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Orioles Claim Darren O’Day

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The Orioles claimed righty reliever Darren O'Day off waivers from the Rangers, the team announced.

O'Day, 29, struggled with the longball in 16 2/3 big league innings for Texas this year.  The sidearmer tossed another 21 1/3 innings in the minors, mostly at Triple-A.  O'Day will be arbitration eligible for the second time after the season, and we project a very small raise to $1.3MM.

O'Day joined the Rangers via an April 2009 waiver claim from the Mets.  From that point through the end of the 2010 season, he provided the Rangers a 1.99 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.61 HR/9 in 117 2/3 innings.  Over the course of his career, he hasn't shown the typical lefty/righty splits of a sidearm pitcher.  

The Orioles' 40-man roster now stands at 38, as Jake Arrieta, Brian Roberts, and Luke Scott were activated from the 60-day DL.  

LaCava Turns Down Orioles’ Offer

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The Orioles offered Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava their general manager job and he turned the position down, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Instead, LaCava will remain Toronto's assistant GM and Baltimore will resume its search for Andy MacPhail's replacement.

The Orioles also interviewed director of player development John Stockstill and Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson for the job. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto had interviewed for the position before accepting his job in Anaheim.

The Blue Jays had been preparing for the possibility that LaCava would leave, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. There was major concern in Toronto that LaCava would bring personnel with him to Baltimore if he had accepted the job, according to Ghiroli. He explained his decision to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

“This was about the Toronto Blue Jays more than it is anything about the Baltimore Orioles," LaCava said. "The Orioles were classy in everything they did and I think they are going to go down the right path. For me, it was how much I love the Toronto Blue Jays and I really, really treasure my relationship with my general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, and I really want to see this through with him."

LaCava, Toronto's vice president of baseball operations and assistant General Manager, met with Orioles owner Peter Angelos yesterday. LaCava oversees player development and Latin American operations for the Blue Jays and has also worked for the Angels, Braves, Expos and Indians. He interviewed for GM jobs in Pittsburgh and Seattle in the past. For more on LaCava and Watson check out MLBTR's GM Candidate pieces.

A.J. Preller's name has come up in Baltimore, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). MLBTR's Tim Dierkes spoke with the Rangers executive in October.

LaCava In Baltimore To Meet With Angelos

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8:46pm: There's no indication that the Orioles are ready to announce a decision and team officials haven't ruled out interviewing more candidates, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.

2:13pm: Orioles GM candidate Tony LaCava is back in Baltimore today to meet with owner Peter Angelos, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  This will be LaCava's first meeting with Angelos.  Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun writes, "The Orioles are not expected to do a second round of interviews, so the fact that LaCava is back almost certainly means that he and the ownership component of the search committee are discussing the conditions of his employment. It doesn't mean, however, that he has been offered the job officially or will accept it."

Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that Angelos attended the Orioles' initial interview with De Jon Watson of the Dodgers, but missed LaCava's first meeting with the team (Twitter links).  Kubatko hears that the Orioles won't contact Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine about their job opening.

LaCava is currently the Blue Jays' vice president of baseball operations and assistant General Manager; learn more about him by reading Ben Nicholson-Smith's August interview.


Latest On Orioles’ GM Search: Brown, LaCava

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The latest on Baltimore's search for a new GM:

  • The Orioles could interview one more candidate and probably won't conduct a second round of interviews, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). If the Orioles conduct another interview, it would probably take place early next week.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun weighs in, pointing out that Dipoto wasn't necessarily Baltimore's preferred candidate.
  • De Jon Watson has met with the Orioles three times and had dinner with manager Buck Showalter on Wednesday, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles are "very likely" to hire Tony LaCava for their general manager job, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Angels are about to hire Jerry Dipoto, one of Baltimore's four candidates, as their next GM. This leaves LaCava, De Jon Watson of the Dodgers and John Stockstill of the Orioles in the mix for the Baltimore job.
  • LaCava is Toronto's vice president of baseball operations and assistant General Manager. He oversees player development and Latin American operations for the Blue Jays and has also worked for the Angels, Braves, Expos and Indians. He interviewed for GM jobs in Pittsburgh and Seattle in the past. Here's my piece on LaCava for MLBTR's GM Candidates series.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Jakubauskas, Fox

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Here are the latest outright assignments…

  • The Orioles announced that they outrighted right-hander Chris Jakubauskas and catcher Jake Fox to Triple-A after the players cleared waivers. Baltimore now has 36 players on its 40-man roster. Jakubauskas posted a 5.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings in 2011. Fox, 29, posted a .756 OPS in 67 plate appearances this year, also appearing in left field and at first base. 

