At one time, the Orioles were looking for a closer and it seemed to be a buyer's market. But now that is not the case, and after the failed Grant Balfour signing, it's getting late in the process. Following up on yesterday's blog when I expressed concern about Tommy Hunter in the closer's role considering his numbers against left-handed hitters, Fernando Rodney looks like the next best option available. Rodney has had an interesting last two years for Tampa Bay. In 2012, he went 2-2 with...

I'm driving back to Sykesville this morning, which again opens up the possibility that the Orioles will make a roster move while I'm in Easton or on the Bay Bridge. It's easier to pull over in Easton. The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is traditionally slow in baseball, but I do have a track record. The Orioles could still sign a free agent or two before spring training, but they don't exactly hit the market with gusto every winter. Consider my projected lineup that I posted...

With first baseman Adam LaRoche's two-year deal set to expire after the 2014 season - pending the unlikely scenario where he has a monster year and both he and the Nationals agree to exercise a $15 million option for 2015 - there will soon be a new round of chatter about third baseman Ryan Zimmerman switching positions. It seems like an inevitability that Zimmerman will eventually move across the diamond to first base. He's locked into a six-year, $100 million deal that begins this season...

Now that Scott Feldman has signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Astros, catcher Steve Clevenger is all that remains for the Orioles from their July 2 trade with the Cubs. Pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop will report to spring training with the Cubs. Clevenger will be competing for the backup job in Baltimore. Clevenger, 27, was more than just a throw-in, but the Orioles had targeted Feldman as the veteran innings-eating starter who would allow them to make a more spirited run...

How would you feel if the Orioles made Tommy Hunter their closer for the 2014 season? Many fans called for Hunter to get a chance last season when Jim Johnson struggled. It didn't happen then, but it might now. The O's were seeking a closer from outside the organization, but as you may have heard, that hasn't exactly worked out to this point. In terms of makeup, character, want-to and fastball velocity, Hunter has what it takes to be a closer. I would have no worries about his ability to...

The media workroom at the Winter Meetings is an odd place. Put 200 writers, broadcasters, multimedia specialists, camera operators and TV reporters in one place for long stretches of time, and things are bound to get a little strange. There's a lot of quiet work, spiced with some idle chatter to pass long stretches of time. One evening, a couple of writers were discussing franchise longevity when one of my Chicago-based brethren asked me when the Nationals were going to start having an old...

"It is with great sadness that we learned of Paul Blair's passing last evening. Paul was a key member of many of the Orioles' most memorable and successful teams, as his contributions at the plate and his Gold Glove defense in center field helped the club to two World Series and four AL pennants. After his on-field career, Paul made the Baltimore area his home and stayed involved with the organization through his appearances in the community and at the ballpark. On behalf of the Orioles I...

When the Orioles drafted Mychal Givens in the second round of the 2009 draft out of a Tampa, Fla., high school, they envisioned developing an athletic shortstop with a strong arm who would develop some pop in his bat. But when Givens struggled to hit much over his first three pro seasons, the Orioles converted him to the mound in 2013. Givens had pitched some in high school and now he's back on the mound. Year one as a full-time pitcher went well. Despite modest stats, he had a strong second...

News tonight that former Orioles center fielder Paul Blair has died at 69 hits hard. It's another of the players from the team's glory years gone too soon, another piece of Baltimore baseball history we'll no longer be able to reminisce with. I'll remember how he glided across the outfield green on 33rd Street, making the impossible seem routine. And the smile perpetually on his face. Blair was quite simply the best center fielder I ever saw, and growing up in Baltimore during the 1960s...

Al Bumbry was named the American League's Rookie of the Year back in 1973. He played most of his games for the Orioles in left field. Center field was occupied by a guy who would win eight Gold Gloves, including seven in a row. Bumbry was teammates with Paul Blair during his first four seasons in the majors, taking over in center field in 1977. "I learned a lot watching him and talking to him about playing center field," Bumbry said of Blair, who died tonight of an apparent heart attack...