More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

Matt ponders the possibility of being reunited with Garrett Atkins. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Browse more photos »

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi report that the Orioles are pursuing, at some level, Matt Holliday. 

The Orioles have jumped into the bidding, though both the seriousness of their efforts and Holliday’s desire to play in Baltimore are in question, major-league sources say. 

Holliday, 29, is unlikely to go to the Orioles — a team coming off 12 straight losing seasons — unless they make him a much stronger offer than the Cardinals

The article details a number of reasons Holliday to the O's makes sense, including the O's young talent, their low payroll, and the fact that Holliday and new Oriole Garrett Atkins are BFF. 

I think everyone would agree that, regardless of whether or not it's a good idea, the chances of Holliday coming to the O's is a long shot at best. Unfortunately for Scott Boras and Matt Holliday, neither the Yankees or Red Sox seem interested in signing the left fielder. It's possible that the Cardinals are bidding against themselves right now and somebody put the word out there that the Orioles are in it to give the illusion that there is more demand than actually exists. 

If the Orioles are legitimately interested in Matt Holliday, I personally don't think it's a good idea. It's not that I think he's not a good player; he's obviously quite good. But he's going to cost a ton of money and he plays the outfield. Of all the problems the Orioles currently have, the outfield isn't one. The rumored offer on the table from the Cardinals is 5 years at $16M/year, and you'd have to think the O's would need to go beyond that to get Holliday to Baltimore. With Nick Markakis and Adam Jones anchored in the outfield, Nolan Reimold not far behind, and Felix Pie ready to pick up any slack, that's $16M a year that would be much better served filling the O's needs in the infield or to continue to build up the pitching staff. 

Of course, signing Holliday would provide the Orioles with the flexibility to trade Reimold or move him to DH. I don't know what kind of trade value he'd have right now as he's had part of one successful major league season and is coming off injury. But moving him to DH would allow Luke Scott to be traded, or if not, put at 1B on a regular basis. Holliday could also DH some to give Pie time in the outfield. I mean, it does open up possibilities. 

But $16M a year for an outfielder? Count me out. 

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

2 months ago: Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Mike Gonzalez delivers against the Washington Nationals in the ninth inning of a baseball game in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. Atlanta won 6-3. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Browse more photos »

From The Baltimore Sun: 

Looking to solidify the back end of their bullpen, the Orioles are nearing an agreement on a two-year deal with free agent left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez, according to industry sources.

Terms of the contract are not known at this point, but Gonzalez -- who spent last season with the Atlanta Braves -- will have to pass a physical before the deal is complete. He's scheduled to take a physical in Baltimore within the next couple of days. The signing of Gonzalez, who is a Type A free agent, will cost the Orioles their second-round pick in the 2010 Draft.

Mike Gonzalez has been are reliable reliever for pretty much his entire career, though he's spent it completely in the National League East.  He'll be 32 years old in 2010 and I'm guessing will serve as the O's closer. I like him in the Orioles bullpen although I'm not crazy about giving up a second round draft pick for a reliever.

More details will be posted as they arrive. In the meantime, welcome to Birdland, Mike Gonzalez! Check out his career stats below the jump. 

Update; 9:12 p.m.: Tim Brown from Yahoo! is reporting that the deal is for 2 years, $12M with incentives that could make it as high as $16M.  Um, wow. Overpayment alert. 

Update, 10:49 p.m.: Andy MacPhail doesn't waste any time! Now the Sun is reporting that the O's have also signed 3B Garrett Atkins to a 1 year deal (terms still unknown)

The Orioles are pursuing several third baseman but it appears that Garrett Atkins, who was recently non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies, has become one of their top targets. Atkins, 30, hit just .226 with nine homers and 48 RBIs for the Rockies last season, but he averaged 25 homers and 110 RBIs the previous three seasons.

The good news is Atkins won't cost a draft pick and he'll be easy to push aside if and when Josh Bell is ready. He'll be 30 years old in 2010 and has spent his entire career with the Rockies. Since he is from Colorado, let's go ahead and check his home and away splits. Not really very confidence inspiring. Full stats below the jump. 

Welcome to Birdland, Garrett Atkins! 

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

He has the WS ring and perhaps the last laugh, but he is still the worst 2B the O's had in the 2000s. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Browse more photos »

I've encountered a number of articles around the web regarding the top 10 best things about this decade, be it movies, baseball players, or one-hit wonders. It's fair to say that I'm not above stealing someone else's idea, but given the that Orioles have spent the last decade in the toilet, it seems more appropriate to name the worst players of the decade, not the best. If there is one thing this Orioles fan likes to do, it's revel in failure. But if you're looking for a silver lining to the All-Awfuls, here it is: None of them came from the 2009 team and none of them will be on the team in 2010.

