Roch Kubatko

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...

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Orioles remaining quiet in their pursuit of three Cuban prospects

October 13, 2018, 4:22pm

Orioles

I'd love to provide a meaty update on the Orioles' interest in Cuban outfielders Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. and pitcher Sandy GastÃ³n. However, there isn't much more to write beyond the presence of five representatives at the workout in Miami, the meeting that transpired the following day with the players, their families and agent Barry Praver, and the likelihood that an offer has been submitted for Victor Victor. The Orioles are keeping their business out of the press, whether...

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More arbitration-eligible talk and catching concerns

October 12, 2018, 5:54pm

Orioles

More arbitration-eligible talk and catching concerns

I wrote earlier in the week about decisions pending on the arbitration-eligible players. MLBTradeRumors.com came out with their annual projections on raises, which will be referenced here multiple times in the coming months. Jonathan Villar is expected to have his salary bumped from $2.55 million to $4.4 million after batting a combined .260/.325/.384 with 14 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts over 141 games, the last 54 with the Orioles. The Orioles...

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Whittling down the walks would work wonders for Orioles

October 11, 2018, 4:22pm

Orioles

A new manager for the Orioles likely will bring in his own pitching coach rather than inherit Roger McDowell. It's the usual outcome. Few coaches carry over to the next skipper. The ones that do should receive an award bearing Elrod Hendricks' name. Manager Mike Hargrove inherited Eddie Murray on his 2000 staff, giving him an extra coach and forcing Brian Graham, formerly on the Indians' staff, to the press box as the "eye in the sky." Graham also was given the title of "offensive and...

New hire will want to know commitment to Davis beyond salary

October 10, 2018, 2:31pm

Orioles

New hire will want to know commitment to Davis beyond salary

Let's push aside for a minute the uncertainty within the front office and in the manager's chair, and how the impact could echo throughout the organization. Anyone who's interviewing to become president of baseball operations is going to wonder how Chris Davis and the $110 million remaining on the richest contract in franchise history can fit into the rebuilding process. How a square peg fits into a round hole. This individual will be told that it doesn't. That giving one player, coming off...

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Wondering how Orioles approach rebuild as they continue interviews

October 09, 2018, 5:20pm

Orioles

The individual who replaces Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette or is given a different title already will have relayed his or her vision of the rebuilding process to John and Louis Angelos. There won't be a more important point in discussions. It starts right there. Interviews are underway and it's possible that the Orioles make two hires, including a president of baseball operations. The wheels, as they say, are in motion, and the Orioles really do need to get moving because...

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Orioles won't leave their tender moments alone

October 08, 2018, 12:12pm

Orioles

As the organization undergoes its makeover, decisions must be made regarding arbitration-eligible players and whether to extend contracts for 2019. The non-tender deadline is Nov. 30, giving the Orioles plenty of time to figure it out. A new high-ranking executive should be in place to handle it. Starter Dylan Bundy, reliever Mychal Givens and infielder Jonathan Villar are the no-brainers to receive contract offers. The Orioles aren't letting them hit free agency. The only questions pertaining...

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Leftovers for breakfast

October 07, 2018, 6:13pm

Orioles

The Orioles wouldn't consider trading reliever Mychal Givens at the Winter Meetings, valuing his potential as a future closer and contract status that kept him under team control through 2021. They steered rival executives toward pending free agents Zach Britton and Brad Brach and came as close to hanging an untouchable tag on Givens as they could have without actually tying the string behind his neck. Givens followed the two previous seasons that netted a combined 16-3 record by going 0-7 in...

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More on the showcase and floating another name

October 06, 2018, 3:25pm

Orioles

More on the showcase and floating another name

If you happen to be craving incremental updates on the showcase in Miami, you've again come to the right place. The Orioles' five-man contingent met yesterday with Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Mesa Jr. and pitcher Sandy GastÃ³n, their families and representatives from Magnus Sports, which arranged for the workouts to be closed to the media. Bits and pieces have flowed out of them - the workouts, not the agents. GastÃ³n flashed a fastball clocked at 96-97 mph. I've heard that Victor Victor...

