homers over his past seven seasons with the Blue Jays. He enters the free-agent market coming off one of his most disappointing seasons over that stretch, hitting .234/.366/.452 with 22 homers and 69 RBIs over 116 games.

"We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division," Duquette said. "We have a good rivalry and a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think is good. Most of the time I think it’s healthy. ... This is a tough division. The American League East is tough. You’ve got those two behemoths in the north and you’ve got an entire country a little bit further north. You play these teams, what, 18 times, 19 times during the season? In addition to that, we play them four of five in spring training, so we’re in the same neighborhood with these people, 24, 25 times a year, and its very competitive, so these things are going to happen. But it’s a pretty wide number of fans who don’t like this guy."

Asked how he came to the conclusion that Orioles fans would not be interested in acquiring Bautista, Duquette said, "I’ve just been watching the games."

Still, the Orioles currently need a right fielder. Bautista’s right-handed power stroke plays well for Camden Yards. He showed the ability to hit leadoff this season, and the Orioles need a leadoff batter. And his career .368 on-base percentage would upgrade the Orioles in that area of need.

Duquette conceded that Bautista could eventually fit in the Orioles clubhouse, especially if he could help the team build on three playoff trips in five years. But Duquette is determined to not pursue Bautista ... for now.

“Our players are very professional about that,” Duquette said. “But our fans, I know they still don’t like Jose Bautista.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-ian-desmond-was-mentioned-as-a-rf- possibility-for-the-orioles-but-really-wasn-t-20161207-story.html

Ian Desmond was mentioned as a right field possibility for the Orioles, but really wasn't

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun December 7, 2016

The Orioles have made no secret of their desire to acquire a solid all-around corner outfielder, so their name came up often during the time that versatile former Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers star Ian Desmond was on the market.

That was never likely to happen.

Desmond reportedly has agreed to a five-year, $70 million deal with the Colorado Rockies, which is all you need to know about why the Orioles were never really a player for him.

Though it's not totally out of the question that the Orioles could spend some real money on a quality free agent if they aren't going to bring back Mark Trumbo or Matt Wieters, baseball operations chief Dan Duquette seems more interested in getting a top draft choice out of the qualifying offer system than giving one up.

Desmond would have required the Orioles to give up their highest choice in the June draft. That, and the the money, made Desmond a long shot from the beginning.

Of course, the Orioles have given up some high picks to sign several QO free agents late in the process, so if Desmond were still around in February and suddenly seeking a one-year deal to get past the current QO system (which will change under the new collective bargaining agreement), that would have been a different story.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/210588174/buck-showalter-on-rumors-at-winter-meetings/

Showalter addresses rumors tied to Orioles Manager not ruling out Trumbo, Alvarez and Wieters re-signing

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter provided updates on rumors during Wednesday's managerial session at the Winter Meetings as a quiet Baltimore club continues to sift through the catching and outfield markets.

Chris Carter? Seth Smith? Showalter said he hadn't heard those names discussed while he's been present this week.

"That's a name," Showalter said. "Definitely from a notable standpoint, he should be fine. Someone will end up with a good player there."

Catchers Nick Hundley and Welington Castillo and outfielder Michael Bourn? Also on the O's radar.

And what of the rumblings regarding a potential Yankees-Orioles swap, with New York garnering interest in left-handed-hitting outfielder Brett Gardner?

"I haven't heard that one at all. They wouldn't trade with us," Showalter said of the Yankees. "Unless it was somebody they wanted to pass off on us. Tried that before."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, however, appeared to leave the door open later Wednesday night.

"If I can trade with the Red Sox and the Mets, I can trade with the Orioles. I can trade with anybody," Cashman said. "If it's in our best interest, whether it's short- or long-term, it doesn't matter what the other teams get. Does it make sense for us? If it happens to be them, I don't really care."

Os preparing to be active in Rule 5 Draft

Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette had mentioned that the club will be active in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, and Showalter noted there's been a lot of preparation for that this week.

"I'll take the best one that impacts us," he said, when asked if he'd prefer a pitcher or position player. "I know that's cliche. But the offensive player has got to be able to defend and/or run. He's got to bring something. Probably the defensive part of it is going to be big.

"Pitcher, you look at a bunch of them, they all have different risks and rewards. Some have performed at higher levels, some of them you roll the dice. For sure, we'll take somebody."

Trumbo, Wieters and Alvarez could all return

Showalter said he's not ruling out the return of any of the Orioles' free agents quite yet. While the club's interest in Mark Trumbo is well known, it's the first real mention of Pedro Alvarez. Matt Wieters' agent, Scott Boras, spoke at length Wednesday to the media and said that a Wieters reunion with the O's remains "a possibility."

Worth noting

• All-Star closer Zach Britton declined an invitation to pitch in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA.

• Duquette noted on Wednesday that the Orioles were engaged in several trade talks, but didn't like the high price of prospects involved in the discussions. http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/210586234/buck-showalter-winter-meetings-transcript/

Winter Meetings interview with Buck Showalter

MLB.com December 7, 2016

Q. Buck, who is that Rule 5 Draft pick that's going to change the season? BUCK SHOWALTER: We've had a couple. Got some, I think Joey is going to be a good one. Got one of the best utility guys in our league Flaherty. We'll see. We've got to down to 12. At some point tomorrow morning, we'll walk down -- I think we'll participate in the Minor League's, too. I don't know if there's a better financial return for your money than the Rule V draft. A club with $650,000 for a guy that -- that's the price you pay for a guy in the draft, and this guy has already played college fastball at Alabama before you put him in the pros, ordinarily.

Q. How do you react when you see deals being made here? BUCK SHOWALTER: Sometimes we have a selective memory, I try to, but this went on last year to some extent and the year before, whether it's the Yankees or whether it's the Red Sox or the Blue Jays or whoever. It's part of the job description in our division. I was thinking about it today, it's kind of like the tortoise and hare story. We're kind of the tortoise in Winter Meetings. Sometimes they catch up to the hare, and they will pick us to finish last in the division, and we'll take on that role again.

Q. Dan's been pretty clear that you guys aren't going to look to add (indiscernible). BUCK SHOWALTER: After Batista? He says that tongue-in-cheek. He's a good player.

Q. He's pretty clear starting pitching-wise that you are not going to add outside of the organization. What about some of those guys makes you feel confident going into the spring? BUCK SHOWALTER: We have six starters that are capable of starting and pitching well in the Major Leagues and have in the past. I hate saying that, we have four guys on the last year of their contracts because it's a reflection that they didn't put as much effort into the first whatever, and that's not the case.

But it's obvious over the track record of people that they have a tendency to do that. We're actually getting calls on our starting pitching because we potentially have a surplus, and you put Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson and some other guys in there -- I was hoping to go to 26, that we might carry that 13th pitcher. We could also entertain going with six starters. We're not going to give them away. We'll see how Dylan is doing in the spring, about where he's going to fit.

We're going to hopefully have a full season with Darren and have Donnie Hart maybe for all year, and those are two things that we didn't have last year. We think Michael's made great strides. He's a guy we can trust. I like where we are pitching. And I know that will probably bring some eye rolls from a lot of people, but you look at Dylan's progress and the way -- probably our best pitcher the last month or so, and Miley finished up strong. A lot of our guys had their best months in September. I know what looks on paper, when you look at what the Red Sox are going to run out there and the Yankees and Blue Jays, but we'll see. We'll see.

Q. You've got six starting pitchers, with the need to watch Dylan's innings, is there a way to use them all in some way, shape or form during the entire season? BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm just going to say it again, I don't see we're going to do anything differently with Dylan that we wouldn't with Gausman or Mike Wright or any of those young pitchers. He's almost two years -- you've got to tell me exactly how long he's removed from that surgery. I was going to say, he's probably healthier than some people who haven't had that surgery yet. So inning-wise, I'm not going to penalize and let him get penalized for that to start in our rotation. I think he's one of our five best.

Q. Are you still set on Mike Wright developing as a starter? BUCK SHOWALTER: Yes. Yes, I think Mike, he's always got potential to do both, but I want all of these guys to continue down that path because we're going to need them. We're going to need all of them. And a lot of guys that have done well in the Big Leagues have followed the path that Mike has followed where they had some struggles early on. There's a guy pitching for the Cubs right now that had a very similar path to Mike Wright.

Q. (Indiscernible) has really flourished. How much are you going to miss him? BUCK SHOWALTER: He would have flourished under anybody. Who knows what is going to happen with Matt and Trumbo and Mark and Pedro. A lot of people keep forgetting about Pedro in that whole deal. He's pretty solid for us, one of the better DHs in the American League.

Matt's going to end up a good place, and I haven't turned my back on the fact that he might be with us, because this market, like back to the tortoise and the hare, you have to be good at judging how this thing is going to fall when the chairs stop moving around who has a chair, but Matt's going to have a big chair. He's going to do well.

Q. Trumbo is Colorado, now that's done -- BUCK SHOWALTER: He's already done? He signed today?

Q. He meant Desmond signed. BUCK SHOWALTER: In today's world they might sign both of them, who knows. I don't think Desmond is going to play first base.

Q. Is the door open for Trumbo, as well? BUCK SHOWALTER: Oh, sure. It's always been. We made a big point of emphasis to know who we are and who we are not. Trying to stay consistent with that. Every once in a while you do something that might just step out of what that is, but that's not up to me. That's up to ownership. We've got as supportive of owner for our market as any manager could possibly ask for. Been rock solid.

Q. Do you think the current lead-off hitter is on the roster right now? BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm always going to look at it that way and it could be impacted by the Rule V draft tomorrow, I look at it like that, too. Could be -- I could tell you more who it's not going to be.

