Orioles Rumors

Orioles Interested In Jake Fox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 19, 2010 at 8:59pm CDT

SATURDAY, 8:59pm: The Orioles still have interest in Fox according to Zrebiec. Oakland has until Thursday to trade, release or waive him, though the fact that Baltimore has waiver priority may increase the likelihood of a deal.

WEDNESDAY, 4:14pm: Andy MacPhail and the Orioles have at least some interest in acquiring Jake Fox, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The A's designated Fox for assignment over the weekend and are apparently hoping that he clears waivers.

Fox, 28 next month, has already played left field, third base, DH and catcher in 2010. His .214/.264/.327 batting line doesn't compare with the numbers he has posted in the minors. Fox has 122 homers with a .293/.357/.528 line in his minor league career, so he clearly has some hitting ability.

Zrebiec suggests a Fox acquisition could mean the end of Garrett Atkins' tenure in Baltimore, though it would not be a surprise to see the Atkins era end before long regardless of what happens with Fox.

Amateur Draft Signings: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 8:47pm CDT

Here are the latest updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies reports that Colorado has signed fourth round pick Russell Wilson, though terms of the deal are unknown.
The Cubs have signed 15 players according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, including seven of their first 14 selections. They also finalized their deal with first rounder Hayden Simpson.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that the Dodgers have signed three more draft picks, and that the club remains optimistic that they will be able to get first rounder Zach Lee under contract.
Bill Shanks of FoxSportsSouth.com passes along word of two more draft pick signings by Atlanta, bringing their total to 28.
The Orioles have agreed to a deal with fourth rounder Trent Mummey, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. He still has to pass a physical.

Olney’s Latest: Rockies, Lee, Diamondbacks, Royals

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 10:32am CDT

In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney speculates about some possible trade targets for the Rockies now that Troy Tulowitzki is going to miss the next six to eight weeks with a fractured wrist. Among those mentioned: Dan Uggla, Craig Counsell, Julio Lugo, and Cesar Izturis. Uggla would obviously be the most expensive, but Colorado would boast a dynamic offensive middle infield once Tulo returns.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Sources tell Olney there is no clear signal from the Mariners indicating that they're ready to trade Cliff Lee, but presumably that will come soon. He compares a potential Lee trade to the CC Sabathia trade, meaning that the sooner he's dealt, the more Seattle will receive in return.
The Diamondbacks continue to gather intel about possible trades, but they are not close to making another deal at the moment.
The Royals have a pair of outfielders in Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus who could be fits for the Red Sox. J.D. Drew suffered a hamstring injury yesterday, and Boston was already without Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida, who are both on the disabled list. Mike Cameron is playing through an abdominal tear as well.

Amateur Draft Signings: Friday

By Luke Adams 2 | June 18, 2010 at 8:39pm CDT

Here are the updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

Top selections that were locked up today: Cito Culver signed with the Yankees, Taijuan Walker agreed to terms with the Mariners, and the Rangers signed Mike Olt.
In addition to reaching an agreement with Walker, the Mariners signed ninth-rounder Luke Taylor and nine other players. The M's have now locked up 28 of their 50 selections, per a team release.
The Diamondbacks signed two of their top three picks, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). Right-handed pitchers James Bradley (56th overall) and Robert Rowland (88th) signed with the D'Backs. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets the financial details.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that the Pirates also agreed to terms with a pair of right-handed arms, fifth-round pick Tyler Waldron and 12th-rounder Vincent Payne.
The Orioles agreed to terms with their fourth-round pick, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
The Giants signed eight draft picks, according to the team's official transactions page.

Heyman On Orioles, Torre, Mets, Harper

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 18, 2010 at 4:18pm CDT

Andy MacPhail knows it's not an easy time to manage the Orioles. He told Jon Heyman of SI.com that some of the managerial candidates the club is considering have limited interest in the job. "Let's be honest, I'm not sure this gig's for everyone," MacPhail said. Here's the latest on the Orioles' search for a manager along with the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Davey Johnson, who led the Orioles to the playoffs in 1996-97, has been mentioned internally.
Johnson and Bobby Valentine seem like long shots for the job.
If current Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is available, the Braves could choose him to replace Bobby Cox.
The Dodgers offered Joe Torre an extension this spring, but Torre turned it down. Heyman says most baseball people see the Dodgers moving on after the season.
The Mets prefer Cliff Lee to Roy Oswalt.
Many of Heyman's sources expect Bryce Harper to sign for more than Mark Teixeira's $9.5MM deal and less than Stephen Strasburg's $15.1MM deal. Harper, who is a Scott Boras client like Teixeira and Strasburg, appears headed for a $12MM deal, according to Heyman.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Orioles, Gomes, Loewen

By Mike Axisa | June 18, 2010 at 11:05am CDT

On this date back in 1996, catcher Chris Anderson delivered a run scoring single for the Hudson Valley Renegades of the short season New York-Penn League. It was the first hit ever recorded by a member of the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. Anderson was the team's 66th round draft pick that year, but he never made it out of A-ball and hit just .170/.236/.298 in 432 plate appearances before calling it a career in 1999. Every team starts somewhere.

