The Orioles today announced that they have exercised the 2013 club option on right-hander Luis Ayala and declined their 2013 option on infielder Mark Reynolds, who remains arbitration eligible. Ayala, 34, went 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA (75.0IP, 22ER) in 66 appearances for the O's in 2012, allowing one earned run or fewer in 59 outings. Reynolds, 29, batted .221/.335/.429 with 23 home runs and 69 RBI in 135 games in his second season with the Orioles. He has hit at least 20 home runs in each of...

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Yankees and Red Sox are the American League East teams with the most questions going into the offseason. Neither team can write a check and become the favorite for 2013. Meanwhile, the Orioles and Rays continue to build, while the Blue Jays hope for health and a few acquisitions. A look at AL East teams: * New York: Alex Rodriguez will get plenty of attention this offseason, but given the $114 million left on his contract, he'll be in...

There have been no reports linking the Orioles to Angels pitcher Dan Haren, but there have been plenty of reports indicating the Angels are actively trying to trade Haren this week. The Angels must decide by midnight Eastern time Friday whether to pick up his $15.5 million option for next season or deal him before that. The acquiring team would have to take on that option and/or negotiate a new deal with Haren. From 2005-2011, Haren posted a 3.49 ERA and pitched an average of 226 innings....

I forgot to mention this the other day, but early odds for who will win the 2013 World Series have been released. Not surprisingly, the Nationals find themselves toward the top of the list of favorites. Bovada has given the Nats 12-to-1 odds to win the World Series next season, putting them behind just the Tigers (6-to-1), Yankees (7-to-1) and Giants (10-to-1). The Rangers and Angels also are listed at 12-to-1. Within the National League East, the Phillies and Braves were given 14-to-1...

Pitching and defense. Two Orioles staples from way back. They both improved in the second half of the season and they helped each other get better. At the end of the 2012 season, the Orioles were one of the best defensive teams in baseball and from where they had come from, that was a huge improvement. The Orioles were the only team in baseball to win three Gold Glove awards. Who saw that coming in April or May, when the O's were probably baseball's worst defensive team? J.J. Hardy, Matt...

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones joked tonight that manager Buck Showalter sees everything from the dugout, including subtle plays in the field that may go unnoticed by casual observers of the game. "He probably sees what I'm doing in California," Jones said. "No," Showalter said, laughing, "I'm glad I don't." The mood was jovial, to say the least, during a conference call with Showalter and the Orioles' three Gold Glove winners: Jones, shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Matt...

Now that the Orioles have three Gold Glove winners in 2012, all that's left is for Buck Showalter to be named the American League's Manager of the Year and Chris Davis to take home the Rolaids Relief Man Award. Showalter already won The Sporting News award by edging out Oakland's Bob Melvin in voting by his peers. The Baseball Writers' Association of America award, the biggie, will be announced on Nov. 13, with another thin margin expected to separate Showalter and Melvin. The Orioles...

Earlier tonight Rawlings announced that three Orioles - shortstop J.J. Hardy, center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters - have been named this year's American League Gold Glove Award recipients for defensive excellence at their respective positions. The Orioles were the only team to have three players honored and one of only two MLB teams (also New York Yankees) with more than one selection for 2012. It is the first career Gold Glove Award for Hardy and the second for Jones (also...

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche today was named the recipient of the 2012 National League Rawlings Gold Glove for first basemen. The defensive citation is the first of LaRoche's career. LaRoche led all National League first baggers this season in fielding percentage (.995), games started (149) and innings (1323.1). At 6.1, LaRoche also paced NL first basemen (min. 1000 innings) in Ultimate Zone Rating, a figure that blends the number of runs above or below average a fielder is...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove, with the announcement coming tonight on ESPN2. Wieters beat out the Tigers' Alex Avila, the Yankees' Russell Martin and the White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski. Wieters led the American League in defensive games (134) and putouts (994), ranked second in runners caught stealing (32) and range factor per game (7.81), and was third in caught stealing percentage (38.6 percent). His 994 putouts were the third-most in AL...