DALLAS - Apparently, the Winter Meetings must, by decree of longstanding baseball law, include at least one full-out media scrum with super agent Scott Boras, a guy who frustrates the other 29 clubs that do not have a curly W on their caps. This year's happened last night, while Nats general manager Mike Rizzo was pondering exactly what Plan B - and the B doesn't stand for Buehrle - means for his team. Boras held court for a smaller-than-usual number of reporters, who still thrust tape...

DALLAS - And down the stretch they come ... I'm expecting a stampede to the airport today as the Winter Meetings break up. The last order of business for most teams is the Rule 5 draft - and we've been threatened with bodily harm here if we write Rule V - which begins at 9 a.m. Central time. The Orioles might not be finished, however. Executive vice president Dan Duquette indicated yesterday that he could make a trade or two, so the local beat reporters are on high alert. I'd just...

DALLAS - Baseball's Rule 5 draft will be held this morning at 10 a.m Eastern time and the Orioles will have the fourth pick. Any player selected in this draft must remain on the selecting team's 25-man roster for the entire big league season or be offered back to his original club. Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization's 40-man roster and: * Were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or *...

The Orioles didn't make any trades today, but they completed their coaching staff. That's another item to cross off the list. The holdup involved DeMarlo Hale, who had a year remaining on his contract with the Red Sox. He was invited to remain on manager Bobby Valentine's staff, but he wasn't sure in what capacity. And his longstanding relationship with Orioles manager Buck Showalter swayed him to leave the perennial contenders. Hale will coach third base for the Orioles after serving as...

DALLAS - Mark Buehrle was the guy the Nationals wanted. However, in the wake of the left-hander's decision to spurn a three-year offer for between $42-$45 million from Washington to sign a four-year deal with the Marlins on Wednesday, Nats general manager Mike Rizzo isn't too heartbroken that the deal never came to fruition. "We weren't - I wasn't - comfortable going four years on him as a starting pitcher," Rizzo said Wednesday night, less than two hours after finding out that weeks of...

DALLAS - The Orioles don't give the outward appearance that they're busy at the Winter Meetings. They haven't gone to the podium, though the Marlins are boxing out everyone like Karl Malone, and they haven't been featured in the hottest rumors unless you count the Prince Fielder stuff that is based on speculation and assumptions. But executive vice president Dan Duquette met with more executives and agents today and is convinced that a trade or two could go down before he boards his flight...

DALLAS - In today's one-on-one video interview with Dan Duquette, the Orioles executive vice president indicated he is getting closer to making one or more trades and it could happen before the Winter Meetings end tomorrow. "Well, I mean, we are a little further down the track on a couple of deals that we hope to close," Duquette said. "It takes a little time to get things together but hopefully we will have a couple more players to talk to the Oriole fans about by the end of the week. We...

DALLAS - Bill Castro was hired today by the Orioles as their bullpen coach. He joins the club after 37 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, the last two as pitching advisor for Latin America. Castro spent 18 seasons on the Brewers' major league coaching staff, including the first part of the 2009 season as pitching coach. He previously served as bullpen coach from 1992-2008 and was the pitching coach for the Dominican Republic during the 2006 World Baseball Classic. "It means a...

DALLAS - Unless something drastic happens, the Orioles won't complete any deals tonight. However, executive vice president Dan Duquette says he's made "good progress" in trade talks today and hopes to finalize one or two after Thursday's Rule 5 draft. Duquette is staying in Dallas until late in the day, which makes me glad that I booked my flight back to Baltimore at 6:20 p.m. Any trades would involve pitching, which has been Duquette's main priority since he arrived at the Hilton...

DALLAS - The Nationals will have to change their plans for the Rule 5 draft, which will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, the last activity at baseball's Winter Meetings. The Nationals, who have picked first in the past two Rule 5 drafts, will have the 16th selection. General manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals are weighing whether to make a selection. At the Orlando Winter Meetings last year, they took relievers Brian Broderick from the Cardinals (with the 16th pick in the first round) and...