The Orioles today announced that they have hired DeMarlo Hale as their third base coach and Bill Castro as bullpen coach to fill the two vacancies on their 2012 coaching staff. John Russell (bench coach), Jim Presley (hitting coach), Rick Adair (pitching coach) and Wayne Kirby (first base coach) will return from the 2011 staff. Hale has spent 10 seasons as a major league coach, most recently serving as bench coach (2010-11) and third base coach (2006-09) for the Boston Red Sox. He was first...

DALLAS - It's finally official. The Orioles have hired DeMarlo Hale as their third base coach and Bill Castro as their bullpen coach. "The additions of DeMarlo Hale and Bill Castro add winning experience and diversity to our coaching staff," executive vice president Dan Duquette said in a statement. The Red Sox let Hale out of his contract last night with one year remaining so he could join manager Buck Showalter's staff. He had the option of remaining with Boston under new manager Bobby...

If it's true that the White Sox seek young pitching for a player like Baltimore native, pitcher Gavin Floyd, the Orioles may not be the team for them to match up with. You would have to wonder why the Orioles would trade, say, a Brian Matusz for Floyd. There is a lot more at work here than if you think Floyd is simply better than Matusz and you would make that trade. Please realize it's total speculation and no one is saying or reporting that Matusz for Floyd is being discussed, but the Sox...

DALLAS - The Nationals want left-hander Mark Buehrle and Buehrle has the Nats in his final five. General manager Mike Rizzo believes that it's possible serious talks will accelerate now that Buehrle has established the teams in contention. In other words, Buehrle has narrowed down his list and seems ready to take the next step. All indications point to the fact that Buehrle wants to come to a decision quickly, allowing him maximum offseason time get ready for spring training with his new...

That's the word on the street. According to multiple reports, the San Diego Padres are on the verge of acquiring closer Huston Street from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named. The Padres are picking up most of Street's $7.5 million tab. The Orioles held discussions with the Rockies regarding Street, but they're not going to get him. Scratch another one off the list. Late-inning relief could wear a more familiar face. The Orioles and Rangers have met to discuss a trade that...

DALLAS - Frustrated by the snail's pace of trade talks and free agent discussions at the Winter Meetings? Did you figure the Nationals would have solved at least one of their issues by this point, and be ready to look at, say, whether they would try to mine for a prospect in Thursday's Rule 5 draft? General Mike Rizzo probably feels your pain, but he's been around baseball long enough to know that the slow-play game can change at a moment's notice. No way around it, it's been an unusual...

DALLAS - For me, this feels like the final day of the Winter Meetings. From a workload and stress standpoint, tomorrow is a breeze compared to the others. Executives, scouts, agents and reporters bail after the Rule 5 draft, which is held in the morning. Today is expected to be busy for a lot of teams, including the Orioles, who could make a trade and perhaps announce their coaching staff for next season. We might have our first Scott Boras sighting, which is like the circus coming to town,...

Dan Duquette provided an interesting quote yesterday, one that I suspect will be controversial with some fans. When asked last night if he feels the team has a reasonable chance of finishing better than .500 in 2012,the Orioles executive vice president said, "We want to be .500 or better this year. We want to build, but we definitely want to be over .500." Later, when I had the chance to interview Duquette one on one for a video here on MASNsports.com, I asked him more about that...

DALLAS - If the Orioles make a trade tomorrow, it could involve Chicago White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd or outfielder Carlos Quentin. I'm starting to like those odds, judging by everything I'm hearing tonight. Executive vice president Dan Duquette has met several times with the White Sox, and while left-hander John Danks is available, the Orioles would prefer Floyd, 28, who grew up in Severna Park and attended Mount St. Joseph. You already know that White Sox general manager Kenny Williams...

DALLAS - Add the Colorado Rockies to the list of teams that have apparently connected with the Nationals about an outfielder at the Winter Meetings. The question is, who on the Rockies' roster are the Nationals targeting. If the Nationals wanted to fill their need for a fleet center fielder who can lead off and play strong defense, Dexter Fowler would probably be the best match. There's one problem with that line of thinking: Fowler apparently isn't available, and even if he were, the...