Q. You told us after the season (indiscernible). BUCK SHOWALTER: I said I would -- I always leave myself some wiggle room. Y'all know enough and seen enough. I'd really rather strongly not be. I would really rather strongly rather it would have been last year.

Q. You talk about Dan being good and kind of waiting along -- BUCK SHOWALTER: How did you like the tortoise and hare thing? That hit me as I was coming down here.

Q. As far as catcher is concerned, is that a position where you like to kind of have an idea of what you're doing? BUCK SHOWALTER: That market goes in a hurry. There's times that we can see it, you don't have to strike with it, but a person's got to be there. I'm thinking the right person, you know, currently in-house, without getting into who that might be. We're going to have some maneuverability on our roster. We're only 36 now. We're going to be able to move some things around, unlike a lot of these clubs that aren't.

Q. Is there a scenario where you would move Adam to right field? BUCK SHOWALTER: I don't see that. The way we're currently constructed, no, I'm not going to put that out there. Adam's our center fielder and does a great job with it.

Q. Last spring obviously started difficultly for Kim. If he does play in the WBC for South Korea, is that good for him, bad for him, given how Spring Training went last year? BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm real sensitive to the pressure those guys are under. I know a little bit more than what I'm going to speak about here about where he is at playing or not playing.

We're going to support all of our guys in the WBC -- I'm going to look out what's best for the Orioles, but also you're trying to bridge that with what pressures. I know it's real important to Korea. And whichever way he decides to go, we're going to be in full support of it.

Would I rather he play, not play, we all have a perfect-world scenario. I think about all the things that challenged him last year that are not going to challenge him this year, and we talk about guys that could go to another level, I think he's got that potential. We saw flashes of it. You know, the left-handed pitching thing just kind of snowballed. He's a lot better than that. I think he's an adequate defender, a guy that I could play right field instead of left field if we needed to, especially in our ballpark. There's a lot of things that we talked about, some other people.

Q. Do you think he has the skill set to lead off? BUCK SHOWALTER: He's got statistical skills. We were in the meeting today, how much strikeouts are at an all-time high, walks are at an all-time high, stolen bases on the bottom; I think we're seeing the evolution of a lot of things, as we viewed them growing up. So what's the most important attribute of a lead-off guy? Only leading off one time per game, once, and we put so much on this. So I guess it's on base percentage.

Q. How important would it be for you to get somebody who can steal some bases? You had four as your top last year. BUCK SHOWALTER: You've got to understand who you are, and I understood who we weren't. We've tried a little bit pushing it, trying to make it happen and it just wasn't there. It wasn't in our skill set. It's something that Dan's talked a lot about, but you just can't -- you can take a guy that can steal some of bases and can't hit or you take a guy that can steal a lot of bases in the Minor Leagues but he can't steal in the Big Leagues because the pitchers are faster to the plate and the catchers throw better.

I think that's part of the evolution of stolen bases is how much better pitchers are at holding runners. They are teaching the change-up at Aberdeen and also telling them to be below 1-3 at the plate.

Q. Any other rumors? BUCK SHOWALTER: You bring up the rumor, I'll shoot it down.

Q. Interest in Chris Carter? BUCK SHOWALTER: I haven't heard that one time in the room. But that doesn't mean -- Dan does a lot of things stealth, but where I'm concerned, ignorance is bliss.

Q. Seth Smith? BUCK SHOWALTER: Haven't heard Seth Smith either -- he's from Ole Miss, but I could overlook that.

Q. Michael Saunders? BUCK SHOWALTER: That's a name. That's a name. Definitely from a notable standpoint, he should be fine. Someone will end up with a good player there.

Q. In this case, Nick (indiscernible)? BUCK SHOWALTER: Always talk with and about Nick. Good for somebody, obviously he's on our list.

Q. At the end of the year, Michael Bourn was playing a prominent role. Has his name come up again? BUCK SHOWALTER: Oh, yeah. That's the thing, when Dan is looking at the Rule V guys, if you view guys as a fourth outfielder and they look at themselves as a second or third, and God bless them, they should, but it's what price you're paying -- I don't want to mention names because that doesn't mean they are a fourth outfielder and getting 7 or $8 million and projected not to start for a team, we can't do that.

Talk more about Dariel Alvarez, wouldn't forget about him. Spoke to Bobby an hour ago from the Dominican. He's going to miss Christmas because of the playoffs, and said Rose is doing real well. We're getting toward try to bring him back.

Q. When it comes to speaking of Chris Carter and Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez -- BUCK SHOWALTER: Mancini.

Q. You've had guys who were pretty much strict DHs and you've had guys who maneuver. BUCK SHOWALTER: We've had some DHs that played right field, too.

Q. Is it your preference to have someone who plays there basically every day, or would you rather have a multitude of guys where you can rest regulars? BUCK SHOWALTER: You know, I can say, this is what I would rather have, but it just depends on which way we have to go. Last year because we signed Pedro late, it was good for us, especially at that price. Pushed Mark out into the outfield.

But, you know, I don't look at Trey as a DH-only candidate. I'd like for him to not only play first base, I'd like for him to play the outfield. All these people I talk about in the Rule V draft, I say where can we play them, how can we carry them in the American League East for seven months, how can they impact the team. That's why Joey made it through the injury. McFarland was like a utility pitcher. Flaherty, could play him anywhere. Can't just sit over there on the bench and take up place.

What was your original question?

Q. About having a DH. BUCK SHOWALTER: I'd rather him be able to play. Say it's Trey, I'd rather him go play first base and get Chris off the field for a day to or two, and he will do that.

Q. Is Chris okay with playing some right field? BUCK SHOWALTER: Chris will do whatever the team needs him to do. But over the long haul, I wouldn't want to do it. I think physically it would be a big toll on him, and before I came here, I kind of weighed into him about, I want to make sure I wasn't saying no and he wants to do it. You don't assume anything.

But Chris will do whatever the team needs him to do for periods of time. Like Manny going over to shortstop. But we tried to create that, what the team needs. But long term, right field, I don't think it's good for our infield defense.

Q. How long does it take for you to normally decompress after a season? Will this one take a little longer? BUCK SHOWALTER: I think they all do. I think that's why spring is so -- I don't know, I don't want to get too deep, uplifting, whatever the word you want to use. It's a fresh start. It's spring. You know, flowers are blooming, everyone is going to hit .300 that hit .190 last year and some pitcher is magically going to be throwing the ball over the plate and you're going to be playing in late October, and then reality sets in.

The way our season ended, it was a deep cut and abrupt and hurts and still hurts. I'm hoping at some point it goes away, but I think I will abate some, but never completely go away. You wear it real deeply.

Q. I know every day you want to put your best lineup out there that you can, but would you ideally like to have a bench that you are more comfortable playing a little bit more? BUCK SHOWALTER: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. I wanted to do it last year, and the year before. I really wanted to be able to get -- I don't care, just because a guy is 24, 25, they need some mental days, too. I really want to give Adam -- as much as he'll fight me on it, and we'll talk about how much they want to play every day, and I want them to play every day, but believe me, this is as much their makeup as it is of us writing the lineup that way. I really want to do a better job of giving them some time here.

It's more you're not going to recharge your body over a 162-game season. It's more of a mental and emotional day away from it.

Q. Could you force yourself to play players that like, in other words, Ryan Flaherty, perfectly serviceable Major League player, couldn't he play a little bit more? BUCK SHOWALTER: That's a matter of debate for some people, but I agree with you. If he can stay on. He had some injury issues last year, but of course. He went down a couple times -- once I believe.

Of course. I'd like to do that more.

Q. How do you toe that fine line, kind of a badge of honor with some of these guys playing 162 games. BUCK SHOWALTER: They like that. I don't know, maybe it started with Cal. Just something about it. They want to post up and be there and kind of play through some things. It's one of those things, you're not going to get them to come and say, I need a day. You're going to have to take the bull by the horns and just do it.

But then if you do it, first thing is everybody is standing in front of their locker saying, what's wrong with you today, and you're asking me that and rightfully so. So you actually create -- I think they get almost a guilt trip, and I don't want to take that away from them, but it's not. You're actually making our club better because somebody's playing makes him better and it's giving you some time here or there.

So what does that mean that Jonathan Schoop plays 159 instead of 162? How much of a difference is it that going to make? Usually the game makes you take some days off, but we'll see.

Q. You've been kind of handcuffed at times with a short bench, where you sometimes had three guys. If you take a Rule V pick, there's more maneuvering. In a perfect world, if you take one, is it a pitcher or hitter? BUCK SHOWALTER: I'll take the best one that impact us, I know that's cliché. But the offensive player has got to be able to defend and/or run. He's got to bring something. Probably the defensive part of it is going to be big.

Pitcher, you look at a bunch of them, they all have different risks and rewards. Some have performed at higher levels, some of them you roll the dice. For sure, we'll take somebody.

Q. When you do that kind of -- when you do your homework because you have scouts, on those 12, whatever you said you guys have -- BUCK SHOWALTER: 14 this morning for a while.

Q. Have you had eyes on all those 12, not just film? BUCK SHOWALTER: Yes. Some form or fashion. I was looking at a report from a 15 that's also 16. And then you put the film with the verbal and the eyeballs and the spin rates -- we spend time calling their clubhouse attendant and their high school coach and gym teacher and put the rest of it together, and hopefully you get some people like McFarland and Flaherty, good human beings that are also good players.

Q. Did you see enough from Joey last year for you to be confident that he can be a regular player?

BUCK SHOWALTER: You know, I'd like to say yes, and I should, and I probably will, but there's also a part that I found all of a sudden they show back up and there's a whole different mindset. Now I've got options. Now is my thumb right. We're going to bring him to mini camp if the union allows us. We have to get permission.

