SAN DIEGO - Orioles general manager Dan Duquette made it through today's media session at the Winter Meetings without fielding any questions about the Blue Jays. Must be those reports that Paul Beeston will return as Toronto's president/CEO in 2015. Duquette said he spoke to "a bunch" of agents and had trade discussions with four or five executives concerning outfielders and relievers. He's looking for left-handers and right-handers. After noting that the market is starting to take shape,...

SAN DIEGO - The Orioles brass will be honored in San Diego here tonight. Baseball America will host its awards gala and among the winners are Dan Duquette as BA's Executive of the Year and Buck Showalter as BA's Manager of the Year. They have just one manager award for all of baseball, so it is not an American League-only award. John Manuel, Baseball America's editor-in-chief, told me why their organization chose to honor Duquette. "For Dan Duquette, four years ago, you'd see him at the...

SAN DIEGO - Here is a video taped yesterday at the Winter Meetings with ESPN's Keith Law. Watch the video for the full interview, in which we talked about the Orioles' need for an outfielder and other moves that they might make. Law agreed with me that the Orioles should have some financial flexibility right now with the departures of Nick Markakis, Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller. The money they might have signed Markakis with is available for use elsewhere. "I think it gives them the...

SAN DIEGO - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is meeting today with the representative for free agent Delmon Young, and the club is viewed as a favorite to re-sign the veteran outfielder. One scout from another organization considers the Orioles an overwhelming favorite despite Young's preference for a two-year deal. The club seemed reluctant earlier in the offseason to guarantee more than one year. The Orioles are in the market for right-handed and left-handed bats for the...

SAN DIEGO - We're back! The organized chaos of the Winter Meetings is once again under way from the Manchester Grand Hyatt. As always, we're providing you with behind-the-scenes action and a roundup of top headlines and rumors. If you're not doing so already, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Here's what's going on so far. Headlines * Scout that signed Jon Lester now drafts players for Orioles - Steve Melewski * The lobby buzz on Brian Matusz - Roch...

SAN DIEGO - We're aware of the free agent infield targets that the Nationals might be looking at this offseason. Asdrubal Cabrera is an option, and general manager Mike Rizzo said last night that he's kept in touch with veteran's agent thus far this winter. Jed Lowrie is another possibility, although a few teams are reportedly considering him as a potential fit at third base for their respective clubs. A source tells me, however, that the Nats aren't looking too heavily at the free agent...

SAN DIEGO - Among the many former big league players here at the Winter Meetings that is now a broadcaster is Aaron Boone. He is part of a three-generation major league family and he hit a famous playoff home run in 2003. Now Boone is an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Baseball with frequent appearances on Baseball Tonight and other studio programming. He joined ESPN in 2010 after a 12-year big league career. Boone knows something about clubhouse chemistry and he feels it is important when...

At some point today or real soon, pitcher Jon Lester will sign a massive free agent contract - one worth perhaps $150 million or more. That news will get a lot of attention. Somewhere else another man will be smiling and happy for Lester. That is the area scout that drafted him out of a Tacoma, Wash., high school at age 18. Lester was a second-round pick, No. 57 overall in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. That scout is Gary Rajsich, who has been the Orioles director of scouting since...

SAN DIEGO - The dance between reporters seeking information and team executives reluctant to part with it is the crux of many conversations at the Winter Meetings. Whether it's an informal chat in the hotel bar or the packed lobby, or every afternoon's formal interview session, the tango begins anew with every conversation. We want information. They want us to have only the information they want to share. We ask, they answer. We ask again, they rephrase the original response - or scowl,...

SAN DIEGO - The lobby of the Manchester Grand Hyatt is filling up again for the second official day of baseball's Winter Meetings. The biggest buzz surrounds free agent pitcher Jon Lester, who reportedly has multiple offers for six years and may have a team willing to give him seven. The Orioles never were in the running for Lester. They're not touching the high-priced starters on the market. While their primary focus has shifted to the outfield, they also are targeting a left-handed...