One official told me that the Orioles never had serious interest in Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. The Braves have contacted every team, trying to unload the right-hander and a portion of his contract. The Orioles listened but weren't close to making a deal.
The Orioles want to add a veteran starting pitcher, but the bullpen, first base and shortstop are higher priorities.
The Orioles are still interested in re-signing Cesar Izturis to be their everyday shortstop or backup middle...
I've read enough lies this week to last me a while.
This one is true: Carlos Pena is off the board after agreeing to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Cubs.
There was lots of talk here about agent Scott Boras' ridiculous asking price for Pena. One veteran scribe that I spoke with yesterday predicted that Pena would settle for a one-year deal. Boras got his $10 million annually, but on short term.
Put 100 executives, scouts and writers in a room - and we've done that here - and...
I'll post quotes shortly, but here are some topics that president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail addressed a few minutes ago - after he mocked all the false rumors that have been swirling. He even dropped a "kicking the tires" reference with a roll of his eyes.
According to MacPhail:
* We shouldn't expect any trades or signings to be announced tonight.
* No trade talks are dead at this time "until they (players) go off the board."
* No deals with free-agent relievers have been...
A Rays official says nothing is imminent on the trade front regarding shortstop Jason Bartlett, and that most of the talks with clubs have been "bullpen-centric."
Various reports are surfacing that talks with the Orioles are dead.
We're heading up to Andy MacPhail's suite in a few minutes.
Also, I'm told the Nationals had some interest in former Orioles outfielder Lou Montanez, but that may no longer be the case.
Montanez is getting ready to play winter ball in Puerto Rico.
Former...
Orioles manager Buck Showalter just finished a lengthy interview session with reporters. One interested spectator was Luke Scott, who lives about an hour away and showed up with the usual winter beard and carrying an envelope with color photographs of the kills from his latest hunting trip.
Not for the squeamish. Trust me.
Showalter spoke about Josh Bell's efforts to get in better shape. The Orioles pushed him to avoid playing winter ball and instead place more emphasis "on some things he...
Enough dirt has been dumped on the possibility of Paul Konerko signing with the Orioles, but I'll break out the shovel one more time.
Konerko's agent, Craig Landis, met in the lobby with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf a few minutes ago, and they headed up one of the elevators for another round of talks.
I'm told again that Konerko has no interest in playing for the Orioles. He lives in Arizona and the White Sox train in Glendale. He also wants to end his career on a winning team.
Also,...
Multiple reports surfaced earlier today that the Orioles and Braves have held trade talks regarding Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski recently got confirmation from an industry source.
Kawakami, 35, is owed $6.67 million, and the Braves would have to eat a large chunk of it. They seem willing to do so.
The Orioles made offers to Kawakami and Koji Uehara two winters ago. Uehara accepted their proposal, of course, while the Braves signed Kawakami, who's 8-22...
The common feeling here among executives and scouts is that the Orioles are more likely to re-sign shortstop Cesar Izturis if they land a big bat at first base.
We can debate whether Adam LaRoche would constitute a big bat.
The Rays wanted reliever David Hernandez for Jason Bartlett, and they're still more interested in acquiring bullpen arms. Same with the Twins in any deal involving J.J. Hardy. It seems like every team here is looking for relievers.
Again, we go back to Hernandez's...
Sounds like another story about Sidney Ponson's drinking escapades, but you would be wrong.
It appears that former Oriole Ty Wigginton has agreed to a two-year deal with the Colorado Rockies.
So much for leaving that door open.
Wigginton will serve as a right-handed bat off the bench, which would have been a nice role for him in Baltimore. I knew he would hold out for a multi-year deal, but I assumed he would wait to find out whether he could find a starting job at first or third base.
A...
The Orioles arranged a conference call with new third baseman Mark Reynolds, who spoke for about seven minutes before we let him enjoy the rest of his night.
Reynolds said he was surprised to learn that the Diamondbacks traded him this morning.
