masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe deadline has been moved up this year, and five days after the World Series teams can begin to sign free agents.

Up until that time, teams can negotiate with and re-sign their own free agents. The Orioles have seven such players, but barring something unforeseen, they are not expected to sign any of them before that date.

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but I don’t think we have anything in the offing,” O’s president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. “One of things the…The deadline has been moved up this year, and five days after the World Series teams can begin to sign free agents.

Up until that time, teams can negotiate with and re-sign their own free agents. The Orioles have seven such players, but barring something unforeseen, they are not expected to sign any of them before that date.

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but I don’t think we have anything in the offing,” O’s president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. “One of things the organizational meeting will do is help you prioritize in a much more specific arena who you will approach first and how. That impacts your discussion with your own players.”

Ty Wigginton, Koji Uehara, Cesar Izturis, Corey Patterson, Mark Hendrickson, Kevin Millwood and Julio Lugo are the O’s from 2010 that will soon officially be free agents.

You have to figure if the club hasn’t signed any of them by now, it won’t happen over the next several days. Also, from the player’s standpoint, if they’ve come this close to the deadline, why not just wait a few more days when you can talk with any team.

I don’t read the lack of negotiations to say the Orioles have no interest in retaining any of these players. At the same time it appears the O’s are “keeping their options” open and may be looking around first. Later they could come back to these players.

By doing that they run the the risk that the player could sign with another team or the player’s price tag will go up.

The O’s have had their chance to re-sign any of those players up to now and so far, they haven’t taken it.