World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

American League Wild Card 2012, 1996

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Columns:

Adam Jones happy Orioles making big effort to retain Chris Davis The Sun 12/10

Orioles select outfielder Joey Rickard in Rule 5 draft The Sun 12/10

Orioles' offer to Chris Davis, thoughts on Denard Span, more at winter meetings The Sun

12/10

Orioles make 'aggressive' offer to Chris Davis while working on contingency plans The

Sun 12/9

Scott Boras on Orioles' negotiations with Chris Davis: 'I don't draw lines in the sand' The

Sun 12/9

Orioles make offer for Chris Davis, not willing to go beyond $22 million a year The Sun

12/9

Orioles manager Buck Showalter: 'I know we're trying to correctly pay people' The Sun

12/9

Winter meetings notes: Orioles expect to be active in Rule 5 draft The Sun 12/9

Davis question looms as O's exit Meetings MLB.com 12/10

O's reportedly raise Davis offer; it's up to him MLB.com 12/10

Showalter says O's prepared for Davis' choice MLB.com 12/9

Winter Meetings interview with Buck Showalter MLB.com 12/9

Dan Duquette: "Sometimes you need patience and sometimes you've got to move"

MASNsports.com 12/10

Orioles select Joey Rickard in Rule 5 draft (updated) MASNsports.com 12/10

Day 4 of the Winter Meetings MASNsports.com 12/10

Orioles holding firm on offer to Chris Davis MASNsports.com 12/9

A few notes and quotes from Dan Duquette MASNsports.com 12/9

Boras doesn't think Orioles have drawn "any lines in the sand" in Davis talks

MASNsports.com 12/9

Darren O'Day takes physical (and other notes) MASNsports.com 12/9

The latest from the lobby MASNsports.com 12/9

Dan Duquette talks about Rule 5 addition of outfielder Joey Rickard MASNsports.com

12/10

More from Dan Duquette, plus John Manuel on O's farm, J.J. Cooper on Rule 5 draft

MASNsports.com 12/10

Dan Duquette on Chris Davis, the potential to lose a draft pick and more

MASNsports.com 12/9

Buck Showalter on possibly parting with a draft pick and the need for a lefty bat

MASNsports.com 12/9

Looking ahead to the Rule 5 draft with Baseball America's J.J. Cooper MASNsports.com

12/9

Tweet, tweet: The Oriole Bird lands on Twitter MASNsports.com 12/10

Report: Baltimore Orioles rescind seven-year offer to Chris Davis SI.com 12/10

Source: Chris Davis has 7-year offer worth about $150M from Orioles ESPN.com 12/10

Duquette says there are 'lots of rumors' about Davis CSN Mid-Atlantic 12/10

Orioles select speedy outfielder in Rule 5 draft CSN Mid-Atlantic 12/10

Duquette has latest on Davis, won't comment on reported offer size CSN Mid-Atlantic

12/9

Showalter says Orioles have Davis alternatives CSN Mid-Atlantic 12/9

Waiting game? -- Boras has latest on Chris Davis timeline CSN Mid-Atlantic 12/9

Orioles showing Davis they're playing money ball CSN Mid-Atlantic 12/9

Orioles End Winter Meetings With No Resolution On Chris Davis PressBoxOnline.com

12/10

Despite Lucrative Offer, Dan Duquette Unsure If Chris Davis Will Return To Orioles

PressBoxOnline.com 12/10

Buck Showalter Confident In Direction Orioles Are Headed PressBoxOnline.com 12/9

The Oriole Bird Has Officially Joined Twitter CBS Baltimore 12/10

Hot stove: Orioles go over $150M in bid for Davis, but there's still a gap CBSSports.com

12/9

MLB free agents: Orioles meet with Justin Upton’s agent Sporting News 12/9

Hooton Foundation has representatives from all 30 teams Associated Press 12/8

Brad Brach Succeeds In Major League Baseball The Outlook (Monmouth.edu) 12/9

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-adam-jones-says-hes-happy-for-chris-

davis-either-20151210-story.html

Adam Jones happy Orioles making big effort to retain Chris

Davis

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

December 10, 2015

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was at Dave and Buster's at Arundel Mills Mall Thursday to

present the Webster Kendrick Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore with a $75,000 check, but he

couldn't avoid the obvious questions about his team's attempt to re-sign slugger Chris Davis.

Jones said he's very happy to hear the club is making a big effort to bring back Davis, something

he has been advocating since asked for more input with the front office during an interview with

The Baltimore Sun this past spring.

But while he's satisfied with the effort -- the club has reportedly offered Davis about $150

million over seven years -- he said that it is up to Davis to decide where he wants to play and he

will respect that decision either way.

"First off, it's up to Chris, it's not up to me,'' Jones said. "He earned the right to become a free

agent. He earned the right to play this out. It shows with the Orioles, it shows what I've lobbied

for is working. It's just the effort. I can't be mad if he goes somewhere else. I can just be happy

with the effort that has been given by the Orioles."

"By offering seven years and going above or around the $150 million mark, that's something

that's very uncharacteristic of the Orioles as we have known through history. That just shows

they want him.

"As a player, obviously you want C.D. He's a great clubhouse guy and look what he does

production-wise. At the end of the day, he holds all the cards and it's in his hands ... not the

Orioles'."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-select-outfielder-joey-rickard-in-

rule-5-draft-20151210-story.html

Orioles select outfielder Joey Rickard in Rule 5 draft

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 10, 2015

The Orioles selected outfielder Joey Rickard from the Tampa Bay Rays in the major league

phase of the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

They also selected right-handed pitcher Cory Jones from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Triple-A

portion of the draft. Jones is a former fifth-round pick in the amateur draft.

In the minor league phase of the draft, they selected Miami Marlins left-handed pitcher Chipper

Smith.

Rickard, 24, gives the Orioles a speedy reserve outfielder who has shown the ability to hit at

higher minor league levels.

He hit .321 with a .427 on-base percentage, .447 slugging percentage, two home runs and 55

RBIs in 117 games between the high Class-A and Triple-A levels. He also stole 23 bases on 29

attempts.

He spent the majority of the season at Double-A Montgomery, hitting .322/.420/.479 with 19

steals in 23 attempts in 65 games. He later moved to Triple-A Durham and had success there,

hitting .360/.437/.472 in 29 games there.

Rickard was the Rays’ ninth-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2012. He bats right

and throws left

The Orioles were expected to select an outfielder with speed, allowing them a better chance to

carry him on the roster for the entire season.

The club has selected three pitchers in the past three years in the Rule 5, but prospect Dylan

Bundy must be on the major league roster this season, making it more difficult to add an

additional inexperienced arm.

Orioles prospects drafted

The Orioles lost first baseman Ji-Man Choi to the Los Angeles Angels, who selected the

recently-signed switch hitter in the second round of the Rule 5 draft.

The Orioles signed Choi, a former top prospect in the Seattle Mariners system, to a minor league

contract this offseason and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said

Choi could help the major league club’s on-base capabilities.

The Chicago Cubs selected catcher David Freitas in the minor league portion of the draft. The

Orioles acquired Freitas when they traded closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics.

The Rays selected left-handed pitcher Adam Colarek (Maryland, Catonsville) and the Detroit

Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Santiago Garrido.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-winter-meeting-morning-notes-the-orioles-

play-for-davis-thoughts-on-denard-span-and-the-rule-5-draft-20151209-story.html

Orioles' offer to Chris Davis, thoughts on Denard Span,

more at winter meetings

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 10, 2015

This year’s winter meetings will conclude today with the Rule 5 draft at 10 a.m.

As the Orioles have in all four previous years under executive vice president Dan Duquette, they

are expected to participate.

The Orioles have made first baseman Chris Davis an unprecedented offer to stay in Baltimore -

- reportedly in the seven-year, $150 million range.

Over the past few days, I’ve written a lot about how the Orioles would need a change in

philosophy to retain Davis. So, it was interesting to hear Duquette acknowledge Wednesday that

the Orioles’ offer to Davis does in fact extend them outside of their traditional comfort zone.

“I think you have to weigh that length of the contract in the term for every situation,” Duquette

said. “I mean, the club’s tolerance has been more along the lines of four, five and six years. But I

think you have to weigh that for each player.”

That says a lot. Not only does it tell you how much the Orioles value Davis, and ensuring his

return, but it tells us how much the club is attempting to keep its own players.

Yes, this is a team that let Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis walk a year ago, but I think this offer

shows that the Orioles learned from those miscues. A team that allowed the majors' home run

leader to walk for a second straight year without making a legitimate play for him would open

itself up to immense criticism.

Now, whether Davis stays or goes, the Orioles can be comfortable telling their fans they tried.

That maybe wasn’t the case in previous years.

As for whether a deal with Davis gets done soon, who knows?

“I don’t know,” Duquette said. “I would never say never, but there’s a lot of things that go into

these multiyear commitments.”

Scott Boras wants multiyear deal for Denard Span

Agent Scott Boras fielded numerous questions in his annual media scrum Wednesday afternoon

– several about Davis – but also regarding many of his other clients.

One that stood out to me was when Boras rebuffed the notion that free-agent outfielder Denard

Span could accept a one-year offer.

Span, who will be 32 next season, played in just 61 games in 2015. He underwent sports

hernia surgery last December, needed another procedure in March, missed time with back

spasms and was shut down in August for season-ending hip surgery.

When he was healthy, Span performed well. He hit .301/.365/.431 in 246 at-bats. Boras noted

that Span hit .300 each of the past two years and has averaged more than 20 steals.

“There aren’t a lot of athletes in the game today that are hitting at those levels and giving you

center-field defense and stealing bases,” Boras said. “It’s been really something that has fallen

off in baseball over the last decade or so.”

The Orioles definitely have interest in Span. Boras also entertained the notion that Span could

get a four-year deal this offseason, which the Orioles would in no way be interested in given his

recent injury history. They’ve studied his medicals rigorously. But the Orioles remain intrigued

by Span.

If he does go untouched, the Orioles would love to jump in on a one-year deal with Span. He

would provide a left-handed bat to balance the lineup, fill an outfield hole and could bat leadoff

(allowing Manny Machado to move to the middle of the order). His career .352 on-base

percentage would help a major area of need.

And Duquette loves one-year deals for players who have something to prove. Span definitely

qualifies there.

Looking at the Rule 5 draft

While we’re talking about outfielders, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Orioles take an outfielder in

today’s Rule 5 draft.

The Orioles typically like to take pitching in the Rule 5 – the selected Jason Garcia and Logan

Verrett last year and T.J. McFarland three years ago. But Dylan Bundy’s situation will make it

difficult for the Orioles to carry an extra inexperienced arm in the bullpen. Bundy must be

carried on the 25-man roster because he’s out of minor league options.

So if an athletic outfielder is on the board when they make their selection, expect the Orioles to

bite. It would help if he’s left-handed, too.

They could use some extra speed on their bench. They added outfielder L.J. Hoes in a trade with

the Houston Astros -- Hoes stole 26 bases in Triple-A last year -- but wouldn’t shun taking

another outfielder with some base-running capabilities.

Remember last year, when the Texas Rangers selected outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. from the

Astros with the third pick in the Rule 5 draft, one pick before the Orioles acquired Garcia with

Houston’s pick.

After five years in the minors, DeShields had never played above Double-A, but speed and the

ability to get on base sometimes more easily translate to the big league level.

DeShields hit .261/.344/.374 with 25 stolen bases in 425 at-bats for the Rangers, giving a playoff

team a left-handed leadoff bat with speed.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-winter-meetings-1210-20151209-

story.html

Orioles make 'aggressive' offer to Chris Davis while working

on contingency plans

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 9, 2015

Over the past three days at the winter meetings, the Orioles have repeatedly talked about how

much they want to retain Chris Davis, how they are focused on keeping him and are ready to

reward the free-agent first baseman with a deal within the payroll parameters of a club not

known for lucrative spending.

On the last full day of the winter meetings Wednesday, executive vice president Dan Duquette's

tone was a little different — seemingly less uncertain of the market for Davis and noticeably

more confident that the Orioles have done their part to reach a fair-market deal with the 29-year-

old slugger.

"We made a really aggressive offer to sign this player and still field a competitive team,"

Duquette said in the team's top-floor suite at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

"That's really the issue. How [many] resources are you going to put toward one part of your

team, right?

"Everybody needs power. Everybody needs guys to get on base. Everybody needs good

defenders. You need starting pitching. You need middle relief. You need a bullpen. That's really

what the issue is, and we want to provide affordable entertainment for families to come out and

enjoy at Camden Yards. So we're going to try and find that sweet spot where we can put as much

as we can toward the payroll and toward having a competitive team."

After meeting with Boras multiple times Tuesday, the Orioles had made an offer to Davis for

less than an average of $22 million per year, according to sources. ESPN reported the Orioles

offered Davis a seven-year, $150 million deal.

For a franchise that just passed the $100 million mark in payroll two seasons ago — the Orioles

are already past that mark for 2016 and it's still early in the offseason — that's an unprecedented

offer, one that would dwarf Adam Jones' club-record six-year, $85.5 million extension signed in

2012.

"Everybody's [payroll is] going up somewhat," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said

Wednesday. "… I know we're trying to correctly pay people. … We've got every resource we

need to compete with these people. We just have to be good at things that they may not have to

be."

Davis' agent, Scott Boras, has had ongoing conversations with both Duquette and Orioles

managing partner Peter Angelos, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry to get a deal done, especially

considering the market for Davis hasn't evolved much in recent days.

"We're learning more from other teams about his market, that kind of thing," Boras said

Wednesday. "We've had many discussions with the Orioles and Peter and Dan and we're

certainly working through the process. … We're trying to get as much done as we can while

we're here. We still have continued dialogue that's ongoing with Baltimore, too."

The Orioles, however, have holes to fill beyond Davis. They need to acquire a starting pitcher,

either by trade or free agency, as well as add outfield help. They need a left-handed bat to

balance their righty-heavy batting order in case Davis doesn't return.

So the Orioles are looking for a resolution sooner than later. Their offer to Davis, while

generous, might not be on the table for long. The Orioles have made contingency plans for other

options, but are trying to remain patient on Davis since he is their No. 1 target, a known asset and

a fan favorite.

"I know what the timeline is for the team and the timeline for the players isn't always aligned

with the team," Duquette said. "But when they do choose to sign with the team, that's when they

line up. … The team has to make choices to staff the club this season and beyond, and it's about

time the players are going to need to come to a decision, too.

"A lot of players like to make their decisions prior to the holidays, which makes sense. And once

the market starts moving, the economics are so powerful, teams can't wait forever because these

are huge financial commitments. From the club perspective, you have to look out for the long-

term interest of the team. That's what we're trying to do in our deliberations."

During his annual winter meetings media scrum, Boras said he is willing to wait. And he has

been successful at getting his clients big-money deals by practicing patience.

"I don't draw lines in the sand," Boras said. "My job is really to take information. Unless Chris

directs me to, we usually keep the door open for everyone to listen and advance what they want

to advance. I think when you put time frames on this, it really prevents maybe the better idea, the

new idea, that sometimes puts deals together."

As the meetings wound down, the Orioles kept sending feelers out for possible fits — they

reportedly met with right-handed-hitting outfielder Justin Upton on Wednesday — and Duquette

said he has made multiple free-agent offers to outfielders, and has held trade discussions for both

pitching and outfield help. Duquette said some of those possibilities might not materialize before

the Orioles leave Nashville following Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft, but could over the

upcoming days.

