The Orioles today announced that they have acquired SS J.J. Hardy and INF Brendan Harris from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league right-handed pitchers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson. The Orioles will also receive cash considerations from Minnesota. Hardy, 28, was an All-Star in 2007 with the Milwaukee Brewers, when he batted .277 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI. He averaged 30 doubles and 25 home runs over a two-season span in 2007 and 2008. Hardy batted .268 with a .714 OPS in 101...

Right-hander Pat Egan began today as a minor league pitcher in the O's organization. But after being taken in the Rule 5 draft, he is now on the Milwaukee Brewers' major league roster. "I'm still trying to piece it all together," Egan said by phone moments ago. "It's kind of surreal right now. I've been getting a lot of calls and texts and I'm just trying to get a grip on it right now. I knew it was a possibility, but there is a whole different feeling when you are taken. It is...

Manager Buck Showalter, Mark Reynolds, Nick Markakis, Jake Arrieta and Craig Tatum Expected to Attend Current and former Orioles will host 80 second through fourth graders from Samuel F.B. Morse School as part of the 32nd Annual OriolesREACH Holiday Party for Kids next Tuesday, December 14, from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Dave & Busters in the Arundel Mills Mall. The current Orioles, including newly acquired third baseman Mark Reynolds, who will be making his first trip to Baltimore as an...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail tackled a variety of subjects following the Rule 5 draft. For example: On what he's accomplished at the meetings: "We have made some progress on the left side of the diamond. We made some progress with Koji. We have some other things we think we have in the offing that are encouraging. So by and large, we're happy that we're able to make a couple trades, bring a free-agent back subject to a physical, and other encouraging conversations. It was...

A couple of readers have asked about and offered opinions about J.J. Hardy and his defense at shortstop. Here is what Andy MacPhail said about Hardy's defense: "We like his defense. If you look at those UZR ratings, he is very top of the chart. We think he'll provide us more offense and he is a good defender." Is he as good as Cesar Izturis? "You know it depends. Izzy was so solid for us and JJ is as well." You characterized first base yesterday as still being deep in options, but...

The Washington Nationals selected right-handed pitchers Elvin Ramirez and Brian Broderick in the Major League phase of today's Rule 5 Draft. Additionally, the club selected right-handed pitcher Michael Allen in the Triple-A phase of the Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Ramirez, 23, went 4-4 with a 4.16 ERA in 52 relief appearances last season with Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton in the New York Mets organization. In...

The Orioles today selected RHP Adrian Rosario from the Milwaukee Brewers organization in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft. With the selection, the Orioles now have 34 players on their major league roster. Rosario, 21, spent most of 2010 pitching for Class-A Wisconsin, where he was 4-0 with two saves and a 4.50 ERA (32.0IP, 16ER) in 14 games. He also appeared in five games for Rookie-level Helena, where he was 1-0 with one save and a 1.26 ERA (14.1IP, 2ER). In the Triple-A phase of...

The Orioles certainly took a young arm, that at least on the stat sheet, looks far away from the Major Leagues. Right-hander Adrian Rosario is just 21, from Santiago, Dominican Republic. The O's took him in today's Rule 5 draft with the 4th pick and he would have to stay on their 25-man Major League roster all season. Rosario began last season with Helena of the short-season Pioneer League in June, after I would guess he had pitched in extended spring training for the Brewers. At Helena,...

I've got a ton of work staring at me, so I'll have to just approve the comments quickly and get back to your questions later. Sorry. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed that the Orioles re-signed Koji Uehara to a one-year deal with a vesting option. Uehara will earn a base salary of $3 million, and incentives can increase the total to $5 million. The vesting option for 2012 is based on games finished and appearances. Uehara earned $5 million this season and would have...

Here are some comments from Andy MacPhail on Adrian Rosario, the right-handed pitcher the O's took from the Milwaukee organization in this morning's Rule 5 draft: "Big bodied, lack of experience, good arm kid that captured the imagination of our guys. He has a chance to grow into something, whether he is ready or not, we'll find out. Didn't feel like we could miss the opportunity to take a chance on him. "Interestingly enough, Milwaukee took one of our guys and we took one of theirs....