Yardbarker: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles Need to Stay Patient

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:45:00 -0500

Can the Orioles afford to sign a big name free agent? Andy McPhail says yes:MacPhail insists any media or fan skeptics that question whether the club is willing to offer a big contract under the right circumstances, are off base."We offered over 140 million dollars to Teixeria, who could have just as easily accepted it and I wish he had. To think we wouldn't go out there or that offer somehow is not genuine is absurd. It's over twice what was offered in the history of the franchi...

Bedard and the Orioles

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:36:54 -0500

Geoff Baker in Seattle notes that the Orioles may end up with Erik Bedard: This story in the Baltimore Sun indicates that Bedard is at the top of the Baltimore Orioles’ wish list. How big a coup would that be for O’s president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail? Not only does he get to reap the [...]

Schilling's son likes the Phillies

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:01:00 -0500

Last night the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Boston to take on their long time rival Boson Celtics. Sitting court side to take in a game was former Phillies ace and Boston Red Sox hurler Curt Schilling.Notice what Schilling's son is wearing...Getty Images...that would be a Celtics jersey topped off with a red Phillies cap. No word on whether or not the socks were bloodied.

Orioles: Liz gets a new start

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:26:12 -0500

One more thing I'm thankful for this holiday season. Radhames Liz is going to get a chance to prove himself with another organization. Liz was plucked off waivers by the San Diego Padres this afternoon. I don't know if he'll be getting a break in the standings next season, but at least the weather will be better. The Orioles now have a space open in the 40-man roster, which I suppose could mean somebody is headed this way, or could just mean they are clearing some room in ca...

Thanksgiving in Birdland - 2009

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0500

There are a lot of things to be thankful for in Birdland this year. More than any year in recent history, I'd say. After years of futility, years of floundering, the Orioles are almost respectable again. They're not there yet, but it's close. I can feel it. To get there the Orioles need to show marked improvement from the teams over the past decade and they also need to prove they can compete with the rest of the teams in the AL East. Will it ever happen? I'm certain part on...

Orioles Could Make Big-Money Offers

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:52:43 -0500

In a conversation with MASN Sports' Steve Melewski, Baltimore Orioles president Andy MacPhail indicated that the team wouldn't rule out pursuing a top-tier free agent this offseason.MacPhail pointed to the $140MM offer that the club made to Mark Teixeira last winter as an example of the Orioles' willingness to negotiate with the bigger names on the market: "To think we wouldn't go out there or that offer somehow is not genuine is absurd. It's over twice wh...

Orioles Looking "Short-Term" At The Corners

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:43:47 -0500

The Orioles aren't expected to be major players on the free-agent market this winter, but if the team does make a move, it will likely be to acquire a veteran presence at first and/or third base.Speaking to MASN Sports' Steve Melewski, Baltimore team president Andy MacPhail said that given the Orioles' young outfield and second-year catcher Matt Wieters, he would "like to put more proven bats" in the lineup to compliment the team's young stars. The O's have pros...

Players A to Z, Danys Baez

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:39:04 -0500

Danys Baez pitched in relief for the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and is currently a free agent. He returned to the majors in 2009 after missing all of 2008 due to elbow surgery at the end of spring training. His 2009 ERA was pretty much in line with his career average (4.04 career, 4.02 [...]

Beerleaguer for breakfast: Feliz fits Orioles’ needs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:49:26 -0500

As of midnight, teams are square to negotiate with free agents. Third baseman Pedro Feliz, considered a fallback for the Phillies, has drawn early interest from Baltimore. Feliz, along with Adrian Beltre, heads Baltimore’s short list to replace Melvin Mora at third, according to the Baltimore Sun. While Beltre would likely require a longer, more lucrative deal, the Orioles view Feliz as a stopgap measure until prospect Josh Bell is ready, according to the Sun. Meanwhile, the Phillies are hunting...

Orioles: What, me worry?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:51:38 -0500

Actually, I am a little worried about the direction the Orioles may take this offseason, because Andy MacPhail has painted himself into a corner with his stated desire not to trade any of the top prospects for offensive help. That wouldn't bother me if the free agent market -- which opens for business tomorrow -- was heavy with run-producing corner infielders that could be had for reasonable years and salary, but the choices are fairly limited and none of them is a slam-dunk fit for th...