"Those haven't come to fruition, yet," Duquette said. "They're moving toward a resolution,

probably by the end of the week or the first of next week."

Asked whether movement on any of those fronts would affect the Orioles' ability to retain Davis,

Duquette made sure he made it clear the club was determined to remain active.

"That's a good question," Duquette said. "I hadn't thought about it that way. I can tell you this:

I'm not going to answer that question directly, but I can tell you we have offers out to have a

competitive team and have some depth to our lineup."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-scott-boras-on-orioles-negotiations-with-

chris-davis-i-dont-draw-lines-in-the-sand-20151209-story.html

Scott Boras on Orioles' negotiations with Chris Davis: 'I

don't draw lines in the sand'

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 9, 2015

Agent Scott Boras, who represents Chris Davis, held his annual media scrum with reporters at

the winter meetings Wednesday afternoon.

Boras said he continues to have a dialogue with the Orioles on getting a deal done with Davis,

and that he still has meetings scheduled with other teams regarding the slugger.

“We’re trying to get as much done as we can while we’re here,” Boras said. “We still have

continued dialogue that’s ongoing with Baltimore, too.

“We’re learning more from other teams about his market, that kind of thing. We’ve had many

discussions with the Orioles and Peter [Angelos] and Dan [Duquette] and we’re certainly

working through the process.”

Here’s more of what he said:

On the Orioles moving on from Davis for other left-handed bats:

“I don’t draw lines in the sand. My job is really to take information. Unless Chris directs me to,

we usually keep the door open for everyone to listen and advance what they want to advance. I

think when you put time frames on this, it really prevents maybe the better idea, the new idea,

that sometimes puts deals together.”

On Davis’ value compared to other free agents:

“If you were to add the number of home runs that two very fine players have, [Justin] Upton and

[Jason] Heyward, add the number of home runs they’ve had over the last three years, Chris Davis

would still have more home runs. So it tells you about how prolific his talent is. He truly is the

best available home run hitter in the game and probably will be a few years, anyway.”

More on the climate of discussions with the Orioles:

“They’ve certainly been responsive. Dan and I, and Peter as well, have all been involved in the

conversation. They’ve certainly let us know that Chris is a guy they covet. It’s been something

that any baseball team would want to have.”

On how the qualifying-offer process affected catcher Matt Wieters:

“There’s no question the qualifying-offer system impaired Matt Wieters because you have a

number of clubs that are excluded from bidding on him because they don’t want to give up draft

picks to do so. So any fine player, any player worthy of extending a qualifying offer, you know

that that system is a detriment on his free agency.”

On Wei-Yin Chen:

“Wei-Yin Chen is a guy that’s had two ERAs in Baltimore of [3.54] — below — two years in a

row. You have to go back a long time to find a Baltimore pitcher who’s done that in that

offensive ballpark. He’s had … The last two years his ERA is lower against AL East teams

than David Price, so that tells you how good a pitcher he is.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-make-offer-for-chris-davis-but-not-

willing-to-go-beyond-22-million-a-year-mark-20151209-story.html

Orioles make offer for Chris Davis, not willing to go beyond

$22 million a year

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 9, 2015

The Orioles have made an offer to retain free-agent slugger Chris Davis, but the deal would be

worth no more than $22 million a year, an industry source said.

The Orioles have been more active this offseason than past years, and they’ve said they will be

able to increase payroll for the fourth consecutive year.

Nearly half of the 30 major league clubs have a player who makes an annual average salary of

$22 million or more. The Orioles’ highest-paid player, center fielder Adam Jones, makes an

average of $14.25 million.

Davis will undoubtedly make more than Jones, but how much? And how much does Davis truly

want to remain in Baltimore?

ESPN on Wednesday reported that the Orioles have made Davis a seven-year, $150 million

offer, which would average $21.42 million a year.

The Orioles aren't willing to go beyond the $22 million a year mark, according to a source,

which seems to be what Scott Boras, Davis' agent, is looking for.

Even without Davis, the Orioles payroll for next season would be more than $100 million, a level

that the club didn’t reach until three years ago.

The Orioles are engaged in a poker game with Boras. They’ve made their offer and executive

vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has made it clear that the club has made

contingency plans to pursue for other left-handed bats on the trade and free-agent markets if

Davis does not re-sign.

Making an offer of this magnitude indicates their willigness to spend an unprecedented amount.

The Orioles’ largest deal to date was Jones’ six-year, $85.5 million contract extension signed in

2012.

In the cases when the Orioles have been willing to spend, it has been on known commodities.

Davis has been a major piece in the club’s resurgence and he’s a fan favorite. If they are going to

go beyond their previous spending boundaries, it is more likely to be on a player like Davis than

a free agent from another organization.

Three of the Orioles’ four largest contracts were given to players already on the club. Jones and

shortstop J.J. Hardy were signed to extensions. Matt Wieters accepted a one-year qualifying offer

this offseason. The only exception is right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who came from

the Cleveland Indians after signing a four-year, $50 million free-agent deal.

Davis has not received other offers, suggesting the slugger wants to return to Baltimore.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-manager-buck-showalter-i-know-

were-trying-to-correctly-pay-people-20151209-story.html

Orioles manager Buck Showalter: 'I know we're trying to

correctly pay people'

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 9, 2015

Manager Buck Showalter often talks about the importance of knowing who the Orioles are: an

organization that can’t compete financially with some of the bigger-spending clubs in the game,

so they have to do the little things better to make up the difference.

Now, not only have the Orioles surpassed the $100 million mark in early December, but they’ve

also reportedly made first baseman Chris Davis a seven-year, $150 million offer to keep him in

Baltimore.

“Everybody's [payroll is] going up somewhat,” Showalter said Wednesday during his media

session at the winter meetings. “We were always kind of at the top of the second tier. If you look

at baseball, there's a front-third tier, middle tier and we always kind of fit -- I know we're trying

to correctly pay people.”

“I've heard Dan [Duquette] talk about it. where they make sure the pay scale fits that. Our

ownership has been great since I got here. We've got every resource we need to compete with

these people. We just have to be good at things that they may not have to be.”

The Orioles have agreed to sign reliever Darren O’Day to a four-year, $31 million deal , the

highest handed to a reliever in franchise history. They made Matt Wieters a one-year, $15.8

million qualifying offer, which the veteran catcher accepted. And they traded for first

baseman Mark Trumbo, taking on a projected $9 million salary for 2016.

Now they’re backing up the truck for Davis. The Orioles’ offer might not be enough to get a deal

done – agent Scott Boras has been successful in holding his clients out for more money. But

Showalter echoed that the Orioles won’t wait too long for Davis to make his decision.

“Not that long,” Showalter said. “I won't wait forever. … We haven't. We've got Christian

Walker, Trey Mancini, Mark Trumbo. Who knows what happens with Steve Pearce? I bet Caleb

Joseph could play first base if he wants to and Matt Wieters could, too. We have options.”

Showalter said he speaks to Davis regularly, and the slugger knows how much the Orioles are

dedicated to keeping him in orange and black. Showalter wouldn’t confirm that the Orioles have

made an offer.

“We’ve had plenty of opportunities,” Showalter said. “I talk to Chris every day. At some point

he’s going to have to make a decision if that’s enough, or how much is enough. Believe me, he’s

going to make a good call on where he wants to go with his baseball and his career and his life.

We’re prepared to go either way.

“Our first hope would be to bring Chris back, but the game will move on without me, without

anybody. … We think we’ve created a great opportunity for Chris and we'll see where it goes.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-winter-meetings-notebook-1210-

20151209-story.html

Winter meetings notes: Orioles expect to be active in Rule 5

draft

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

December 9, 2015

The Orioles expected to acquire additional players at this week's winter meetings, but they enter

the final day preparing to return to Baltimore with nothing more than a Rule 5 pick.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Wednesday that the Orioles expect to make a

selection in Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft.

The Orioles have made at least one selection in the draft in each of the past four years under

Duquette, and it has netted the team utility man Ryan Flaherty, left-handed reliever T.J.

McFarland and right-hander Jason Garcia.

Since the Orioles must also carry pitching prospect Dylan Bundy on the major league roster in

2016 — he is out of minor league options — it will be more difficult to carry a Rule 5 pick, but

the club will still attempt to carry another player. Their 40-man roster is at 39 players.

"I think we look at the talent and then we look at how they fit on the roster because you have to

accomplish both at some point," Duquette said. "I think some people would argue that it's easier

to keep a pitcher in the Rule 5, but they all have their challenges."

Last year's Rule 5 draft offered a tremendous opportunity for teams to acquire talent. Nine of the

first 10 picks were retained. Because of that, Duquette said teams were more scrupulous in

setting their 40-man rosters to avoid losing talented minor league players.

"I think the clubs spent a lot of time and energy determining who they wanted to protect on their

40-man, because that draft last year was a pretty talent-laden Rule 5 draft," Duquette said. "There

were some good players playing in the big leagues."

The Orioles made two Rule 5 selections, acquiring Garcia from the Houston Astros after he was

taken from the Red Sox and selecting right-hander Logan Verrett from the New York Mets. The

Orioles were unable to keep Verrett on the 25-man roster, and he went to the Texas Rangers on

waivers before being returned to the Mets. Verrett ended the season in the majors with the Mets.

"I think clubs did a much more precise evaluation of their players prior to completing their 40-

man roster given the quality of the players who got to the big leagues last year from the Rule 5

draft that stayed and made a contribution to their teams," Duquette said. "There were some good

players last year."

Showalter OK with all-righty rotation

Even though the Orioles rotation lacks a left-handed starter Wei-Yin Chen a free agent,

manager Buck Showalter said he's not stuck on needing a lefty to complete his rotation.

"Just like the hitters," Showalter said. "I'm fine. I'd rather take a real good right-handed pitcher as

opposed to a mediocre left-hander. For me, it works. … Sooner or later, right-handed pitchers

have to get left-handed hitters out, and left-handed starters have to get right-handers out. That's

the way the lineup goes.

"If I have a good left-handed starter like I had last year, that's fine. We've got some good left-

handed options that are here, but may not be completely ready. Chris Jones had as good a year as

anybody had in Triple-A, and he's on our roster now."

O's valuing draft picks

Showalter indicated that the Orioles have had talks this week about signing a free agent tied to

draft-pick compensation, but the team still needs to be careful before forfeiting its first-round

pick in next June's draft, which currently would be 14th overall.

"We talked about something the other day that would require that," Showalter said. "It would

have to be something that really fits. But we would if we had to. But one of our big days is going

to be … in June. We've got seven picks in the first 100 in the draft. I don't know if we've ever

had that. This is big for us. We can solidify our already-strong system.

"We're not going to give it away just because it's there; 14th is a pretty good player. I'm sure our

guys will be looking at a lot of those Friday night [college] pitchers around the country. We've

already got them lined up. I know a lot of people are looking forward to the draft."

At the same time, the Orioles don't currently have a top-five pick as when drafting key players

like catcher Matt Wieters, third baseman Manny Machado and right-hander Kevin Gausman.

"That's who we are. We've got to hit this draft like we have," Showalter said.

Around the horn

When asked about the Orioles' early offseason activity this year, Showalter joked that it

correlated with the team's annual FanFest event coming up Saturday. FanFest usually takes place

during the new year, but is much earlier this year. "We've got FanFest this weekend," Showalter

quipped. "I ain't getting up on stage in front of our season-ticket holders naked, all right? In more

ways than one. I'm just kidding." … Showalter said that right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez is getting

married in the next week, which is why he won't be able to attend FanFest. … Showalter also

squashed any idea that the Orioles are open to trading closer Zach Britton. "We're not moving

him," Showalter said. "I haven't heard that broached. We've got him, what, two or three more

years? … We're looking to add potentially another piece to add to our bullpen." … Infielder Neil

Walker, who was a trade target of the Orioles, was traded to the Mets on Wednesday. The

Orioles had discussions with the Pirates to acquire Walker, but the teams did not find a fit.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/159328150/chris-davis-status-unclear-for-orioles

Davis question looms as O's exit Meetings

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Orioles' stance on re-signing free agent Chris Davis did not change

during the four days at the Winter Meetings, though it's becoming increasingly evident Baltimore

is running out of patience.

The O's seven-year proposal, reportedly in the $150 million range, was offered to Davis' agent

Scott Boras earlier in the offseason, and -- despite contrary reports -- a Major League source said

that the club has not changed its offer. Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan

Duquette declined to comment on the matter, just noting that there are a "lot of rumors out

there," and saying the Orioles are closer to shaping their 2016 team now than when they landed

in Nashville on Sunday.

"[There's a] lot of interest," Duquette said of the Davis negotiations, "but now is the time of the

year to buckle down and for people to make choices, what they are going to do with their teams

and for players to choose what team they are going to play for.

"Sometimes you need patience and sometimes you've got to move. We're moving on the things

we can move on. I can see our team being pretty good next year."

The Orioles made some other free-agent offers while at the Meetings and engaged in a few trade

discussions, both of which Duquette hopes leads to some moves later in the week or early next

week. They're looking to add a starting pitcher and outfield help, with an emphasis on acquiring

a left-handed hitter.

"I believe we are making a little progress here on figuring out how we are going to put our team

together this year," Duquette said.

Deals done The O's reached an agreement with right-hander Darren O'Day, who underwent a physical earlier

this week, and that four-year contract should be made official soon.

Rule 5 Draft activity The Orioles selected outfielder Joey Rickard from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Major League

portion of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft.

Rickard, 24, is a former ninth-round pick out of Arizona who was on the Rays' Triple-A Durham

roster. Listed as a center fielder, Rickard is a right-handed hitter who posted a .321/.427/.447 line

across three teams in 2015. With Durham, Rickard batted .360 with six doubles, two triples and

11 RBIs in 29 games.

Goals accomplished The O's added a huge team leader and valuable setup man in O'Day, then added outfield depth in

Rickard.

Unfinished business There's no question that the Davis decision looms large. But as Duquette said several times in

Nashville, they can't afford to wait on him and let other left-handed hitters go. Upgrading the

rotation also remains a priority, particularly acquiring a left-hander to add some balance.

GM's bottom line "Who are we competing against [for Chris Davis]?," Duquette said Wednesday night, reiterating

that the market for the slugger is unclear. "We've made a really aggressive offer to sign this

player and still field a competitive team. That's really the issue. How much resources are you

going to put towards one part of your team? Everyone needs power, everyone needs guys to get

on-base [guys], everyone needs good defenders, good starting, middle relief, a good bullpen.

That's really what the issue is. We want to provide affordable entertainment for families to come

out and enjoy Camden Yards. So, we are going to try to find a sweet spot, where we can put as

much as we can towards the payroll and towards having a competitive team."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/159226116/orioles-will-not-wait-around-for-chris-davis

O's reportedly raise Davis offer; it's up to him Club has other options to pursue, won't wait too long on slugger's decision

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Orioles aren't going to wait around much longer to see ifChris

Davis accepts their contract offer.

Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette reiterated on MLB Network on

Wednesday that the O's are looking at contingency plans and the ball is in Davis' court as the

Orioles try to add a left-handed hitter. Baltimore reportedly raised its offer, reported to be in the

$150 million range, to $168 million over seven years, according to FoxSports.com.

Asked about the team's chances to re-sign Davis, an organizational source told MLB.com:

"You'd have to ask [Davis' agent] Scott [Boras]."