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This, that and the other

October 05, 2018, 5:23pm

Orioles

We already know that the Orioles will undergo significant changes beyond their roster after moving away from executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter. There will be ripple effects, the only question how far-reaching. The press release noted how vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson, director of player development Brian Graham and director of scouting Gary Rajsich are "currently" under contract, and the wording jumped off the page and rolled under the...

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More on the process of finding a new manager

October 04, 2018, 3:35pm

Orioles

More on the process of finding a new manager

If you've been trying to pry a list of Orioles managerial candidates from family, friends or beat writers, do yourself a favor and forget about it. There's an order here and it begins with the hiring of a replacement for executive vice president Dan Duquette, with the title to be determined. I've heard more than once that the new hire will compile the list of candidates to replace manager Buck Showalter. He or she will choose the successor. He or she won't be overruled. So, until we know...

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Showalter, Duquette and the end of another era

October 03, 2018, 6:26pm

Orioles

Showalter, Duquette and the end of another era

There were four scenarios that could play out regarding executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter. Yesterday's outcome was one of them, but also a bit of a stunner. Under no circumstances was Showalter staying and Duquette leaving because I heard the Orioles didn't want a manager in place without a general manager, or whatever title that person would hold. It became increasingly apparent that Showalter wouldn't return, which eliminated the idea of the Orioles standing...

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Orioles announce departures of Duquette, Showalter (updated)

October 03, 2018, 4:41pm

Orioles

The Orioles announced tonight that they won't retain executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter beyond contracts that run out at the end of the month. They also laid out the plan moving forward. The club will hire an executive from outside of the organization to lead the baseball operations department, an important distinction following today's moves. The Orioles stated in a release that this individual will have the final determination on all baseball matters "that he...

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Duquette won't return as Orioles executive vice president

October 03, 2018, 2:54pm

Orioles

The Orioles will become busier as they move through the offseason with today's news that they also won't bring back executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. The contracts of Duquette and manager Buck Showalter expired at the end of the month and they aren't going to be part of the rebuild moving forward, according to numerous sources. No announcement has been made by the Orioles, but it could happen later tonight. The media has been in a holding pattern. It made sense...

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Showalter won't return as Orioles manager

October 03, 2018, 9:04am

Orioles

The Orioles will move forward with their plans to rebuild while leaving behind the man who has managed them since August 2010. Buck Showalter won't return for the 2019 season, according to multiple sources, with the club allowing his contract to run out at the end of the month. The offseason will include a search for his successor. Showalter won't remain in the organization in any capacity - it's believed that he wasn't offered anything else - and he flew home to Dallas today. He met with...

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Valera hopes he's in consideration for next year

October 02, 2018, 5:03pm

Orioles

Valera hopes he's in consideration for next year

A player trying to impress in the final month of the season and convince his new team that he deserves a roster spot in 2019 needs to do more than hit and field his position. He has to stay healthy. Breyvic Valera provided a reminder to manager Buck Showalter that he owned a career .299 average in the minors. Not that Showalter needed it. One of baseball's most prepared men already perused the stats and recited them to the media after the Manny Machado trade to the Dodgers that brought Valera...

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Lingering thoughts on Davis

October 01, 2018, 7:28pm

Orioles

The Orioles' season ended on Sunday after a full 162 games, the tormenting weather forcing delays, postponements and doubleheaders but unable to leave them short. The curtain on Chris Davis' season closed on Sept. 22 after an 0-for-5 day at Yankee Stadium that included three more strikeouts. The last pitch he saw, from reliever Jonathan Holder in the 10th inning, was lined to first baseman Luke Voit, who made a lunging grab and saved two runs from scoring in a tie game. How appropriate for a...

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Another look at yesterday's finale and the dominant themes

September 30, 2018, 7:33pm

Orioles

Another look at yesterday's finale and the dominant themes

Not to make it about myself on the first day of the Orioles offseason, but I can't remember a final game before yesterday that was less about the outcome and recapping what went right and wrong over the summer. So I did sort of make it about myself. Hang with me. The Orioles defeated the Astros 4-0 for their seventh shutout of the season against the 15 thrust upon them. They finished with a 47-115 record, failing to reach 50 wins in the worst season in franchise history. It was as brutal as it...