The Orioles are down to five arbitration-eligible players without contracts for 2015. Infielder Ryan Flaherty has settled tonight at $1.075 million to avoid a potential hearing next month. His contract includes an additional $25,000 for 400 plate appearances. Flaherty, 28, submitted $1.5 million and the Orioles countered at $900,000. He made $513,000 last season while batting .221/.288/.356 with 15 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 32 RBIs in 102 games and 312 plate appearances. "Glad...

This whole situation involving Dan Duquette has to be a bit deflating to some Orioles fans. Oh, wait. Wrong sport. My bad. At this point, I can't tell if fans are tired of this story, which has pretty much turned into a mini-series, or whether they can't talk about it enough? The latest report Sunday indicated Toronto brass was ending any negotiations about a trade for Duquette. Is this really over now? We can talk about it daily, although the people directly involved are not saying anything....

Has the story of the Blue Jays pursuing Dan Duquette for the position of president and CEO finally reached its conclusion? Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, reported today that the Blue Jays have ended negotiations to acquire Duquette due to the Orioles' insistence on receiving three top prospects. I'm told that the Orioles have no knowledge of the Blue Jays' current intentions regarding Duquette. One person close to the situation said there were no real negotiations because the Orioles rejected...

The Nationals don't currently have a need, per se, for another reliever. Tyler Clippard has departed, going to Oakland in the trade that brought Yunel Escobar to D.C., but the Nationals could look to fill Clippard's eighth-inning role in 2015 with some combination of Aaron Barrett/Matt Thornton/Blake Treinen. All three posted strong numbers in 2014 and all three are highly thought of within the organization. But if the Nats are indeed looking to add another reliever from the free agent...

Outfielder Michael A. Taylor advanced well in 2014, moving from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse all the way to the Nationals. Taylor's jump was big, considering he spent 2012 and 2013 with high Single-A Potomac. He hit .304 in the minors last season, collecting 20 doubles, three triples, 23 homers and 64 RBIs in 110 games. The power display was 10 more homers than he had hit in 2012 and 2013 combined. Taylor then played 17 games with the Nationals and had eight hits with one...

What are the chances that Major League Baseball honors Hall of Famer Ernie Banks by instructing every team to play one single-admission doubleheader? Slim and none, I'm sure, but what a gesture. Let's all vow to set aside a day and play two. It doesn't have to be baseball, either. Get as creative as you want. Who am I to judge? Former Orioles executive Jim Duquette, now a baseball analyst on MLB Network Radio, tackled more questions yesterday about his cousin Dan Duquette on "Wall to...

A few Sunday news items and notes: * The Orioles sure didn't seem to have any interest in outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who agreed to a one-year deal worth a base salary of $2 million with the Miami Marlins. Perhaps there was good reason for the lack of interest, starting with the fact that Ichiro is now 41 and his best days are well in the past. Maybe if the Orioles were out to just "do something" as some fans say, they could have made a play for Ichiro, who has 2,844 career hits. Between...

We all know the situation Tanner Roark is in. After winning 15 games last season and posting a stellar 2.85 ERA in a breakout year, Roark, almost unfathomably, will likely start the season in the Nationals' bullpen. That is, of course, assuming that the Nats don't trade any of their starting pitchers before opening day. There's always the chance of injury when it comes to pitchers, however, and even if Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez are all...

What I am about to write is in no way intended to diminish Dan Duquette's impact on the Orioles since they hired him in November 2011 as executive vice president of baseball operations. Duquette has played a significant role in the club's three consecutive winning seasons and two playoff berths. He's become the master of the depth move and has a knack for plugging holes. His commitment to the international market, though tamed by the franchise's reluctance to spend on big-ticket items, is...

Orioles first base prospect Christian Walker got some props yesterday. He was ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the seventh-best first base prospect in the sport. This is a nice ranking for Walker, which comes at a position that is usually plentiful with solid hitting prospects. Maybe it is a sign that he may have a chance to make the back-end of some top 100 prospects lists when they come out later. Here is the MLBPipeline.com write up on Walker: * A two-time national champion at South Carolina,...