Catcher: Brook Fordyce

The candidates: Charles Johnson (2000), Brook Fordyce (2000-2003), Geronimo Gil (2002), Javy Lopez (2004-2006), Ramon Hernandez (2006-2008), Matt Wieters (2009)

Fordyce came to the Orioles in 2000, traded from the White Sox along with a handful of scrubs for Charles Johnson and Harold Baines. In 312 games from 2000-2003, Fordyce hit .257/.306/.379 (OPS+ 81). 2001 was especially awful for Fordyce as he hit just .209/.268/.322 in 95 games. Whatever the Orioles had in mind for Fordyce. it didn't work out. He was a complete failure as both offensively and defensively as he only managed to catch 58 base stealers out of 307 (18.8%) as an Oriole.

First Base: Rafael Palmeiro

The candidates: Will Clark (2000), Jeff Conine (2000-2003), Rafael Palmeiro (2004-2005), Kevin Millar (2006-2008), Aubrey Huff (2007-2009)

The numbers on the field may not back this up, but the only possible answer is Rafael Palmeiro. His positive steroid test in 2005, the subsequent denials and throwing of a fellow player under the bus, the ear plugs to drown out the boos, and his quiet departure from the team all help make the decision easy. Straight numbers-wise, the award probably goes to Aubrey Huff. He wasn't good in 2009 and league average in 2007 while splitting time at first with Kevin Millar. Although honestly, none of them was great shakes, so Palmeiro wins for emotional abuse of the fans. 

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Your Off-Season O's of the Day: Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, and Cesar Izturis (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Browse more photos »

This is short and fast as I have to get to work, not to mention I cannot find anything newsworthy. It's as though everyone involved in major league baseball took the day off yesterday to watch football. Here are the few things I managed to find. 

Luke Scott talks pitching
As in, he thinks they need more. He also wants to concede games against the #1 by throwing your #5 against him (interestingly, he labels Tillman as a #5).

What to do about Hernandez?
Jeff Zrebiec, believes David Hernandez belongs in the bullpen. Very insightful. 

Other than that, I got nothing. That makes today a build-your-own open thread. Post some links if you got 'em!

Sarasota leader has no regrets about Cubs
"Though (County Commissioner Joe) Barbetta still believes the Cubs could be a major economic boon for any city, he said he has no regrets signing up with the Orioles and missing a chance to bring in a team with one of the most loyal fan bases in the nation. "Not at the price we got with the Orioles," Barbetta said. The Orioles agreed to a $31 million renovation of Ed Smith Stadium." So there you go. -duck

Happy Holidays from the Hunters
"Holiday Greetings everyone. " Sure, there's more from Jim Hunter, but that's about all you need to read. -duck

No closer to a decision on a closer
Roch says: "Since the Orioles don't appear to be in any hurry to sign a closer, we can debate the merits of another one that hit the market yesterday, right-hander Matt Capps, who was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates." There's nothing else to do but go through possible trade/signing targets one by one in a week like this. -duck

SPORTS BRIEFS: Montgomery's Bass a baseball free agent
"Montgomery (Ala.) native Brian Bass was not offered a contract by the Baltimore Orioles by Saturday night's deadline, making the right-handed pitcher a free agent. Bass was 5-3 with a 4.90 ERA in 48 appearances for the Orioles this year. He's a Robert E. Lee High graduate." Because everyone has a home town. For some reason, I always want to read the hometown's paper description of events in a player's career. -duck

More Beef for Tillman
The O's want the lanky pitcher to put on a few pounds this off-season to help him build his strength. Oh, and add him to the list of hunters (not that I'm especially interested in that topic anymore). -Stacey

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse Open Thread!

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Looks like Kevin Millwood is an Oriole.(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

Browse more photos »

EDIT [Stacey, 11:08 PM]: This is officially a done deal. Ray and a PTBNL to the Rangers, Millwood and cash to the O's. Lots of feel good quotes and such in this Sun article

Per Jeff Zriebec at the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have a tentative deal in place with the Texas Rangers that would bring starting pitcher Kevin Millwood to the Orioles and send up-and-down relief pitcher Chris Ray to the Rangers. The Rangers would also send an undetermined amount of money to the Orioles to help offset Millwood's $12M salary. The deal is contingent upon review of medical records but could be finished by this evening.

I went on record just over a week ago with my belief that Kevin Millwood would be a bad pickup for the Orioles. I'm still not super excited about it, but the fact is that Chris Ray is hardly worth getting upset over. It's clear the Rangers needed to dump salary and this is how they chose to do so.  It's clear the Orioles wanted to pick up a veteran starter and this his how they chose to do so.

In 2009 the Orioles desperately needed a pitcher who could pitch deep into games, and it's likely Millwood will give them that in 2010. In 31 starts in 2009, Millwood went at least 5 innings in all but two starts, one of which was due to a rain delay. He pitched at least 6 innings in 23 of his starts. In his 13 year career Millwood has averaged 178 innings/year and has that includes his rookie year in 1997 when he threw 51 innings over 12 starts. For his career he averages 6.133 innings/game.

