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Orioles To Sign Dontrelle Willis

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The Orioles will sign Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract, report ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter) that Willis will make $700K in the big leagues. The Sosnick Cobbe client was released by the Phillies last week.

Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The 30-year-old southpaw posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. An ineffective Spring Training with Philadelphia led to his release.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Aybar, Lannan, Cecil

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While Larry Lucchino may not have officially signed a new deal with the Red Sox, the team’s president/CEO told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he expects to be with the organization for years to come.  It's widely known that Lucchino has a greater role in baseball operations than he did in years past when he worked with GM Theo Epstein.  The CEO also told Cafardo that while ownership long considered Cherington to be Epstein's heir, there were brief discussions about going outside for a GM.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Angels are working on a multiyear extension with shortstop Erick Aybar, who can become a free agent next winter.  Agent Fernando Cuza is looking for a five-year deal and Aybar could land a big contract on the open market. If Jose Iglesias doesn't look like the Red Sox's long-term solution, Aybar may become an option.
  • Interest in Nationals left-hander John Lannan has diminished with some teams that feel what they have is just as good.  Boston, for example, feels equally comfortable with Felix Doubront and Andrew Miller.  However, the Nats still have a pitching surplus and it appears that teams are more interested in lefty Ross Detwiler’s upside.  It's also possible that Washington will want to keep all of their starters as insurance because of Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury.
  • As the Blue Jays create more room for their top young pitchers, left-hander Brett Cecil could be made available in a deal.  The former top prospect hasn’t lived up to expectations and hasn’t had an especially good spring.  Last week we learned that Cecil and Kyle Drabek are drawing attention from scouts.
  • Mike Aviles is the Red Sox's starting shortstop, but the Phillies are one team that would be interested in dealing for him as they look for an experienced backup infielder.  If Boston committed to Iglesias, Aviles could be made available.
  • The Indians are wading through left fielders to find a fit, and they could wind up with Johnny Damon.  One Tribe exec shot down that idea yesterday, saying that Damon's lackluster defense kills any interest they might have. While the Orioles keep indicating they won’t sign Damon, the veteran would be a great fit for their lineup.
  • Cafardo wonders if Ivan Rodriguez could land somewhere soon.  The Orioles feel protected with Ronny Paulino if Taylor Teagarden’s back issues persist, but Cafardo writes that Paulino never seems to endear himself wherever he goes.  The Royals are on the lookout for catching help due to Salvador Perez’s injury but rather solve that problem from within.  Yesterday we heard that the Royals extended a camp invite to Pudge which was not accepted but the club later denied the report.
6. Johnny Damon, LF/DH, free agent – Cleveland is wading through left fielders to find a fit, and they could wind up with Damon. While the Orioles keep indicating they won’t sign Damon, their lineup keeps screaming his name.

Orioles Seek Starting Pitching

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The Orioles are looking for a starting pitcher, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette spent much of the offseason acquiring candidates for the rotation, but it remains light on MLB experience.

Joe Blanton, Gavin Floyd and Freddy Garcia are among the potentially available starters for the Orioles to consider. They also appear to have had interest in Cardinals right-hander Kyle McClellan for some time. John Lannan may no longer be available given Chien-Ming Wang’s hamstring injury.

Wei-Ying Chen, Jason Hammel, Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Dana Eveland, Tsuyoshi Wada and Armando Galarraga entered the spring with a shot at obtaining a spot in Baltimore’s rotation.

Quick Hits: Cain, Hamels, Aybar, K-Rod, Escobar

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Happy birthday to Kevin Youkilis (33), Jon Jay (27) and Leo Nun…er, make that Juan Oviedo (30).  This is the first time Oviedo has been able to publicly celebrate his actual birthday in several years, as he kept a listed birthday of August 14, 1983 while living under the Leo Nunez identity.