But I can't say for sure who we're getting, but he was in a great -- he had nothing to lose. Tampa didn't protect him. He came in letting it rip, firing on all levels. I don't know what this spring is going to bring. Might be a week in and go, same guy, we're in good shape. I'm open and I'm thinking that's what we're going to see, but I'm cautious that, let's just hold down before we make him third or fourth outfielder.

He was our best leadoff guy. There's three or four that people very conveniently forgot about it.

Q. Did you look at the potential this year of Kim playing five or six times against lefties and righties? BUCK SHOWALTER: I'd like to. There's nothing statistically in America, but it's too small a sampling, way too small a sampling. I have any ideas, like certain left-handers that Pete hit well last year and certain left-handers that I think Kim will hit well. If you look at his track record in Korea, it's been pretty good.

Like I said, there's going to be a lot of things that are going to be a lot for comfortable for him this year, spring, just everything. It's going to be interesting whether he plays in the WBC. He's getting a lot of pressure, and rightfully so.

Q. What is the biggest difference between Tillman of 2015 and Tillman of 2016? BUCK SHOWALTER: Healthier, stronger. Went through some periods toward the end, but I just thought he came in, in great shape, great mind-set. A lot of people forget, about two-thirds way through the season, he was in the Top 3 for the Cy Young.

Who is Boston going to pitch on Opening Day? I was thinking about that the other day. Who do they pitch? Who is their opening day pitcher?

Q. If you won the Cy Young, I think you get it. BUCK SHOWALTER: Just gave up $100 million, I might start that guy.

Q. On the rumor, Brett Gardner? BUCK SHOWALTER: I haven't heard that one at all. They wouldn't trade with us. Unless it was somebody they wanted to pass off on us. Tried that before.

Q. Anything with Manny's situation that adds emphasis or urgency? BUCK SHOWALTER: Where is he going? There's a rumor I'll shoot down. We've got control of him, for two, two years? This year and one more. That's when my contract runs out. Timing's everything. (Laughter) and Manny's not going to be here -- there's your answer. (Laughter) That's as deep as I'll go.

Q. Does he get something of a short end of the stick when you talk about the best players in the game? BUCK SHOWALTER: Does he get the short end?

Q. In terms of MVP talk. BUCK SHOWALTER: The Gold Glove thing, obviously there's some good ones there, he gets penalized for balls he gets to that people don't even sniff. I know a guy we haven't seen in a while that's foreseen as a great third baseman and you watch him play and Manny play for a three-game series -- I don't know how he can get the short end. He's one of the best players in the game.

Q. In terms of Manny in the rumor mill -- how about Castillo? BUCK SHOWALTER: Good name. I'll never let you be wrong -- you've got to have a guy on your club named Wellington -- what's the food?

Q. Beef Wellington. BUCK SHOWALTER: Have they non-tendered him? And now he's been offered a two or three- year deal? He's going to be expensive.

Q. They didn't want to pay. BUCK SHOWALTER: They could have signed him in a trade.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/210582352/orioles-not-interested-in-jose-bautista/

Orioles not in market for Bautista

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Count the Orioles out of the market for free-agent slugger Jose Bautista.

Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette reiterated comments he made on Tuesday night regarding Bautista's unpopularity with Baltimore's fanbase in Wednesday's media session at the Winter Meetings.

"Jose Bautista's agent has been knocking on the Orioles' door for a while ... not to mention he has a qualifying offer attached to him," Duquette said. "I made a comment we won't be pursuing their client. It's true. The guy is a villain in Baltimore."

What if the price dropped for the villain?

"I'll have to check with the fans," Duquette joked.

"We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division. We have a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think most of the time is healthy. Once in a while people's emotions get the best of them. As a leader on the team, the leader is the focal point. This is a tough division, the American League East is tough. You got those two behemoths in the north and you got a whole country, a little bit further north ... it's very competitive and these things are going to happen. It's a pretty wide number of fans that don't like this guy."

The Orioles are in the market for a designated hitter, though Bautista, at 36 years old, isn't a perfect fit. Manager Buck Showalter referenced on Wednesday afternoon his preference to have more flexibility in the DH spot, to be able to have that player in the field. And the fact that Bautista is tied to a qualifying offer -- which would cost the O's a Draft pick -- doesn't help matters.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/day-four-of-the-winter-meetings-1.html

Day Four of the Winter Meetings

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 8, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The finish line is within sight. Get a full head of steam and run through the tape.

The Winter Meetings are almost over, with only the Rule 5 draft standing in the way. The hotel lobby and bar area were half full last night and the place will be deserted later this morning. The sound of crickets will make you think that you’re camping in the woods.

The Orioles will leave here with at least one Rule 5 pick. I’m setting the over-under at four, counting the minor league phase of the draft. Otherwise, they probably will have to continue their search for an outfielder, veteran catcher and reliever outside of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Before you start to vent, this isn’t unusual for the Orioles. You have only yourselves to blame for raising your expectations. They have mastered the art of letting the market play out and swooping in late in the process.

A hitter is going to fall to them or they’re going to find a way to get one in a trade. They’re paying close attention to Mark Trumbo and Edwin Encarnacion, for instance, while resisting the asking price from teams that want too much in return.

The Orioles apparently talked to the Yankees about Brett Gardner, but that one doesn’t seem to have legs.

Manager Buck Showalter said he hadn’t heard Gardner’s name in “the room” this week and wondered if the Yankees would deal him to a division rival.

“They wouldn’t trade with us,” Showalter said. “Unless it was somebody they wanted to pass off on us. Tried that before.”

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters that he would, in fact, trade within the division and referenced past discussions involving pitcher Ivan Nova.

The Orioles haven’t given up on re-signing Matt Wieters, but he’s on the clock. They can’t wait until January while the rest of the free agent catchers come off the board. Welington Castillo and Nick Hundley, for instance, could be gone before the ball drops in Times Square.

At least we know that the Orioles are interested in Castillo and Hundley. They’ve been attached via the media to a few other players who, I’ve been told, aren’t on their radar or their interest has been highly exaggerated.

“It’s that time of year when there’s a lot of rumors,” said executive vice president Dan Duquette. “We get linked to a lot of players. We’re trying to add to our outfield and catching and we’re also looking for pitching depth all the time.”

Some of it could come in today’s draft. The Orioles pick 23rd, but could move up as other teams pass. Anyone with a full 40-man roster must sit this one out.

Also, the Orioles could prearrange a trade and grab an earlier selection, as they did with pitcher Jason Garcia at the 2014 Winter Meetings.

“That’s always a possibility,” Duquette said. “I think we’re 23rd and if we see somebody we like, we’ve been able to make some deals where the player gets drafted a little bit higher and sent over via trade.”

It’s impossible to narrow down which positions the Orioles could address. They’re all over the Rule 5 map.

“We’re always looking for pitching depth and this year’s team, we need catchers and outfielders,” Duquette said.

The odds favor them taking more than one player.

“We’ll have to see how the draft unfolds,” Duquette said. “We have some flexibility in terms of adding some people.”

At last check, the Orioles had 12 players who were still on their board.

“I’ll take the best one that impacts us,” Showalter said. “I know that’s cliché, but the offensive player has got to be able to defend and/or run. He’s got to bring something. Probably the defensive part of it is going to be big.

“A pitcher, you look at a bunch of them, they all have different risks and rewards. Some have performed at higher levels, some of them you roll the dice. For sure, we’ll take somebody.”

Among the Orioles minor leaguers left exposed in the draft, I think Triple-A Norfolk catcher Audry Perez is vulnerable. However, there’s a buzz here that another catcher, Austin Wynns, could be chosen because he impressed scouts in the Arizona Fall League.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/more-from-day-three-of-the-winter- meetings.html

More from Day Three of the Winter Meetings

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - If you come away with anything from these Winter Meetings, and it may be more than the Orioles do beyond the Rule 5 draft, it’s how executive vice president Dan Duquette is committed to finding a right fielder, a veteran catcher and maybe a reliever to improve the bullpen’s depth.

It’s just a matter of getting it done.

The effort isn’t lacking, with more discussions held today with agents and executives. And it appears that one day after leaning more toward the trade market, Duquette has changed his stance is more inclined to sign a free agent.

The cost is an issue either way, whether in dollars or prospects.

“We’re in the hunt and we’re still looking at outfielders and we’re trying to get a catcher, and we’ve got a little bit more clarity and a little bit closer to a couple of deals. And we continue to look at Rule 5 picks and see if we’re going to be active in that. Still looking for outfielders, a catcher and some pitching depth,” Duquette said.

“We’ve been focusing more on the free agents. We had two discussions with teams about a trade today and the prices are pretty high in terms of prospects for some of the trades we want to make, so we’re more focused on the free agent market.”

Another catcher came off the board today when A.J. Ellis agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Marlins. The Orioles liked him, from what I’ve been told, but they seem to prefer Welington Castillo or Nick Hundley if they can’t re-sign Matt Wieters.

In case you missed it earlier, Wieters remains on the Orioles’ board and agent Scott Boras told reporters the former first-round pick may not sign before January.

“When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs,” Boras said.

“He’s performed at high levels there. Matt has always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it’s certainly a possibility, yeah.”

Once again, Duquette confirmed that he’d be willing to go two years on a veteran catcher. He’s asked about it daily.

“We’re looking for a catcher to bridge the gap until we think we have a couple catchers in the minor leagues who can come up and help us, notably Chance Sisco. But in addition to Sisco, we want more experience around the major league team and there’s a couple catchers there who could help us,” Duquette said.

“Sometimes, if you wait the market comes to you. Sometimes, if you wait the market goes away. It depends. When I was in Boston, Mr. (John) Harrington used to say, ‘We can live with anybody for two years.’ So the two-year contracts, that’s always an option for the team.

“We want to have a catcher who can help us run the game and contribute offensively, and those catchers are hard to find.”

