Adair's role to be determined

Adair's role to be determined
Manager Buck Showalter will likely remain in Baltimore through the weekend while trying to speed up the process of interviewing candidates for general manager/president of baseball operations and making a hire. This thing can't drag out much longer. Showalter wants the coaching staff to become more settled by the weekend. We might not learn every name, but we could find out if anyone is leaving. The Orioles need a bullpen coach after Rick Adair replaced Mark Connor as pitching coach on June...

Byrnes off Orioles' GM list

Byrnes off Orioles' GM list
The Orioles are expected to begin contacting teams tomorrow to receive permission to interview candidates for general manager/president of baseball operations. I'm not sure which title will be used, so I'm playing it safe. The list is a moving target, to use one of manager Buck Showalter's favorite expressions. Thad Levine (Rangers), Tony LaCava (Blue Jays), Dan Jennings (Marlins) and J.P. Ricciardi (Mets) remain on it, though Ricciardi is an unlikely hire. I'd place him at the...

Joe Jordan talks about his decision to leave the Orioles

Joe Jordan talks about his decision to leave the Orioles
It all happened very fast for Joe Jordan, who left his job today after seven years as the Orioles scouting director to take the position of head of player development for the Philadelphia Phillies. Jordan said as he was flying home Friday from the Orioles' instructional league in Sarasota Fla., the Phillies were asking permission to interview him. That interview took place Monday and yesterday afternoon he was offered the Phillies' position. Jordan said he could have stayed with the Orioles...

A closer look at Joe Jordan's time as scouting director

A closer look at Joe Jordan's time as scouting director
When Orioles fans debate how Joe Jordan did in his seven years as scouting director, most will first mention Matt Hobgood and Billy Rowell. Rowell has simply not come close to panning out and may be headed on his way out of the organization and the returns so far on Hobgood are pretty bleak. Hobgood still has time to salvage his career though, so he can't be written off yet. But many fans will never forgive Jordan for these two picks. My thoughts are that Jordan did a decent job as O's...

O's scouting director Joe Jordan is leaving to join Phillies

O's scouting director Joe Jordan is leaving to join Phillies
The Orioles can add the position of scouting director to their front office search. After seven seasons as the Orioles' director of amateur scouting, Joe Jordan is leaving the organization to take a job with the Philadelphia Phillies. Jordan is expected to be named the Phillies' director of player development. He interviewed with the team this week and accepted the position today. Jordan interviewed Monday with the Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. along with Phillies senior advisor...

More movement in Orioles organization

More movement in Orioles organization
Like many others, I've been anticipating heavy turnover in the Orioles' organization, and it's been unfolding over the past few days. Andy MacPhail no longer will serve as president of baseball operations, news that became official late Friday night. As I tweeted earlier this morning, scouting director Joe Jordan has been hired as the Phillies' director of player development. (Check out this report from MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski.) The Orioles have lost two amateur scouts. Keith...

Nick Markakis: "I want to be here for the good times"

Nick Markakis: "I want to be here for the good times"
Orioles fans have head to deal with 14 consecutive years of losing. No players have had to deal with all that losing, but Nick Markakis has been a part of the organization for the last nine seasons. Markakis was a first-round draft pick in 2003. How has the losing impacted him and his career? "This is where I started, this is the team that drafted me and brought me through the minors," Markakis said. "I'm completing my sixth year now (in the majors). I've been here through the tough...

The Fab 5 list of GM candidates

The Fab 5 list of GM candidates
The Orioles are putting together a list of candidates to replace president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. They haven't sought permission to interview anyone, but that soon will change. A source confirmed that the short list includes Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine, Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings, Padres vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes and Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi. Other candidates could surface,...

Frederick pitching coach sizes up Bundy and Schrader

Frederick pitching coach sizes up Bundy and Schrader
One big reason the Single-A Frederick Keys won the Carolina League championship this year was solid pitching. The Keys' team ERA of 3.22 was the best in the league. Two of their better pitchers this year were 21-year-old right-handers Bobby Bundy and Clayton Schrader. Both put up big numbers for the Keys, but neither ended the year with Frederick. Bundy moved to Double-A Bowie in August and Schrader didn't pitch after July 25 due a right elbow flexor mass strain. Frederick pitching coach...

Accardo outrighted again

Accardo outrighted again
Orioles reliever Jeremy Accardo cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. See, the Orioles can still conduct business without a president of baseball operations. Accardo also was designated and outrighted this summer, so he can refuse the assignment and become a minor league free agent. The right-hander was 3-3 with a 5.73 ERA in 31 relief appearances during two stints with the Orioles in 2011. With the move, the 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Accardo clears waivers, sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk

Accardo clears waivers, sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk
The Orioles today announced that right-hander Jeremy Accardo has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Accardo had two stints with the Orioles in 2011, combining to go 3-3 with a 5.73 ERA (37.2IP, 24ER) in 31 relief appearances. The Orioles 40-man roster now stands at 39.