Continue reading this post »

Twenty-six players have donned the #23 in Orioles history, but when you think 23 it's likely only two names come to mind: Tippy Martinez and Chris Hoiles.  Martinez, a stable force in the O's bullpen for a decade, is fondly remembered for picking off three runners in one inning. Hoiles, the best offensive catcher in Orioles history (at least he was before 5/29/09), has the distinction of once hitting the Ultimate Grand Slam. But who is better?

Tippy Martinez was signed by the New York Yankees in 1972 and after pitching 44 games for the them from 1974-1976, he was traded to the O's along with Scott McGregor and Rick Dempsey. He found a home in Baltimore's bullpen, where he'd spend the next 10.5 seasons. In that time Martinez pitched 752.1 innings over 499 games with a sparkling 3.46 ERA. He had a few rough years, mostly at the end of his career (as is the case). In fact, if you take off Martinez's last two years with the O's his ERA+ jumps from 112 to 122. It's rare that a relief pitcher can be effective for so many years and Martinez was a member of a lot of good Orioles teams. In the five year span from 1979-1983 Martinez pitched 353 games with a 3.13 ERA and a 42-25 record for Orioles teams that went a combined 640-432 (.597). 1983 was Martinez's greatest year by far as he pitched 105.1 innings over 65 games with an ERA+ of 170 and a WHIP of 1.094. He made his only All-Star appearance in that year and made 5 post-season appearances, allowing 1 run in 9 innings.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Orioles' Nolan Reimold connects for a solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in Baltimore. The Orioles won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Browse more photos »

Welcome to Sunday's Open Thread. What's on your mind? Hopefully we'll have some good stuff to chat up this week with the winter meetings starting tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a picture of Nolan Reimold. 

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Your Off-Season O of the Day: Alfredo Simon (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Browse more photos »

First, your hot stove news, including a few stories that were linked in the comments of yesterday's Open Thread. The Mariners and Chone Figgins have agreed on a 4 year, $36M contract and the Orioles have re-signed Chad Moeller for the 2010 season. Marco Scutaro is now a Red Sox, having agreed to a two year, $12.5M contract with an option for a third year, and Placido Polanco signed with the Philles for three years, $18M.

Throwing Strikes With Brad Bergesen
The Bowie Baysox caught up with Bergy to ask him a few questions about Thanksgiving, his leg, and his toughest opponent. -Stacey

WSBA-AM talking with Orioles
Don't fear, York County residents, the O's will be on the radio in 2010. -Stacey

Nets beat Bobcats to snap record 0-18 run
The O's 1988 record is safe for another year as the Nets defeated the Bobcats 97-91 for their first win of the year. -Stacey

Keys President Named Minor League Executive Of The Year
Ken Young, President of the Frederick Keys and owner of several other minor league teams, oversaw improvements to the Keys stadium and that, combined with the young prospects, led to the Keys leading the Carolina league in attendance in 2009. -Stacey

Jeff Fiorentino: 2010’s Ryan Langerhans?
FanGraphs thinks that Jeff Fiorentino could be a league average center fielder and that a team would be smart to sign him over Scott Podsednik or Rick Ankiel. -Stacey

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball
John Sickels rates the top 20 prospects in the O's minor league system. A very fair assessment, I think, though my favorite comment is about Steve Johnson (ranked #12): "Might get overlooked because of his boring name." -Stacey

Jorge Says No! | Hypothetically Speaking: The Adam Jones Contract Extension
Even though we're only in December, Adam Jones has to be one of the offseason's biggest losers so far. Jones narrowly missed out on being arbitration eligible, losing the final "super two" spot to Mike Fontenot of the Cubs. ...This sets up the ideal scenario for Jones and the Orioles to come to terms on a contract extension. The Orioles can lock up Jones before his price tag becomes too large and Jones can get a raise in 2010 and a nice amount of guaranteed money for the future. (hat tip to Dempsey's Army for finding this) -zk

Holiday announcements from the Shorebirds All kinds of holiday goodness at Arthur W. Perdue stadium today from 10 a.m. to noon, including pictures with Santa AND Sherman the Shorebird. -Stacey

Old Mill rides backup running back to Class 4A state title
Ok, so it's not O's related. It doesn't have anything to do with baseball, even. But Old Mill Senior High, my alma mater, took home the its first state football championship last night at M&T Bank Stadium against Wise High School. Old Mill won 17-16 in a hard fought game that saw their star running back injured in the first quarter. Congrats to the Patriots! Go red, white, and blue!  -Stacey

View full size photo »

Orioles fans know that there hasn't been much to get excited about regarding their team in sometime. Non-Orioles fans might have known that too if it came to their attention, but the O's have been largely forgotten by the baseball community over the past decade. Forgotten, that is, until they drafted a young man from Georgia Tech by the name of Matt Wieters. Before playing a day in professional baseball, Wieters was being dubbed "Mauer with Power" and projected to be one of the greatest catchers of all time. The hype was overwhelming and Matt Wieters was practically a legend when he stepped onto the field at Camden Yards on May 29th, 2009. What other rookie gets a standing ovation for fielding a bunt and has to step out of the batters box in his first career at-bat to acknowledge the screaming fans?

Continue reading this post »