Duquette said Tuesday night that the club has been "aggressive" in its pursuit of adding a left-

handed bat, and he reiterated on Wednesday that there are "other options in place" as the O's look

to contingency plans for Davis. Baltimore met with Boras on Tuesday -- mostly to talk about the

slugger -- and the club is now in waiting mode.

"Chris knows how we feel about him. We tell him we love him every day," Duquette said on

MLB Network. "Whether we can come up with the type of deal [Davis'] agent is demanding,

that's another story."

Baltimore has been linked to Alex Gordon, Denard Span and Justin Upton to fill its outfield void,

and Duquette said on Tuesday that if the Orioles fill that need, it might change their stance on

Davis.

The O's are also actively trying to acquire a starting pitcher this week while at the Winter

Meetings.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/159262552/orioles-manager-buck-showalter-winter-

meetings

Showalter says O's prepared for Davis' choice

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's been a big offseason for the Orioles, who already have a projected

payroll of more than $100 million and are still interested in adding starting pitching, outfield help

and retaining pricey slugger Chris Davis. But O's manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday that

he doesn't think the organization is being more aggressive or willing to spend money so much as

it is keeping up with the sport.

"Everybody's going up somewhat," said Showalter. "We were always kind of at the top of the

second tier [in payroll]. ... I know we're trying to correctly pay people."

With the reported $150 million contract offer for Davis, the Orioles are showing a willingness to

spend. They're also not going to sit back and let the rest of the left-handed-hitting market play

out around them.

"Not that long," Showalter said on how long the O's will wait on Davis. "I won't wait forever.

"At some point, he's going to have to make a decision [about whether] that's enough, or how

much is enough. Believe me, he's going to make a good call where he wants to go with his

baseball and his career and his life. We're prepared to go either way."

Davis' agent, Scott Boras, told a gathering of reporters on Wednesday that the Orioles have

certainly made it known that they'd like Davis back. But there hasn't been a line drawn in the

sand regarding the O's offer, and Boras is continuing to talk to other clubs about Davis.

Other items to note from Showalter's media session:

• Ubaldo Jimenez will miss Saturday's FanFest because he's getting married this weekend.

• Showalter said the O's are willing to part with their first-round pick, 14th overall, in the right

free-agent deal. He also said that there's been "no talk" of trading closer Zach Britton. With the

signing of Darren O'Day, who passed his physical and should be officially inked soon, there was

a thought that perhaps Britton would be available.

• Baltimore remains active in trade talks at the Winter Meetings, and Showalter said they turned

down a trade on Tuesday night because they didn't like the people they'd have to part with.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/159249286/winter-meetings-interview-with-buck-

showalter

Winter Meetings interview with Buck Showalter

MLB.com

December 9, 2015

BUCK SHOWALTER: Had a good off-season so far. We added -- not added, but re-add, Darren

and Matt. That's a good start. Added Trumbo and Riefenhauser. What's the correct

pronunciation? Is it Rife or Riefenhauser? We've got to come up with a nickname.

Q. Are you expecting any more moves before the day ends?

BUCK SHOWALTER: Was Rule 5 considered a move?

Q. No.

BUCK SHOWALTER: That's tomorrow morning. Could be. We got a lot of things that branch

off of, obviously, what we do with Chris or what Chris does with us, the decision he has to make.

=I guess he's making the decision. I think a lot of things branch off that.

We've got a lot of things about the pitching. That was the biggest difference last year was the

pitching, our starting pitching. I've got a lot of confidence that those guys are going to pitch more

to what they're capable of. They had some good outings.

I think in a lot of cases you compare it to Miguel returning to form, Chris seeking the level that

he's capable of. Right on down the line. Gaus, we think he's going to make a move on that

rotation.

Q. Buck, have you had much interaction with Chris Davis over the last few weeks?

BUCK SHOWALTER: What's interaction nowadays?

Q. Call, text, talking.

BUCK SHOWALTER: We try to stay out of that part of it a little bit. I respect -- we had plenty

of opportunities to talk -- I talk to Chris, obviously, every day. At some point, he's going to have

to make a decision if that's enough or how much is enough.

Believe me, he's going to make a good call where he wants to go with his baseball and his career

and his life. We're prepared to go either way.

Q. Do you kind of view it almost as a win-win for you guys, that you can retain a guy like Chris,

who's so important and so popular? But if not, you can use those funds to improve in other areas?

And the fans realize you're committed to spending because word has gotten out on the offer.

BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm not sure there was an offer made, and I'm not sure who's reporting all

that or how certain things work this time of -- I don't know. I'm not privy to that. Maybe you all

know more than I do.

We know how some people use those type of things to develop other things. So I try to keep

reality in mind. I know we're interested, and they've done some things to try to move that along.

At this point, I'd like to have Chris, but I'm thinking about opportunities that might be around the

corner for a guy like Chris and Walker or Trey Mancini. There's not people in the minor leagues

that have better numbers than Day, and Christian had another big year too. Obviously, Trumbo's

there, and there's some other things out there.

First thought would be hopefully to bring Chris back, but the game will move on without me,

without anybody. We think we create a great opportunity for Chris and see where it goes.

Q. Buck, in Philadelphia we're just now getting to know the new general manager Matt Klentak

and spent some time with him. What can you tell us about him and working with him?

BUCK SHOWALTER: They've got a quality team put together, starting with Joe Jordan and

their farm director. I believe Joe is still doing that, isn't he? And Matt and, of course, Andy. I saw

him last night. You're in good hands. You're going to like the direction that's going to go.

It will be very, very solid and well thought out, and they'll treat people well, and they'll put

together a product that the people of Philadelphia would be real proud of.

Q. With Matt specifically, just from the baseball operations side --

BUCK SHOWALTER: I know him real well, when you're around him almost 12 months.

Energy, knowledge, good people skills, very competitive, good, good slow fire. He'll get to the

finish line.

Q. Buck, if Matt Wieters is healthy enough to play 135, 140 games, that would relegate Caleb

Joseph --

BUCK SHOWALTER: That's a lot.

Q. Are you going to be able to get Caleb Joseph enough time --

BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm not going to talk about it until he's here. Is he still here? Caleb, let's

talk about it. Caleb lives here. Big David Lipscomb guy. Do you know the nickname of

Lipscomb?

Q. I don't know.

BUCK SHOWALTER: Bisons. What are their colors? Red?

Q. Purple and gold.

BUCK SHOWALTER: Close. No, there's plenty of time for everybody. We're all exciting,

including Caleb, about having Caleb back because it helps us win and that's what we want to do.

We have a good luxury that we have two guys capable of catching extensive games, and we

wouldn't bat an eye with either one of them back there.

Q. What does it say about that guy, though, that he was so excited to have Matt Wieters back?

BUCK SHOWALTER: You want to win. If Matt Wieters is on your team, you've got a better

chance to win.

I think Caleb is mature enough to know -- they're both about the same age. Once you've been on

both sides of the mountain, you realize really what's important. At the end of the day, it's about

winning baseball games.

Also, Caleb's return, I've noticed plenty of at bats around. There are things that, if you carry that

criteria and that makeup, things seem to work out. I'll find plenty of bats for everybody. They'll

get to crying uncle when it's over.

Q. Buck, in the search for left-handed hitters, if the Orioles acquired a right-handed hitter with

very good numbers against right-handed pitching --

BUCK SHOWALTER: I don't care. At this point, I know what it looks like aesthetically on

paper. I don't think Toronto had much trouble with the right-handed hitters they had all in the

lineup last year. I'm more looking for quality offensive performers, if they happen to be left-

handed, so be it.

You see a lot of those splits kind of reverse as we go forward. Strikeouts are at an all time high.

Walks are at an all time low. I think you're going to see certain skill sets kind of evolve as the

game goes forward.

Q. Buck, you talk about Chris, waiting on him to make a decision.

BUCK SHOWALTER: Not that long. I won't wait forever.

Q. But how difficult is that knowing you can't really wait that long?

BUCK SHOWALTER: We haven't. We've got Christian Walker, Trey Mancini, Mark Trumbo.

Who knows what happens with Steve Pearce? I bet Caleb Joseph could play first base if he wants

to and Matt Wieters could too. We have options.

In the whole scheme of things, my biggest concern is that we get better in the pitching

department. We scored enough runs to win last year. Everybody thought, when we lost Nelson

and Nicky -- we ended up scoring more runs last year. We'd like to have both those guys back if

they want to give them back for free.

Q. Was Miguel okay when he got back from that injury in June?

BUCK SHOWALTER: Probably not.

Q. He rushed back?

BUCK SHOWALTER: Nobody's 100 percent. We don't rush back. We did everything possible.

But there's a different level when you're pitching in a game than a sim game and a rehab start.

You don't completely know where a guy is physically until they get in the major league anyway.

So it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.

I'll tell you, he's really getting after it. Guys like him and Tilly, and I talked to Ubaldo. He's

getting married this week. They've got a really strong burn to get back to the level because they

know, most importantly, what it means to our club.

Q. How important is it to you to have a left-hander in the rotation?

BUCK SHOWALTER: Just like the hitters. I'm fine. I'd rather take a real good right-handed

pitcher as opposed to a mediocre left-hander. For me, it works.

Sooner or later, right-handed pitchers have to get left-handed hitters out, and left-handed starters

have to get right handers out. That's the way the lineup goes.

If I have a good left-handed starter like I had last year, that's fine. We've got some good left-

handed options that are here but may not be completely ready.

Chris Jones had as good a year as anybody had in triple A, and he's in our roster now.

Q. Now that Darren O'Day is in your bullpen, how are you set up now?

BUCK SHOWALTER: We're doing well. We've got a couple of spots open. You all know the

situation with Dylan. Dylan is going to get the ball a lot this spring and see if he's ready to take

the load. We're still kicking around some things in the bullpen market.

There's two ways to look at it. You can try to build from one end, which you know is very, very

expensive, or you can build from the other end which sometimes isn't quite as expensive. Some

people may not agree. Where Darren is concerned, Darren earned every penny he got.

Q. Some say you weren't aggressive in terms of getting left-handed hitters. Do you feel like the

front office, Dan, you, everyone is maybe more aggressive this year than in off-seasons past?

BUCK SHOWALTER: I think it's got a lot to do with the date moving up on the Fan Fest. I'm

kidding.

Q. It's a conspiracy theory.

BUCK SHOWALTER: We've got Fan Fest this weekend. I ain't getting up on stage in front of

our season ticket holders naked, all right, in more ways than one. I'm just kidding.

It's what's presented itself that's worked. If the timetable is quicker, that's why. It's just it

presented itself as such. The backbone is always going to be the people we have in our system,

like Caleb and everybody else.

If you look at our third basemen from our system, our shortstop was acquired through people

from our system, our second baseman is from our system, our catcher is through our system, our

first baseman might be through our system if it doesn't work out with Chris. I can go right around

the diamond.

I like where we are in the off-season. I like the irons we have in the fire right now that fits who

we are and how we have to do things.

Q. Do you have any -- what you know about your lineup now with Wieters and Jones and Hardy

and the rest, what would be the ideal fit for an outfielder, either in left field or right field, the

type of hitter? Would it be an on base guy, another power guy? How would you look at that?

BUCK SHOWALTER: I take each case as it comes. You look at it, there's not that many

prototype leadoff hitters anymore. They're getting harder and harder to find the way that we used

to view them. That doesn't make it right or wrong. I'm looking at who we have, there's three on

the roster now.

Dan talks to me every day about possibilities out there. I know he said no to someone last night

that he didn't like the people we were giving up. I like our guys. We like the people. If we give

something up, we need to get something back for it.

Q. Do you think you need to sort of diversify your offense, have more speed guys, have more on

base --

BUCK SHOWALTER: Where are they? Who? Would you give up Caleb Joseph for that guy?

No. It's pretty handy having him here. Caleb is a sneaky runner too.

It's all about scoring runs. Can you score runs? How you go about it. Everything comes with a

price and comes with a caveat. What about this guy? Well, he's got medical issues. What about

this guy? Well, he wants seven years. What about this guy? It requires trading your best prospect

for him. So that's where you go back and forth on it, and that's why free agents -- that's why you

want to develop your own. So far, with the exception of Trumbo, we haven't liked the reciprocal

part of it.

Q. One of the guys you developed and you really like is Jonathan Schoop. Can you talk about

what most you thought he advanced his game as? What part of his game?

BUCK SHOWALTER: Jon is going to -- like this time of year, is somebody going to be as good

as they're capable of being? And Jon will be. Not only Jon, but the people around him, and make

the right demands of him and he makes of himself. I look at Kevin Gausman hitting his stride

next year. I think there's a lot of room there for Jon to grow. I think Manny's -- he went to

another level last year. I think there might be another level there.

J.J., believe me, he's got a nice burn going this time of year. I think you're going to see him

healthy, hopefully, next year. Adam didn't completely have -- Adam wants to do it all. I think it

was just some people that have a really good frame of mind about what they want to contribute

next year compared to last year.

Q. How strong do you think the Red Sox look in the AL East now, especially with the addition

of David Price?

BUCK SHOWALTER: What have they done now, Price and who else?

Q. Kimbrough. Chris Young. Boston picked up Young.

BUCK SHOWALTER: You know the prices and everything, it seems that type of payroll, when

they take the what ifs, that's really what hurts us. Chris Young, that's a great pickup for a team

that kind of -- he'll end up playing a lot at -- I don't pay a whole lot of attention to what they're

doing. It's a given they're going to spend and develop and do what they can do. I do the same

thing. They're good. They're always good.

Q. Buck, do you think it would be hard for the Orioles to part with the 14th pick, or is there a

right scenario that you do that?

BUCK SHOWALTER: We talked about something the other day that would require that. It

would have to be something that really fits. But we would if we had to. But one of our big days

is going to be the -- in June, we got seven picks in the first 100 in the draft. I don't know if we've

ever had that. This is big for us. We can solidify our already strong system.

That's who we are. We've got to hit this draft like we have. If you look at -- because we're not

drafting the first three or four, like when we got Matt and we got Manny. Gausman was, what,

fifth or something? Those kind of jump out at you.

Q. With having a lot of picks, does that make it easier to part with the 14th in the right --

BUCK SHOWALTER: We're not going to give it away just because it's there. 14th is a pretty

good player. I'm sure our guys will be looking at a lot of those Friday night pitchers around the

country. We've already got them lined up. I know a lot of people are looking forward to the draft.

Q. You talk a lot about knowing who you guys are as a team.

BUCK SHOWALTER: And who we're not.

Q. In terms of that, though, obviously, the payroll has steadily increased the past few years, and

right now you guys are already reaching to surpass that $100 million mark. Is who you guys are

changing just maybe a little bit?

BUCK SHOWALTER: No. If you look at who -- everybody's going up somewhat. We were

always kind of at the top of the second tier. If you look at baseball, there's a front third tier,

middle tier, and we always kind of fit -- I know we're trying to correctly pay people.

I've heard Dan talk about it where they make sure the pay scale fits that. So we're right -- I said

many times, our ownership has been great since I got here. We've got every resource we need to

compete with these people. We just have to be good at things that they may not have to be.

Q. You talk about building the bullpen one way or the other. Are those arms at even more at a

premium now? Used to be you have a closer and a setup guy, and now teams are looking to

shorten that game three innings or more.