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
I haven't checked lately, but I think Nelson Cruz is still standing at home plate admiring his grand slam. The first walk-off grand slam in postseason history? Can that really be true? Delmon Young's oblique injury makes him a real liability in left field. The Rangers must look at him out there and think, "Green light!" Not quite the same as one of Sidney Ponson's passengers yelling, "Red light!" The Orioles will be linked to Prince Fielder this winter because they still need a big...

Bordick talks about Angle and Machado

Bordick talks about Angle and Machado
The fall instructional league ended Saturday, along with Matt Angle's crash course on playing second base. Angle is a plus defender in the outfield, so the Orioles aren't looking to change his position. They just want to expand the ones he can handle. You know how it goes. Angle isn't projected as a regular in left field. His value increases if he can play multiple positions. And second base isn't exactly secured, considering that Brian Roberts still comes down with occasional headaches...

Thoughts on Showalter, the GM search and Avery's AFL struggles

Thoughts on Showalter, the GM search and Avery's AFL struggles
I have noticed several fans that indicate they have a problem with Buck Showalter having input into the hiring of the Orioles' next president/general manager. It's funny that last year at this time, Showalter walked on water in the minds of some fans and now some of the same fans may be wary of his input on this next hire. Showalter is likely to emerge from all this with major input on most Orioles decisions moving forward. Heck, that may have been the case already. I don't see an issue...

Job one for the new regime: Fix the minors

Job one for the new regime: Fix the minors
Now that we know Andy MacPhail is leaving the Orioles, a big project for his successor is to improve the club's minor leagues. When Baseball America released its top prospects lists for the various minor leagues this week, the Orioles, as expected, had fewer prospects making those lists than the other four American League East teams. Not only do the Orioles reside in the cellar in the division in the win-loss record, but they trail the others in player development, too. Some of this is...

Orioles statement: MacPhail leaving official

Orioles statement: MacPhail leaving official
Here is the Orioles statement on Andy MacPhail: Andy MacPhail elects not to return as Orioles president of baseball operations The Orioles today announced that Andy MacPhail has elected not to return as President of Baseball Operations for the 2012 season. "On behalf of the Orioles organization, I thank Andy for his service to the club over the last four and a half seasons," said Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos. "Andy's knowledge and experience have helped lay the groundwork for...

So who replaces MacPhail? (with Angelos statement)

So who replaces MacPhail? (with Angelos statement)
The speculation never stops. It just changes partners. We can stop guessing whether Andy MacPhail is going to leave the organization. It was assumed for weeks - he told people close to him - but the delay raised a few doubts. Now it's time to round up the candidates. Grow the arms, buy the bats, hire a replacement after 4 1/2 seasons. It's impossible to know every name that's been discussed and debated. I've floated a few, such as Marlins assistant general manager Dan Jennings and Blue...

Andy MacPhail elects not to return as Orioles President of Baseball Operations

Andy MacPhail elects not to return as Orioles President of Baseball Operations
The Orioles today announced that Andy MacPhail has elected not to return as President of Baseball Operations for the 2012 season. “On behalf of the Orioles organization, I thank Andy for his service to the club over the last four and a half seasons,” said Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos. “Andy’s knowledge and experience have helped lay the groundwork for our future success. I hold...

A multi-year deal for Guthrie? He doesn't think so

A multi-year deal for Guthrie? He doesn't think so
Jeremy Guthrie just completed his fifth season in the Orioles' rotation and it was a season where he went 9-17 with an ERA of 4.33. Guthrie will be arbitration-eligible again before the 2012 season and after that year he can become a free agent. Last winter, he and his agent approached the Orioles about the possibility of a multi-year contract, but the club was not interested then. Guthrie figures nothing has changed and said recently that no one has approached him about a multi-year...

FOX Sports reports, MASNsports.com confirms: MacPhail is out

FOX Sports reports, MASNsports.com confirms: MacPhail is out
FOXsports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal reported a few minutes ago that Andy MacPhail will not return as the Orioles' president of baseball operations. A source tonight confirmed that information to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. Rosenthal filed a report via Twitter that read: "Sources: MacPhail out as #Orioles press of bb ops. Will not return in any capacity. Showalter expected to remain mgr; situation fluid." The Orioles have not released any information on this situation...