"Obviously, I didn't want to leave," he said. "I have my house here, my friends, family. I have a pretty good setup with spring training 10 minutes down the road. But I'm looking forward to it, going back east. I'm from Virginia Beach, so it's a...
Manager Buck Showalter is aware of Mark Reynolds' low batting average this year. He's also aware of Reynolds' obscene strikeout totals.
He doesn't seem to care.
"You can find negatives on every player," he said. "I understand where Mark's history is. He would have led our club in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, walks, a lot of categories. That's just something we don't have. We're not going to beat him up on the negatives.
"We dwell on the positive things that he brings. He brings...
President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail made it to the podium this afternoon, accompanied by manager Buck Showalter and Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers.
The topic, of course, was today's trade of third baseman Mark Reynolds to the Orioles for relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.
"We made no secret of the fact that we were looking to augment our offense this off-season," MacPhail said. "We don't think we're necessarily done being able to improve our...
New Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds is signed through 2012 with a team option for 2013.
What does that mean for Josh Bell?
It's a fair question, since the Orioles only sought a one-year deal for a third baseman last winter because they didn't want to block Bell.
I haven't spoken to president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who might shed more light on the subject when he meets with reporters later this afternoon. However, the trade doesn't have an immediate impact on...
David Hernandez is still waiting to hear from the Diamondbacks, who completed their trade with the Orioles today.
He's been busy fielding calls from reporters and friends.
"It's kind of a bittersweet reaction, I guess," Hernandez said. "I'll be closer to home. That's for sure. But I'll miss all the friends and teammates I made along the way. That was my first organization coming into pro ball.
"I have nothing but good things to say about the Orioles. They treated me well and gave...
That's the word spreading through the lobby of the Swan and Dolphin Resort here in Lake Buena Vista. The Orioles are close to finalizing a trade that would bring third baseman Mark Reynolds to Baltimore for reliever David Hernandez and one more bullpen arm.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that Kam Mickolio is a strong possibility.
I've talked to officials who question the wisdom of surrendering an arm like Hernandez's, but that's apparently the only way that the Orioles can...
I'm set up in the media workroom again, with a clear view of the podium where team executives announce their winter trades and signings.
Still waiting for the Orioles to take the microphone.
It became more apparent during yesterday's 20-minute interview with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail that the club's best chance to upgrade its lineup is via trade rather than a free-agent signing. I'm not saying the Orioles are out of the running for Carlos Pena, but they seem resigned...
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail says he has more than one offer on the table for free agents. He won't go into specifics, but Adrian Beltre isn't one of them.
MacPhail has spoken to Beltre's agent, Scott Boras, but it's apparent that the third baseman still has no interest in coming to Baltimore. Boras said earlier today that Beltre won't dismiss teams based on geographical preference, but he didn't champion the Orioles as a serious contender for his client.
It...
Reports indicate that the Red Sox couldn't reach agreement on a contract extension with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, so their deal with the Padres could be dead.
What does this mean for the Orioles?
If they had any ideas about making a run at third baseman Adrian Beltre, and I have no indications that they're willing to hand over a five-year contract, they better do so in a hurry. You know the Red Sox will go hard after Beltre if they can't resuscitate the Gonzalez talks.
SI.com's Jon...
I'm minutes away from heading to the airport for my Southwest flight to Orlando and the start of Hell Week, also known as Major League Baseball's winter meetings.
I'll be way past my feet in tweets, so I'll need to watch my step. Reporters will try frantically to get their links posted first on mlbtraderumors, whether the news is accurate or not. The truth can come out later.
I don't know what some of these scouts look like, so I'll spend a lot of time asking, "Who's that guy?" As...
Another day brings more news that a big-time slugger isn't coming to Baltimore.
Honestly, did anyone think the Orioles were going to trade for Adrian Gonzalez this winter? I love your optimism, but I never thought it would happen. I put it out of my mind a long time ago. Same with Prince Fielder.
It's a sad commentary, but I've grown more jaded as the years pass. I'm still waiting to be blown away by an aggressive move - and I'm including the Orioles in that statement.
I haven't...
