I had a nice chat with manager Buck Showalter earlier today, and Derrek Lee was the primary subject. The timing seemed right. Showalter wanted to make sure that Lee's signing was official before he commented. I assured him that the Orioles sent out the press release and arranged a conference call. We were good. "I think he brings a presence in our lineup and in our clubhouse, and a certain pedigree, so to speak, of quality play," Showalter said. "The thing that's intriguing is, the...

The Orioles remain focused on a left-handed reliever and a veteran starter as we count down the final weeks before spring training. And they're not expected to sign anyone in the near future. There isn't much of a distinction among the remaining pitchers on the market, so yes, they'll let it play out and wait for the prices to fall. As for adding another bat - and the Vladimir Guerrero rumor has suddenly gained momentum - the door hasn't completely slammed shut on him, but his price...

Nick Piecoro covers the Diamondbacks for the Arizona Republic and saw first-hand last season what kind of player Adam LaRoche is and how he set the bar very high at first base for his team. Piecoro witnessed a transition in Arizona at first base that the Nationals are embarking on today. He says Nats fans will see a big difference defensively between Adam Dunn and LaRoche. "At one point, Adam Dunn was here in Arizona, then Conor Jackson and Chad Tracy were converted first basemen,"...

Derrek Lee admitted today that the Orioles weren't on his "radar" when the off-season began, mostly because he wanted to play on the West Coast and be closer to home. His agent, Mike Milchin, kept bringing up the Orioles, and they eventually agreed to a one-year deal, which became official this morning. "I'd watch 'SportsCenter,' go on their Web site," Lee said. "I saw the guys they were signing, how they finished up, and I looked at their lineup and I saw what Buck (Showalter) did...

Derrek Lee is getting a second chance to be the Orioles' first baseman. The Orioles almost traded for Lee in the winter of 2003. They couldn't work out an extension, the talks with the Marlins fell apart and Lee was dealt to the Chicago Cubs for Hee-Seop Choi and Mike Nannini. How close did Lee come to being an Oriole? "Very close," he said today during a conference call with reporters. "I was sitting in the offices at Camden Yards with my family and we were literally going back and...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent first baseman Derrek Lee to a one-year contract. Lee, 35, hit .260 (142-547) with 19 home runs and 80 RBI in 148 games with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves in 2010. In 2009, he set a career-high with 111 RBI and led the Cubs with a .306 average, finishing 9th in National League MVP voting. In his 14-year career, Lee is a .282 hitter with 312 home runs, 1,019 RBI and an .865 OPS in 1,829 games. A two-time National League All-Star...

First baseman Derrek Lee has passed his physical and signed a one-year contract, which could pay him up to $10 million, including bonuses. Lee, 35, will be made available to reporters in a conference call this afternoon. He's already returned home. Lee hit .260 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs last season before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. In 170 career games against the American League, Lee has batted .311 (191-for-615) with 27 homers, 103 RBIs and a .530...

I'll begin today's entry by pointing out that Jami Gertz was on "Modern Family" last night and that did not make me unhappy. I'm a big fan of her ... work. Yes, we'll go with "work." Reminder that the Orioles will announce the Derrek Lee signing today and he'll be made available to reporters in a conference call. I'll pass along his comments later. Left-hander Mark Hendrickson has a unique way of distracting himself during the off-season and not obsessing over his free agent...

There are some things I just don't understand about the Hall of Fame voting process that elected Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven yesterday. How can a player like Blyleven not be good enough for election for 13 straight years, yet make it on the 14th try? Don't get me wrong, Blyleven deserves to be in, and this was long overdue. Clearly, some voters who didn't vote for Blyleven before did this year. Did he win 18 games last year and I missed it? At least, in his case, the voters eventually...

The Orioles have released details for their annual FanFest on Jan 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The event will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., with early entry for Orioles season plan holders to begin at 10 a.m. In addition to FanFest activities, individual game tickets for the 2011 season will go on sale at 10 a.m. on the same date. Fans may purchase tickets throughout the day at the Convention Center or the Orioles' box office at the north end of the warehouse. Tickets also will be...