DALLAS - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette apologized to reporters today for not having more news. We were willing to take any scraps, but yes, a full meal would have been much more satisfying. Maybe we'll feast tomorrow. I'd settle for soup, which can be a meal. "I wish I had more A stuff today," he said. "We met with a couple more clubs, we advanced a couple different trade proposals, and we made a couple offers to sign players, but we really don't have anything new to...

DALLAS - During my one on one video interview tonight with Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette, I asked him about center fielder Adam Jones. There were conflicting reports today, including my own blog where I reported a source saying the Orioles were open to holding trade talks involving Jones. Another report said the Orioles were telling teams Jones was "off limits." I asked Duquette if either were true. "First of all, we are not out marketing Adam Jones," Duquette said....

DALLAS - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette has trade proposals and free-agent contract offers on the table, mostly for pitching, but he isn't expecting a deal to be completed tonight. If an agreement is reached, it's more likely to happen tomorrow. Duquette confirmed that he met several times with the Chicago White Sox regarding their pitching, which means Gavin Floyd and John Danks. White Sox general manager Kenny Williams told reporters earlier today that he hadn't received...

DALLAS - The Orioles have signed pitcher Brandon Erbe to a minor league contract, keeping him in the organization that drafted him out of McDonogh High School. Erbe, a third-round selection in 2005, was designated for assignment over the summer and cleared waivers. The Orioles outrighted him to short-season Single-A Aberdeen in August. He was a minor league free agent. Erbe underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on Aug. 13, 2010, and it's been a long road back to recovery. He went 0-1...

DALLAS - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is well aware of the splash the Miami Marlins have made in the past week, signing free agent closer Heath Bell and free agent shortstop Jose Reyes to big deals. And he's heard the whispers that the Marlins are trying to tempt one of the biggest free agents on the market, longtime Cardinal Albert Pujols, with a 10-year contract offer. But Rizzo isn't about to get carried away in another team's machinations, not when he's got his own targets in...

DALLAS - The Nationals haven't spoken today with the representatives for free agent Mark Buehrle, but Washington general manager Mike Rizzo believes his team is still firmly in the running for the veteran left-hander. More conversations between the two sides could be forthcoming tonight. "My sense is that, from the rumor mills, that he's narrowed it down to a select number of teams," Rizzo said of Buehrle. "No one's contacted me with that information. From my meeting with him, I don't...

DALLAS - Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams told reporters today that he's not getting suitable offers for his pitchers, so he's inclined to hold onto them at the moment. This news impacts the Orioles, who are looking for pitching - in case you hadn't heard - and might have made a run at Gavin Floyd or John Danks. Of course, Williams could change his stance with one phone call, meeting or elevator ride. I'm just giving you the current update. Also, I heard earlier today...

DALLAS - If the Nationals moved any closer to trading for a center fielder at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, general manager Mike Rizzo isn't tipping his hand. The lobby scuttlebutt at the Hilton Anatole had the Nats linked to several potential center fielder/leadoff hitter types - the Yankees' Brett Gardner, the Rays' B.J. Upton, the Angels' Peter Bourjos and the Orioles' Adam Jones among them - but Rizzo was his usual conservative self when he met with reporters seeking an update on his...

DALLAS - A major league source said the Orioles are willing to trade Adam Jones. I would say there is a big gap between "are willing to trade him" and "an actual deal happening," so it's a little premature to jump that far with this development. It makes perfect sense to me for the team to listen to offers for Jones. He's a 26-year-old talent whose best years are likely ahead of him and several teams would have to be very interested in the Orioles center fielder. They could possibly get...

DALLAS - Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Nationals' pursuit of a center fielder has taken them to conversations with the Tampa Bay Rays about B.J. Upton. Now this isn't the first time the Nats have entertained the notion of trading for Upton, who was one of their targets at the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The 27-year-old Upton has underperformed in St. Petersburg, where the emergence of outfielder Desmond Jennings has probably numbered his days. The Rays figure to sell high,...