BUCK SHOWALTER: You're always trying to, in a perfect world, develop that from within.

The old-fashioned way, it used to be you start out in the bullpen and worked your way to a

starter. But I think because starting pitchers going deep in the game is so challenging that the

more pieces -- it used to be you try to expose the underbelly of the bullpen of those guys that

pitch in the fifth and sixth inning. That's why you try to get that starter out of there.

But now in one of the meetings we had, it came out the average velocity is the highest we've had

in the history of the game, and the average location of pitches is better than it's been. So you're

talking about guys who are throwing harder, locating better. And I think a lot has got to do with

the bullpens.

People have to realize that it's a little less challenging sometimes to find some guy who can pitch

one inning as opposed to six or seven, or eight or nine. And it's a lot cheaper.

Q. People are showing interest in Zach now for teams looking for closers?

BUCK SHOWALTER: I'm sure there is. We're not moving him. Zach was pretty excited about

Darren coming back, the way I understood it. I haven't heard that broached. We've got him, what,

two or three more years? That's exciting. We've got Brock, a big year. We're looking to add

potentially another piece to add to your bullpen.

Q. What did Brock do to take --

BUCK SHOWALTER: He graduated a little bit. I think he got out of his own way. He had

periods where he'd get off his horse, but he got right back on it. It's about the trust that he allows

me to have in him, and when he'd take a little step back, I knew that next time out he wasn't

going to wallow around in self pity, and he's going to get after it again. That created a lot of trust

for everybody in Brad.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/duquette-sometimes-you-need-patience-

and-sometimes-youve-got-to-move.html

Dan Duquette: "Sometimes you need patience and

sometimes you've got to move"

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette will board his flight home today

with a Rule 5 pick and optimism that more players will be added in the coming days.

Duquette isn't done after choosing outfielder Joey Rickard from the Rays in the Rule 5.

"I always like to try to get the core of the team before Christmas, but it doesn't always work that

way," he said. "It doesn't always work that way to get the club set up for the holidays. A couple

years ago, remember we got to the start of spring training and then added the pitcher (Ubaldo)

Jimenez and then we added Nelson Cruz. So it doesn't always work that way, but it's better if you

can put your building blocks in place before the holidays. We've got some things to follow up

and get our team tuned up.

"We're going to have a good ballclub. I can see our team coming together. Discussions we had

internally were very productive. I can see it coming together."

What about later today?

"Maybe by the end of the week and then hopefully next week," Duquette said. "Our guys have

been working pretty hard down here."

Duquette won't address rumors that the Orioles increased their offer to first baseman Chris

Davis, but a source insisted that nothing has changed. The offer remains seven years for

approximately $150 million, and the Orioles are prepared to move away from Davis.

The can revisit negotiations. They can keep the lines of communication open with agent Scott

Boras. But they won't ignore other options.

"We don't have any comment on the rumors. Lot of rumors out there," Duquette said.

"Lot of interest, but now is the time of the year to buckle down and for people to make choices,

what they are going to do with their teams and for players to choose what players they are going

to play for. I believe we're making a little progress here on figuring out how we are going to put

our team together this year.

"Sometimes you need patience and sometimes you've got to move. We're moving on the things

we can move on. I can see our team being pretty good next year."

The need for a left-handed bat intensifies if the Orioles can't re-sign Davis, but they remain in the

mix for Justin Upton. They also like Alex Gordon and have talked to Boras about Pedro Alvarez

and Denard Span.

Reliever Darren O'Day took his physical and the Orioles are getting close to making his signing

official.

"We have a couple things to work on, but we're making good progress on that," Duquette said.

"Hopefully we can get that resolved by the weekend."

Check Steve Melewski's blog later on MASNsports.com for Duquette's comments on Rickard.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/orioles-select-joey-rickard-in-rule-5-

draft.html

Orioles select Joey Rickard in Rule 5 draft (updated)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE - The Orioles chose outfielder Joey Rickard from the Tampa Bay Rays

organization in today's Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings.

Rickard, 24, batted a combined .321/.427/.447 with 28 doubles, eight triples, two home runs, 55

RBIs and 23 stolen bases at three levels of the Rays system, including Triple-A Durham. He hit

.360/.437/.472 with six doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs in 29 games with the Bulls.

Rickard plays all three outfield positions. It's clear that he's got speed and on-base capabilities,

but limited power.

In four minor league seasons, Rickard has batted .283/.390/.397 with 13 home runs in 359

games.

The Rays selected Rickard, a Las Vegas native, in the ninth round of the 2012 First-Year Player

Draft out of the University of Arizona.

The Orioles were more likely to pass on a pitcher with Dylan Bundy ticketed for the bullpen.

They remain in the market for at least one outfielder as the Winter Meetings end and have trade

and free agent offers on the table.

Rickard must stay on the Orioles' roster all season or be offered back to the Rays for $25,000.

The Angels selected first baseman Ji-Man Choi, the former Mariners prospect in the second

round of the Rule 5 draft. The Orioles signed him to a minor league deal last month and placed

him on Triple-A Norfolk's roster.

Choi, 24, hit .302/.404/.481 in 335 career games over five minor league seasons.

Update: The Orioles took right-hander Cory Jones from the Cardinals organization and left-

hander Chipper Smith from the Marlins in the Triple-A phase. They lost Baysox left-hander

Adam Kolarek to the Rays, catcher David Freitas to the Cubs and right-hander Santiago Garrido

to the Tigers.

Jones, 24, is 9-4 with a 3.81 ERA in 21 starts over three seasons. He didn't pitch in 2015.

Smith, 25, was a combined 5-7 with a 4.39 ERA with two teams this summer. He pitched at the

high Single-A and Double-A levels.

Freitas was the PTBNL in the Jim Johnson trade with the Athletics.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/day-4-of-the-winter-meetings.html

Day 4 of the Winter Meetings

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE - Welcome to the final day of the 2015 Winter Meetings. We've reached the Rule

5 draft, followed by the stampede of executives and reporters to the airport. Try not to get in the

way.

I'm staying later because of my dedication. Or because I whiffed on the 1:30 p.m. flight and don't

want to pay the cost of changing my reservation.

What's a few extra hours at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center? Maybe I'll get in

a little Christmas shopping.

The Orioles will be "active" in the Rule 5 draft, as stated by executive vice president Dan

Duquette. They're also still trying to get that outfielder and starting pitcher, whether it's over the

weekend or next week. Duquette seems confident that it's going to happen within that timeframe.

The negotiations with agent Scott Boras provide an interest dynamic. Or maybe it's just a layer of

weirdness.

They're frustrated with Boras over the Chris Davis talks, but they need to maintain a cordial

relationship and keep the lines of communication open while expressing interest in Pedro

Alvarez and Denard Span.

I wonder if there are awkward silences.

I'll state again that the Orioles haven't adjusted their offer to Davis. This is coming from multiple

sources.

The Orioles have talked to the Rockies about outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, another Boras client,

but I'll express my doubts in two words that a deal will be made: Kevin Gausman.

The Rockies want him. The Orioles want him. Guess who wins this battle?

The Rule 5 pick is expected to be a pitcher or outfielder. The Orioles were intrigued by an

infielder, but apparently soured on him. They liked one catcher, but what's the point? They're not

carrying three.

The Orioles have the 14th pick, but could move up as teams pass on their selections. Perhaps

they can swing another trade, as they did last year to acquire pitcher Jason Garcia from the

Astros, who took the right-hander from the Red Sox organization.

Garcia is expected to begin the 2016 season at Double-A Bowie instead of Triple-A Norfolk.

In case you're wondering about Steve Johnson, he didn't have to pass through waivers before

becoming a free agent. He was non-tendered, not designated for assignment. Yes, it's confusing,

but it also eliminated the waiver process. He's free to sign with any team.

Johnson won't have trouble finding another job. Trust me.

Catcher Caleb Joseph stopped by the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center yesterday

to visit with manager Buck Showalter, who insisted that he come inside the room where the

luncheon was held. Showalter was happy to catch up with his backup catcher.

Here are a few extras from Showalter, who met with the media yesterday:

On having Joseph and Matt Wieters on the roster: "There's plenty of time for everybody.

We're all exciting, including Caleb, about having Matt back because it helps us win and that's

what we want to do. We have a good luxury that we have two guys capable of catching extensive

games and we wouldn't bat an eye with either one of them back there."

On Joseph's excitement over Wieters taking the qualifying offer: "You want to win. If Matt

Wieters is on your team, you've got a better chance to win. I think Caleb is mature enough to

know ... They're both about the same age. Once you've been on both sides of the mountain, you

realize really what's important. At the end of the day, it's about winning baseball games.

"Also, Caleb's return, I've noticed plenty of at bats around. There are things that, if you carry that

criteria and that makeup, things seem to work out. I'll find plenty of bats for everybody. They'll

get to crying uncle when it's over.

On whether Miguel Gonzalez was healthy after coming off the disabled list: "Nobody's 100

percent. We don't rush back. We did everything possible. But there's a different level when

you're pitching in a game than a sim game and a rehab start. You don't completely know where a

guy is physically until they get in the major leagues, anyway. So it wouldn't surprise me if that

was the case."

"I'll tell you, he's really getting after it. Guys like him and Tilly (Chris Tillman), and I talked to

Ubaldo (Jimenez). They've got a really strong burn to get back to the level because they know,

most importantly, what it means to our club."

On the bullpen: "We're doing well. We've got a couple of spots open. You all know the

situation with Dylan (Bundy). Dylan is going to get the ball a lot this spring and see if he's ready

to take the load. We're still kicking around some things in the bullpen market.

"There's two ways to look at it. You can try to build from one end, which you know is very, very

expensive, or you can build from the other end, which sometimes isn't quite as expensive. Some

people may not agree. Where Darren (O'Day) is concerned, Darren earned every penny he got."

On whether the Orioles have been more aggressive during this offseason: "We've got

FanFest this weekend. I ain't getting up on stage in front of our season ticket holders naked, all

right? In more ways than one. I'm just kidding. It's what's presented itself that's worked. If the

timetable is quicker, that's why. It's just it presented itself as such. The backbone is always going

to be the people we have in our system, like Caleb and everybody else.

"If you look at our third basemen from our system, our shortstop was acquired through people

from our system, our second baseman is from our system, our catcher is through our system, our

first baseman might be through our system if it doesn't work out with Chris. I can go right around

the diamond. I like where we are in the offseason. I like the irons we have in the fire right now

that fits who we are and how we have to do things."

On the rising payroll: "Everybody's going up somewhat. We were always kind of at the top of

the second tier. If you look at baseball, there's a front third tier, middle tier, and we always kind

of fit ... I know we're trying to correctly pay people.

"I've heard Dan talk about it where they make sure the pay scale fits that. I said many times, our

ownership has been great since I got here. We've got every resource we need to compete with

these people. We just have to be good at things that they may not have to be."

And finally, a reminder that this is the last day to bid on Orioles auction items to assist Major

League Baseball's efforts to stand up to cancer.

Check out this video interview with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson, who's

offering fans a chance to work out with him and have lunch in spring training.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/orioles-holding-firm-on-offer-to-chris-

davis.html

Orioles holding firm on offer to Chris Davis

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - The Orioles held another round of negotiations with agent Scott Boras today, but

the conversation took place via a phone call and involved managing partner Peter Angelos.

According to two industry sources, Angelos and Boras spoke again while trying to strike a deal

with first baseman Chris Davis. They met in person before the Winter Meetings and were in

contact again today while Angelos remained in Baltimore.

The Orioles' offer hasn't changed, according to the sources. They're still willing to give Davis

approximately $150 million over seven years, believing it's the best deal available to him.

Boras, meanwhile, is meeting with other clubs while the Orioles try to gauge whether there's an

actual market for Davis, who's led the majors in home runs in two of the last three seasons.

Boras suggested today that there's no deadline for Davis to make a decision, that no line has been

drawn in the sand, but the Orioles are prepared to reallocate that money in an attempt to sign an

outfielder and at least one starting pitcher.

Duquette has made trade and free-agent proposals to fill both needs. He's known to have interest

in left-hander Scott Kazmir and right-hander Yovani Gallardo. He's met with Justin Upton's

agent. And that's just the tip of the Winter Meetings iceberg.

The media gathered in Duquette's suite for the final time today. If the Orioles make a blockbuster

trade or signing, he will be available at the podium. Otherwise, he's going to comment on his

selection in the Rule 5 draft and head to the airport.

Here are more quotes from his session at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center:

Asked about his relationship with Boras: "I believe the relationship is fine. Actually we've

done a lot of deals with Scott Boras, and we have a number of his players in the organization.

The most recent multi-year deal we did with him, we did with this kid Suk-min Yoon, the

Korean pitcher, and we had negotiations with Scott both coming to the country, and when it

didn't work out, going back to Korea. That took a lot of time and effort. He's represented Zach

Britton and Matt Wieters and Chris Davis for several years. Then, we had some of his players on

minor league contracts, too, so I think all in all we have a pretty solid relationship. He's got a

great sense of humor."

More on Boras: "He's very passionate about his clients. He wants them to do well. He wants to

see them play well. He always talks about contract execution. That's the club paying the player

after the player's performed and the player continuing to perform. I think all that is good and

helpful for a healthy relationship."

On whether Boras is respecting the Orioles' timeline for reaching agreement: "I know what

the timeline is for the team, and the timeline for the players isn't always aligned with the team,

but when they do choose to sign with the team, that's when they line up."

On what transpired today: "We've been working on some offers for some other players to staff

our outfield. That's what we've been working on today and then we also had a couple of trade

discussions for players to try to acquire by a trade to man the outfield. Those haven't come to

fruition, yet. They're moving toward a resolution, probably by the end of the week or the first of

next week."

Asked whether Orioles have interest in Cliff Lee as reclamation project: "Every year we try

to sign some pitchers that are coming back from injuries. They're generally veteran pitchers.

Some people call that the Red Cross list. So we have a couple pitchers like that that we're

considering."

On whether the pitching market has developed as he expected: "I think the market is

developing on those pitchers. I think you'll see some of those pitchers sign here pretty soon."

On the Rule 5 draft: "I think we look at the talent and then we look at how they fit on the roster,

because you have to accomplish both at some point. I think some people would argue that it's

easier to keep a pitcher in the Rule 5, but they all have their challenges. I will say this, I think the

clubs spent a lot of time and energy determining who they wanted to protect on their 40-man,

because that draft last year was a pretty talent-laden Rule 5 draft. There were some good players

playing in the big leagues.

"I think clubs did a much more precise evaluation of their players prior to completing their 40-

man roster given the quality of the players who got to the big leagues last year from the Rule 5

draft that stayed and made a contribution to their teams. There were some good players last

year."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/a-few-notes-and-quotes-from-dan-

duquette.html

A few notes and quotes from Dan Duquette

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette didn't meet today with agent

Scott Boras and no more progress has been made in trying to reach agreement with first

baseman Chris Davis.

Duquette said he believes the club's relationship with Boras "is fine" and he's not conceding that

a deal won't get done before team executives head home on Thursday afternoon.

"I don't know," Duquette said. "I would never say never, but there's a lot of things that go into

these multi-year commitments."

Have the Orioles been competitive in their offer to Davis?

"Who are we competing against?" Duquette asked. "We made a really aggressive offer to sign

this player and still field a competitive team. Like I said yesterday, that's really the issue. How

much resources are you going to put towards one part of your team, right?

