Orioles Rumors

Orioles Sign Justin Duchscherer

By Mike Axisa | February 4, 2011 at 12:47pm CDT

The Orioles and Justin Duchscherer have finalized a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $4.5MM in salary and incentives. The right-hander has passed his physical, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Dan Connolly of the Sun reports that Duchscherer gets $700K guaranteed and that his base salary will jump to $1.1MM when he makes the roster (Twitter links). To get the full $4.5MM, he'll have to make 30 starts.

Earlier in the week we heard that just a handful of clubs were in on the Duke of Hurl, and it eventually came down to beltway neighbors Baltimore and Washington. Duchscherer is represented by Lapa/Leventhal.

The 33-year-old right-hander made just five starts for the Athletics last year, pitching to a 2.89 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 28 innings. He had surgery on his hip, and has also battled elbow issues and depression in recent years. Duchscherer has a ton of experience as both a starter (3.01 ERA in 194 1/3 IP) and a reliever (3.22 ERA in 260 1/3 IP), but he recently said he'd like to remain in the rotation. He's never come close to making the 30 starts needed to max out his contract, topping out at 22 starts in 2008.

Duchscherer showcased his stuff at a workout on Friday, and was set for an encore performance on Tuesday, but that obviously won't be necessary. The O's have been looking for a veteran starter to slot in behind Jeremy Guthrie and in front of their younger arms, which Duke should be able to do as long as he's healthy.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement.

Orioles Sign Randy Winn

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 3, 2011 at 4:17pm CDT

The Orioles announced that they have signed Randy Winn to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. The 36-year-old will provide depth behind outfielders Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold.

Winn has not made the playoffs in 13 years at the Major League level, though he came close last year. The Yankees, who made it to the ALCS in 2010, signed him, but designated him for assignment after he struggled. The Cardinals picked him up, only to struggle down the stretch themselves.

In 233 plate appearances for the Yankees and Cardinals last year, Winn batted .239/.307/.356 and played all three outfield positions. He was an everyday player as recently as 2009, but at this point in his career, the switch-hitter is likely a bench player.

Orioles Notes: Guerrero, Lee, Bergesen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 2, 2011 at 12:51pm CDT

The next two days will likely be pivotal for negotiations between the Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Here are the details and other notes on the Orioles:

Guerrero is looking for more than the Orioles have offered, according to Olney (on Twitter). The Orioles were told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer elsewhere over the weekend, but they offered $4.5MM or so.
Derrek Lee told Rick Apperson of BaseballNation.net that he signed with the Orioles because they offered the most money ($7.25MM plus incentives) and because he likes Baltimore and is excited to play with some of the Orioles' young players under Buck Showalter.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests Brad Bergesen will join Justin Duchscherer, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz in the starting rotation. Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman seem likely to compete for the final rotation spot, but lots can change in two months.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Guerrero, Lee, Indians, Athletics

By Zachary Links | February 1, 2011 at 9:49pm CDT

On this day in 1999 the Yankees sent Mike Lowell to the Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall. Here are some links for tonight as we anticipate more roster shakeups..

The Rockies signed catcher Ben Petralli to a minor league deal, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 25-year-old was drafted five times between 2004 and 2008 and played independent baseball last season.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Rays might consider moving Johnny Damon to first base, allowing them to sign free agent DH Vladimir Guerrero.
Derrek Lee will make the greatest impact of any Orioles offseason acquisition, opines Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer asked Indians GM Chris Antonetti and two scouts to evaluate the young talent that the club received in exchange for their three stars.
Even though several Athletics are under contract for just one more year, MLB.com's Jane Lee doesn't expect that many of them will be dealt for prospects.

Quick Hits: Ohlendorf, Izzy, Edmonds, Flores

By Mark Polishuk | January 31, 2011 at 10:47pm CDT

On this day in 2006, Frank Thomas officially parted ways with the White Sox, signing a free agent contract with the Athletics. The Big Hurt left Chicago after suffering through two injury-plagued years, a dispute with GM Kenny Williams and virtually no role in the team's run to the 2005 World Series title. Thomas had a huge bounce-back year with the A's, posting a .926 OPS to help lead Oakland to the ALCS.

Some news to wrap up a busy Monday night…

Both Ross Ohlendorf and the Pirates would prefer to avoid an arbitration hearing, but "each party [is] hesitant to budge too much" from the $625K gap in proposed salaries, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Bucs don't want Ohlendorf's price driven up for future arb years, though Ohlendorf is only asking for $2.025MM in 2011. As the Arbtracker tells us, Ohlendorf is Pittsburgh's last remaining arbitration-eligible player without a contract.
Jason Isringhausen had a throwing session for Reds pitching coach Bryan Price today and "threw the ball fine," Price told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty was non-committal about the chances of Isringhausen rejoining the Reds organization on a minor league deal. "We're not sure if we will pursue it or not," Jocketty said. "We'll discuss it in the next few days. We have quite a bit of right-handed pitching."
Jim Edmonds' agent tells Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link) that Edmonds will "probably" know by early next week if he'll retire or try to come back in 2011. Walt Jocketty recently opined that Edmonds would retire.
If Jesus Flores proves he's healthy during Spring Training, MLB.com's Bill Ladson thinks the Nationals might try to trade him to a catcher-needy team.
The Orioles had no shortage of needs this offseason, but Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out that the O's have "at least theoretically, filled each of the roster's gaping holes that loomed in October."
The Twins and Royals both appear to be finished their winter additions. MLB.com's Kelly Thesier says Minnesota is out of payroll space, and Dayton Moore tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Royals are done shopping "unless something comes up that we’re not expecting." Moore wouldn't comment on rumors that K.C. is looking at Kevin Millwood.

