Roch Kubatko

Leaving Indy

April 02, 2010, 2:13pm

I arrived at my gate at 5:30 a.m. for the flight home. Time once again to question why I didn't go to medical school. The guy working security kept struggling to pronounce my first name as he studied my drivers license. I finally assisted him after wondering why it mattered. I'll naturally be away from the laptop for a large chunk of the morning, but I'll get to your comments as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'm pretty much out of Orioles news at the moment. Agent Adam Katz told me...

Getting to third base

April 02, 2010, 2:12pm

As I walked through the lobby of the Westin around noon today, I saw president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and other team personnel gathering for the drive to the airport and their trip back to Baltimore. I was tempted to ask whether MASNsports.com could shoot video of him going through security, but I figured he needed a break from us. MacPhail believes in letting the market play out at certain positions if Player A isn't deemed significantly better than Player Z. Pedro Feliz,...

And so it ends (almost)...

April 02, 2010, 2:11pm

It feels like I just got here. The 2009 Winter Meetings are drawing to a close. That 5 p.m. Southwest flight back to Baltimore will be packed. Unfortunately, I'm not on it. Roch and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick recap the 2009 Winter Meetings Maybe it's just paranoia, or bad planning, but I'm staying here in case something breaks late. It's not expected, but I'm always reminded of the meetings a few years ago when shortstop Miguel Tejada, interviewed in the Dominican, "suggested" that a...

MacPhail talks about the Rule 5

April 02, 2010, 2:11pm

Seventeen players were selected in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Most Orioles fans only care about one. Pitcher Steve Johnson, acquired with third baseman Josh Bell from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the George Sherrill trade, was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 23rd pick in the first round. "We knew it was a possibility," said Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations. "The kid is clearly a prospect. I don't think there's any question about that. The...

More minor picks

April 02, 2010, 2:09pm

The Orioles lost another player in the Triple-A phase of the draft. The San Francisco Giants selected pitcher Jake Stevens from Double-A Bowie's roster. Keep in mind that these players don't have to stay on the major league roster. That's what distinguishes the minor league phase from the major league phase. Stevens will be placed on the Giants' Triple-A roster. The Orioles declined to take a player in the Double-A phase of the draft.

More on Johnson

April 02, 2010, 2:09pm

The Orioles gambled that Steve Johnson, the son of former Orioles pitcher and current 105.7 broadcaster Dave Johnson, would slip through the Rule 5 draft because he isn't a power arm. Wrong. To me, it wasn't necessary to protect infielder Pedro Florimon. He's a definite prospect, but it's hard to imagine a team trying to stash him on it's 25-man roster all season. Keep in mind that Johnson could easily end up back in the organization. That's a common occurrance. And Johnson is looking...

More Rule 5

April 02, 2010, 2:07pm

The San Francisco Giants used the 23rd pick to take pitcher Steve Johnson from the Orioles. More on that later. This won't be well-received in Baltimore.

Rule 5 results

April 02, 2010, 2:06pm

The Orioles used the third pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft to select left-hander Benjamin Snyder from the San Francisco Giants' system, who will be flipped to the Texas Rangers as the PTBNL in the Kevin Millwood trade. That's why you were advised not to get too attached to him. More to come.

Getting caught in the draft

April 02, 2010, 2:06pm

The Rule 5 draft is about one hour away, and you can feel the electricity in the air. Actually, that's just static from the carpet. More than a few reporters here wonder why the draft isn't conducted online. Do we really need to gather in a conference room and listen to team reps bark out names or pass on their selections? This one's taking place at the Westin instead of the downtown Marriott, which is convenient for guests like myself. I can just roll out of bed and stumble to the...

More from MacPhail (w/ more video)

April 02, 2010, 2:04pm

On not making an injured pitcher the first acquisition: "I don't think the first move we could make to improve our rotation would be somebody that really had some medical concerns and took a higher than customary risk on the medicals. You needed somebody that you felt was going to be pretty solid and provide you that base of innings. Now, we have some latitude to take a flyer." Andy MacPhail announces the Kevin Millwood trade from the media room at the Winter Meetings On whether Kevin...