Just as hard as getting confirmation that Duquette is keeping the lines of communication open with outfielder Mark Trumbo’s agent.

“We had conversations with a number of agents today about outfielders,” Duquette said, declining to confirm whether Trumbo’s representative was among them.

During his annual Winter Meetings session with the media, manager Buck Showalter stated that he’d like to use his bench more often in 2017. He wants to rest certain players, including Adam Jones, whose all-out style of play leaves his body banged up.

“Oh, yeah, without a doubt,” Showalter said. “I wanted to do it last year and the year before. I don’t care, just because a guy is 24, 25, they need some mental days, too.

“I really want to give Adam ... As much as he’ll fight me on it, and we’ll talk about how much they want to play every day, and I want them to play every day, but believe me, this is as much their makeup as it is of us writing the lineup that way. I really want to do a better job of giving them some time here.

“It’s more you’re not going to recharge your body over a 162-game season. It’s more of a mental and emotional day away from it.”

It’s become a badge of honor for players to stay in the lineup. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop appeared in 162, Trumbo 159, Chris Davis and Manny Machado 157 and Jones 152.

“They like that,” Showalter said. “I don’t know, maybe it started with Cal (Ripken Jr.). Just something about it. They want to post up and be there and kind of play through some things.

“It’s one of those things, you’re not going to get them to come and say, ‘I need a day.’ You’re going to have to take the bull by the horns and just do it. But then if you do it, first thing is everybody is standing in front of their locker saying, ‘What’s wrong with you today?’ And you’re asking me that and rightfully so. So you actually create ...

“I think they get almost a guilt trip, and I don’t want to take that away from them. You’re actually making our club better because somebody’s playing makes him better and it’s giving you some time here or there.

“So what does that mean that Jonathan Schoop plays 159 instead of 162? How much of a difference is it that going to make? Usually the game makes you take some days off, but we’ll see.”

On the other hand, Showalter seems inclined to get Hyun Soo Kim into more games after using him in a platoon in left field during his first season in the U.S. It would require regular at-bats against left-handers.

“I’d like to,” Showalter said. “There’s nothing statistically in America, but it’s too small a sampling, way too small a sampling. I have any ideas, like certain left-handers that Pete (Pedro Alvarez) hit well last year and certain left-handers that I think Kim will hit well. If you look at his track record in Korea, it’s been pretty good.

“Like I said, there’s going to be a lot of things that are going to be a lot for comfortable for him this year, spring, just everything. It’s going to be interesting whether he plays in the WBC. He’s getting a lot of pressure, and rightfully so.”

Kim’s contract runs out after the 2017 season. Showalter has one more year beyond it, which led to the best exchange of the day.

A reporter asked whether Machado’s “situation,” referring to the third baseman’s pending free agency after 2018, brings additional emphasis or urgency on the upcoming year.

“Where is he going? There’s a rumor I’ll shoot down,” Showalter said.

“We’ve got control of him for how many years? This year and one more. That’s when my contract runs out. Timing’s everything.”

Cue the laughter.

“Manny’s not going to be here?” Showalter said, gesturing as if he was joining the Platinum Glove winner out the door. “There’s your answer. If he goes, I go. There’s a headline.”

More laughter.

We’ll find out later how serious the Orioles are about keeping Machado beyond 2018.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/duquette-on-bautista-trading-core-players- and-the-wbc.html

Duquette on Bautista, trading core players and the WBC

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The rivalry between the Orioles and Blue Jays took a comedic turn at the Winter Meetings, with executive vice president Dan Duquette pulling no punches while flattening any speculation that his club would pursue the veteran slugger in free agency.

The bat flips, glares and whatever power is left in the tank won’t be transported to Baltimore.

“Jose Bautista’s agent has been knocking on the Orioles door for a while and I told him, ‘Look, our fans don’t really like Jose Bautista.’ And they don’t. Not to mention that he has a qualifying offer attached to him,” Duquette said this afternoon.

“I just made a comment that we weren’t going to be pursuing their client. It’s true, the guy’s a villain in Baltimore.”

What if the price drops on the villain?

“I’ll have to check with the fans,” he replied.

Perhaps no one elicits more boos at Camden Yards than Bautista, especially with David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez moving into retirement. But the qualifying offer and potential cost also are factoring into Duquette’s decision to pass on a 36-year-old player who appeared in only 116 games this season and batted .234/366/.452 with 22 home runs. A player who’s widely disliked in the organization.

Bautista and Darren O’Day have their own nasty history, and the Orioles remember how the slugger glared at Jason Garcia in 2015 and coasted around the bases after hitting a home run off the Rule 5 pick - the reaction stemming from an earlier close pitch deemed intentional. Ryan Flaherty and Adam Jones yelled at Bautista and Jones continued to jaw at him upon reaching the dugout.

“We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division,” Duquette said. “We have a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think is good. And most of the time it’s healthy. Once in a while, people’s emotions get the best of them and as a leader on the team, the leader is the focal point. But this is a tough division.

“The American League East is tough and you’ve got those two behemoths in the north and then you’ve got a whole country a little bit further north. You play these teams 18-19 times during the season. In addition to that, we play them another four or five in spring training, so we’re in the same neighborhood with these people 24-25 times a year and it’s very competitive, so these things are going to happen. But it’s a pretty wide number of fans who don’t like this guy.”

Duquette likes third baseman Manny Machado and closer Zach Britton, and they’re off the table during trade talks.

“We have some real good core players on our roster that had great years and we consider them core players, but we’re looking to put our team together around those core players,” Duquette said. “We’re trying to assemble our team around those core players.”

No matter how many teams check on their availability, knowing they’re both free agents following the 2018 season.

“There’s always interest in your best players, but I don’t really talk about our best players in trade talks because people take that the wrong way,” Duquette said. “They don’t take it the way that it’s intended to be, and that is we like this player on our team and we’re putting our team together with them on the team. As soon as they’re mentioned in a trade discussion, it’s always the team is marketing them, and we’re not. We’re putting together our team around our closer and our best everyday ballplayer.”

As I wrote in the last entry, Britton declined an invitation to pitch for Team USA.

“I want to spend more time with my wife, son and newborn daughter,” he wrote in a text message to MASNsports.com. “I didn’t want to be on the road any more than I have to once the regular season starts. I hope I have the opportunity to play in the WBC when it next comes around again. This year just wasn’t ideal for me and my family.”

Hyun Soo Kim is on Korea’s preliminary roster, sparking a debate over whether leaving camp to participate in the games would be beneficial or a detriment in his second season in the U.S.

“That’s an interesting question because one of the things about Kim last year, he didn’t get off to a very good start because he was used to a much longer preparation period and spring training was much longer in Korea,” Duquette said.

“There’s two ways to look at that. If he’s out playing competitive games early on in spring training, he’s probably getting the reps there to get ready for the season. But I don’t know what his decision is going to be. That’s a personal decision and the club is going to support whatever he decides. I know he’s competed with Korea in just about all the international tournaments since he’s been a pro, so I don’t really know how important it is or where he will come down on it, but I can see how the WBC could help him by giving him a longer period. And this year there’s a built-in longer training period for the teams.”

ESPN reported today that reliever Mychal Givens is joining the Team USA roster, but the Orioles haven’t confirmed it.

“I don’t know that for a fact,” Duquette said. “I saw the report, but I’m not sure what Mychal’s interest is.”

Givens would be the fifth Oriole committed to the WBC, though final rosters aren’t set until February. And here’s where it gets complicated.

“Each team I guess is required to provide four players. I think it’s the max. But they’re encouraging teams to send players, but no more than four,” Duquette said.

“I think where you have a diverse roster, you can send more than four if you want, but under the guidelines set up by MLB, they’re encouraging teams to send four, but no more than four.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/zach-britton-declines-wbc-invitation.html

Zach Britton declines WBC invitation (and other notes)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles closer Zach Britton has declined an invitation from Joe Torre to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Britton was flattered by the offer, but he wanted to spend more time with his family, including a 1-month-old daughter, according to Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette.

Duquette said he’s unaware of Mychal Givens’ reported interest in joining Team USA. He also confirmed that major league clubs are encouraged to send players, but no more than four. Givens could make five from the Orioles, including Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop and Hyun Soo Kim.

As the Winter Meetings draw to a close on Thursday morning, Duquette has shifted his focus to the free agent market. He talked trades with a few more clubs today and found the asking price too high in prospects.

Duquette again refused to state whether he met with Mark Trumbo’s representatives. However, he confirmed that catcher Matt Wieters remains on the club’s board. They haven’t moved on from him.

The refusal to consider free agent outfielder Jose Bautista remains a source of humor at the meetings. Duquette repeated that he told Bautista’s representatives that Orioles fans dislike the guy, labeling him a villain, and there won’t be any negotiations.

Asked whether he might be interested if the villain’s price drops, Duquette laughed and replied, “I’ll have to check with the fans.”

How scientific is this fan poll?

“I’ve just been watching the games,” he said.

The desire to improve pitching depth is centered more on the bullpen than the rotation, another sign that the Orioles are willing to trade a reliever. The Braves reportedly checked on Brad Brach, but they felt the Orioles wanted too much in return, beginning with outfielder Mallex Smith.

The Orioles will be active in the Rule 5 draft. They hold the 23rd pick in the first round, which could improve as other teams pass, and may attempt to move down again, as they did at the 2014 meetings to pick up pitcher Jason Garcia.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/more-from-showalters-media-session.html

More from Showalter’s media session

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - You saw the bullet points from Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s media session this afternoon. Now you can read the quotes.

