What can we look forward to this week? Perhaps we can read a little something into this quote on Wednesday from executive vice president Dan Duquette, who returned my call during the last night of the GM meetings in Orlando: "We've been meeting with teams and agents and canvassing the market and seeing where we match up with teams. We've been talking to agents about signing some players to help bolster our ballclub, so we're making some pretty good progress with a couple of conversations...

If the Orioles are to add any players from their minor leagues to their 40-man roster in advance of next month's Rule 5 draft, they must do it by Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pitcher Tim Berry and catcher Michael Ohlman continue to look like the most likely to be added. Pitcher Oliver Drake has also been discussed and could lead the next group of players the club may be considering along with catcher Caleb Joseph and pitchers Jason Gurka and Eddie Gamboa. As I've written before, pitchers Eduardo...

The Arizona Fall League season has come to an end, with the Mesa Solar Sox, the team featuring eight Nationals prospects, falling to the Surprise Saguaros 2-0 in yesterday's championship game. Nats outfield prospect Steven Souza went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and one of Mesa's five hits, and outfielder Brian Goodwin went 0-for-1 in a pinch-hitting role. None of the Nats' four pitching prospects on Mesa's roster saw action during the championship game. For a full rundown of how the...

How would you feel about the Orioles adding a starting pitcher who last year went 18-6 with an ERA of 2.65? He had a WHIP of 1.166 and walked just 1.4 batters per every nine innings. He was second in the American League in ERA and wins while adding three shutouts. By the way, you may be able to sign this pitcher for just one year. What? Who is this and how could this be possible? It is Bartolo Colon and because he will turn 41 next May, some team may be able to sign him to pitch on just a...

I checked my home insurance policy and I'm not covered for an avalanche of questions from Orioles fans. I'll just have to take my chances and live dangerously. The hot stove increases my risks, and not only because I could get burned if I'm out of touch with it (see what I did there?). I'm asked to confirm or shoot down various rumors. I'm asked for status updates on negotiations. I'm asked the same stuff over and over. I take so many deep breaths, I get lightheaded. For those reasons,...

Orioles pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez had a strong outing today in the Arizona Fall League championship game. The 20-year-old left-hander from Valencia, Venezuela, pitched three shutout innings for Surprise against Mesa. Rodriguez, who pitched this year at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, left with a 1-0 lead. Rodriguez gave up just two singles, one of which was erased on a caught stealing. He didn't walk a batter and fanned four. He fanned the Nos. 3 and 4 Mesa hitters in the...

New Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace had a strong voice in the hiring of bullpen coach Dom Chiti. And it worked out nicely that Wallace recommended someone who also was familiar to and highly respected by manager Buck Showalter. Wallace and Chiti came from the Braves organization, which has been known to produce good young pitchers. And Chiti, of course, was Showalter's bullpen coach with the Rangers in 2006. Asked yesterday about his choice, Wallace said, "Dom has a history with Buck,...

The Nationals sent eight prospects to the Arizona Fall League this offseason, and they have played a major part in the Mesa Solar Sox reaching the AFL championship game, which will be played today at 3:10 p.m. You can catch the game on MLB Network. You might have heard of all eight of the Nats prospects out in Arizona. You might have heard of none of them. But here's a look at how all eight are performing, with one final game to go in Mesa's season. Outfielder Steven Souza has only played...

Orioles pitching prospect Mike Wright certainly advanced his career during the 2013 season. He improved his stats, extended his season innings limit, started and won the Eastern League All-Star game, and capped his year with a big O's honor. On Sept. 8, Wright was named the Orioles minor league Pitcher of the Year, taking the Jim Palmer Award. The 23-year-old right-hander went 11-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 143 2/3 innings for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. On the final day of the minor league regular...

Now that Dave Wallace is in place as Orioles pitching coach, he's started the task of reaching out to his staff. Wallace told me yesterday that he's talked to three or four of the Orioles' pitchers "just briefly to say hello," and left voicemails for about eight others. "I haven't gotten into any discussions about mechanics or abilities or anything like that," he said. "I'm in the process of talking to Rick Peterson and Mike Griffin, who have had the guys. I'm trying to find out...