Jason Hammel was all set to report to spring training in Arizona with the Colorado Rockies. After today's trade to the Orioles, along with Matt Lindstrom for Jeremy Guthrie, the 29-year-old right-hander will now be heading to Sarasota soon to join his new team. "Obviously, it was a surprise this morning," Hammel told reporters via a conference call this afternoon. "My plans had basically been finished for spring training in Arizona, but that doesn't change anything. Baseball doesn't...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette just completed a conference call with reporters that also included new pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. He described them as being dependable, durable, qualified major league pitchers. Hammel is viewed as capable of replacing Jeremy Guthrie's innings in the rotation, and Lindstrom will work the back end of the bullpen with experience as a closer and set-up man. Duquette referenced Jim Johnson as another power arm in the back of the 'pen,...

This Jeremy Guthrie trade is not playing to rave reviews with fans or media. Guthrie was a popular player who pitched well for this team and the early response from fans is that the Orioles did not get enough in return for the right-hander. This morning, he was sent to Colorado for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. Keep in mind that the closer a player gets to free agency, the less value the player has in a trade. Plus, Guthrie is coming off a year where his ERA increased from 3.83 to...

The Orioles officially announced today's trade that sent Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. They also confirmed that left-handed specialist Clay Rapada has been designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Guthrie said the deal was pretty much done Saturday night. "I talked to my agent, Brodie (Van Wagenen) and all parties involved and they let us know that's what was going to happen," he said. "At first, you're a...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Hammel, 29, is 34-45 with a 4.99 ERA (732.0IP, 406 ER) in 169 career games (115 starts) over six major league seasons with Tampa Bay (2006-08) and Colorado (2009-11). He has pitched 170 or more innings in each of the last three seasons for the Rockies and has posted strikeout to walk ratios of 3:1 or better in...

The Orioles got Jeremy Guthrie through a waiver claim from Cleveland and today, five years later, he leaves for Colorado. All the trade talk about him actually culminated in a deal, ironically, at a time when there wasn't much talk about his leaving. Guthrie was a pitcher thrust into a No. 1 role in a rotation that couldn't match the rest of the American League East, but he did his best, usually with sketchy run support. He spent a couple of seasons among the top 20 in ERA in the American...

The Orioles had an arbitration hearing scheduled today with pitcher Jeremy Guthrie in St. Petersburg, Fla., but it's been postponed amid rumors that he's about to be traded. And according to a source, a deal is close with the Rockies that would bring pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom to Baltimore. Hammel, 29, was 7-13 with a 4.76 ERA in 32 games - including 27 starts - for the Rockies last season. He's 34-45 with a 4.99 ERA in 169 games, including 115 starts in six seasons spent with...

Harrisburg Senators closer Hassan Pena is another reliever that could easily move up to Triple-A this season and has the stuff to pitch in the majors. After the right-handed Pena was called up to Double-A Harrisburg, he reeled off 10 saves and 55 strikeouts, notching a 2.73 ERA. He struggled, however, in seven appearances with Triple-A Syracuse, going 0-4 with a 19.29 ERA and one save. Former Senators.pitching coach Randy Tomlin said the Cuban-born Pena has shown he can deliver at any level...

When can a pitcher's home park ERA of 5.40 be called respectable? Before you say never, the answer could be when that pitcher makes 13 starts at Triple-A Albuquerque's Isotopes Park, where opposing Pacific Coast League teams averaged 7.2 runs per game last year (the home team averaged 7.5) and where Albuquerque's staff worked to an ERA of 6.52. New Orioles pitcher Dana Eveland made more than half his PCL starts in that park last summer. Before his September callup, when he went 3-2 with a...

Greetings from Southwest Airlines Flight 2039, where we're somewhere east of Salt Lake City - maybe around Oklahoma - and heading to Baltimore. I can't escape the Nationals news, even for a few days. According to multiple reports, the Nationals have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with Rick Ankiel, which includes an invite to spring training, where Ankiel will compete for at least a share of the team's center field job. The 32-year-old Ankiel batted .239 with nine homers and 37...