On his reaction to big trades and signings at the Winter Meetings: “Sometimes we have a selective memory. I try to, but this went on last year to some extent and the year before, whether it’s the Yankees or whether it’s the Red Sox or the Blue Jays or whoever. It’s part of the job description in our division. I was thinking about it today, it’s kind of like the tortoise and hare story. We’re kind of the tortoise in Winter Meetings. Sometimes they catch up to the hare. And they’ll pick us to finish last in the division and we’ll take on that role again.”

On his confidence in the rotation: “We have six starters that are capable of starting and pitching well in the major leagues and have in the past. I hate saying that, we have four guys on the last year of their contracts because it’s a reflection that they didn’t put as much effort into the first whatever, and that’s not the case. But it’s obvious over the track record of people that they have a tendency to do that.

“We’re actually getting calls on our starting pitching because we potentially have a surplus, and you put Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson and some other guys in there ...I was hoping to go to 26, that we might carry that 13th pitcher. We could also entertain going with six starters. We’re not going to give them away. We’ll see how Dylan (Bundy) is doing in the spring, about where he’s going to fit.

“We’re going to hopefully have a full season with Darren (O’Day) and have Donnie Hart maybe for all year, and those are two things that we didn’t have last year. We think Mychal (Givens) has made great strides. He’s a guy we can trust. I like where we are pitching. And I know that will probably bring some eye rolls from a lot of people, but you look at Dylan’s progress and the way ... probably our best pitcher the last month or so, and (Wade) Miley finished up strong. A lot of our guys had their best months in September.

“I know what looks on paper, when you look at what the Red Sox are going to run out there and the Yankees and Blue Jays, but we’ll see. We’ll see.”

On Bundy’s innings: “I’m just going to say it again, I don’t see we’re going to do anything differently with Dylan that we wouldn’t with (Kevin) Gausman or Mike Wright or any of those young pitchers. He’s almost two years ... you’ve got to tell me exactly how long he’s removed from that surgery. I was going to say he’s probably healthier than some people who haven’t had that surgery yet. So innings-wise I’m not going to penalize and let him get penalized for that to start in our rotation. I think he’s one of our five best.”

On Wright as a starter: “Yes, I think Mike, he’s always got potential to do both, but I want all of these guys to continue down that path because we’re going to need them. We’re going to need all of them. And a lot of guys that have done well in the big leagues have followed the path that Mike has followed where they had some struggles early on. There’s a guy (Jake Arrieta) pitching for the Cubs right now that had a very similar path to Mike Wright.”

On the key free agents who could leave the Orioles: “Who knows what is going to happen with Matt (Wieters) and (Mark Trumbo) and Pedro (Alvarez). A lot of people keep forgetting about Pedro in that whole deal. He’s pretty solid for us, one of the better DHs in the American League.

“Matt’s going to end up a good place and I haven’t turned my back on the fact that he might be with us, because this market, like back to the tortoise and the hare, you have to be good at judging how this thing is going to fall when the chairs stop moving around who has a chair. But Matt’s going to have a big chair. He’s going to do well.”

On whether the door is open to re-sign Trumbo: “Oh, sure. It’s always been. We made a big point of emphasis to know who we are and who we are not. Trying to stay consistent with that. Every once in a while you do something that might just step out of what that is, but that’s not up to me. That’s up to ownership. We’ve got as supportive of owner for our market as any manager could possibly ask for. Been rock solid.”

On Adam Jones not being leadoff hitter in 2017: “I always leave myself some wiggle room. You all know enough and (have) seen enough. I’d really rather strongly not be. I would really rather strongly rather it would have been last year.”

On whether he’d move Jones to right: “I don’t see that. The way we’re currently constructed, no, I’m not going to put that out there. Adam’s our center fielder and does a great job with it.”

On needing to decide on a catcher quicker than other positions: “That market goes in a hurry. There’s times that we can see it, you don’t have to strike with it, but a person’s got to be there. I’m thinking the right person, you know, currently in-house, without getting into who that might be. We’re going to have some maneuverability on our roster. We’re only 36 now. We’re going to be able to move some things around, unlike a lot of these clubs that aren’t.”

On whether it’s wise for Hyun Soo Kim to play in the World Baseball Classic: “I’m real sensitive to the pressure those guys are under. I know a little bit more than what I’m going to speak about here about where he is at playing or not playing.

“We’re going to support all of our guys in the WBC. I’m going to look out what’s best for the Orioles, but also you’re trying to bridge that with what pressures. I know it’s real important to Korea. And whichever way he decides to go, we’re going to be in full support of it.

“Would I rather he play, not play, we all have a perfect world scenario. I think about all the things that challenged him last year that are not going to challenge him this year, and we talk about guys that could go to another level, I think he’s got that potential. We saw flashes of it. You know, the left-handed pitching thing just kind of snowballed. He’s a lot better than that. I think he’s an adequate defender, a guy that I could play right field instead of left field if we needed to, especially in our ballpark. There’s a lot of things that we talked about, some other people.”

On whether Kim has the skill set to lead off: “He’s got statistical skills. We were in the meeting today, how much strikeouts are at an all-time high, walks are at an all-time high, stolen bases on the bottom. I think we’re seeing the evolution of a lot of things as we viewed them growing up. So what’s the most important attribute of a leadoff guy? Only leading off one time per game, once, and we put so much on this. So I guess it’s on-base percentage.”

On whether it’s important for the club to steal more bases: “You’ve got to understand who you are, and I understood who we weren’t. We’ve tried a little bit pushing it, trying to make it happen and it just wasn’t there. It wasn’t in our skill set. It’s something that Dan (Duquette) talked a lot about, but you just can’t ... You can take a guy that can steal some of bases and can’t hit or you take a guy that can steal a lot of bases in the minor leagues, but he can’t steal in the big leagues because the pitchers are faster to the plate and the catchers throw better.

“I think that’s part of the evolution of stolen bases is how much better pitchers are at holding runners. They’re teaching the change-up at Aberdeen and also telling them to be below 1.3 at the plate.”

On whether there’s interest in Chris Carter: “I haven’t heard that one time in the room. But that doesn’t mean ... Dan does a lot of things stealth, but where I’m concerned, ignorance is bliss.”

On Michael Saunders: “That’s a name, that’s a name. Definitely from a medical standpoint, he should be fine. Someone will end up with a good player there.”

On Nick Hundley: “Always talk with and about Nick. Good for somebody. Obviously, he’s on our list.”

On whether Michael Bourn’s name has come up: “Oh, yeah. That’s the thing, when Dan is looking at the Rule 5 guys, if you view guys as a fourth outfielder and they look at themselves as a second or third, and God bless them, they should, but it’s what price you’re paying. I don’t want to mention names because that doesn’t mean they’re a fourth outfielder and getting $7 or $8 million and projected not to start for a team, we can’t do that.

“Talk more about Dariel Alvarez. Wouldn’t forget about him.”

On whether Chris Davis is fine with playing right field: “Chris will do whatever the team needs him to do, but over the long haul I wouldn’t want to do it. I think physically it would be a big toll on him, and before I came here I kind of weighed into him about, I want to make sure I wasn’t saying ‘no’ and he wants to do it. You don’t assume anything. But Chris will do whatever the team needs him to do for periods of time. Like Manny (Machado) going over to shortstop. But we tried to create that, what the team needs. But long term, right field, I don’t think it’s good for our infield defense.”

On decompressing after a disappointing end to the season: “I think they all do. I think that’s why spring is so ... I don’t know, I don’t want to get too deep, uplifting, whatever the word you want to use. It’s a fresh start. It’s spring. You know, flowers are blooming, everyone is going to hit .300 that hit .190 last year and some pitcher is magically going to be throwing the ball over the plate and you’re going to be playing in late October, and then reality sets in.

“The way our season ended, it was a deep cut and abrupt and hurts and still hurts. I’m hoping at some point it goes away, but I think I will abate some, but never completely go away. You wear it real deeply.”

It’s time for Duquette’s media session. I’ll pass along more from Showalter later today.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/showalter-on-rumors-his-roster-and-the- rule-5-draft.html

Showalter on rumors, his roster and the Rule 5 draft

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter fulfilled his obligation today of meeting with the media inside the press room at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Taking to his new setting, he decided to assist us by addressing whichever rumors were tossed his way.

Showalter said he hasn’t heard Chris Carter’s name mentioned once this week inside executive vice president Dan Duquette’s suite. Same with Seth Smith and Brett Gardner.

However, Showalter confirmed the club’s interest in catchers Welington Castillo and Nick Hundley, and outfielders Michael Saunders and Michael Bourn. Those names have been discussed.

The Orioles are doing their homework on Saunders regarding his health and whether he’d pass their physical.

I’ll pass along quotes later today. In the meantime, here are some bullet items:

* Showalter said the Orioles will take one or two players in the Rule 5 draft and probably will make a selection or two in the minor league phase. He’d like the major league players to be plus defenders. He said the list has been whittled down to 12 players.

* Showalter said Duquette’s comment about the Orioles not wanting outfielder Jose Bautista because he’s a villain in Baltimore was “tongue in cheek.”

* The Orioles continue to draw interest on their starters and Showalter said he could entertain using all six of them. “We’re not going to give them away.”

* Showalter said he’s not going to monitor Dylan Bundy’s innings any more than he would Kevin Gausman or any other starter.

* Adam Jones isn’t moving out of center field and Chris Davis isn’t leaving first base.

* Showalter still prefers to move Jones out of the leadoff role.

* Showalter hasn’t closed the door on the Orioles re-signing Matt Wieters, Mark Trumbo or Pedro Alvarez. He won’t turn his back on them.

* The preference is to have a designated hitter who can play other positions.

* Mike Wright will continue to work as a starter rather than move into a relief role.