Here are a few links from the baseball blogosphere…

U.S.S. Mariner dubs the Twins as the favorites to land Cliff Lee this summer.
Camden Chat likes the Orioles' draft haul, but thinks it could have been better.
Bernie's Crew uses Milwaukee's roster to show that the later rounds of the draft can be productive as well.
More Hardball looks at the bang Jonny Gomes has provided for the Reds' buck.
Liam McGuire's Blog wonders if Adam Loewen is the second coming of Rick Ankiel.
1 Blue Jays Way interviewed Tom Filer, former big leaguer and current pitching coach for the Altoona Curve, Pittsburgh's Double-A affiliate.
Baseball Opinion examines the best and worst picks of the 2005 draft.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Maybin, Blue Jays, Orioles, Oswalt

By Luke Adams 2 | June 17, 2010 at 9:46pm CDT

Links for Thursday night, as interleague play keeps Dan Haren's 1.000 OPS out of Arizona's lineup….

Following tonight's game, the Marlins optioned Cameron Maybin to the minors, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted yesterday, the team might avoid having Maybin become a super two player after 2011 if they keep him in the minors for a few weeks.
Not many draft signings to pass on today, but the Blue Jays announced that they've signed their 16th-round pick, Canadian Dalton Pompey. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says (via Twitter) that Pompey gets a $140K bonus.
While the Orioles have yet to discuss such a plan, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why he thinks the club could hire a manager and not immediately put him in the dugout.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News believes the Rangers are the frontrunners for Roy Oswalt if the sale of the team moves forward by early July.
In a Q&A with MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says Roger Bernadina's performance is convincing the team they don't need to acquire a right fielder.
Cody Ross tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that he hopes the Marlins become buyers rather than sellers: "We want to get somebody to help us rather than see some of us gone."
Pirates president Frank Coonelly met with reporters today and addressed Akinori Iwamura's DFA, Pedro Alvarez's promotion, and the team's recent trades. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch has the details.

O’s Aren’t Looking To Shed Payroll

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 17, 2010 at 3:47pm CDT

The Orioles may be 30 games under .500, but they’re not going to make deals for the sake of making deals. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that the club is open to making trades this summer and that’s a good thing, since opposing general managers regularly call to ask about his players.

"You can imagine the guys that are popular," MacPhail said. "Our young pitching is popular, but that's part of the cornerstone of what we are trying to do."

Jeremy Guthrie, who has a sub-4.00 ERA and won’t become a free agent until after the 2012 season, could be one of the appealing arms MacPhail is referring to. Some of Guthrie’s teammates – Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, Kevin Millwood, Cesar Izturis, Will Ohman and Luke Scott – could be easier to obtain. But that doesn’t mean they’re going anywhere.

"We wouldn't [trade] just for the sake of moving payroll," MacPhail said.

If the Orioles determine that they can get something back for Millwood, he is “open" to the idea of switching teams, though he will not demand a trade. Last summer the O's traded Aubrey Huff, Gregg Zaun and George Sherrill away.

Odds & Ends: Lee, Orioles, Cubs, Oswalt, Chipper

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 16, 2010 at 2:56pm CDT

Links for Wednesday, before Pedro Alvarez makes his MLB debut…

Jack Curry of the YES Network (via Twitter) hears from a baseball official that the Phillies are interested in adding a starting pitcher. Curry specifically names Cliff Lee, though I can't imagine the team re-acquiring him just a few months after shipping him to Seattle.
The Orioles have contacted Buck Showalter about managing the team, according to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com.
The Cubs hired a statistical analyst for the team's baseball operations department, according to ESPN.com's Bruce Levine.
Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that it's an "extreme long shot" that the Rangers acquire Roy Oswalt.
One GM told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that teams are now demanding big returns for players who will eventually be traded for less.
DJ Bean of WEEI.com introduces us to Red Sox fourth rounder Garin Cecchini, who told every major league team he wouldn't sign for less than mid-first-round money. Specifically, Cecchini wants $1.75MM, according to Bean.
White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he hasn't given up on his team and wants to see how it fares over the course of the coming week.
Chipper Jones' agent, B.B. Abbott, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Chipper will "absolutely not" retire during the season.
The Yankees released David Winfree from their Triple A team, according to Donnie Collins of the Times-Tribune.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that the Yankees won't have to pursue free agents Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth if Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson keep playing this well.

Amateur Draft Signings: Tuesday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 15, 2010 at 5:08pm CDT

We'll probably have to wait a little while for Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Jameson Taillon to sign, but teams have agreed to deals with some of the players selected later on in the draft. The players listed below signed today. Click here for the list of picks to sign yesterday and here for the updated list of first rounders to sign:

The Rangers signed four picks, reports ESPNDallas.com, including third-rounder Jordan Akins and fourth-rounder Drew Robinson.
As reported earlier, Toronto signed 14 picks, including supplemental rounders Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard.
Thirteenth-rounder Robby Price is the highest-drafted of the five Rays picks who signed today, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Eight more Orioles picks have signed, says Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Riley Hornback (12th round) is the highest selected of the new signees.
The Brewers have signed fourth-rounder Hunter Morris and two other draft picks, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
LoHud.com's Chad Jennings reports that the Yankees have signed 13 picks, with eight-rounder Kyle Roller the highest-drafted of the bunch.
The Padres signed second rounder Jedd Gyorko and fourth rounder Chris Bisson pending physicals, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
The Royals signed seven more draft picks, including eighth rounder Michael Mariot.
The Pirates signed six late round selections, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter).

Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post.

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