Roch Kubatko

McKenna omitted from AFL Fall Stars Game roster

October 29, 2018, 11:36am

Orioles

McKenna omitted from AFL Fall Stars Game roster

A .378 average and 1.149 OPS apparently aren't deemed worthy of inclusion in the upcoming Arizona Fall League's 13th annual Fall Stars Game unless a fan vote rectifies the situation. Double-A Bowie outfielder Ryan McKenna is conspicuously absent from the West Division roster, which has been released this afternoon. No one in the Orioles organization is represented. McKenna has crafted a .378/.500/.649 slash line in 10 games with the Glendale Desert Dogs. He's collected four doubles and three...

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Leftovers for breakfast

October 28, 2018, 12:27pm

Orioles

The Orioles' list of arbitration-eligible players will be reduced with the decision to place infielder Jace Peterson on outright waivers. Peterson made $900,000 this season and MLBTradeRumors.com projects a raise to $1.3 million. The Orioles will look to carry a utility infielder at a reduced cost and it could be Peterson under a restructured deal. This is partly about money and partly about the need to clear room on the 40-man roster. The Orioles have five players who will need to be...

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This, that and the other

October 27, 2018, 6:20pm

Orioles

A last-place finish isn't keeping the Orioles idle as the Red Sox and Dodgers play in the World Series. Beyond the interviews that will lead to the hiring of a president of baseball operations, general manager and manager, the Orioles are making changes in their scouting department and minor league staff and working to create space on a 40-man roster that currently is filled. I've mentioned the need to activate five players from the 60-day disabled list - pitchers Richard Bleier, Pedro Araujo...

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Ron Johnson won't return as Norfolk manager (updated)

October 27, 2018, 7:39am

Orioles

Ron Johnson won't return as Norfolk manager (updated)

The changes coming to the Orioles organization will affect the minor league system, including the decision to bring in a new Triple-A manager. Ron Johnson won't return for an eighth season with the Norfolk Tides, with multiple sources confirming the Orioles' decision to move in another direction. Johnson is free to accept any offer that appeals to him. Also, special assistant Matt Haas, East Coast scouting supervisor Kirk Fredriksson, area scout Dana Duquette and director of Dominican...

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Lingering thoughts on international intentions

October 26, 2018, 6:19pm

Orioles

Lingering thoughts on international intentions

The level of agitation among Orioles fans spiked again with the failure to sign any of the Cuban "big three," though most are relying on published scouting reports and projections and otherwise know nothing about Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Mesa Jr. and Sandy GastÃ³n,. We've heard good things. It comes across as small consolation, but the Orioles made offers for all three players and were runners-up for GastÃ³n, despite other teams submitting bids. They attended the Oct. 3 showcase in...

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Gold Glove exclusion, Ãlvarez and AFL updates

October 25, 2018, 4:47pm

Orioles

Gold Glove exclusion, Ãlvarez and AFL updates

The Orioles will be shut out in Rawlings Gold Glove voting for a third consecutive year. The lack of a finalist in 2018 sealed their fate. Manny Machado made the final three last year at third base, but was denied his third Gold Glove. He isn't a finalist after a change in positions and teams, but the World Series provides a nice distraction for him. Yesterday's news was anticlimactic, with the Orioles having no obvious candidates at any position. Machado was traded prior to the non-waiver...

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Orioles announce signings of four international players

October 25, 2018, 7:33am

Orioles

Unable to sign any of the high-profile Cuban prospects featured at a showcase earlier this month, the Orioles announced today that they've reached agreement with four international players while reallocating a portion of the $6.5 million they held in bonus slots. Joining the organization are 19-year-old Dominican right-hander Kelvin LaRoche, 18-year-old Cuban outfielder Kevin Infante, 17-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Angel Gomez and 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Gilbert Machado. The amount...

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Rickard among Orioles with uncertain futures

October 24, 2018, 2:22pm

Orioles

Contracts are on the verge of expiring for a multitude of individuals in the Orioles organization, including the coaching staff that served under former manager Buck Showalter. Meanwhile, there are players wondering if they're included in any future plans, unsure of Showalter's replacement and how they fit into the rebuild. A fresh set of eyes could inject life into a career or deflate it. Joey Rickard must be wondering whether he can break camp with the team next spring and if he's going to...

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Memories of managerial searches

October 23, 2018, 4:36pm

Orioles

The process of hiring a manager in the offseason hasn't played out in Baltimore since Lee Mazzilli got the job back in November 2003. An organization that otherwise tends to wait and re-evaluate has fired Mazzilli, Sam Perlozzo and Dave Trembley prior to the final game. The Orioles also replaced interim manager Juan Samuel with Buck Showalter in August 2010. Showalter's contract runs out on Oct. 31 and he's already been told that he won't return next year. Phil Regan, the last Orioles...

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GastÃ³n latest international prospect to elude Orioles

October 23, 2018, 10:07am

Orioles

The Orioles will take more swings at the international market after whiffing on three of the top remaining prospects. They went 0-for-3 against the highly touted Cuban trio of Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Mesa Jr. and Sandy GastÃ³n, and are left holding $6.5 million in signing bonus slots. It won't evaporate until June 2019, with a reset the following month, but it's burning a hole in the pockets of an organization that's trying to juggle offseason business and cross various items off the...