* Showalter wants to give Hyun Soo Kim more at-bats against left-handers. He’d also like to use his bench more this season and rest certain veterans.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/12/trade-the-stars-os-not-going-there-right- now.html

Trade the stars? O’s not going there right now

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com December 8, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette made it very clear yesterday, but it was no surprise anyway, that the Orioles are not shopping closer Zach Britton and/or third baseman Manny Machado. They are players the Orioles are looking to build around - two of their top core players - not players they want to subtract from a contending team. Or at least a team that has designs on contending again in 2017.

The issue the Orioles are facing is trying to win in the present versus building for the future. Their farm system probably only has one top 100 prospect right now in catcher Chance Sisco. They could easily add to that by trading either Britton or Machado, and they could litter it with top 100 talent by trading both.

Get a haul of future talent now for players you may lose via free agency in two years or ride it out now with said players and try to win? The Orioles are clearly in it to win it right now, even if they are not spending big this winter and don’t have the prospects to be in the hunt for a pitcher like Chris Sale.

It is probably grating to some fans that the Red Sox could land Sale and the Orioles could not. The Orioles have more than held their own with Boston on the field the last few years, but the Red Sox farm system was simply so much better than most right now that they could land both Sale and reliever Tyler Thornburg yesterday.

If the Orioles wanted to start moving All-Stars, they could improve their farm system in a matter of days, maybe even hours. The Chicago White Sox are doing so now. But the White Sox are not going to contend for the postseason next year and the Orioles plan to. So for now, according to Duquette, acquiring that haul of prospects is not on the agenda.

Rule 5 draft is today: The Rule 5 draft, an event where the Orioles have added players like Ryan Flaherty, T.J. McFarland, Jason Garcia and Joey Rickard, is today. It’s the final event of these Winter Meetings. The Orioles could even take two players. Those that don’t like the team making Rule 5 picks should avoid baseball news this morning. My guess is no Oriole will be taken by another team in the major league phase of the draft.

For more on the Rule 5, I went to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper earlier this week. He is the top authority anywhere on this draft and you can read his comments here.

More with Law: ESPN’s Keith Law always provides some thought-provoking opinions. He did so during our interview on Wednesday afternoon and I published a few here yesterday. Here are a few more:

Law looks at the Chris Sale to Boston trade: “I thought it was good for both as long as Sale stays healthy. Folks who’ve read me for a while know I’ve never liked the delivery. I think the White Sox have done a great job. Every time his elbow has barked a bit, he’s gotten a start or two of rest and he’s always managed to avoid the catastrophic injury.

“If he’s healthy though, he’s a top-five pitcher in the league. When you acquire someone like that with three years left at a reasonable contract, you are going to give up a lot. They gave up two of the top 25 or so prospects in baseball. A third guy that is still a good prospect - certainly in the top 10 for the White Sox - and a fourth guy that is a prospect in the sense that he will eventually play in the big leagues.”

Law on if Boston is now the clear AL East favorite: “Well they lose (David) Ortiz and that is losing quite a bit of production. But they gain Sale. I think Sale ends up pushing the back end of their rotation out. They’ve gotten their pitching better, but they are probably only a win or two better on paper than they were. Because Ortiz was not just good, he had one of the best years of his career. I think Sale makes up that ground and a little bit more. But I don’t think he creates that much separation between them and the Orioles and the Blue Jays. I think the Blue Jays have more holes to fill than the Orioles right now, but I put those two teams right now ahead of the Yankees and Rays.

“I never want to confuse the team that made the most moves with the team that had the best winter. Like value for value, the Thornburg deal for Boston was better. For Sale, they gave up a ton of value to get a great pitcher. For Thornburg, they got a helluva reliever who makes no money for three guys they don’t really consider substantial prospects.”

Lunch with Brady: As part of Major League Baseball’s “Play Ball” charity auction at the Winter Meetings, several Orioles-themed experiences are included to help raise support for the renovation of an existing youth baseball and softball field, as well as youth programming, in memory of late New York Mets public relations executive Shannon Forde.

The auction is now live at MLB.com/Shannon until tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern time. All proceeds from the auction will fund the renovations through MLB Charities.

Here is one of the Orioles-themed experiences: Two fans will have the chance to work out with former Orioles outfielder and current Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Afterward, they will learn about nutrition and enjoy a healthy lunch with Anderson in the team cafeteria. Also included in the package will be two tickets to another day’s game. Travel is not included.

Go here to bid on the workout and lunch with Anderson. This charity previously provided some benefits to the Lungevity Foundation, a charity that former Orioles public relations director Monica Barlow was very fond of.

“First of all, this is for a great cause,” Anderson said “Those are two women who were highly thought of, highly regarded and widely loved throughout baseball. The baseball community reached out to the Orioles in support of Monica. We are doing the same thing in support of Shannon. It is a chance to experience a real training session. You’ll have me and our strength coaches put you through a session based on your needs and desires and capabilities. Last year, the winners of the auction got to run some intervals with our pitchers, who were more than happy to watch and help them. And this is for a terrific cause.”

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/12/espns-keith-law-on-sisco-trumbo-britton- and-more.html

ESPN’s Keith Law on Chance Sisco, Mark Trumbo, Zach Britton and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - In asking ESPN’s Keith Law today about what it would take for a team like the Orioles to trade for outfielder Adam Eaton, he mentioned that it would be tough. The package would probably have to start with their No. 1 prospect, catcher Chance Sisco, Law said.

The point is moot now; Eaton was traded to the Nationals this afternoon and the price was very high. The Nats surrendered three pitching prospects, including top mound prospect Lucas Giolito.

But back to Sisco. In answering that question, Law had some praise for the O’s prized young catcher, whose name has come up often here this week.

“The sense I get from the Orioles is they don’t want to move Chance Sisco, because that is their catcher of the future,” Law said. “And I agree. At worst, you’ve got a solid average everyday catcher for a long time. When you look at his experience, there is some upside there. He could end up being well above average.”

Here is Law’s take on several other topics:

Law on Mark Trumbo and whether he feels Trumbo is worth a high price tag: “If he was looking for $80 million over four years, I would say, Thank you for a wonderful season and best of luck to you.’ Even at his best, he is probably not a $20 million dollar (per year) player.

“The year he had for the Orioles was the best of his career. I would not pay him on the basis on him playing like that again. I’d pay him based on what I think he is going to be in the future, which is a low OBP guy, 30-plus homers who really can’t play any position. He is best cast as a DH.

“If you think he can retain 90 percent of what he did last year, then he’s probably a $15 million a year player. I’m a skeptic. Guys like that - low-OBP, high-strikeout guys - are probably my least favorite type of hitter. I feel there is much volatility. So much has to go right to overcome a sub- .310 OBP and still have offensive value.”

With the high price tag for late-inning relievers, Law feels the O’s must be open to listening to offers for Zach Britton: “I understand Orioles fans will hear this and want to throttle me. Not only is he great, he’s fun to watch and he had one of the greatest relief seasons in this closer era that we may ever see, past or future.

“You look at what did (Aroldis) Chapman get in a mid-year deal? What did (Andrew) Miller get with some control left? Each of those guys is fetching two blue-chip prospects and two others pieces. Could you get that for Britton? For teams that say, ‘I’m not paying Aroldis Chapman, with all his off-field character questions, $80 or $90 million’. Kenley Jansen is in a class by himself. After him, they all have question marks and Britton probably doesn’t. He has as clean a resume as you’ll find in the closer market.”

Could Britton bring a return headed by two top 100 prospects?: “Absolutely. I would not trade him if I were not getting that. I would even say two top 50 or 60 guys. For the Orioles, I might want one of them to be a pitcher. Because they have had trouble developing healthy starters through the system. Let’s just get a guy who is a year away and put the finishing touches on him.”

Law on free agent catcher Welington Castillo: “I like him. He’s a good hitter for a catcher. His framing numbers are fair. They’re not terrible. He got painted as being terrible when he got non- tendered by Arizona. I don’t think that’s fair. As a one-year stopgap for them while they wait for Sisco - assuming that is the long-term plan - I’d be fine with that.” Law also pointed out that Castillo could even get a two- or three-year deal.

On some outfielders said to be available via trade: “It sounds like Jarrod Dyson’s trade value is going to be pretty high. I don’t know if they would do an in-division trade, but Brett Gardner gives you defense and on-base and he’s not powerless. It sounds like the Yankees are fairly motivated to move him. I’ve heard Odubel Herrera, who doesn’t make any money, is potentially available. Some on-base ability and can probably play all three outfield spots for you. You probably would have to give up some prospects because he has two years of service and cost nothing this year. He was a Rule 5 guy that turned into a heckuva big leaguer.”

You can help a great cause: As part of Major League Baseball’s ‘Play Ball’ charity auction at the Winter Meetings, several Orioles-themed experiences are included to help raise support for the renovation of an existing youth baseball and softball field, as well as youth programming, in memory of late New York Mets public relations executive Shannon Forde.

The auction is now live at MLB.com/Shannon until Thursday, Dec. 8, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. All proceeds from the auction will fund the renovations through MLB Charities.

Spring training workout and lunch with Brady Anderson: Here is one of the Orioles-themed experiences: Two fans will have the chance to work out with former Orioles outfielder and current Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Afterward, they will learn about nutrition and enjoy a healthy lunch with Anderson in the team cafeteria. Also included in the package will be two tickets to another day’s game. Travel is not included.

Go here to bid on the workout and lunch with Anderson. This charity previously provided some benefits to the Lungevity Foundation, a charity that former Orioles public relations director Monica Barlow was very fond of.

“First of all this is for a great cause,” Anderson said this afternoon. “Those are two women who were highly thought of, highly regarded and widely loved throughout baseball. The baseball community reached out to the Orioles in support of Monica. We are doing the same thing in support of Shannon. It is a chance to experience a real training session. You’ll have me and our strength coaches put you through a session based on your needs and desires and capabilities. Last year, the winners of the auction got to run some intervals with our pitchers, who were more than happy to watch and help them. And this is for a terrific cause.”

