NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Once again tonight, Dan Duquette took time to talk with me for a video interview on MASNSports.com. With today's news that the club has agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Nate McLouth, pending a physical, and with Nolan Reimold returning, I asked Duquette if the Orioles were now set in left field. "I thought Nate did a great job for us late in the year," Duquette said. "He solidified our defense, he got on base, he stole bases, he hit and he hit with some...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette passed along a few nuggets of news during his eight-minute session with the media in his suite at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Resort. Duquette confirmed that he won't attempt to sign free-agent outfielder Nick Swisher, whose representatives met with the Orioles last night. Duquette said the Orioles have enough outfielders after re-signing Nate McLouth, and he dismissed the possibility that Swisher could play first...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A number of Nationals executives have bolted town, content to take care of any lingering business in D.C. with the Winter Meetings set to wrap up tomorrow morning. One area they'll still look to tackle from back home is starting pitching depth. In addition to reaching some sort of resolution with Adam LaRoche and searching for a left-handed reliever, general manager Mike Rizzo is still on the lookout for a starter that the Nats can stash at Triple-A to provide insurance...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Gary Rajsich just finished his first year as Orioles director of scouting and now he and his staff are deep into preparations for the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. Rajsich is here with the Orioles' staff in Nashville for the Winter Meetings. Earlier today, I talked with Rajsich for a video interview in the busy lobby here at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Resort. Rajsich is pleased with the progress his first draft class made this season in the O's...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman is being considered for the Orioles' third base coaching job. The list compiled by manager Buck Showalter appears to contain as many as six names, including Rich Dauer and Don Wakamatsu. It's fluid, as Showalter likes to say. Steve Smith took himself out of the running by informing Showalter that he wanted to be freed up to watch his son play college baseball in San Diego. Riggleman just completed his first season as manager at...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sean Burnett has found a new home. Burnett has agreed to terms on a two-year with the Angels, according to multiple reports. The left-handed reliever, who spent the last 3 1/2 seasons with the Nationals, will get just under $9.5 over the two years, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The contract includes a club option for a third year. Update: It's actually two-year, $8 million deal, according to the L.A. Times. Those terms are a bit surprising considering the...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - We don't know where Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke are going to wind up next season. We don't know if there is going to be a blockbuster three-team trade or not. So on another slow news day at the Winter Meetings, here are answers to the questions that linger in the hotel corridors: * Is the pace of transactions slower than the normal winter meetings? Without a doubt, that's true. Most of the transactions have been predictable and there have been no blockbusters, such as...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - So Nate McLouth is returning to the Orioles and I would think most fans are pretty happy about that. In recent weeks, it seems the fans mostly wanted McLouth back and felt he was a key part of last year's team, even though he didn't join the big league club until August. There is also a segment of fans that felt he had one or two good months and were skeptical that he had found his bat again and turned his career back around. They seemed to feel he wouldn't duplicate some...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mike Rizzo has departed the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Resort, leaving first baseman Adam LaRoche to ponder the Nationals' two-year contract offer. LaRoche remains in his Kansas home, perhaps whiling away the Winter Meetings in a hunter's blind and wondering why he can't garner anything more substantial than a two-year deal after winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger for a team that won more games than any other in the major leagues. But what looks...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - He is one of the top experts in the nation on baseball prospects, and again this year at the Winter Meetings, I caught up with Jim Callis of Baseball America for a video interview to talk about some of the top young Orioles prospects. Callis feels the O's plan this year for pitcher Dylan Bundy was a good one as their No. 1 pick from 2011 started the season at Single-A Delmarva and ended it with two bullpen appearances in Baltimore in September. "They did what you are...