masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgI’m getting ready to change clothes and head over to the MASN studio in Hunt Valley for today’s “The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report,” which airs at 5:30 p.m. A jacket and tie are required. What I do below the waist from a sitting position is my own business.

Anyway … I wanted to quickly visit this report from FOX Sports that states the Tigers’ interest in Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie.

The Orioles have scouts dispersed in every direction, and one of them is tailing the Tigers, according…I’m getting ready to change clothes and head over to the MASN studio in Hunt Valley for today’s “The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report,” which airs at 5:30 p.m. A jacket and tie are required. What I do below the waist from a sitting position is my own business.

Anyway … I wanted to quickly visit this report from FOX Sports that states the Tigers’ interest in Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie.

The Orioles have scouts dispersed in every direction, and one of them is tailing the Tigers, according to Jon Paul Morosi, who used to cover the team. The scout attended a game between the Tigers’ and Yankees’ Triple-A affiliates.

Morosi writes:

Three of Detroit’s top left-handed pitching prospects appeared in the game: starter Andrew Oliver and relievers Charlie Furbush and Matt Hoffman.

Furbush is a candidate to start for the Tigers against Oakland on Wednesday, which made the timing of the relief outing rather curious. Toledo manager Phil Nevin said Furbush appeared in the game because of instructions from the Tigers’ front office.

The Toledo roster also includes Ryan Strieby, an intriguing power-hitting first baseman who is blocked in Detroit by All-Star Miguel Cabrera.

Sounds like a potential match, though Guthrie doesn’t appear to be the Tigers’ first choice.

If the Orioles deal Guthrie, they need pitching in return. And I don’t mean prospects who require more time to develop. They need at least one major league-ready arm. And that’s a tricky proposition when you’re engaged in trade talks with a contender that’s looking for a starting pitcher.

I remember a time when some fans, and at least one reporter who shall remain nameless, questioned why the Orioles were so obsessed with pitching in the First-Year Player Drafts. I brought up the topic when they selected left-hander Brian Matusz over first baseman Justin Smoak. Well, it’s three years later and they still need more pitching.

The stockpile isn’t as tall as I imagined.

The Orioles need a long-term solution for first base. They might need a left fielder – and I’d suggest running Nolan Reimold out there on a regular basis and making a determination. They have to consider a second baseman. The bullpen always is under construction, so why should this winter be any different? But the rotation is the No. 1 priority.

You lose Guthrie, you need to find a replacement for him.