DALLAS - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed to MASN this morning that he's interested in free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder. However, he warns fans not to get their hopes up. The Orioles won't get in a bidding war for Fielder, but the market may be softening for the slugger, which would allow teams on the peripheral to become involved. That includes the Orioles and Mariners. Duquette doesn't know where the market is going for Fielder, but he's paying close...

DALLAS - I'm happy to report that legendary third baseman Brooks Robinson is here as part of baseball's Golden Era Committee, which voted Ron Santo into the Hall of Fame, and that he's feeling much better these days. Robinson looked frail and unsteady during the ceremony on Oct. 22 to unveil his statue outside of Camden Yards. He's had a litany of health issues, and will undergo two more procedures this winter, but he seems to be doing fine. He stood for quite a while as reporters...

DALLAS - When Andy MacPhail was the Orioles team president, if the club was rumored to be involved with a player at the Winter Meetings and the reports were unfounded, MacPhail could be counted on to set the Baltimore media straight. "I wouldn't go down that road (with that rumor)," was typical of something he might say to let us know that rumor was going to turn out to be just that and nothing more. Given the chance to do that last night about Manny Ramirez, a player he once signed in...

DALLAS - Major League Baseball's Golden Era Committee has voted Cubs legend Ron Santo into the Hall of Fame. Santo needed 12 votes to earn 75 percent. He received 15 of the 16. It's unfortunate that Santo isn't alive to enjoy it. He passed away Dec. 3, 2010. The Committee got it right. Just a year too late. Jim Kaat received 10 votes. Gil Hodges and Minnie Minoso each received nine votes, and Tony Oliva eight. Brooks Robinson is part of the Committee, and he's here today. I'll post...

DALLAS - The Nationals' search for a center fielder who can hit leadoff may lead to Boston, where the Red Sox could be willing to part with an outfielder in exchange for a pitcher. New Boston general manager Ben Cherington is dangling Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick in hopes that he can pry an arm from the Nationals, according to a major league source. Kalish is a 23-year-old left-handed hitter who reached the majors in 2010 and hit .252 with hour homers and 24 RBIs and stole 10 bases in 53...

DALLAS - Is the balance of power in the National League East shifting? The Nationals came to the Winter Meetings with money to spend and holes to fill, guaranteeing that general manager Mike Rizzo will be among the more popular executives at the Hilton Anatole. Last night, the newly christened Miami Marlins landed their second huge free agent of the offseason, agreeing to a six-year, $106 million deal for shortstop Jose Reyes, who joins ex-Padres closer Heath Bell (three years, $27 million)...

DALLAS - That's technically correct. Yesterday wasn't supposed to count. The Winter Meetings officially begin today. So why am I so tired already? Maybe it's from having to change rooms when I returned to my hotel around midnight. The temperature inside had reached 100 degrees, according to a maintenance guy who used some sort of infra-red light, pointed toward the ceiling vent, to determine that I could roast a chicken in my bed. Talk about a Rotisserie league ... (Sorry, that's the...

DALLAS - Looks like the Nationals, like most of baseball, are balking at the notion of paying left-hander C.J. Wilson north of $100 million to solidify their rotation. A source at the Winter Meetings told me tonight that the Nats are moving their focus to the other two top free agent pitchers, lefty Mark Buehrle and right-hander Roy Oswalt. This is typical of baseball's biggest offseason gathering: A free agent shoots for the moon, teams bristle at his asking price and the clubs move on to...

DALLAS - When new Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told me last week that "by the first of the year, I think we will have a very, very strong international recruiting department here. We will add veteran baseball people, scouts and executives," he wasn't kidding. It appears the Orioles' international program went from 0 to 60 in about three seconds. Duquette said he would upgrade the international effort and it seems he has already done more here in a few days than the Orioles...

DALLAS - As soon as news broke earlier today that outfielder Manny Ramirez had applied for reinstatement, everyone here pretty much held the same thought: Would Dan Duquette try to sign him again? Duquette gave Ramirez an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Red Sox back in December 2000. Ramirez could be secured at a much lower rate this winter, and the Orioles are looking to add another bat to their lineup. The designated hitter slot is open, but is Duquette open to a reunion? He...