Orioles: Making sense of today's roster moves

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:37:40 -0500

The Orioles moved six players onto the 40-man roster today in anticipation of Friday's deadline for submitting their protected list to MLB. The O's added pitchers Brandon Erbe and Luis Lebron and infielders Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, Rhyne Hughes and Pedro Florimon, bringing the roster to a full 40. That leaves a few recognizable players exposed to the Rule 5 Draft -- including shortstop Blake Davis and recently acquired pitcher Steve Johnson -- and leaves room to question why c...

Rookies of the Year Decided, Bergesen and Reimold Come up Empty With Votes...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:27:00 -0500

The Rookies of the Year for both leagues were announced yesterday, and Chris Coghlan, who plays for the Florida Marlins won for the National League and Andrew Bailey (Oakland's young closer) won for the American League. Congratulations to both men on winning the award. However, perhaps the two Orioles who might have merited some considersation for the award -- pitcher Brad Bergesen and outfielder Nolan Reimold -- didn't garner any votes. As we know Bergesen missed signficant time afte...

Players A to Z, Michael Aubrey

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:44:01 -0500

Michael Aubrey plays first base for the Baltimore Orioles. Going into his age 28 season, he has accumulated only 135 major league at bats over two brief call ups, one with Cleveland and one with Baltimore. His minor league numbers fail to impress from someone playing a power position. I don’t expect [...]

Orioles: ROY voters pitch shutout

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:25:54 -0500

Obviously, no one should be surprised that Andrew Bailey was just announced as the American League Rookie of the Year after the great season he had out of the Oakland A's bullpen, but I am a bit surprised that neither Brad Bergesen nor Nolan Reimold registered a single point in the balloting. Reimold either led or ranked highly among AL rookies position players in all the Triple Crown categories for much of the year, but his final numbers weren't impressive enough to get any lov...

Who is the Orioles' best current defensive outfielder?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:11:59 -0500

Adam Jones is now the 13th Oriole to receive an American League Gold Glove and the first since some pitcher named Mike in 1999. Jones deserves congratulations for the honor – just another impressive accolade for the Orioles’ 24-year-old center fielder. But I have to admit I am a bit surprised. Honestly, I thought Jones had a better year defensively in 2008 than he did this year. His penchant for playing a shallow center field caught up with him at times in 2009, probably ...

Adam Jones Wins AL Gold Glove Award

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:19:42 -0500

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Ravens bellyaching to bring you breaking O’s news! Hey, look at that! A Baltimore Oriole actually WON SOMETHING! Is it 2012, end of times, already? From orioles.com: Rawlings announced today that Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is one of this year’s American League Gold Glove Award recipients for defensive excellence in the [...]

Blogging the Offseason: Baltimore Orioles

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:33:00 -0500

Blogging the Offseason is a 30 team series in which I ask a blogging representative from each MLB team a series of ten questions about their desires and thoughts surrounding the offseason. Check out all of them here.Today's team is the Baltimore Orioles and our guest is Jeff from the Baltimore Sports Blog Right Off Russell.1. Nick Markakis has been your best young player for the past few years but has seemingly flatlined in power and average in the past three seasons. Do you think Markaki...

The O’s Lose Three

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:46:58 -0500

The Orioles lost three players today, Rich Hill, Jeff Fiorentino, and Guillermo Rodriguez. All three decided to refuse an outright assignment to triple-A Norfolk, instead will file for free-agency. The Orioles decided not to put them on the 40 man roster, but elected to send them to Norfolk after they cleared waivers. The three had different [...]

Re-Sign Hendrickson

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:36:00 -0500

We all know that the Baltimore bullpen was a mess at times last season and with the off-season looming, one would think changes would be made. However, one member of the bullpen, Mark Hendrickson was a source of strength last season as he often pitched in long relief and was a spot starter. Well, it looks as if he wants to come back to Baltimore and doesn't want the decision to drag on. When the World Series ends, the Orioles' exclusive 15-day negotiating window with would-be free-age...

B-Rob and His Year; Looks Like a Good Deal Right Now.

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:13:00 -0500

When Brian Roberts got his contract extension last year, I thought that the Orioles might pay down the road for giving him a deal – 4 years – that started in 2009. I thought Brian’s deal might turn into one the team would later regret, sort like what happened this season with Melvin Mora that served as a case of buyer’s remorse. When everything was said and done, I thought Roberts had been signed for one year too long with a contract that was a tad generous. Obviously, there’s a good amount o...