The Orioles' brass made their first road trip during these meetings, heading over to the downtown Marriott tonight after previously hosting agents and team executives in their suite at the Westin. I'm assuming they wore the gray jerseys with "Baltimore" stitched across the chest. The group consisted of president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, director of baseball operations Matt Klentak, director of professional scouting Lee MacPhail IV, manager Dave Trembley and major league scout...

The Orioles retain interest in Texas Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood as they seek a No. 1 starter to anchor a young staff. But it seems pretty clear that they're not close to finalizing a deal unless something changes overnight. We didn't dig up much news from Andy MacPhail's media session beyond the confirmed meetings with agents that I wrote about in my previous entry. If a blog had presses, we wouldn't be stopping them. "No late-breaking developments," he said. "What about any...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed tonight that he met with the SFX group, which represents former Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard. MacPhail hasn't seen the medical reports on Bedard, but the club seems confident that he'll be available soon enough after undergoing a second shoulder surgery that it's worth holding discussions. Andy MacPhail and Roch Kubatko recap Day Two of the Winter Meetings MacPhail also met with Alan and Randy Hendricks, who represent Cuban...

Remember when most fans in Baltimore wanted to run Felix Pie out of town? Now his name keeps popping up - much like he did during his first two months with the Orioles - in trade discussions. Bob Dutton writes, via Twitter, that the Royals are the latest team to inquire about Pie. You can read it here. Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations, isn't looking to unload Pie and wants as much outfield insurance as he can get after running disturbingly thin at the position late last...

I've received confirmation that there's absolutely no truth to the rumor that the Orioles offered outfielder Felix Pie to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Kevin Millwood. The two sides are talking. The Rangers want a pitching prospect and salary relief. Pie doesn't fit into that equation, and the Orioles never put him on the table as part of a deal. No sense debating it any longer. Buck Martinez and Roch Kubatko discuss rumors around the O's at the Winter Meetings

Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN after the Winter Meetings. The only explanation provided in a press release is that he decided to pursue new endeavors. As I continue to pick the brains of people close to the Rangers, it sounds like the club wants a significant prospect in return for Kevin Millwood, along with the chance to escape most of their $12 million obligation for next season. Also, the Rangers would need to have a deal in place for another veteran pitcher such as Rich Harden or Ben...

Not yet, anyway. I had a brief conversation with Adam Katz, who represents free-agent pitchers Rich Harden and Joel Pineiro. Those two names have been linked to the Orioles in various reports. Katz didn't indicate that discussions have grown serious. "It's just tire kicking at this point," he said. "It's just preliminary tire kicking." Katz also represents Sammy Sosa, which is how I first met him. I didn't bother to ask.

It's very quick. I don't Twitter, but I do blog from my BlackBerry. The Orioles still haven't met with representatives for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, but are scheduled to do so before leaving Indianapolis.

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....