Orioles Rumors

Orioles Closing In On Deal With First Round Pick

By Mike Axisa | June 13, 2009 at 8:51am CDT

Dan Connolly and Mike Klingaman of The Baltimore Sun are reporting that California high school RHP Matt Hobgood, the fifth overall pick in last week's amateur draft, is expected to take a physical in Baltimore in two weeks.

"That's the plan. We've pretty much got [the contract] set," said Hobgood, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound right-handed pitcher from Norco High in suburban Los Angeles. "Nothing is final, but [the Orioles] presented us a deal and we'll work something out. I'll for sure sign on that Saturday."

"We don't have anything finalized yet. We're going to have to get him into town; we never sign any of these kids without a complete physical," Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan said. "We are getting close, but we have a few things to get settled first."

The recommended slot bonus for the fifth overall pick is expected to be around $2.25MM after MLB reduced their recommendations 10% across the board.

Odds And Ends: Indians, Ryan, Red Sox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 11, 2009 at 12:20pm CDT

MLB Draft Reactions

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 10, 2009 at 9:32am CDT

Let's round up some reactions to day one of the draft before day two gets underway…

There's not much buzz surrounding the players remaining, but, as MLB.com's Matthew Leach points out, Albert Pujols was drafted in the 13th round a decade ago.
So which impact players have yet to be picked? Baseball America says Max Stassi, Sam Dyson and Zack Von Rosenbuerg are the best available.
Baseball America's Conor Glassey reports that Stassi could go to UCLA if teams don't like his asking price.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says Orioles first rounder Matt Hobgood looks like a young Sidney Ponson.
Red Sox first rounder Reymond Fuentes told David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus that his cousin, Carlos Beltran, phoned to congratulate him last night in the midst of the Mets-Phillies game.
Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Mariners see Dustin Ackley as an outfielder.
In this MLB.com press release, GM Neal Huntington says signability was not the "primary factor" when the Pirates selected Tony Sanchez fourth overall.
ESPN.com's Keith Law was among those who thought the Pirates could have done better with that pick.
Law praises the Rockies, Cardinals and Twins for picking Tyler Matzek, Shelby Miller and Kyle Gibson, respectively. Law says all three pitchers have high-impact arms.

Draft Updates: Wheeler, Hobgood, Borchering

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 9, 2009 at 4:31pm CDT

A final round of updates for the draft, which is now just half an hour away…

Baseball America's John Manuel confirms Jon Heyman's report that the deadline for signing draft picks has been bumped back two days to August 17th.
Steve Melewski of MASN.com reports that the O's are interested in Zack Wheeler and Matt Hobgood with the 5th pick.
ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Orioles would take Hobgood if the Padres choose Wheeler.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com says it's a shame that Wheeler will likely be off the board by the time the Braves select 7th.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies, picking 11th, have interest in Hobgood and Bobby Borchering, a favorite of the D'Backs.
Paul DePodesta will blog about each Padres selection from an insider's perspective.

Draft Updates: Bonuses, Green, Sanchez, Epstein

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 9, 2009 at 11:13am CDT

The updates keep flowing in as the countdown to the draft continues…

Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Tyler Matzek and Shelby Miller are among the players with large- even historic- demands.
Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Angels scouting director Eddie Bane does not expect the Angels to see any of the players they draft make it to the majors this season.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says "predraft buzz" has the Royals linked to college shortstop Grant Green.
MLB.com's Jen Langosch is "beginning to believe" the Pirates will select Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez with the fourth pick. Keith Law says they're considering him.
As Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Sanchez wants to start playing and says he won't demand a large bonus.
Theo Epstein told Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe that fans on the street will tell him who to draft. It may not be the NBA or NFL draft, but the MLB version is gaining prominence.
Epstein is proudest of selecting Jonathan Papelbon, back in 2003.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are willing to spend on the draft and aren't afraid of choosing high school pitchers.
The Rockies, with three of the first 34 picks, "need to hit a home run" if you ask Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies says the team appears to be leaning towards pitcher Matt Hobgood.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Cardinals, Mets

By Eddie Schmid | June 8, 2009 at 8:01pm CDT

A dosage of mostly vague, speculative links to calm the nerves before tomorrow's draft:

Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gives part 2 of his rundown of potential picks for the Cardinals.
Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe talked to one former scouting director who says the Nats should think "long and hard" before selecting Stephen Strasburg.
The Phillies have to wait until the 75th pick for their first draft selection, and David Gurian-Peck at MLB.com says they're leaning toward a high school player.
Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun dishes on the Orioles' draft options at pick no. 5. President Andy MacPhail says he's not afraid to dole out a large bonus.
Mark Bowman at MLB.com talked to Braves head of scouting Roy Clark and speculates the Braves will pursue pitching with the seventh pick.
Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer relays the opinion of Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant that the MLB draft needs a medical combine.
Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog is fielding questions for an exclusive interview with Mets skipper Jerry Manuel.

Odds And Ends: Huff, Ackley, Strasburg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 8, 2009 at 2:21pm CDT

Some more links to pass along…

Steve Melewski of MASN.com reports that Orioles president Andy MacPhail is "open" to talking with Aubrey Huff about a possible extension. Huff, a free agent at the end of the year, has been the subject of many trade rumors.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer agrees with a suggestion Howard made on this site yesterday: Jon Rauch would be a good fit for the Rays.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cards GM John Mozeliak was among those watching as two college hitters worked out at Busch Stadium this morning. Josh Phegley and A.J. Pollock took some swings in front of the Cardinals' scouting staff.
As Ian Browne of MLB.com points out, the Red Sox have drafted well in recent years even when they haven't had early selections.
MLB.com's Jim Street writes that it would be shocking for the Mariners to pick someone other than Dustin Ackley.
As ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports, Angels scouting director Eddie Bane is amazed by Scott Boras because he intimidates, but "never says a price."
Tim Keown of ESPN the Magazine passes along one scout's thoughts on Stephen Strasburg: "He'd be a front-of-the-rotation guy for almost every team right now."

Orioles Considering Sano?

By Eddie Schmid | June 6, 2009 at 8:35pm CDT

The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec reports that the Orioles invited 16-year-old phenom Miguel Angel Sano to a workout at their baseball academy in the Dominican Republic yesterday. Orioles Director of Player Development David Stocksill came out of the tryout "impressed."

Sano has been linked most often to the Pirates, who are rumored to be offering as much as $4MM to obtain the coveted shortstop prospect when international free agents are able to sign this July 2nd. Zrebiec notes that the Orioles have never dropped more than $1MM to acquire an international free agent.

Are Mets Too Injured To Deal?

By Howard Megdal | June 5, 2009 at 5:42pm CDT

It is a given that with the news today that J.J. Putz will miss upwards of the next three months, Jose Reyes out an undetermined length of time, and Carlos Delgado still far from resuming baseball activity, that the Mets will be at the center of any number of rumors. But what is unclear at this point is just how New York can make deals, with the depth an organization would trade now missing from the Mets.

After all, it was assumed that any deal the Mets would make for either Nick Johnson of the Nationals or Aubrey Huff of the Orioles would include hard-throwing Bobby Parnell. That's right, the same Bobby Parnell who is taking over the eighth inning for Putz. He's no longer an extra arm.

The same is true of minor-league shortstop Ruben Tejeda, batting .281/.381/.377 as a 19-year-old at Double-A. The Mets can't afford to deal him, with Reyes, Ramon Martinez and Argenis Reyes all on the shelf. He's next in line to play shortstop.

So who would go? Jonathon Niese and his 8.05 Triple-A ERA? Nick Evans, hitting .200 at Double-A Binghamton after an .093 start at Triple-A Buffalo got him demoted? The Mets have holes, but they may have an even harder time cobbling together a package to fix those holes.

Orioles Release Jamie Walker

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 5, 2009 at 2:44pm CDT

2:44pm: Roch Kubatko of MASN.com reports that it's official; the O's announced they've released Walker.

1:55pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will release lefty reliever Jamie Walker. Baltimore still owes Walker about $3MM, but they were no longer satisfied with his production. To replace Walker, they called up Alberto Castillo, another lefty who pitched for the O's last year and has performed well at Triple A Norfolk so far in 2009.

Zrebiec writes that the move is "not all that surprising" because lefties are hitting .458 against Walker this year. The pitcher signed a three year deal worth $12MM before the 2007 season.

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