Astros Claim Craig Tatum

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The Astros claimed catcher Craig Tatum off of waivers from the Orioles, MLBTR has learned. Tatum, 28, has three partial seasons of catching experience at the Major League level and isn't yet eligible for arbitration. He joins backstops Jason Castro, Humberto Quintero and Carlos Corporan on Houston's 40-man roster, which now includes 36 players.

Tatum has a .223/.291/.264 line in 299 MLB plate appearances and has stopped 21% of stolen base attempts against him. In eight seasons as a minor leaguer, the 2004 third round pick has a .249/.316/.377 batting line and has stopped 35% of stolen base attempts.

The Astros have confirmed the move.

Quick Hits: Shields, Giambi, Sizemore, Beltran

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After one of the greatest, wildest, sloppiest and most exciting games in baseball history, we're going to see a Game Seven tomorrow night.  It will be the first seventh game in the Series since the Angels needed the maximum to beat the Giants in 2002.

As we prepare for the last game of 2011, here are some news items….

  • In an interview with 620-WDAE radio (reported on by Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times), James Shields says he thinks the Rays will pick up his $7MM option for 2012 and he will pitch for the team next season.  The Rays are a near-lock to pick up Shields' option but they could shop the right-hander for a trade this winter.  
  • Smith also notes that Shields' option could be worth as much as $8MM depending on an innings-pitched incentive clause and how Shields fares in AL Cy Young voting.
  • Jason Giambi is considering declining his side of his $1MM mutual option for 2012, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  We heard last month that the Rockies were going to pick up their side of the option, so the decision appears to be up to Giambi.
  • If Grady Sizemore had played his exact career with another team and the Indians had a chance to sign him, the Tribe wouldn't even consider the move, argues Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  That's how Pluto frames the Indians' decision about Sizemore's $9MM option for 2012.
  • The Red Sox and Giants will both be contenders for Carlos Beltran this winter, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).
  • The Angels should rehire former scouting director Eddie Bane, opines Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles.  Bane was fired by then-GM Tony Reagins last year but still has a good relationship with owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino.
  • The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
  • After getting burned on the Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg signings, "it’s unlikely that the Orioles will spend big money on a closer" this winter, says Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.

Orioles Front Office Notes: Stockstill, Watson

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The Orioles announced nearly three weeks ago that Andy MacPhail will not return as the club’s president of baseball operations in 2012. They haven’t introduced a replacement yet, so here’s the latest on the club’s search for a new general manager:

  • The Orioles will interview their own director of player development, John Stockstill, for the GM position Friday, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The team is "closing in" toward resolution, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles are expected to interview one or two more candidates for their GM job, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays and De Jon Watson of the Dodgers all interviewed well, according to Connolly. We heard earlier in the week that Thad Levine of the Rangers may also interview for the position.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com lists two people who could become the Orioles’ next scouting director. Dipoto could hire Indians crosschecker Chuck Ricci and LaCava could hire Blue Jays crosschecker Marc Tramuta, according to Kubatko. Former Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan recently joined the Phillies.
  • For more on LaCava, Dipoto and Watson check out MLBTR's GM Candidate pieces.

Latest On Orioles’ GM Search: Watson, LaCava

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The Orioles have interviewed Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays and Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks for their GM opening and both meetings were lengthy and thorough, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Here's the latest on the Orioles' search:

  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that LaCava is the "stealth favorite" for the job (Twitter link).
  • Connolly expects the Orioles to continue interviewing candidates after they speak with De Jon Watson of the Dodgers tomrrow. Thad Levine of the Rangers is one possibility.
  • For more on LaCava, Dipoto, Levine and Watson check out MLBTR's GM Candidate pieces.

Front Office Notes: Orioles, Cashman, Cubs, Padres

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Theo Epstein is officially the Cubs' president of baseball operations and the Red Sox have announced that Ben Cherington will be Boston's next GM, but there's still lots of front office turnover on the horizon. Here are the latest details from around MLB:

  • De Jon Watson's interview for the Orioles' GM job will take place on Wednesday, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). I spoke to Watson, the Dodgers' assistant GM, last month. He's up against Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks and Tony LaCava of the Blue Jays.
  • Chase Headley and Heath Bell told Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that they expect a smooth transition from Jed Hoyer to Josh Byrnes when Hoyer leaves the Padres to become the Cubs' new GM.
  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune explains that Cubs president Crane Kenney will move exclusively to the business side now that Epstein is the club's president of baseball operations. Kenney is a polarizing figure in Chicago and the role he played in obtaining Epstein is unclear, according to Sullivan.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says letting assistant GM Randy Bush go would be a mistake for the Cubs.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with Hal Steinbrenner in New York today and Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the sides expect to be able to complete a new deal for Cashman with relative ease (Twitter link).
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