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/12/scott-boras-on-matt-wieters-zach-britton- and-pedro-alvarez.html

Scott Boras on Matt Wieters, Zach Britton and Pedro Alvarez

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md - Baseball’s most prominent agent, Scott Boras, said today that the door is still open for his client, catcher Matt Wieters, to return to the Orioles.

He was asked if the free agent has played his last game with the Orioles.

“Well, no, I mean, look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners,” Boras said. “When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs. He’s, you know, won Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers there. And the ERA of the pitching staff is one run lower than when other catchers catch. I think Baltimore has a real commodity there. He’s performed at high levels there. Matt has always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it’s (a return to the team) certainly a possibility, yeah.”

The market for Wieters is certainly not defined yet and there have been almost no rumors or speculation on which teams have strong interest in in him. But Boras said the process of talking to clubs has begun.

“I think it’s, you know, all the teams kind of check in on catching,” he said. “We’ve been meeting with clubs about him and we’re kind of going through the process of scheduling things with him and then meetings and such, so it’s going fine.”

Boras was asked how many teams have shown interest in Wieters.

“Well, the clubs that need catching are pretty well defined,” Boras said. “And some are thinking about moving players to make room for him so, the timetable always on catching, I don’t know what it is, I can’t think of one I’ve represented that didn’t sign in January.”

Free agent Pedro Alvarez is also on the market right now after batting .249 with 22 homers and 49 RBIs for the Orioles.

“I’ve talked to a number of teams about him,” Boras said. “Pedro is actually going to start playing the outfield, as well. He’s obviously working at first base and we’re going to try and get his defensive acumen more in the field as his career goes forward. Obviously, anybody that needs left-handed power is going to be interested in Pedro.”

Orioles closer Zach Britton, who saved 47 of 47 games and finished fourth in the Cy Young vote, is also a Boras client and due to make an estimated $11.4 million in arbitration. He has two years of team control left and Boras indicated today there have been no recent extension talks between him and the club on Britton.

“Usually, those things come up in January. Dan (Duquette) and I, we really, the arbitration- eligible players, mostly that contract part is done then,” he said.

http://insider.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post/_/id/32461/mlb-rumor-central-orioles-eyeing- yankees-of-brett-gardner-in-trade

MLB Rumor Central: Orioles eyeing Yankees OF Brett Gardner in trade?

By Nick Ostiller / ESPN.com December 8, 2016

The Baltimore Orioles might be a possible landing spot for Brett Gardner if the New York Yankees decide to trade their leadoff man this winter, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

However, Heyman writes that the Orioles would prefer their division rival cover some of Gardner's salary in any potential deal.

The 33-year-old outfielder will earn $12 million in 2017 and $11 million in 2018. His contract includes a $12.5 million club option in 2019 with a $2 million buyout attached.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters at the winter meetings that he "wouldn't be afraid to deal Brett Gardner within the AL East," per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, who also reported that Baltimore manager Buck Showalter expressed doubts about Cashman's stance.

Gardner slashed .261/.351/.362 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and 80 runs scored last season.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/12/08/orioles-buck-showalter-adam-jones-will-stay-in- center-field

Buck Showalter: Adam Jones Will Stay In Center Field

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com December 8, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Who will be in the Baltimore Orioles' lineup next season? Manager Buck Showalter isn't sure, but he thinks Adam Jones will remain in center field.

If the Orioles had signed outfielder Dexter Fowler last February, he would have had to play right field, a position he hadn't played, and still hasn't.

Jones remained in center field last season, the only position he's played since coming to Baltimore in 2008, and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere.

Fowler is again a free agent, and the Orioles have been linked to him, as they have with nearly every other outfielder, but Jones will not be moved to right field.

"I don't see that," Showalter said. "The way we're currently constructed, no, I'm not going to put that out there. Adam's our center fielder and does a great job with it."

Showalter's comments came at the MLB Winter Meetings Dec. 7, as he answered a wide variety of questions.

Jones batted leadoff for much of last season, and when the season ended, Showalter indicated he'd like to move him from the top of the order. He's hoping the next leadoff batter is already on the roster.

"I'm always going to look at it that way, and it could be impacted by the Rule 5 draft," Showalter said. "I could tell you more who it's not going to be."

As for Jones doing it again, Showalter won't rule it out.

"I always leave myself some wiggle room," he said. "... I would really, rather strongly, rather it would have been [someone else leading off] last year."

Showalter toyed with some of the names that have been mentioned as possible Orioles targets. He said first baseman/designated hitter Chris Carter, who was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, hadn't been discussed. Nor had outfielder Brett Gardner, because he said the New York Yankees won't make a deal with the Orioles.

He likes outfielder Michael Saunders as well as catchers Welington Castillo and Nick Hundley, who backed up free-agent catcher Matt Wieters for the Orioles in 2014.

Showalter has had designated hitters, such as Vladimir Guerrero and Pedro Alvarez, who he was reluctant to play in the field. If rookie Trey Mancini sticks with the club as the designated hitter, he won't be a hitter only.

"I'd rather him go play first base, and get Chris [Davis] off the field for a day or two," Showalter said.

Showalter is also forever being asked about other team's moves and the Orioles' reaction to them.

"It's kind of like the tortoise and hare story," he said. "We're kind of the tortoise in winter meetings. Sometimes they catch up to the hare, and they will pick us to finish last in the division, and we'll take on that role again."

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/12/07/what-the-rule-5-draft-really-means-to-the-orioles

What The Rule 5 Draft Really Means To The Orioles

By Stan Charles / PressBoxOnline.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Look, I know it's too early to judge how good or bad the 2017 Orioles will be come April 3, when they host the Toronto Blue Jays for their season opener. That would be like judging a book by its cover or judging how good a movie is one-hour in. And truly, that isn't fair.

What is fair is to judge the process and what that process says about the other 364 days in the calendar year when it comes to the Orioles and their development of players. I mention 364 days because that leaves Dec. 8, 2017, the Orioles' version of Groundhog Day -- otherwise known in the industry as the Rule 5 draft.

When executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette took over for former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail in November 2011, the Orioles' farm system and list of recent major leaguers were a good tick better than they had been for the previous 25-30 years. There was catcher Matt Wieters, third baseman Manny Machado, second baseman Jonathan Schoop, left-hander Zach Britton, and right-handers Jake Arrieta and Dylan Bundy. Before that, the O's also had right fielder Nick Markakis and second baseman Brian Roberts establish themselves.

You have to go back to the early 1990s to add three pitchers to the list of homegrown Orioles: right-handed reliever Gregg Olsen and right-handed starters Ben McDonald and Mike Mussina.

Before that, you really have to go way back to the late 1970s and early 1980s to find first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop/third baseman Cal Ripken Jr. and right-handed starter Mike Boddicker, who came to the majors within six years of each other from 1977-1982. That's not a lot of direct production from your minor leagues during a 29-year period.

Sure, the Orioles have fielded good teams since their last World Series win in 1983. There was the "Why Not?" 1989 season and the two-year run in 1996 and 1997 before the 14-year drought from 1998-2011.

That's a miserable record of developing talent from about 1982-2007. You can look up the meaningful ballplayers the Orioles have had in their uniforms, from catchers Mickey Tettleton and Chris Hoiles; to outfielders Brady Anderson, Bobby Bonilla and B.J. Surhoff; to first baseman Rafael Palmeiro; to second baseman Roberto Alomar; to left-handed starters David Wells and Jimmy Key; to right-handed starter Kevin Brown; to third baseman Melvin Mora. Almost 90 percent of significant players on the Orioles' rosters during these 25 years have come by way of free agency or trades.

And that brings us back to Dec. 8 and the new way the Orioles have added inexpensive talent -- with the Rule 5 draft. Since Duquette came on board, they have chosen utility man Ryan Flaherty (2011), left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland (2012), third baseman Michael Almanzar (2013), righties Jason Garcia and Logan Verrett (2014) and outfielder Joey Rickard (2015).

So, stir that stew up for a while, and what looked like a fun and creative way to augment an organizational deficiency has turned into an exercise that really has little impact on winning for the Orioles.

Yet still, Dec. 8, look for a minimum of two Rule 5 draft picks to be made by the club on the major league level and an additional two to be plucked in the minor league Rule 5 as well.

In essence, the club's new era of futility at developing young players, which in turn gives them so little ammunition to make key trades, has really amounted to an almost sleight of hand -- distracting fans from the paucity in the farm system.

This, and not majority owner Peter Angelos' budget control, serves as the club's biggest impediment to winning.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/12/07/dan-duquette-jose-bautista-is-a-villain-in-baltimore

Dan Duquette: Jose Bautista Is 'A Villain In Baltimore'

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Orioles fans need players to hate. For years, they booed Boston's David Ortiz and New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. But those players have all retired.

One player reviled by Orioles fans, longtime Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista, is a free agent, and Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said on a Toronto radio station Dec. 6 that he wouldn't sign the slugger because of the enmity Orioles fans have for him.

Not only do Orioles fans have issues with Bautista, but so do Orioles players. He's tangled with center fielder Adam Jones and reliever Darren O'Day.

"Jose Bautista's agent's been knocking on the Orioles' door for a while. I told him, 'Look, our fans don't really like Jose Bautista,' and they don't.

"Not to mention he has a qualifying offer attached to him, and I just made a comment in that we weren't going to be pursuing their client. It's true, the guy's a villain in Baltimore."

When asked if Bautista would be more attractive if his price dropped, Duquette cracked: "I'll have to ask our fans."

Duquette is aware of Bautista's unpopularity in the clubhouse.