"Everybody needs power. Everybody needs guys to get on base. Everybody needs good

defenders. You need starting pitching. You need middle relief. You need a bullpen. That's really

what the issue is, and we want to provide affordable entertainment for families to come out and

enjoy at Camden Yards, so we're going to try and find that sweet spot where we can put as much

as we can toward the payroll and toward having a competitive team."

Duquette has trade and free agent offers on the table in an attempt to bolster the outfield and he

believes that he can add a player later this week or next week. He said the Orioles are moving

"toward a resolution."

You say you want a resolution?

Duquette wouldn't bite when asked whether an accepted offer from another player would change

the parameters of the Davis offer.

"Like I said, the team has to make choices to staff the club this season and beyond, and it's about

time the players are going to need to come to a decision, too," Duquette said. "A lot of players

like to make their decisions prior to the holidays, which makes sense. And once the market starts

moving, the economics are so powerful, teams can't wait forever because these are huge financial

commitments. From the club perspective, you have to look out for the long-term interest of the

team. That's what we're trying to do in our deliberations."

So is there an offer on the table for another player that would impact the Orioles' ability or desire

to re-sign Davis?

"That's a good question. I hadn't thought about it that way," Duquette said.

"I can tell you this: I'm not going to answer that question directly, but I can tell you we have

offers out to have a competitive team and have some depth to our lineup."

What about making a seven-year offer to a player who turns 30 in March?

"I think you have to weigh that length of the contract for every situation," Duquette said. "I

mean, the club's tolerance has been more along the lines of four, five and six years. But I think

you have to weigh that for each player."

The Orioles' offer for Davis is worth approximately $150 million, as I reported last night.

"I didn't put that number out, OK?" Duquette said. "We've had a dialogue going to try to sign this

player for quite a while. That's been clear to everyone."

Having the terms made public "doesn't bother me," Duquette said, "but it didn't come from the

club."

Boras disputed the figures earlier today while meeting with reporters.

"Interesting," Duquette said. "I'm sure it will all come out in the wash."

Duquette still believes the Orioles will sign a starting pitcher. He just doesn't know when he's

going to happen.

"We've been talking to a couple of starting pitchers," he said. "So far, the only starting pitcher

we've been able to add to the club is we've picked up (Vance) Worley on waivers and we signed

him to a contract. We have talked to a couple pitchers today and we're going to be able to add to

our pitching. I don't know if we're going to get it done this week, but we should be able to add to

our pitching staff."

The Orioles had interest in Ben Zobrist, but they didn't get into serious negotiations before he

agreed to terms with the Cubs.

"It became obvious to us pretty early in the process that he had one particular team that he was

targeting," Duquette said.

The Orioles are expected to begin interviewing candidates for assistant hitting coach next week.

Duquette stated again that the Orioles will be "active" in the Rule 5 draft that concludes the

Winter Meetings and sends me dancing into the empty lobbies.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/scott-boras-i-dont-think-anyone-has-drawn-

any-lines-in-the-sand.html

Boras doesn't think Orioles have drawn "any lines in the

sand" in Davis talks

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - According to agent Scott Boras, there is nothing "immediate" in regard to first

baseman Chris Davis' contract negotiations. Talks continue as the Orioles' patience is tested.

Boras has more meetings planned for tonight with unidentified teams, but an agreement with

Davis isn't anticipated.

"I've been in talks with a number of teams and, as with most Winter Meeting dynamics, you're

kind of moving along and hearing what everyone has to say and just reporting it to Chris," Boras

said while surrounded by reporters in one of the lobbies at the Gaylord Orpyland Resort &

Convention Center.

"Nothing immediate, but certainly we know a little bit more than we knew when we first came

here."

Executive vice president Dan Duquette, manager Buck Showalter and team sources have stated

that the Orioles are close to moving away from Davis. However, Boras wouldn't confirm that

he's received a firm deadline from the club.

"The way we usually handle free agency is we create an exchange so everyone can get the most

information that they can in each respective situation," he said. "I don't think anyone draws any

lines in the sand about how this is going to go forward or not."

Asked to describe Davis' market, Boras replied, "Well, I think you have to describe talent, and if

you were to add the number of home runs that two very fine players have, (Jason) Heyward and

(Justin) Upton, if you were to add the number of home runs they had over the last three years,

Chris Davis would still have more home runs. It tells you about how prolific his talent is. He

truly is the best available home run hitter in the game and probably will be for a few years,

anyway, so he's a pretty special talent."

The Orioles have been aggressive in their attempts to re-sign Davis, offering a contract for

around $150 million - easily the most in franchise history.

"They've certainly been responsive, and Dan and I and Peter (Angelos), as well, have all been

involved in the conversation, and they've certainly let us know that Chris is a guy they covet,"

Boras said. "Certainly, with his performance level the last few years, it's been something that I

think any baseball team would want to have."

Boras said he's got a clearer vision of the market for Davis "now and still ongoing."

"I still have meetings to go involving Chris with teams, so we're trying to get as much done as

we can while we're here," he said. "We still have continued dialogue that's ongoing with

Baltimore, too."

Davis may be clogging the works, with teams waiting on him to sign.

"I don't know," Boras said. "I know a lot of teams covet power and they want to try to get it, and

if they can't get it, they're going to go to the next available source. Chris has truly separated

himself in this market. He's a guy that, since A-Rod, he's the last guy to hit over 45 home runs in

a five-year period twice, so it's a pretty rare performance he offers."

Boras pretty much laid it at the Orioles' feet to get a deal done, saying, "It's almost like the teams

have to make the decision they want to bring things to a final term. Obviously, we've had clubs

come to us and make proposals and discuss their timetable for things, so a lot of that depends on

when the clubs are really ready to take this to the final step."

Catcher Matt Wieters became the first Boras client to accept the qualifying offer, assuring his

return in 2016.

"There's no question the qualifying offer system impaired Matt Wieters, because you have a

number of clubs that are excluded from bidding on him because they don't want to give up draft

picks to do so," Boras said. "So I think any fine player, certainly a player worthy of a team

extending the qualifying offer, you know that system is a detriment in his free agency."

Boras said the market is "great" for left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who could net a five-year deal.

"He's a guy who's had two ERA in Baltimore of 3 1/2 or below two years in a row," Boras said.

"You'd have to go back a long time to find a Baltimore pitcher who's done that in an offensive

ballpark. The last two years his ERA is lower against AL East teams than David Price, so that

tells you how good of a pitcher he is."

The Orioles maintain interest in Pedro Alvarez, also a Boras client who was non-tendered by the

Pirates and could replace some of the power lost if Davis leaves.

"Pedro Alvarez hit 35 home runs twice and has driven in 100 runs twice, and he's a guy whose

home run per at-bat ratios rank among the tops of the free agent class, so obviously there's going

to be interest in him for any team that wants power," Boras said.

The best quote I heard from Boras came after a reporter asked whether the agent sensed that a lot

of hitters on the market are waiting for other players to sign.

"In the ice cream sandwich of markets, you have your boundaries and then you have all the

vanilla in the middle," Boras said. "It's pretty hard to get to the vanilla until you get to the

chocolate on the outside, so they either start at the bottom or they start at the top. And normally

that's how these things work."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/darren-oday-takes-physical-and-other-

notes.html

Darren O'Day takes physical (and other notes)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - Reliever Darren O'Day has taken his physical after agreeing to terms with the

Orioles on a four-year, $31 million contract.

There don't appear to be any issues with the results and it's possible that an announcement could

come by FanFest, which is being held Saturday at the Convention Center.

O'Day agreed to terms on Monday after denying via Twitter the previous day that a deal had

been completed. A few more details needed to be worked out.

Sources have confirmed that O'Day was leaning toward accepting a three-year offer from the

Nationals before the Orioles added a fourth year. Vice president of baseball operations Brady

Anderson and manager Buck Showalter got involved in negotiations.

Anderson is good friends with O'Day's agent, Jeff Borris, one of the former outfielder's

representatives when he played for the Orioles. Anderson played an integral role in O'Day's

return.

Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez will miss FanFest because he's getting married this weekend.

Sounds like a pretty good excuse to me.

Showalter met with the media and talked about the possibility of the Orioles making a trade or

signing a free agent later today. So much is tied to first baseman Chris Davis.

"I know we've got a lot of things that branch off obviously what we do with Chris or what Chris

does with us. It's a decision he has to make," Showalter said.

"I guess he's making the decision."

Agent Scott Boras will create the annual media scrum later today in the lobby area outside the

workroom. He's expected to show up around 3 p.m. Central time.

"I talk to Chris obviously every day," Showalter said, "and at some point he's going to have to

make a decision, if that's enough and how much is enough. Believe me, he's going to make a

good call where he wants to go with baseball in his career and his life. We're prepared to go

either way.

"I know we're interested and they've done some things to try to move that along, but at this point

I'd like to have Chris, but I'm thinking about opportunities that might be around the corner for a

guy like Christian Walker or Trey Mancini. There aren't many people in the minor leagues who

had better numbers than Trey. Obviously, (Mark) Trumbo is there and there are some other

things out there.

"Our first hope would be to bring Chris back, but the game will move on without me, without

anybody. We think we created a great opportunity for Chris and we'll see where it goes."

When it was suggested that the Orioles are waiting on Davis, Showalter replied, "Not really. Not

that long. We won't wait forever."

Showalter said the Orioles turned down a trade proposal last night because they didn't want to

part with specific players.

Showalter was asked whether he needed five right-handers in his rotation.

"I'd rather take a real good right-handed pitcher as opposed to a mediocre left-hander," he said.

"For me, it works."

Showalter also confirmed that the Orioles are willing to part with their first-round pick, the 14th

overall, to sign the right free agent.

There's been some trade interest in closer Zach Britton, but Showalter said, "We're not moving

him."

I'll pass along more comments later in the day. We still have to meet with executive vice

president Dan Duquette at 5 p.m.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/the-latest-from-the-lobby.html

The latest from the lobby

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - Chris Davis still hasn't made a decision. Continue to breathe normally.

ESPN's Buster Olney confirmed what I tweeted last night about the Orioles' offer being around

$150 million. Olney said the deal covers seven years. I was told it's a little more than $20 million

per year, which adds up. However, I also heard about deferred money, which complicates it.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette repeated on MLB Network this morning what he told the

beat crew over the last few days. The Orioles can't wait around for Davis and they're getting

close to moving in other directions.

"We're not quite there yet," he said, "but it's going to be time for the players as well as the teams

to choose."

The dance has moved the Orioles' feet toward Justin Upton, a player who also interested them

last winter. Upton is a free agent and the Orioles met with his representative, Larry Reynolds, as

first reported by CBSSports.com.

I will say again that Upton isn't the left-handed bat that Duquette covets, but he's an impact bat

and the Orioles gladly would plug him into right field and the middle of their lineup.

Upton, 28, is a Virginia native, which sort of makes him local. He's also friends with Orioles

center fielder Adam Jones, if that matters.

Upton averages 26 home runs over 162 games, and his .352 on-base percentage over nine

seasons brings tremendous appeal to a club that routinely settles near the bottom in that category

among major league teams.

Also, Upton is a career .273/.380/.506 hitter against left-handers and a .271/.342/.463 hitter

versus right-handers. The Orioles can live with those splits, no matter which side of the plate he

occupies.

Upton has never faced the Orioles. He's never played at Camden Yards.

He could occupy one of the lockers on opening day.

Meanwhile, we can forget about left-handed hitting Adam Lind. He's now a Mariner.

Lind had platoon player written all over him. He could have shared at-bats with Mark Trumbo,

but the Orioles view Trumbo more as an everyday player. I'm fine with those talks ending, if

anyone asked for my opinion.

The Orioles also are done with Mitch Moreland, according to FOXSports.com. Also more of a

platoon guy, judging by his splits. The Orioles clearly have money to spend and they can find

better ways to distribute it if Davis turns them down.

Upton, Alex Gordon, a frontline starting pitcher. You name it.

Yes, the Orioles still want Davis back. No, they're not going to let this process drag much longer.

"It's easy to love Chris Davis," Duquette said on MLB Network. "Chris knows how we feel

about him. We tell him every day we love him and we've been doing that for four years."

Unfortunately, even the best relationships come to an end. At least if this one does, the two sides

won't argue over who owns which albums.

The Mariners designated Andy Wilkins for assignment to create a spot for Lind. Wilkins had a

brief stay with Triple-A Norfolk before the Orioles designated him while trading for L.J. Hoes.

Former Orioles pitcher Zach Clark (UMBC) is here in search of a job. He'd like to work in a

front office someday and currently seeks a scouting position. Anything to get his foot in the door.

Add Clark to the list of former Orioles spotted in the lobby.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/12/dan-duquette-talks-about-rule-5-addition-

outfielder-joey-rickard.html

Dan Duquette talks about Rule 5 addition of outfielder Joey

Rickard

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE - The Orioles today added an outfielder from the Tampa Bay organization, right-

handed hitting Joey Rickard, in the Rule 5 draft.

Between three teams last year, Rickard hit .321/.427/.447 with 28 doubles, eight triples, two

homers and 55 RBIs. He stole 23 bases and scored 62 runs. The Rays selected Rickard, a Las

Vegas native, in the ninth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of

Arizona.

Rickard began the 2015 season in high Single-A ball, moved to Double-A and ended it in Triple-

A. In those 29 games with Triple-A Durham, Rickard hit .360/.437/.472 and he hit .413 against

right-handed pitching. He has a career .283 average and .390 OBP.

"This kid has had a great year," Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said. "Started out

in A-ball. They move him to Double-A and he did even better. They sent him to Triple-A and he

did even better there. At the end of the season, he went to the Dominican and did well there. He's

been one of the top players in the league in the Dominican.

"He has good on-base capability, good speed. Excellent contact hitter, can steal a base. And he's

a good defensive player, and he played center field and left. We think he gives us some depth.

He just looks like he learned how to play. Looks like a good solid, overall ballplayer. Good

discipline in the strike zone and we look forward to taking a look at him in the spring."

Rickard would have to stay on the Orioles roster all year as Rule 5 pick or be offered back to the

Rays organization. Were the Orioles looking to target an outfielder in today's draft?

"Well, we looked at some outfielders," Duquette said. "We have a need and opportunity in the

outfield. We recognized Joey Rickard's improvement. You look at how he is trending and he's

trending up. Very rarely do you see a player get moved up as quickly as he moved up this year.

Outfield was definitely the depth of this draft.

"Who knows, with more experience, maybe he can be a setup hitter in the big leagues. He started

out as the leadoff man on his Dominican winter league team, but he hit with authority and they

moved him to third in the lineup. They project him to be the top player in that league, so that's a

pretty impressive year that Rickard had."

With the addition of Rickard today, the Orioles' 40-man roster is now full.

The Orioles lost a player in the major league portion of the Rule 5 when the Angels selected first

baseman Ji-Man Choi, a player that has never played for the Orioles. He was signed by the club

to a minor league contract this offseason. Choi, 24, has hit .302/.404/.481 with a .886 OPS in 335

career games over five minor league seasons.

"I was kind of surprised he got drafted to the major leagues because he was out there for a while

as a free agent. That was a bit of a surprise," Duquette said.

In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Orioles added two pitchers. First, they selected

right-hander Cory Jones, 24, from the St. Louis organization. Jones had Tommy John surgery in

July 2014 and missed all of last year. But he is well down the road in his rehab from the surgery

at this point. He was drafted in round five by the Cardinals in 2012. Jones is 9-4 with a 3.81 ERA

in 21 starts over three seasons and the O's will use him as a starter in the minors.