Here's some news from around the major leagues as we head into Friday…

  • Matt Cain's agent Rick Landrum tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that "we'll never give up hope" that Cain and the Giants can work out a contract extension before Opening Day.  There hasn't been much progress in recent negotiations but the two sides "remain open for business," as Shea writes.
  • In addition to Cain, there have been no new developments over the last week in Cole Hamels' extension talks with the Phillies, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • Also from Olney (via Twitter), he hears from evaluators that there isn't much trade talk overall around the majors.  Olney predicts things will probably pick up in 10 days or so, once teams start to sort out their needs for their Opening Day rosters.
  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto has had at least two face-to-face meetings since Monday with Erick Aybar's representatives, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles.  Aybar is believed to be looking for an extension of at least five years.  Dipoto recently said that he thought an extension with Aybar was possible, if not necessarily by Opening Day.
  • The Padres were discussing a one-year, $9MM contract with Francisco Rodriguez over the winter before the club saw an opportunity to acquire Huston Street, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports. San Diego also talked to free agent Frank Francisco and asked the Athletics about Andrew Bailey.
  • The Royals' extension with Alcides Escobar is the team's latest step in locking up its young talent, reports MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.  "[Owners] Dan and David Glass are determined to keep as many of these young players together as we can, knowing full well that it has to fit within our salary structure and our payroll going forward," Moore said. "It's going to get a little sticky for us, it's going to get a little hairy as we get into 2014-15-16."  Moore declined to comment on the progress of contract talks with another of Kansas City's young stars, Alex Gordon. 
  • The well-traveled Octavio Dotel shares some of his road stories with ESPN's Jayson Stark.  Dotel will set a new Major League record once he plays his first game for the Tigers this season by becoming the first player to suit up for 13 different teams.
  • "I feel comfortable we finally got to a level [where we] can be competitive every single year," Tigers owner Mike Ilitch told media (including MLB.com's Jason Beck) during a visit to Spring Training today.  "That's always been my goal. I feel good about that. It would be hard to screw that up once you get there. You tell yourself you want to stay there now."
  • The Orioles could be looking for backup catching help if Taylor Teagarden's back injury lingers into the season, reports CSN Baltimore's Rich Dubroff.  Veteran Ronny Paulino is Matt Wieters' backup for now, but Paulino only just arrived in camp due to a visa issue.

Red Sox Links: Oswalt, Blanton, Beltran

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It was on this day in 2000 that six Boston pitchers (including starter Pedro Martinez) combined to throw a perfect game against the Blue Jays in a Spring Training matchup.  While perfect games in the spring obviously aren't nearly as prestigious as those during the regular season, it was still an opportunity for Martinez to finally be involved in a recognized perfecto.  Martinez threw nine perfect innings against the Padres on June 3, 1995 but his performance isn't considered a perfect game by MLB rules since (shades of Harvey Haddix) the 0-0 game went into extra innings and Martinez allowed a hit to the first batter of the 10th inning.

Here's the latest from Fenway….

  • The Red Sox have "their radar up on Roy Oswalt," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe as part of a reader mailbag.  Carfardo thinks if Oswalt wants to pitch for Boston, the club will sign him.  Oswalt was reportedly holding out for a team closer to his Mississippi home but recently said he's willing to pitch anywhere, though perhaps not until midseason.  Also in Cafardo's piece, he says the Sox aren't going to make a move for a pitcher until they see what they have in Daniel Bard and internal fifth starter candidates like Felix Doubront.
  • Scouts from the Red Sox and Orioles have joined the contingent of scouts at Joe Blanton's spring starts, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  The Phillies are reportedly willing to pay up to $2MM of Blanton's $8MM salary as part of a trade, but Boston makes another move, even $6MM might be too much for the Sox, who are trying to keep payroll down to avoid a big luxury tax hit.
  • Carlos Beltran was interested in joining the Red Sox this winter, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, but ultimately signed with the Cardinals since Boston's focus was on working out a deal with David Ortiz.  "We talked a little bit, and they had interest," Beltran said. "They were trying to get something done first with David. At the end of the day, I wasn't going to wait until they got that done."  As MacPherson points out, it may have been a moot point since the Sox wouldn't have been able to afford Beltran once Ortiz accepted salary arbitration.

