I should stress that I'm referring to the downtown Marriott lobby. It's pretty dead over at the Westin, which is connected by a skywalk. I just got my cardio in by making the trip back and forth. It doesn't sound like the Orioles are close to finalizing a trade with the Rangers for Kevin Millwood, but that information comes from one person who spoke to a Texas official. At this point, I wouldn't get discouraged if you're rooting for the deal, but nothing is imminent. Far from...

I'd be amused if I wasn't so tired. It's officially Day 2 of baseball's Winter Meetings, and I counted five laptops already set up in the media workroom by 8 a.m. I would have ridiculed the reporters who arrived that early, but I was sitting inside the media workroom at 8 a.m. People who live in glass houses... The rumor mill keeps churning, and the national reporters, bloggers and tweeters keep racing each other for scoops. We counted at least three erroneous trade reports yesterday....

Atlanta Braves reliever Rafael Soriano has reportedly accepted arbitration, denying him free-agent status and leaving his employer scrambling to trade him. Had Soriano chosen to decline it, the Braves would have received a draft pick due to his Type A status. The Orioles would have surrendered a second-rounder if they signed him. The Braves can't trade him before June 15 unless he gives written permission, which is expected to happen. The Orioles need a closer, but they must decide...

The Orioles maintain interest in first baseman Carlos Delgado, who is expected to begin playing in Puerto Rico later this week. And they also are keeping an open dialogue with Sam Levinson, who represents third baseman Pedro Feliz. If the Orioles lose a player in the Rule 5 draft, it could be Double-A Bowie second baseman Miguel Abreu, who is drawing strong interest from the San Diego Padres. At least two other teams, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, have scouted him in Puerto...

Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations, sat down with a few team executives and player representatives today and said he had two or three meetings lined up later tonight. He isn't close to making a deal, which means the Orioles aren't a mystery team in the Matt Lindstrom or Edwin Jackson talks. MacPhail had a brief, informal meeting with Mark Hendrickson's agent, Joe Urbon, but he hasn't met with Mark Pieper, who represents Erik Bedard. However, MacPhail and Pieper will meet soon...

One of the heavy points of emphasis in spring training will be reducing the amount of "careless giveaways" on the bases, according to manager Dave Trembley. Players should beware if they don't get the message. Dave Trembley on the emphasis on baserunning and how he'll change as a manager Trembley already suggested late in the season that he'll be more inclined to drop the hammer in 2010. Mistakes won't be as easily forgiven. And he said earlier today that some guys could be "on the...

Outfielder Felix Pie is supposed to start playing in the Dominican next month. Asked whether he foresees Pie getting the bulk of the playing time in left field next season, with Nolan Reimold serving as the designated hitter, manager Dave Trembley hesitated before replying: "I think it's a nice thing to be able to sort out, especially the way Pie played the second half of the season. I know there's a lot of interest in Pie. You've got to like what Reimold did. You've still got Luke...

I'll go more in-depth later, but I wanted to take a few seconds to review some highlights from manager Dave Trembley's session with the media. Dave Trembley talks with Roch Kubatko from the MLB Winter Meetings - Trembley's priorities for the team remain, in no particular order, a starting pitcher, closer, first baseman and third baseman. - He still believes the Orioles can obtain a big bat for the middle of the lineup (and he prefers a right-handed one), despite the weak free-agent...

The small lobby area at the Marriott is packed with reporters, baseball executives and managers. The Christmas tree in the middle is taking up valuable space, and I've almost run into it twice. Members of the print and electronic media are constantly checking their BlackBerry's for the latest updates and contradictions. For instance, the New York Post reported that left-hander Andy Pettitte has turned down a one-year offer from the Yankees. The Daily News shot back that no offer has been...

The Orioles will meet with the representatives for Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman before leaving Indianapolis. They've had discussions with Alan Hendricks over the past few weeks in sort of a start-over process after Chapman switched agents. The Orioles aren't expected to sign Chapman, but they haven't closed any doors. Here's where it gets complicated: Owner Peter Angelos recently confirmed interest via an AP story in playing another exhibition game in Cuba. It would be difficult to...