They then selected 25-year-old left-hander Chipper Smith from the Marlins. In high Single-A

and Double-A last year, he went 5-7 with an ERA of 4.39 in 108 2/3 innings. Smith was drafted

in round 38 by Miami in 2012. He is also expected to pitch as a starter this year.

Even though these players are taken in the Triple-A phase of the draft, they can be assigned to

any affiliate at any level when the season starts.

The Orioles lost three players in the minor league phase. The Chicago Cubs selected catcher

David Freitas, who was the player to be named in the Jim Johnson trade to Oakland. Tampa Bay

selected left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek, a product of Catonsville High School who played at

the University of Maryland. Detroit selected right-handed pitcher Santiago Garrido.

Kolarek and Garrido had just been signed by the Orioles this offseason.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/12/more-from-dan-duquette-plus-john-

manual-on-os-farm-jj-cooper-on-rule-5-draft.html

More from Dan Duquette, plus John Manuel on O's farm,

J.J. Cooper on Rule 5 draft

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE - So here is an interesting question: What if Chris Davis accepts what Dan

Duquette termed "a really aggressive offer?" Will the Orioles have enough cash remaining to fill

other needs?

Here is what Duquette said when I asked that yesterday:

"Well, keep in mind we have a really strong core of this ballclub. When Matt Wieters made the

choice to come back he gave us a real solid catcher to go along with Caleb Joseph. That is one of

the more dynamic catching combinations in the league. We have J.J. Hardy, who we hope can

rehabilitate where he can hit some home runs again. We've got Jon Schoop up the middle. He has

excellent power and took a big step forward last year. We still have Adam Jones, Gold Glover

and perennial All-Star in center field. So that is the core of our team.

"We return all the pitchers but one. We've got a strong bullpen with an excellent closer. We're

working hard to re-sign Darren O'Day. We haven't even talked about Manny Machado yet, one

of the most talented players in the league.

"So we're going to have a good ballclub. We're going to staff it well and we're going to add some

players here over the next couple of weeks that should help the ballclub remain very competitive

and entertaining."

Minor matters: We've all heard the rumblings that the Orioles will be ranked near the bottom

five to teams when publications like Baseball America release their organizational rankings in

January.

In a video interview here yesterday, Baseball America's John Manuel said seems likely. I asked

Manuel if fans should be concerned by that.

"I think I'd be more concerned if they weren't contending at the major league level," he said. "To

me, I'd rather be contending in the majors than be rated highly on the farm. If Baltimore's big

league team slips this year for the second consecutive year and their farm system is not ranked

highly, then I would start being concerned.

"To me, it's a trend kind of thing. The way the game is set up right now, it is very difficult to

both contend and have a highly ranked farm system. Not contending goes along with having the

big international bonus, the big signing draft pools. There are only a few teams that are able to

pull that off consecutively right now. Houston is one of them. Let's see them do it again at the

major league level. I think they will. It is hard to do both. That is when I would start to get

concerned - if the major league product falters along with the minor league product."

I asked Manuel to project how many Orioles would be on Baseball America's top 100 prospects

list.

"I would say it's anywhere from zero to three. I have not done my own top 100 yet. I could see

(Dylan) Bundy and (Hunter) Harvey toward the back of that list and I could see Chance Sisco

and maybe Jomar Reyes toward the back of the list."

Rule 5 fever: The Rule 5 draft is this morning. In an interview yesterday, Baseball America's J.J.

Cooper provided some thoughts on players that might intrique the Orioles if they are around

when they pick. The O's have the 15th pick, but some teams are likely to pass on taking players,

so it's not like 14 players will be drafted ahead of them. Last year, a total of 14 players were

taken in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft.

Click here to read his thoughts but Cooper felt three outfielders might interest the O's. They are

Teoscar Hernandez (Houston), Wuilmer Becerra (New York Mets) and Tyler Goeddel (Tampa

Bay). But he now projects that Goeddel could be the first player taken in the draft. He listed two

pitchers the O's could consider if they're still around when they pick: Reymin Guduan (Houston)

and Alberto Tirado (Philadelphia).

Cooper said he felt the Orioles would not lose any players today in the Rule 5 draft. But he also

pointed out we did our interview on Wednesday morning and that could have changed overnight.

We'll know soon enough. It would surprise me if any O's got selected today. Last year in this

draft, any team could have selected right-hander Mychal Givens. But he was coming off a 2014

season where he struggled with control and no one took him.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/12/dan-duquette-on-chris-davis-the-potential-

to-lose-a-draft-pick-and-more.html

Dan Duquette on Chris Davis, the potential to lose a draft

pick and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - We had another chance today to record a video interview with Orioles executive

vice president Dan Duquette. We spent some time on the Chris Davis talks and also asked if the

Orioles would consider it difficult to relinquish the 14th draft pick to sign a free agent.

Did any free agent or trade talks get advanced today? Are the Orioles close to anything?

"We made some good progress on some free agent players that we've been talking to. Hopefully

we will be able to bring some of those deals to closure. I don't know that we are going to be able

to do it while we're here. But hopefully we will be able to do some by the end of the week and

some next week."

What can you say about the discussions with Chris Davis? "We've been working on that for a

long time and we just haven't gotten there yet. At some point, we are going to get to a limit. We

are going to have to find out if Chris is going to be with us. If not, then we are going to have to

make alternate plans and staff the team.

"But I can tell you this: We are going to have a good ballclub again next year and we are going

to be able to add some left-handed hitters to our lineup to balance our lineup.

"The issue here is really how much of your resources can you put toward one player when you

know that all these other things are required to have a good and entertaining team that is

affordable to the fans, right? You need the fans to come out and support you and we want to keep

it as affordable family entertainment. We want to have good defense, which our manager stresses

all the time. We need a good pitching staff, a strong bullpen, setup hitters and power hitters. So

it's not just one player that makes the ballclub. It's a lot of good players and we are going to have

a lot of good players on our club this season."

If Davis says no, there is more payroll flexibility. Can you do more with an answer of

no? "The thing to keep in mind is the way the system is structured, if players leave your ballclub,

you do get back draft picks. And, in this case, we would have additional money to reinvest in the

team and recruit other players to help our team. There are other things you can do. Obviously, we

have prioritized what we want to do and we've made it very clear what our intention is and we'll

see if that works."

Have the Orioles put a deadline on the Boras/Davis camp to make a decision? "I think the

Orioles, we have our own timeline for decisions that we have to make to field a competitive

team. The ownership understands what has to be done and when it has to be done. And the

framework to put together a strong, competitive team and we're going to continue to do that."

The O's have the 14th pick in the June draft. Would you consider giving up that pick under

the right circumstances if you signed a player that turned down a qualifying offer? "You

know, the 14th pick I think is a really good, solid pick to have in the draft. You are at the area

where you have a chance to get a good player to help your team. Not just for one year, but for

several years. Given that pick and how attractive the players are in that area, you have to think

long and hard about relinquishing that pick. At 14, you are right at that area where you have to

give strong consideration to keeping that pick rather than signing a compensation free agent. But

there are other free agents out there that are very attractive where you wouldn't have to sacrifice

a draft pick. We are taking a look at some of those options."

Check back here later to watch the Duquette interview when the video is posted.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/12/buck-showalter-on-possibly-parting-with-

a-draft-pick-and-the-need-for-a-lefty-bat.html

Buck Showalter on possibly parting with a draft pick and

the need for a lefty bat

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - Would the Orioles part with the 14th pick in the draft? If they signed a free agent

who had turned down a qualifying offer, they would have to. While the first 10 picks in next

June's First-Year Player Draft are protected, the O's No. 14 pick is not.

Players that turned down the qualifying offer who could be sought by the Orioles include

outfielders Alex Gordon, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward, and pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Ian

Kennedy.

During his Winter Meetings press conference today, I asked O's manager Buck Showalter if it

would be tough for the O's to part with that draft pick.

"We talked about something the other day that would require that," Showalter said. "It would

have to be something that really fits. But we would if we had to.

"One of our big days is going to be in June when we have (five) picks in the first 100 of the draft.

I don't know if we've ever had that. This is big for us. We can solidify an already strong system.

That is who we are. We have to hit this draft, like we have.

"Because we are not drafting (among) the first three or four (picks), like when we got Matt

(Wieters) and we got Manny (Machado). (Kevin) Gausman was, what, fifth or something? Those

kind of jump out at you. We're going to have to be good at it."

Does having a lot of picks make it easier for the Orioles to part with a draft pick?

"We are not just going to give it away because it's there," Showalter said. "The 14th pick is a

pretty good player. Sure our guys will be looking at a lot of those Friday night (college) pitchers

around the country. Lot of people are looking forward to the draft."

Showalter also discussed today the Orioles' desire to add a left-handed hitter. It seems the

Orioles understand they need hitters that can hit well versus both left- and right-handed pitchers.

- meaning they don't necessarily need to add a lefty bat. Some hitters that bat from the right side

hit right-handed pitching better.

"I know what it looks like aesthetically on paper," Showalter said. "I don't think Toronto had

much trouble with the right-handed hitters they had in the lineup last year. We're looking for

quality offensive performers and if they happen to hit left-handed, so be it.

"You see some of those splits kind of reverse as we go forward. Strikeouts are at an all-time high

and walks an all-time low. Think you are going to see certain skill sets evolve as the game goes

forward."

Upton, for instance, has a career batting average of .273 with an OPS of .886 against lefties,

while those numbers are .271 and .805 for him against right-handed pitchers.

Last year, the Orioles actually hit much better against right-handed pitching. As a team, the club

hit .240 with an OPS of .664 against lefties to rank 14th in the American League. They hit .253

(sixth in the AL) with an OPS of .752 (second in the AL) versus right-handers.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/12/looking-ahead-to-the-rule-5-draft-with-

baseball-americas-jj-cooper.html

Looking ahead to the Rule 5 draft with Baseball America's

J.J. Cooper

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE - The Orioles have the No. 15 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft here. We've come to

expect the O's to make a pick in this draft - last year they selected two players - and this year

should be no different. Expect the O's to make a pick.

Since some teams will pass, there should not be 14 players taken before the Orioles select. In

recent years they have added Ryan Flaherty, T.J. McFarland and Jason Garica in the Rule 5.

No one has been more clued in on this draft than J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, who was has

written preview stories like this one. He believes it is a good move by the Orioles to be so active

in this draft.

"It is $50,000 and if the guy doesn't stick, you offer him back and get $25,000," Cooper said.

"When we talk about payrolls right now, that is nothing. If you have the roster spot and there is

even someone you kind of like, there is no reason not to take a chance. It doesn't work out every

year. The Orioles have had success with it and I've had multiple front office execs say, 'There are

guys that are pretty interesting this year.' "

Last year was historic for the Rule 5 in that 10 of the 14 players taken stuck with their clubs all

year (that number could grow to 11), including Garcia. They included players that became big

for their teams like Delino DeShields Jr. of the Rangers and Odubel Herrera of the Phillies.

Cooper is well aware that trying to predict this draft is very, very difficult. But he did throw out a

few names that could intrique the Orioles if they are around when they pick. Cooper mentioned

three outfielders and two pitchers.

"Teoscar Hernandez from the Astros is a guy coming off a bad year but a very toolsy player. Can

play center field and, really, you take a guy like that and you hope you get another Odubel

Herrera. You probably don't, but you can take that chance.

"Wuilmer Becerra of the Mets was in low Class A last year and is having a really good winter

ball. That is a giant jump - low Class A to the big leagues - you are stashing him somewhat like

Jason Garcia who was in low A ball before the Orioles took him. Becerra is our No. 10 prospect

in the Mets organization. I understand in some ways why they left him unprotected, but that is a

guy you can watch for. Tyler Goeddel of the Rays is a guy who was a third baseman, now he's an

outfielder. Had a pretty solid year offensively. Maybe he could fit in a backup role.

"On the pitching side, there are a thousand hard-throwing pitchers with a little bit of control

trouble. Reymin Guduan, left-hander for the Astros, throws 100 mph. Everyone would be

interested in having a 100 mph lefty. He probably would be tough to stick with the control a

question.

"Alberto Tirado, is a player the Phillies picked up at the trade deadline. He has two absolutely

filthy pitches. When he is on, he could help a bullpen right now. But, again, control troubles

make that a bit of a tough keep."

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2015/12/tweet-tweet-the-oriole-bird-lands-on-

twitter.html

Tweet, tweet: The Oriole Bird lands on Twitter

By Olivia Witherite / MASNsports.com

December 10, 2015

Haven't you heard? The Oriole Bird is now on Twitter!

The Bird made its debut quietly on Wednesday of the Winter Meetings.

Before long, however, the Oriole Bird was its normal outgoing self, tweeting back to fans,

holding giveaways and so much more!

Mascots from all around the league weighed in on the Oriole Bird joining Twitter, which we

must say, is quite the natural fit for a bird.

If you want to see the Orioles from a true bird's eye view, we suggest you follow @OrioleBird

on Twitter. It'll be around Baltimore - and O's FanFest - all offseason before it flies south for

spring training.

If you want to see the Oriole Bird behind the tweeting, be sure to swing by Dempsey's Brew Pub

& Restaurant tonight for 105.7 The Fan's "Hot Stove Show" with Jim Hunter!

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/12/10/baltimore-orioles-chris-davis-contract-offer-update-rumors

Report: Baltimore Orioles rescind seven-year offer to Chris

Davis

By Jeremy Woo / SI.com

December 10, 2015

The Baltimore Orioles have rescinded a seven-year offer to first baseman Chris

Davis, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney.

According to Olney, the Orioles' offer was reportedly in the ballpark of $150 million. Contract

talks between Davis, who led the majors with 45 home runs last season and is one of the top free

agents on the market, and the Orioles have cooled but could still resume, Olney reports.

Davis, 29, can also play third base and the outfield and has hit 159 home runs the past four

seasons for the Orioles, including a 53-homer campaign in 2013. He also led the majors with 208

strikeouts last season and was second in the AL with 117 RBIs.

Baltimore acquired Davis at the 2011 trade deadline from Texas in a trade that sent reliever Koji

Uehara the other way.

The Orioles went 81–81 last season. They won the American League East in 2014, advancing to

the ALCS but falling to the Royals in four games.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14328302/chris-davis-7-year-offer-worth-150m-baltimore-

orioles

Source: Chris Davis has 7-year offer worth about $150M

from Orioles

By Buster Olney / ESPN.com

December 10, 2015

The Baltimore Orioles have offered slugger Chris Davis a seven-year deal worth about $150

million, a source told ESPN.

Davis led the majors with 47 home runs in 2015 and has 159 homers over the past four seasons,

If Baltimore signs Davis, it would be the biggest deal in Orioles history. The Orioles won't wait,

however. They want Davis, and they want an answer from him.

Davis' agent, Scott Boras, acknowledged later Wednesday that he has "had many discussions

with the Orioles."

"I don't draw lines in the sand," Boras said. "My job is to take information, and, unless Chris

directs me to, you usually try to keep the doors open for everyone to listen and advance what

they want to advance.

"I think when you put time frames on this, it really prevents the new idea that sometimes put

deals together."

When asked whether he could confirm the seven-year, $150 million offer, Boras described the

report as "inaccurate."