"We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division," Duquette said. " We have a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think is good. Most of the time it's healthy. Once in a while, people's emotions get the best of them, and as a leader on the team, the leader's the local point.

"This is a tough division. The American League East is tough. You've got those two behemoths in the north, and then you've got a whole country a little further north. You play these teams, what 18 times? Nineteen times during the season? In addition to that, we play them another four or five times in spring training. We're in the same neighborhood with these people, 24, 25 times a year, and it's very competitive, so these things are going to happen. It's a pretty wide number of fans that don't like this guy."

He was asked if he had taken a poll.

"I've just been watching the games," he laughed.

Closer Zach Britton and third baseman Manny Machado have two years before they become free agents, and other teams would love to have them.

Duquette declined to say if other teams had made legitimate offers for them.

"We have some real good core players on our roster that had great years, and we consider them core players," he said. "We're looking to put our team together around those core players. We're trying to assemble our team around those core players."

"There's always interest in our best players, but I don't really talk about our best players in trade talks because people take that the wrong way. They don't take it the way that it's intended to be, and that is we like this player on our team and we're putting the team together with them on the team. As soon as they're mentioned in a trade discussion, it's always, 'the team is marketing them,' and we're not. We're putting our team around our closer and our best everyday ballplayer."

Duquette said Britton had declined an opportunity to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and that the team would still consider re-signing free agent catcher Matt Wieters.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/12/07/scott-boras-thinks-theres-still-a-chance-for-orioles- matt-wieters

Scott Boras Thinks There's Still A Chance For Orioles, Matt Wieters

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Renowned professional sports agent Scott Boras has many clients on the Baltimore Orioles. A year ago, the uber-agent negotiated a $161 million contract for first baseman Chris Davis.

These days, he's busy negotiating with the Orioles about catcher Matt Wieters.

The Orioles are looking at other catchers, and one of them is Welington Castillo, who was non- tendered by the Arizona Diamondbacks Dec. 2, but there's some sentiment for bringing Wieters back.

"Matt's always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it's always a possibility," Boras said to a crowd of reporters in his annual MLB Winter Meetings scrum Dec. 7.

"All the teams kind of check in on catching, and we've been meeting with clubs about him. We're kind of going through the process of scheduling things with him, meetings with such, so it's going fine."

There are reports the Atlanta Braves, who were a possible landing spot for Wieters, aren't interested. Nor are the Houston Astros, who acquired Brian McCann in a trade from the New York Yankees.

Former Astros catcher Jason Castro signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins, and former Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who had knee surgery Oct. 14, has reportedly reached a two-year deal, pending physical, with the Tampa Bay Rays.

All of the above could help the Orioles, who are looking at Castillo, Wieters and others, including the once-upon-a-time backup to Wieters, Nick Hundley.

"The clubs that need catching are pretty well defined, so -- and some are thinking about moving players to make room for him -- so the timetable always on catching, I don't know what it is, it's always been, I can't think of one I've represented that didn't sign in January, but they do [sign]," Boras said.

Wieters underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2014, when the Orioles won the American League East. They were a wild-card team in 2012 and 2016 with Wieters behind the plate.

"Look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners," Boras said. "When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs. He's won Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers there, and his ERA of the pitching staff is one run lower than when other catchers catch. I think Baltimore has a real commodity there. He's performed at high levels there."

Boras' other Orioles free agent is the defensively challenged Pedro Alvarez.

"I've talked to a number of teams about him, and Pedro's going to start playing the outfield as well, and he's obviously working at first base, so we're going to try and get his defensive acumen more in the field as his career goes forward. Obviously, anybody who needs left-handed power is going to be interested in him," Boras said.

Two years from now, closer Zach Britton could be a highly sought after free agent, but the time to discuss an extension isn't right now, Boras said.

"Usually those things come up in January," Boras said. "[For] the arbitration-eligible players mostly, that contract part is done then."

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/12/07/duquette-bautista-true-guys-villain-baltimore/

Duquette on Bautista: ‘It’s true. The guy’s a villain in Baltimore’

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com December 7, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Jose Bautista probably has been Enemy No. 1 at Camden Yards for the past few years, but now that David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez are retired, there’s no question that the former Toronto Blue Jays superstar right fielder is in a class by himself when it comes to vitriol from Orioles fans.

And that definitely has played a part in the Orioles’ lack of interest in Bautista, a free-agent this winter, despite the Orioles’ need for a right fielder, according to the man who makes those decisions.

“Well, Jose Bautista’s agent has been knocking on the Orioles door for a while and I told him, ‘Look, our fans don’t really like Jose Bautista. And they don’t,” said Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette. “Not to mention he has a qualifying offer attached to him. I just made a comment in that we weren’t going to be pursuing their client. It’s true. The guy’s a villain in Baltimore.”

When asked, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion whether Duquette would sign the villain if his price dropped, Duquette quipped: “I’ll have to check with the fans.”

Duquette offered the sentiment about the fans and Bautista a few times in the past 24 hours, and reiterated it again when he met with the local media Wednesday afternoon.

Bautista, who actually debuted with the Orioles as a Rule 5 pick in 2004 but lasted just 16 games before being waived, became one of baseball’s best players after joining the Blue Jays.

In that time, he also became one of the most despised in the sport, due to his frequent histrionics including exaggerated bat flips and constant grousing about ball-and-strike calls. A couple times over the years he has jawed with Orioles’ reliever Darren O’Day. And Bautista irked the entire Orioles’ squad in April 2015, when he slowly trotted the bases on a home run off Jason Garcia a few pitches after the exceptionally wild rookie threw behind Bautista. Several Orioles, including team leader, Adam Jones, barked at Bautista during that game, saying Bautista knew the wild pitch wasn’t intentional and inferring that Bautista doesn’t respect the game.

When asked if Duquette thought about the current Orioles’ reaction to such a signing, he replied: “We have a good rivalry with several teams in the division. We have a very spirited rivalry with the Jays, which I think is good. Once in a while, people’s emotions get the best of them and, as a leader on the team, the leader’s the focal point.

“This is a tough division. American League East is tough. You’ve got those two behemoths in the North and you’ve got a whole country a little bit further north. And you play these teams what, 18 times, 19 times during the season? In addition to that, we play them another four or five (times) in spring training. So, we’re in the same neighborhood with these people 24, 25 times a year and it’s very competitive. So, these things are going to happen. It’s a pretty wide number of fans that don’t like this guy.”

Duquette was jokingly asked whether he took a poll to determine fans’ distaste for Bautista.

“I’ve just been watching the games.”

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/12/07/boras-wieters-market-alvarez-outfield-britton- extension-talks/

Boras: On Wieters’ market; Alvarez and the outfield; Britton and extension talks

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com BaltimoreBaseball.com

Player agent Scott Boras said that he has talked to multiple teams this week about free agent Matt Wieters, but that, in his experience, the market for catchers typically doesn’t come to fruition until later in the offseason.

“We’ve been meeting with clubs about him and have been going through the process, scheduling things with him and then having meetings and such. It’s going fine,” Boras said about Wieters. “The clubs that need catching are pretty well defined. And some are thinking about moving players to make room for him. So, the timetable always on catching. … I can’t think of one I’ve represented that didn’t sign in January. But they do.”

The 30-year-old Wieters, who has spent the duration of his seven-year career with the Orioles, will not resume baseball activities until January after lacerating his left arm in a home accident earlier this offseason.

It’s not expected to affect his 2017 season, but where he ends up playing may not be determined for a while. Boras says he believes Baltimore is still an option – and the Orioles’ brass has not ruled out a reunion with their four-time All Star.

“Matt has always enjoyed playing in Baltimore, so it certainly is a possibility, yeah,” Boras said.

Yet the club isn’t necessarily waiting around for Wieters. Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed Wednesday that catchers Nick Hundley and Welington Castillo continue to be in the mix as the Orioles look for a veteran backstop to share time with Caleb Joseph.

A few catchers have already signed deals this winter, including Jason Castro, who inked a three- year, $24.5 million pact with the Minnesota Twins, and Wilson Ramos, who agreed to a two- year, $12.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Because of Castro’s offensive limitations and Ramos’ right knee injury that required surgery, Wieters was widely considered the best all-around catcher when the free-agent market began.

This month, however, Arizona decided not to tender a contract to Castillo and the San Diego Padres dealt Derek Norris to the Washington Nationals.

At first blush, the market for catchers seems to be drying up some, and that could leave Wieters in an unexpected situation.

According to one industry source, the Atlanta Braves, long thought to be a potential suitor for the South Carolina native, have some concerns about Wieters’ defensive game. Although he threw out 35 percent of would-be basestealers this season – slightly above his career average of 33 percent, Wieters is considered a below-average framer of pitches, according to advanced metrics.

But Boras isn’t concerned about getting a good deal for his client. He just reiterated Wednesday how valuable Wieters has been over the years in Baltimore.

“Look, he threw out over 35 percent of his runners. When Matt Wieters is behind the plate, the Orioles are in the playoffs,” Boras said. “He’s won Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers there. And his ERA of the pitching staff is one run lower than when other catchers catch, so I think Baltimore has a real commodity there. He has performed at high levels there.”

In news involving other Boras’ clients that are (or were) with the Orioles, the agent said that he has had several discussions with teams about designated hitter Pedro Alvarez.

Boras said Alvarez, who has struggled defensively at first base and third base in his career, is also working out in the outfield.

“I’ve talked to a number of teams about him. Pedro’s actually going to start playing the outfield as well, and he’s obviously working at first base,” Boras said. “We’re going to try to get his defensive acumen more in the field as his career goes forward. Obviously, anybody who needs left-handed power is going to be interested in Pedro.”

Boras added that he and the Orioles have not had any contract-extension talks about closer Zach Britton, but that could change in January when the sides begin negotiations during the arbitration process.