AL East Notes: Ibanez, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles

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The AL East figures to be one of the game's most competitive divisions in 2012. Here are the latest links from Florida, where all five AL East teams are preparing for the season…

  • Raul Ibanez doesn’t have emotional, historical or financial ties keeping him on the Yankees’ roster, so Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders how long the club will stick with Ibanez if his struggles continue. But as Sherman point out, it’s still just March 15th.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman and third baseman Alex Rodriguez tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Blue Jays are becoming a serious threat in the AL East. “They aren’t a secret anymore,” Rodriguez said. “They are knocking on the door,” Cashman added. “It is undeniable that they are going to win and win for a while.” Blue Jays ownership could support a top ten payroll in time and “that isn’t a guess, that’s a fact,” GM Alex Anthopoulos said.
  • John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that the relationship between Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and manager Bobby Valentine seems to be starting off well. If the Red Sox name Jose Iglesias their starting shortstop, it'll be a sign of just how much Valentine's opinion matters. The front office has maintained the defensive whiz needs more seasoning.
  • Mark Melancon's interleague experience could help him transition from the NL Central to the AL East, Brian MacPherson Providence Journal writes.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com ranks the AL East rotations, placing the Orioles fifth. They have intriguing arms such as Zach Britton and Jake Arrieta, but their rotation is filled with uncertainty from top to bottom this spring.

Quick Hits: Helms, Davies, Blue Jays, Orioles

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Here's the latest from the around the league, including updates on two low-profile free agents…

  • Wes Helms is currently working out and waiting for an opportunity with the right team, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The 35-year-old hit .191/.276/.236 with the Marlins last season before being released in August.
  • Free agent right-hander Kyle Davies is currently rehabbing from a December shoulder surgery, tweets Dierkes. Davies, 28, pitched to a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts for the Royals last year before getting released in August.
  • Sources tell Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail that the Blue Jays will not add a starting pitcher owed significant money right now. A cheap, innings-eating stopgap is more likely. Toronto has been connected to Joe Blanton and Gavin Floyd recently.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com interviewed Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich about the upcoming amateur draft. Baltimore holds the fourth overall pick this year.

Quick Hits: Twins, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, Mitre

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Tuesday night linkage..

  • Free agent reliever Michael Wuertz says his tryout will be early next week with plans to be finalized in the next day, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Minneapolis.  The Twins are expected to attend.
  • Signing closer Joe Nathan allowed the Rangers to move Neftali Feliz into the rotation while keeping skipper Ron Washington comfortable by continuing to have an established closer, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Nathan inked a two-year, $14.75MM deal with Texas last November, though the club typically doesn't give multi-year deals to relievers.
  • There were at least 40 scouts on hand to watch the Orioles today, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun.
  • The Mariners reported a financial loss for a fiscal year with a $7.3MM deficit for 2011, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  This marks just the second time since the opening of Safeco Field that the M's find themselves in the red.
  • The bidding groups for the Dodgers appear to have been whittled down to five from seven tonight, a person familiar with the meetings tells Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com.  The highest bid was $1.6 billion from Magic Johnson and former baseball exec Stan Kasten, whose purchase would be partially financed by private equity.  The lowest bid from the five groups was $1.3 billion.
  • Looking at at future payroll commitments, major league assets, farm systems, ownership status, and front office strategies, ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider sub. req'd) tries to hash out when clubs such as the Mets, Cubs, and Astros will be able to contend.
  • The biggest area of uncertainty for the Nationals, outside of their surplus of starting pitchers, seems to be their bench, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. 
  • Free agent Sergio Mitre will work out for teams in March or April and expects to play in the majors this year, according to Tim (via Twitter).

Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles

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The Orioles focused on adding depth to their pitching staff in their first offseason under Dan Duquette.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Yeizer Marrugo, Nick Johnson, Casey Fossum, Pat Neshek, Ronny Paulino, Oscar Villarreal, Armando Galarraga, Willie Eyre.

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Stuck alongside three of the league’s dominant teams and another one on the rise, the Orioles sought new leadership this offseason when longtime executive Andy MacPhail stepped down. After an extensive and presumably frustrating GM search, the Orioles settled on a familiar name and hired Dan Duquette as executive VP of baseball operations. 