Davis was second in the American League in RBIs with 117 this season. He also led the majors

in strikeouts with 208. Despite being prone to slumps at the plate, Davis has been valued for his

prodigious power. A lefty slugger, he is the only player in the past five seasons to hit at least 50

home runs in a season, blasting 53 for the O's in 2013.

Davis' play has been instrumental in the best run in the Orioles' recent history, but a suspension

for testing positive for what he said was Adderall marred the end of his 2014 season and kept

him out of the team's playoff run, which ended with a loss in the ALCS.

Davis, who turns 30 in March, has also played at third base and right field since coming to

Baltimore before the 2011 season.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/duquette-says-there-are-lots-rumors-about-

davis

Duquette says there are 'lots of rumors' about Davis

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dan Duquette says there’s nothing new on Chris Davis.

“We don’t have any comments on rumors. There are a lot of rumors out there,” Duquette said

after the conclusion of Thursday’s Rule draft.

There are reports that the Orioles have increased their offer to Davis, perhaps to as much as $168

million over seven years.

“Now is the time of the year to buckle down, for people to make choices what they’re going to

do with their teams, and for players to choose what teams they’re going to play for,” Duquette

said.

"I believe we're making a little progress on figuring out how we're going to put our team

together.”

He’s not setting a deadline on Davis.

“I always like to get the core of the team before Christmas, but it doesn’t always work that way,”

Duquette said. “We’re going to have a good ballclub. I can see our team coming together.”

Duquette feels optimistic about what the team did during the Winter Meetings.

"Sometimes you need patience. Sometimes you've got to move." We’re moving on the things we

can move on. I can see our team being pretty good next year,” Duquette said.

He also said Darren O’Day’s contract should be made official soon.

“We have a couple of things to work on, but we’re making good progress on that. Hopefully,

we’ll get that resolved over the weekend,” Duquette said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-select-speedy-outfielder-rule-5-draft

Orioles select speedy outfielder in Rule 5 draft

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 10, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Orioles selected 24-year-old outfielder Joey Rickard in the Rule 5

draft on Thursday.

Rickard, who was Tampa Bay’s ninth round draft choice in 2012, is 24. He hit .321 last season as

he sped through three levels of the Rays organization.

He doesn’t have much power, hitting just two home runs, but he had 55 RBIs.

Rickard, a right-handed hitter, had a .427 on-base percentage and stole 23 bases in 29 attempts.

"We like Rickard’s skills because he’s a solid defensive player and his on-base capability,

discipline at the plate is something we were looking for," Orioles executive vice president of

baseball operations Dan Duquette said. "That’s a pretty impressive year that Rickard has had."

The Orioles lost South Korean first baseman Ji-Man Choi, who they signed to a minor league

contract last month, to the Los Angeles Angels in the second round of the Rule 5 draft.

In the Triple-A draft, the Orioles selected left-handed pitcher Cory Jones from St. Louis and lost

Catonsville’s Adam Kolarek, a right-handed pitcher to Tampa Bay and catcher David Freitas,

who they obtained in the Jim Johnson trade two years ago, to Tampa Bay.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/duquette-has-latest-davis-wont-comment-

reported-offer-size

Duquette has latest on Davis, won't comment on reported

offer size

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Orioles continue to be preoccupied with Chris Davis. Dan Duquette

insists he isn’t.

The Orioles want Davis back, but Duquette who has a Thursday afternoon flight back to

Baltimore doesn’t think he’ll get a deal done before the Winter Meetings end.

“I don’t know. I would never say never, but there’s a lot of things that go into these multiyear

commitments,” Duquette said.

Duquette wouldn’t comment on the reported 7-year, $150 million offer. The Orioles have never

signed a player for more than six years.

“'I didn’t put that number out, OK? We’ve had a dialogue going to try to sign this player for

quite a while. That’s been clear to everyone,” Duquette said.

Boras is looking for other offers, but there haven’t been any others reported.

“Who are we competing against?” Duquette asks.

“We made a really aggressive offer to sign this player and still field a competitive team. Like I

said yesterday, that’s really the issue. How much resources are you going to put towards one part

of your team, right? Everybody needs power. Everybody needs guys to get on base. Everybody

needs good defenders. You need starting pitching. You need middle relief. You need a bullpen.

“That’s really what the issue is, and we want to provide affordable entertainment for families to

come out and enjoy at Camden Yards, so we’re going to try and find that sweet spot where we

can put as much as we can towards the payroll and towards having a competitive team.”

“We’ve been working on some offers for some other players to staff our outfield. That’s what

we’ve been working on today and then we also had a couple of trade discussions for players to

try to acquire by a trade to man the outfield. Those haven’t come to fruition, yet. They’re moving

toward a resolution, probably by the end of the week or the first of next week.”

NOTES: The Orioles expect to take a player in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. They pick 14th. … Buck

Showalter says he’s in the process of setting up interviews for assistant hitting coach. … Cliff

Lee, who didn’t pitch in 2015, is seeking a job, and Duquette didn’t deny interest in him.

“Every year we try to sign some pitchers that are coming back from injuries. They’re generally

veteran pitchers. Some people call that the Red Cross list. So we have a couple pitchers like that

that we’re considering,” Duquette said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/showalter-says-orioles-have-davis-alternatives

Showalter says Orioles have Davis alternatives

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Buck Showalter knows he wants Chris Davis to return to the Orioles. He

also knows that may not happen.

“At some point, he's going to have to make a decision if that's enough or how much is enough,”

Showalter said Wednesday at the Winter Meetings.

“Believe me, he's going to make a good call where he wants to go with his baseball and his

career and his life. We're prepared to go either way.”

Showalter says the Orioles have alternatives to Davis.

“At this point, I'd like to have Chris, but I'm thinking about opportunities that might be around

the corner for a guy like Christian Walker or Trey Mancini. There's not people in the minor

leagues that have better numbers than Trey, and Christian had another big year too. Obviously,

[Mark] Trumbo's there, and there's some other things out there,” Showalter said.

“First thought would be hopefully to bring Chris back, but the game will move on without me,

without anybody. We think we create a great opportunity for Chris and see where it goes.”

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/waiting-game-boras-has-latest-chris-davis-

timeline

Waiting game? -- Boras has latest on Chris Davis timeline

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Scott Boras says not to expect a decision from Chris Davis soon.

“We’ve been in talks with a number of teams, and as with most Winter Meetings dynamics,

moving along and hearing what everyone else has to say and just reporting it to Chris, so there’s

nothing immediate, but we knew a little bit more than when we first came here,” Boras said on

Wednesday.

While Dan Duquette has implied that the Orioles have a deadline, and that they’ll move on from

Davis, Boras didn’t seem to be fazed.

“You’d have to ask them that. The way we usually handle free agency is that we create an

exchange so that everyone can get the most information they can about each respective situation.

I don’t think anyone draws any lines in the sands about how this is going to go forward or not,”

Boras said.

Boras says that Duquette and managing partner Peter Angelos have been involved in the talks.

“They’ve certainly been responsive. Dan and I and Peter as well, have all been involved in the

conversation. They’ve certainly let us know that Chris is a guy they covet. It’s been something

that any baseball team would want to have,” Boras said.

“He truly is the best available home run hitter in the game and probably will be a few years,

anyway.”

Each winter meeting, Boras takes time from his negotiating to have an impromptu gathering with

reporters.

“I still have meetings to go involving Chris with teams. We’re trying to get as much done as we

can while we’re here. We still have continued dialogue that’s ongoing with Baltimore, too,”

Boras said.

At last month’s General Manager’s meetings, Boras railed against the qualifying offer yet two

days later, his client, Matt Wieters surprisingly accepted the $15.9 million offer from the Orioles.

“There’s no question the qualifying offer system impaired Matt Wieters because you have a

number of clubs that are excluded from bidding on him because they don’t want to give up draft

picks to do so, so any fine player, any player worthy of extending a qualifying offer, you know

that that system is a detriment on his free agency,” Boras said.

Wei-Yin Chen is another one of his clients, and Duquette indicated on Tuesday he was highly

unlikely to return.

“The last two years his ERA is lower against AL East teams than David Price, so that tells you

how good a pitcher he is,” Boras said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-showing-davis-theyre-playing-money-

ball

Orioles showing Davis they're playing money ball

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If the Orioles offer to Chris Davis is anything close to the $150 million

reported on Wednesday night, then the team has entered a new era.

According to MASNsports.com, the offer to Davis is “in the neighborhood” of $150 million and

could include deferred money.

Let’s say the Orioles offered Davis $25 million—with some deferred—for six years. That would

be $150 million, and that dwarfs any known offers they’ve made.

The Orioles have also been linked to Justin Upton, San Diego’s free agent outfielder, and unlike

Davis, a right-handed hitter. The Orioles badly need left-handed hitters, but Upton, who has

speed and has a lifetime on-base percentage of .352, represents an opportunity to diversify the

team’s offense.

Dan Duquette used Tuesday’s meeting with reporters who regularly cover the Orioles to warn

implicitly that he wasn’t going to wait much longer for Davis and agent Scott Boras to make up

their minds on whether to engage with the Orioles.

If Davis doesn’t re-sign with Baltimore, fans can’t be disappointed with the club. If they’ve

offered well in excess of $20 million for five or six years, then that’s a genuine offer in this time

of megabucks free agents.

Should Davis—or the Orioles—move on, would they be so generous with a player like Upton?

Under Duquette, the Orioles have re-signed Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, and now Darren O’Day

with nice offers. Their biggest free agent catch from the outside was Ubaldo Jimenez’s four years

and $50 million.

The Orioles like familiarity, and have a better idea of what they’re getting with players such as

Hardy, Jones and O’Day. They don’t know what Upton or Alex Gordon may bring. As a result,

they may not be as aggressive with outside free agents.

Duquette admitted on Tuesday that he likes it better when he doesn’t have a huge number of

competitors for a player. With O’Day, he had a trump card in the pitcher’s admiration of Buck

Showalter, and he preferred staying in the area because his wife is a Washington-based

correspondent for FOX.

The Orioles still have those outfielders to get, still want some more pitchers, and have the Davis

situation hamstringing them.

It will be fascinating to see if they’re really serious about moving on from Davis if he doesn’t

take them up soon and equally interesting if Boras thinks he can get a better offer somewhere

else.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/12/10/orioles-end-winter-meetings-with-no-resolution-on-

chris-davis

Orioles End Winter Meetings With No Resolution On Chris

Davis

By Paul Folkemer / PressBoxOnline.com

December 10, 2015

The Orioles made a couple of moves during MLB's winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 7-

10, including a selection in the Rule 5 draft. But most of the attention went to the player they

haven't signed: first baseman Chris Davis.

As of Dec. 10, the Orioles were still in negotiations with Davis and his agent, Scott Boras, on a

long-term deal. Earlier in the week, the O's reportedly offered Davis a seven-year contract worth

about $150 million.

Thus far, Davis and Boras have yet to accept the Orioles' offer, though it isn't known if they've

received better offers from any other teams. Orioles executive vice president of baseball

operations Dan Duquette suggested that the O's need to make a decision soon on whether to

move forward without Davis.

As an indication the O's are looking for alternatives to Davis, the club reportedly discussed

several other sluggers during the winter meetings, including free-agent outfielder Justin Upton

and free-agent first baseman Pedro Alvarez. The Birds were also linked to several left-handed

bats in trade talks, such as first baseman Adam Lind (who has since been dealt to the Seattle

Mariners), Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland and Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos

Gonzalez.

The Orioles also are rumored to have their eye on a few free-agent pitchers, such as left-hander

Scott Kazmir and righty Yovani Gallardo. No deals have materialized as yet.

In the meantime, the O's did accomplish a few things in Nashville. They reportedly put the

finishing touches on their four-year, $31 million contract with righty reliever Darren O'Day. All

that remains is for O'Day to complete the physical, and the deal will be official.

The Orioles also made a Rule 5 pick, selecting outfielder Joey Rickard from the Tampa Bay

Rays' system in the major league phase of the draft. Rickard, 24, has spent parts of four seasons

in the minors, batting .283/.390/.397/.787 with 13 home runs and 149 RBIs during 359 games.

Rickard is coming off his best minor league season. In 2015, he batted .321/.427/.447/.874

during 117 games split between three minor league levels, topping out at Triple-A Durham.

Rickard doesn't hit for much power, but he provides speed and on-base ability. He has a .390

OBP and 73 career stolen bases in 96 attempts.

As a Rule 5 pick, Rickard must remain on the Orioles' active 25-man roster during the entire

2016 season or be offered back to the Rays. The fact that the O's are currently short on

outfielders could help Rickard's chances of sticking with the team. Only Adam Jones in center

field has an outfield spot locked down, while left field and right field are question marks for the

Orioles at the moment.

The O's have a strong recent track record of holding onto their Rule 5 picks. Their 2014

selection, right-hander Jason Garcia, survived the full 2015 season and remains on the Birds' 40-

man roster, as do left-hander T.J. McFarland (a 2012 Rule 5 pick) and infielder Ryan Flaherty (a

2011 pick).

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/12/10/despite-lucrative-offer-dan-duquette-unsure-if-chris-

davis-will-return-to-orioles

Despite Lucrative Offer, Dan Duquette Unsure If Chris

Davis Will Return To Orioles

By Justin Silberman / PressBoxOnline.com

December 10, 2015

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette made it well known just

how much the team values free-agent first baseman Chris Davis.

On Dec. 8, Duquette went all-in to lock up Davis for the foreseeable future with the most

lucrative contract offer in franchise history. Duquette reportedly met with Davis' agent, Scott

Boras, at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., and offered the slugger a seven-year, $150

million deal, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Despite that handsome sum, Duquette is unsure whether Davis will return to Baltimore next

season and is the process of moving on from the one-time All-Star.

"I'm not sure how it's going to play out," Duquette said Dec. 9 on Glenn Clark Radio. "We've

certainly considered all of our options, and we're looking at our options. At some point, there's

going to be a time to either fish or cut bait for the team and for Chris. I don't think we're quite

there yet, but we're getting there."

With or without Davis, Duquette is confident the Orioles have the pieces to bounce back from

last season's 81-81 finish and return to supremacy in the competitive American League East. And

if recent history is any indication, Duquette could be right.

Saddled by Davis' 25-game suspension for Adderall at the end of the 2014 season, the Orioles

still managed to reach the AL Championship Series before losing to the Kansas City Royals.

So in the event Davis does not return, Duquette has seen firsthand what the club is capable of --

albeit in a small sample size. Still, he plans to add talent from outside the organization to

complement a strong nucleus that includes franchise cornerstones Adam Jones, Manny Machado

and J.J. Hardy.

"… Would we like to have him on our team? Yes. If he's not on our team, are we still going to

have a good team? The answer to that is yes, too," Duquette said of Davis. "… If he's not with

us, then we're going to go get some other good ballplayers to be on the Oriole team -- be part of

the community and to entertain our fans."

He took the first step in doing that by acquiring right-handed slugger Mark Trumbo from the

Seattle Mariners in a trade Dec. 3. That move may have just been a prelude to what Duquette and

Co. potentially have in the works as an insurance policy for Davis.

While Duquette did not go into any specifics, the Orioles have been linked to power-hitting free-

agent outfielder Justin Upton and reportedly met with his agent, Larry Reynolds, Dec. 9.