Minor Deals: Banks, Fiorentino

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 31, 2011 at 3:51pm CDT

Mark Hendrickson and Greg Dobbs already agreed to minor league deals today. We'll keep track of some lower-profile agreements right here:

The Giants signed Josh Banks to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft. Banks, a former second round pick of the Blue Jays, has played in the majors every year since 2007, but his only extended taste of the big leagues came in 2008, when he posted a 4.75 ERA in 85 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 5.66 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 119 1/3 career innings.
Jeff Fiorentino is returning to the Orioles on a minor league deal after a year in Japan, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Fiorentino, 27, has appeared in parts of four big league seasons with the Orioles and A's. He made the majors the year after the Orioles selected him the third round of the '04 draft and has since compiled a .270/.341/.324 line in 173 career plate appearances. He has played all three outfield positions, but most of his big league experience has come in center.

Orioles To Sign Mark Hendrickson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 31, 2011 at 12:07pm CDT

The Orioles have agreed to sign Mark Hendrickson to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Hendrickson had an offer from the Rockies, but chose to return to Baltimore, where he'll compete to be a situational left-hander and long reliever. Dan Connolly of the Sun reports that the deal is worth about $900K if Hendrickson makes the team (Twitter link).

The 36-year-old logged 75 1/3 innings for the Orioles last year, posting a 5.26 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. He has started at least one game in every season since 2002, but he's primarily a reliever at this point. Hendrickson has held left-handed hitters to a .702 OPS in his career.

The Rays and Orioles also expressed interest in Hendrickson earlier in the offseason. Hendrickson, who played for four NBA teams before focusing on baseball, is now with his fifth MLB club.

Orioles & Nationals Are Finalists For Duchscherer

By Steve Adams | January 30, 2011 at 5:03pm CDT

5:03pm: The Mariners are now out of the running, reports Connolly (Twitter links). The Orioles definitely offered Duchscherer a Major League contract.

2:36pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that Duchscherer's search is down to three teams: the Mariners, Orioles, and Nationals. All three have offered one-year deals, and more than one are Major League offers.

2:14pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Duchscherer has narrowed his options to four teams, and that the Nationals and Orioles are both making pushes to sign the former Athletic.

2:10pm: Duchscherer told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link), via text message, that he's "very close" with several teams and that his decision will be made this week.

1:19pm: The Orioles are the frontrunner to land Justin Duchscherer's services, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. According to Rosenthal, the O's have made an offer that's believed to be a Major League deal. Whether it's from Baltimore or another team, Rosenthal says the right-hander has at least one Major League offer.

Duchscherer, who turned 33 last November, has been limited to just 28 innings since a stellar 2008 season that was also marred by injury. Duchscherer's most recent trip to the DL occured in April this past season, and resulted in season-ending hip surgery on June 7. It was his his third trip to the 60-day disabled list of his career.

When healthy, Ducscherer provides plenty of value, owning a career 3.13 ERA, 6.87 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 through 454 2/3 innings, mostly out of the bullpen.

AL East Notes: Scott, Chavez, Pettitte, Rays

By Luke Adams 2 | January 30, 2011 at 9:19am CDT

Last season, the AL East produced two 95-win teams and two more who won at least 85 games. However, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the division has seen recent success off the field as well as on it. Three AL East teams – the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Rays – rank among the top five in Sherman's list of baseball's best offseasons. Here are a few other division-related items:

Luke Scott would be "all for" signing a contract to keep him in Baltimore long-term, he tells the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Scott is one of two remaining arbitration cases for the Orioles, along with Jeremy Guthrie.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (Twitter link) thinks it makes a lot of sense for the Jays to sign Eric Chavez to a minor league deal, though he acknowledges that the third baseman has other offers and the final say.
Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News believes Andy Pettitte will pitch for the Yankees again, "sooner rather than later."
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times runs through a few moves the Rays could make in the coming weeks, but says the team is "pretty much set" for Spring Training.

O’s Offer Contract To Hendrickson; Rockies Interested

By Mark Polishuk | January 29, 2011 at 3:01pm CDT

The Orioles have offered left-hander Mark Hendrickson a minor league contract, reports The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly. Hendrickson, 36, has posted a 4.74 ERA, a 2.19 K/BB ratio and a 10.6 H/9 rate in 105 games (12 of them starts) over the last two seasons in Baltimore. The Orioles declined Hendrickson's $1.2MM option for 2011, but were still known to be interested in bringing the veteran back at a lower price.

Hendrickson is also being targeted by the Rockies, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. It's no secret Colorado is looking for left-handed bullpen help, specifically a pitcher who is willing to sign a minor league contract. Tampa Bay and Seattle showed some interest in Hendrickson earlier this offseason, but there has been no news on either of those fronts since the Winter Meetings.

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