Though it had been a long while since Duquette worked in an MLB front office, the years he spent building the Expos and Red Sox appear to have intrigued owner Peter Angelos. The Orioles initially favored other candidates for the position, but ultimately hired Duquette, whose history of accumulating young talent no doubt appealed to ownership.

Duquette’s primary short-term goal appears to have been adding depth to the rotation, an area of serious concern for last year’s team. Baltimore finished last in MLB in rotation ERA (5.39), innings (881) and quality starts (60) last year so improving the starting corps was a must, even for a club not expected to contend.

The Orioles spent aggressively on the international market in an effort to revamp their pitching staff. Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada and Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Ying Chen join a new-look pitching staff that no longer features Jeremy Guthrie. Duquette sent the veteran right-hander to Colorado for reliever Matt Lindstrom and another rotation candidate, Jason Hammel. Lindstrom and Hammel offer long-term flexibility — both are under team control through 2013 — and will combine to earn roughly the same amount as Guthrie this year. The Orioles were not going to get an elite prospect for Guthrie, but the arms they obtained will prove useful and there's a chance Hammel will out-perform Guthrie this year.

Manager Buck Showalter faces lots of decisions this spring, as newcomers Wada, Chen, Hammel, Eveland and Galarraga compete alongside familiar faces such as Zach Britton, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Tommy Hunter and Chris Tillman. At the very least, the Orioles will have options, a necessity for a club that has few pitchers with track records of health or success. Still, the group currently seems to consist of middle or back-of-the-rotation arms. Credit the Orioles for obtaining some much-needed depth, but some of their homegrown pitchers will have to develop for this team to take its next step toward contention.

The bullpen also struggled in 2011, though it’s hard to separate the group’s ugly stats from the fact that they pitched an MLB-leading 565 2/3 innings of relief in support of a weak rotation. Duquette also added a number of relievers in recent months, including Lindstrom, Darren O'Day, Luis Ayala, Pat Neshek and Armando Galarraga. 

The Orioles signed players from Japan, Taiwan and, in one potentially historic instance, New Zealand. But the club violated international etiquette by agreeing to terms with 17-year-old Korean Seong-Min Kim. MLB will void the deal, which created unnecessary tension between the Orioles, MLB, the Korea Baseball Organization and Korea Baseball Association. The Orioles apologized publicly after being banned from scouting KBO games.

The club non-tendered Luke Scott, an understandable move given his shoulder issues and the substantial contract he would have obtained via the arbitration process. The switch-hitting Wilson Betemit slots in as the club's new DH, where he'll provide some power for the next two seasons. I didn’t expect Betemit to obtain a two-year deal, but his $3.25MM guarantee was hardly excessive from the team's perspective.

Teams continued calling about Adam Jones, but Duquette’s asking price remained high and possible suitors such as the Braves and Nationals don’t appear to have come close to striking a deal. Jones, an extension candidate, is on track for free agency two seasons from now, so it’s time for the Orioles to determine whether he’s more valuable as a trade chip or a long-term fixture in center field. Matt Wieters isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, but it's worth exploring an extension with the Scott Boras client in case he’s open to a long-term deal.

Despite the additions to the pitching staff, the Orioles are likely headed for a 60-75 win season unless multiple young Major Leaguers make substantial strides. Elite prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy will resume their progression through the minor leagues, and with continued development from Major Leaguers such as Wieters and Matusz more hope may exist in Baltimore a year from now. There's just not much to dream on yet.

Orioles Considering Kyle McClellan

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The Orioles are considering possible trades for Kyle McClellan, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. It's not clear if the Cardinals are ready to move the right-hander, since Chris Carpenter may not be ready for Opening Day and they may decide to preserve their depth. 

The Cardinals appeared to be shopping McClellan in January, and the Orioles had interest in him at that time. McClellan, 27, opened the 2011 season in the Cardinals' rotation before moving to the bullpen. He completed 141 2/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA, 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 last year and will earn $2.5MM in 2012. The Orioles pitching staff already features more than its share of new additions after a busy offseason under Dan Duquette.

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