Assuming the Birds hammered out a multi-year agreement with Upton or another prized free

agent, it would mark the first time the Orioles have signed a hitter to such an agreement since

Wilson Betemit in 2012.

Duquette, however, doesn't expect anything to happen overnight.

"… These things have a way of resolving themselves," Duquette said. "… I think the real issue

with these big contracts is the ability of the team to pay a good player, but it takes more than one

good player to have a successful team.

"… The challenge for the club is that if you're going to put all these resources into one player,

OK, how are you going to have the resources available to satisfy those other requirements? [How

are you able to] have a good pitching staff, to have good defense, to have a good lineup, have

good depth in your organization if you put an inordinate amount of resources into one player."

Regardless of how the Orioles' roster takes shape heading into spring training, Duquette has the

upmost confidence manager Buck Showalter and the team's veterans will have what it takes to

string together more success.

"Fortunately, we have stability through our leadership," Duquette said. "We've got a good

manager. We've got strong defense up the middle in Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy, and Matt

Wieters is back. … We have a credible lineup, and there's some other pieces we can add to have

a good team again in '16."

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/12/09/buck-showalter-confident-in-direction-orioles-are-

headed

Buck Showalter Confident In Direction Orioles Are Headed

By Justin Silberman / PressBoxOnline.com

December 9, 2015

In recent years, there has been a growing perception surrounding the Orioles regarding their

reluctance to retain the club's high-priced free-agent talent.

Just last offseason, Baltimore drew criticism for failing to re-sign homegrown outfielder Nick

Markakis, slugger Nelson Cruz and left-handed setup man Andrew Miller from its 2014

American League East division-winning squad. After failing to find adequate replacements for

their services, the Birds took a step and stumbled to a third-place finish in the division with an

81-81 record.

This offseason, however, the O's have shown they are willing to spend the money to appease

their fans and avoid a similar fate. Baltimore has already reached deals with catcher Matt Wieters

(one-year, $15.8 million), right-handed setup man Darren O'Day (four years, $31 million --

pending a physical) and are reportedly making a push to bring back slugger Chris Davis.

"Teams may not be the Yankees or the Red Sox or the Dodgers -- that's going to be an excuse.

We've got plenty of money," manager Buck Showalter said Dec. 8 on Glenn Clark Radio. "Our

owner [Peter Angelos] is unbelievably supportive from that standpoint. We have the highest

payroll, I think, in Oriole history, so let's keep that in mind."

Showalter is right. Excluding O'Day's new pact, the Orioles currently rank 14th out of the

league's 30 teams with a payroll slightly less than $116 million, according to ESPN, ahead of

big-market teams like the New York Mets.

That number could jump significantly higher if the Orioles and Davis come to terms on a deal

that is expected to shatter the team-record six-year, $85.5 million contract center fielder Adam

Jones inked in 2012.

While Showalter would like nothing more than to have Davis back in the fold, he understands

the challenges the Birds face in signing a player who is said to be seeking anywhere from $150-

200 million.

"We're still doing some things with Chris Davis," Showalter said. "He's going to make a decision

about how much [money] is enough … and I know Chris would like to come back. But we will

move on at some point."

In the event Davis does indeed depart, the three-time AL Manager of the Year award winner

won't be short on replacements. Showalter was high on several alternatives that could step in and

fill the noticeable void left by the 2013 AL Silver Slugger award winner.

"We do have [minor league first basemen] Trey Mancini and Christian Walker, and we do have

some people that we will move on to," Showalter said. "We're not going to sit around and waddle

around in self-pity. This game will survive without all of us."

If there is one player the Orioles will have to survive next season without, it's left-handed starter

Wei-Yin Chen. With almost no possibility of Chen returning next season, Showalter has already

begun to explore in-house candidates to replace the four-year veteran in the rotation.

Although Showalter mentioned lefty reliever Brian Matusz as one of the possible solutions, he

seemed more content with the production the one-time starter has given the club since moving to

the bullpen in 2012.

"Every spring, we stretch him out and see what that is," Showalter said of Matusz. "There's that

possibility. I'm not going to commit to any of that. We're going to see how the trees shake out

and what's available. Brian has done a good job in the bullpen for us, and we know he has a

strong pedigree of starting."

No matter how the rest of the Orioles' offseason plays out, Showalter has no doubts the Orioles

will have formed their identity once the 2016 season begins.

"One of things I wanted to find when I got here is who are we, and how are we going to do?"

Showalter said. "Let's [not] confuse the fans. Let's be consistent about how we're going about our

business."

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/12/10/the-oriole-bird-has-officially-joined-twitter/

The Oriole Bird Has Officially Joined Twitter

CBS Baltimore

December 10, 2015

Tweet tweet! One of Baltimore’s favorite birds has just joined Twitter.

The @OrioleBird started sending out his first tweets just days before #FanFest2015.

Check out the warm welcome he received from a few other fan favorites in the league:

Welcome to the world of social media Oriole Bird!

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/25407976/hot-stove-orioles-go-over-150m-in-

bid-for-davis-but-theres-still-a-gap

Hot stove: Orioles go over $150M in bid for Davis, but

there's still a gap

By Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com

December 9, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Orioles have now bid over $150 million for seven years for star free-

agent slugger Chris Davis, and while they would prefer a quick response, the situation is still said

to be fluid between Davis and the team.

While Davis' exact target isn't known, he is believed to be seeking something closer to a $200

million deal, or more, and while that sounds like a significant gap, both sides are staying close in

touch. There seems to be motivation on both sides to bridge the gap, and they continue to work.

Davis' camp is believed to have in mind a longer deal, with comps that include Mark Teixeira's

$180-million, eight-year Yankees deal, Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214-million Tigers deal and

Joey Votto's $10-year, $225-million Reds deal. As for the Orioles, they have never given more

than a $88.5 million deal in their history, which went to star center fielder Adam Jones.

Davis, 29, is believed to be of interest to the Blue Jays and Red Sox -- two AL East rivals-- plus

the Cardinals, Angels and some others should things not work out in Baltimore.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos, said to have taken a strong personal interest, is in the middle of the

talks, as it seems he is quite interested in keeping Davis -- who hit 47 home runs with 117 RBI in

2015 -- in Baltimore. The Orioles are prepared to significantly raise their payroll this year, but

they would like a fairly timely response before other big hitters go off the board.

The Orioles, formulating multiple backup plans, met with Larry Reynolds, the agent for star free-

agent outfielder Justin Upton, and like him very much, presumably as a fallback candidate. They

have also have spoken to the Rockies about big-time slugger Carlos Gonzalez, as well, but that

isn't a deal that would likely come together quickly.

The Rockies have long sought Colorado product Kevin Gausman. The Orioles also have shown

interest in Pedro Alvarez, another slugging free agent. But right now, the focus is on Davis.

http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-news/4687366-orioles-rumors-justin-upton-chris-davis

MLB free agents: Orioles meet with Justin Upton’s agent

By Travis Durkee

December 9, 2015

The Orioles are willing to spend for a power bat, as made clear by their offer to slugger Chris

Davis “in the neighborhood of $150 million.” But if Davis decides to sign elsewhere, Baltimore

could turn to Justin Upton to replace the pop in the middle of the order.

Executives from the Orioles reportedly met with Upton’s agent, Larry Reynolds, Wednesday

morning at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., CBS Sports reported.

Upton, a Virginia native, had a .251/.336/.454 slash line, 26 home runs and 81 RBIs in his 2015

All-Star season, his first season with the Padres.

Other teams have kicked the tires on Upton, 28, but in a crowded outfield market with Yoenis

Cespedes, Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon and others, teams may not be overly aggressive to get

Upton’s name on the dotted line.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/hooton-foundation-has-representatives-from-

all-30-teams/2015/12/08/79144758-9de4-11e5-9ad2-568d814bbf3b_story.html

Hooton Foundation has representatives from all 30 teams

Associated Press / Washington Post

December 8, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs, James McCann of Detroit, J.J. Hardy

of Baltimore and Nick Markakis have joined the advisory board of the Taylor Hooton

Foundation, giving it at least one player from all 30 major league teams pending decisions by

free agents on whether to re-sign.

The foundation made the announcement Tuesday at baseball’s winter meetings.

Hooton’s family formed the foundation in 2004 after Taylor Hooton — a cousin of former big

league pitcher Burt Hooton — committed suicide at age 17.

http://outlook.monmouth.edu/index.php/sports/3152-brad-brach-succeeds-in-major-league-

baseball

Brad Brach Succeeds In Major League Baseball

By John Sorce / The Outlook

December 9, 2015

In 2014, the Baltimore Orioles won the American League East with a 96-66 record and

advanced to the American League Championship Series. One of the key members of their

bullpen was Brad Brach, who pitched for the Hawks from 2005-2008.

“It was pretty much indescribable, I get chills every time I think about it,” Brach said in a

phone interview. “It was just one of those experiences that you want to go through again. Once

you get to play in [the postseason], you don’t realize how exciting it is; how into every single

pitch every single fan and player is. Getting a little bit of a taste of it last year just makes you

want to get back.”

Brach recorded the win in game two of the American League Division Series against the

Detroit Tigers in his first career postseason appearance. He recorded the final two outs in the

eighth inning and Camden Yards went into a frenzy shortly thereafter in a moment he will

always remember.

“One moment I will never forget was in Game Two of the ALDS against Detroit. I got the last

couple outs and we go back in the dugout. We were down three runs going into the eighth

inning and Delmon Young hit a bases clearing double to put us ahead in that game and it

wasn’t like we were major leaguers anymore. It was like we were little leaguers playing for the

first time ever. Everyone in the dugout was jumping and screaming like little girls. The whole

stadium felt like it was shaking and it was just absolutely incredible.”

As the all-time leader in strikeouts and wins for the Hawks, Brach has enjoyed success coming

out of the bullpen for Buck Showalter’s Orioles over the past two seasons after making his

major league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2011. Over his five year career, Brach has

appeared in 217 regular season games and has posted a 15-10 record, a 3.25 ERA and has

struck out 260 batters over 246.1 innings.

The road to the show did not come easy for Brach, however. The right hander came to the

University after attending Freehold Township High School and was drafted by San Diego in

the 42nd round in 2008, a round that no longer exists in the MLB Draft.

“I’ll never forget talking to Coach Dean Ehehalt my first fall,” Brach said. “We had to do a

team assessment where basically we had to tell him where we fit on the team. We gave him a

lineup card, a pitching rotation and relievers. I told him that I was in the top three just because

I had a lot of drive inside myself and he told me that he didn’t see me in the top five if not the

top seven. That was one of those things that drove me every single day from that point on.”

Ehehalt, who will enter his 23rd season as head coach for the Monmouth baseball team in

2016, reflected on how Brach took this as motivation.

“Over the years, I have very rarely told a freshman that he’s the top guy at his spot, just to

keep that hunger in them,” Ehehalt said. “Brad used it as a motivating factor as opposed to the

‘me’ or ‘I’ syndrome that some players have. He was drafted in the 42nd round and that’s

somebody telling him ‘hey, you’re not a first rounder,’ so he used that as motivation too.”

Brach was a starter during his career at Monmouth, but the Padres placed him in the bullpen

right away for their Arizona league rookie ball affiliate.

“I think Brad saw that as an opportunity to just go out and say ‘hey I got one inning, I’m going

to go out and dominate.’ And it kind of snowballed and he was really good at it,” Ehehalt said.

“I think he had that bullpen mentality even though he was a starter in college. Most guys

would view that as a demotion and he looked at it as a great opportunity.”

Now as an established major league reliever, Brach realized that baseball has become a

bullpen game and being in that role is very important with the game evolving over the past few

seasons.

“I think any baseball fan can realize now that baseball has turned into a bullpen game,” Brach

said. “If you don’t have a good bullpen then your team is really going to struggle. Last year

[2014 against the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS] we knew we had to score before the fifth

or the game was over. I think it’s more of a mental advantage than a physical advantage

because when you fall behind, you know you’re in trouble so it’s definitely the way the game

is turning. It makes me strive every single day because I want to be like Wade Davis or Kelvin

Herrera or one of those type of guys.”

Brach mentioned that his pitching coach while at Monmouth had a big impact on his career.

“In college my pitching coach, Chuck Ristano, made me take my game to a whole new level.

He gave me so much confidence in the college game that it catapulted me to get me through

pro ball once I got there.”

Ristano served as the Hawks’ pitching coach from 2006-2009 and is now on the coaching staff

at The University of Notre Dame.

“To be honest with you I can talk about Brad until your phone runs out of battery,” Ristano

said. “Brad was going to do it no matter who he played for. You knew something special was

going to happen with Brad just off the way he went about his business. He got drafted in the

42ndround but he did things like a first round draft pick. Once in a while you run into guys who

are not going to be denied and that was Brad. He’s a special, special kid from a special, special

family. I’m flattered to have been a part of it.”

Ristano recalled the 2007 season in which the Hawks won the Northeast Conference (NEC)

championship and appeared in the NCAA Regionals at Arizona State. The Hawks played

Mount St. Mary’s in Game 1 of the NEC Tournament when Brach got the start.

“The first batter of the game hit a triple against him. He had a man on third with nobody out

and then he got the next three guys out. When Brad came into the dugout I asked him if he was

afraid of that hitter because I thought he made some bad pitches. He gave me a look and then

went out and threw eight shutout innings and I’m like ‘man this kid is unbelievable.’ Yeah, he’s

the best.”

Brach’s climb to where he is today was a steep one, but Ristano never had a doubt he would

eventually make it.

“He’s a big leaguer but people who get drafted in the 42nd round just don’t make it to the big

leagues. At that point it was the Padres and Brad just gave them no choice. He just kept getting

people out and that was his only chance to do it; to be so flawless that he outperformed the 41

guys who were drafted in front of him and everybody else who was drafted in previous years.

For him to climb that mountain is unbelievable. Since I saw him pick up a baseball, not a day

went by where I didn’t think he was going to make it and that wasn’t crazy because I wasn’t the

only one. Dean [Ehehalt] knew it, his teammates knew it. Brad was going to do it and we were

just happy to be along for the ride.”

Being drafted as late as he was and coming from a small northeast school in a cold weather

environment, Brach realizes that playing in the major leagues is a privilege.

“Whenever people ask me what it’s like I tell them it’s everything that I’ve dreamed of times a

thousand,” Brach said. “The opportunity to go out there and wear a major league uniform

everyday has been incredible. It’s one of those things that I never take for granted and that’s

why I work so hard every offseason and every day. I know how easily it can slip away since

I’ve seen it happen to guys. I definitely strive everyday to keep living the dream as everyone

says and continue to have the opportunity to pitch at the major league level.”

With a degree in history and education, Brach’s backup plan is to be a history teacher and high

school coach if pro ball doesn’t continue to work out. However, there is no doubt in Ristano’s

mind that Brach’s success at baseball’s highest level is just getting started.

“The longer I have coached, the more I realize you learn to trust personalities more than stuff.

And if the Padres, Orioles or whoever he goes onto pitch for trusts his personality, then Brad is

going to be a big leaguer for a really long time because he has a big league personality.”

Brach resides in Nashville over the offseason, but he relishes every opportunity that he gets to

come back to West Long Brach.

“I idolize everything at Monmouth; the people, the coaches and the administration. Everybody

is so supportive. Even when I go back today I can go up and say hi and talk to any of them and

it’s like I haven’t been gone this entire time. It was a great experience when I was there and

still to this day, I love going back there anytime I get a chance to.”