Millwood's Place

April 02, 2010, 2:03pm

Orioles

Pitcher Kevin Millwood heard the rumors about a pending trade to the Orioles. He wasn't exactly blindsided by the news. "I'm a little surprised," he said. "I can say that, but it wasn't a total shock." Winter Meetings Audio: Kevin Millwood calls in to talk about being traded to the O's It became a reality late this afternoon, as reporters gathered at an elevator that would take us to Andy MacPhail's suite at the Westin. Millwood was placed on a conference call after we interviewed...

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Orioles winter meetings

Random quotes (w/ Trembley video)

April 02, 2010, 2:02pm

Andy MacPhail on how the trade unfolded: "This is something we were aware of a couple days before we got here. We got some prep work done, and the more we looked at it, the more we liked it. We went through give and take with names for really a couple days. There were names going back and forth to try to work this out. Money was also an issue, quite honestly. There was, 'All right, I put in this much cash, I get this player. I take this cash out, I get this player.' There was that balance...

Quick hits (with video added)

April 02, 2010, 2:01pm

I'll send along transcription later from interviews with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, manager Dave Trembley and newly acquired pitcher Kevin Millwood. But first... * MacPhail said Millwood wasn't on the club's original "target sheet," but talks heated up in frigid Indianapolis. Andy MacPhail talks with Roch Kubatko about the Kevin Millwood trade * The Orioles are still interested in adding a few more pitchers, including one starter. "Absolutely," MacPhail said....

PTBNL included

April 02, 2010, 2:00pm

Along with Chris Ray, the Orioles also will send an undisclosed player to the Rangers for pitcher Kevin Millwood. It will not be a significant player off the major league roster or from the farm system.

One reason for delay

April 02, 2010, 1:59pm

Multiple sources are reporting that free-agent pitcher Rich Harden is on the verge of signing with the Texas Rangers. This could explain why we're still awaiting official word on the Kevin Millwood deal, beyond the exchange of medical records. I noted yesterday that the Rangers wanted to obtain another pitcher before relinquishing Millwood, with Harden being a prime candidate. This makes sense. The media's 6 p.m. meeting with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been pushed...

Killing time before meeting with MacPhail

April 02, 2010, 1:58pm

I asked one of the Texas baseball writers, a veteran scribe, if Kevin Millwood is a good guy. "No," he replied. "He's a great guy. Maybe my all-time favorite. Definitely in the top three." MASN's Buck Martinez mentioned yesterday that Millwood is the type who will sit down with the young pitchers and counsel them. He gave the right-hander strong reviews. Now go out there and win 18 games. Millwood wore No. 33 in Texas. Will that be a problem in Baltimore? If the trade isn't...

Boras on Millwood

April 02, 2010, 1:57pm

Agent Scott Boras drew the usual crowd of reporters today for his annual winter meetings session, meaning he was completely surrounded and anyone stuck in the back needed to read his lips. And you get to know the person in front and behind you real fast. I might be legally married to a Seattle photographer in five states. Boras represents pitcher Kevin Millwood, who reportedly is on the verge of joining the Orioles. Asked about the trade, he replied: "That is not done, but I'm sure there...

Debating the deal

April 02, 2010, 1:56pm

I know we have plenty of anti-Kevin Millwood fans reading this blog, but you wanted the Orioles to accomplish something at these meetings, and obtaining a frontline starter qualifies. Millwood went 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA last year. He's made at least 29 starts in 10 of his 12 full seasons. He's topped 200 innings five times and logged 198 2/3 this summer. And while the Orioles will have to absorb more than $3 million of Millwood's $12 million contract, they won't lose a young starter...

How many starters will be added?

April 02, 2010, 1:56pm

If the Orioles can nail down this Kevin Millwood trade, which The Sun's Jeff Zrebiec learned earlier today might involve reliever Chris Ray, they still could be in the market for another starting pitcher. Don't assume that the Orioles would immediately lose interest in Erik Bedard if they acquire Millwood. They still like him and could continue negotiations, though that might become more clear later today when we meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. Dave Trembley gave...

Just thinking out loud

April 02, 2010, 1:55pm

Trading for Kevin Millwood would give the Orioles a top-of-the-rotation starter for 2010. But for how long? If you're pondering which pitching prospect (say that three times fast) should be sent to Texas in the deal, you must also consider that the Orioles could flip Millwood to another team at the non-waiver trade deadline, making him a half-year rental. The hope, of course, is he would bring prospects in return. The bigger hope is the Orioles are contending and they need him for the...