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Orioles continue to conduct business despite vacancies

October 22, 2018, 4:19pm

Orioles

While the Marlins were showing off Victor Victor Mesa and younger brother Victor Mesa Jr. yesterday to their local media, making the international signings official at a press conference, Orioles fans wondered if the lack of top front office executives sabotaged the club's efforts. Don't get the impression that no one is minding the store. Director of player development Brian Graham has been assigned the duties that belonged to executive vice president Dan Duquette. As the Oct. 3 press...

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Orioles geared toward signing GastÃ³n (and other notes)

October 21, 2018, 3:48pm

Orioles

The Orioles made an undisclosed offer to Cuban outfielder Victor Victor Mesa and couldn't keep him from signing with the Marlins, who also are introducing younger brother Victor Mesa Jr. at this morning's press conference in Miami. However, pitcher Sandy GastÃ³n remains in play and the Orioles have regained a sizeable advantage in international signing bonus money. They can't match Little Havana and other geographical perks, but there are ways to entice the kid. GastÃ³n, 16, is a...

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Orioles won't sign the Mesa brothers

October 20, 2018, 12:22pm

Orioles

The Orioles are conceding that they won't be able to sign brothers Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr., a harsh blow to an organization that is trying to upgrade its presence in the international market as an important facet of its rebuilding project. Multiple reports have the Cuban outfielders preparing to sign with the Marlins, who scheduled a press conference for Monday morning that will include chief executive officer and part owner Derek Jeter and president of baseball operations...

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Updating Hunter Harvey's elbow issue and throwing schedule

October 20, 2018, 6:47am

Orioles

Updating Hunter Harvey's elbow issue and throwing schedule

Hunter Harvey is slated to begin another throwing program in December after being shut down again with soreness in his right elbow. The latest MRI last month in Baltimore didn't reveal any structural damage, the diagnosis being a mild case of tendinitis, and he's feeling good again. He was prescribed rest after the Orioles shut him down Sept. 18 from throwing on flat ground at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. The most recent interruption ruined plans to have Harvey pitch for the...

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Recalling past playoff series and pitchers posting big innings

October 19, 2018, 8:50am

Orioles

Recalling past playoff series and pitchers posting big innings

Watching David Price plow through the Astros lineup Thursday night in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the clincher for the Red Sox, brought reminders of the 2014 Division Series and how the Orioles bested the veteran left-hander to complete their sweep of the Tigers. They didn't dominate him, winning 2-1 and advancing to the ALCS, but they defeated three former Cy Young Award winners in Price, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer off Price in...

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More roster talk, Lee update and former Orioles in October

October 18, 2018, 4:36pm

Orioles

Setting the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft won't necessarily be the first order of business for the Orioles' reconstructed front office, with the non-tender deadline set for Nov. 30, but it's going to involve more heavy lifting. The roster is full and the Orioles need to create room for pitchers Dillon Tate and Branden Kline, who are assured of making it. Catcher Martin Cervenka and left-hander Luis Gonzalez also are expected to have spots open to them. As I've pointed out in the...

Lamenting loss of Bleier and finding silver linings among lefties

October 17, 2018, 1:49pm

Orioles

Lamenting loss of Bleier and finding silver linings among lefties

Perhaps it's because the timing of the injury and surgery came a month before the All-Star break and there were so many other issues with the club that it got lost in the pile. Check with former manager Buck Showalter and players inside the clubhouse and they'll point to Richard Bleier's absence from the bullpen as one of the most devastating hits delivered to the Orioles. He wasn't the closer or primary setup man. He didn't start. He just kept getting outs and brought some order to a...

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The latest non-update update on Orioles

October 16, 2018, 6:20pm

Orioles

I was asked again yesterday about candidates to manage the Orioles next season. Whether a particular name is in the mix. Whether I can place odds on a veteran such as Joe Girardi or Dusty Baker versus a newbie such as MLB Network analyst and former player Mark DeRosa. We must go back to my previous statement that the new president of baseball operations will choose the manager. We're putting the cart before the horse by speculating on Buck Showalter's replacement. I'm still expecting the...

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Some early roster rumblings and Rule 5 questions

October 15, 2018, 4:43pm

Orioles

Some early roster rumblings and Rule 5 questions

I've warned in the past that it's much too early to project how the Orioles will fill out their 25-man roster. It's only October and no one has been hired in the front office and as the new manager. There are so many steps ahead that it would fry a Fitbit. Players will be added via trades and/or free agency, fitting into whatever budget has been laid out by ownership. The Rule 5 draft again could be utilized, though perhaps not to the extent of the previous offseason, when three selections...

Ripken isn't currently under consideration for front office job

October 14, 2018, 5:30pm

Orioles

Ripken isn't currently under consideration for front office job

The offseason calendar for the Orioles has flipped to a new week with no news about front office hires, managerial candidates or the impact on the coaching staff and in player development and scouting. It shouldn't be much longer before the Orioles decide on a president of baseball operations. They likely have someone in mind, but any further delays could be tied to whether they want to interview an executive with a team that's still in the postseason. There has been some speculation in the...