Of course he will. He's tasted the post season and heartbreak now. The O's will be in the mix for a while. Still a pretty young team overall from what I can tell, right?

Zach Greinke or James Shields would be awesome

All the key guys under 27, Next year that would of been CC VS Bundy

I'd like to get a left fielder to make McLouth the 4th infielder and a permanent solution to second base

We need high OBP players. The power exists in this lineup outside of second base. We place a good 2 hitter behind nick in the lineup (assuming he leads off next year) and place hardy at the 9 our starters will be set.

There ya go. Expect to compete for a while.

That's where I am. Love Dino's attitude, but he's a utility guy, and Flaherty's...I don't know what he is. It'd be nice if that stud 2B was a speedy leadoff guy too. Got a taste of some speed with McLouth, and I like it.

Angelos holds court

Orioles managing partner Peter Angelos –a rare clubhouse presence—made his second appearance in five days following the organization’s postseason run, which ended with Friday’s 3-1 Game 5 loss to the New York Yankees, and spoke of building on a phenomenally successful 2012.

The 83-year-old Angelos –who visited the team following Game 2’s win in Baltimore –said after the season-ending American League Division Series in New York that the Orioles are an institution in Maryland.

“For a long period of time, as you gentlemen and ladies have stressed frequently, there was a long, long errant period,” said Angelos, who briefly held court with a throng of reporters. “I hope this will be the case, the year that we mean business, and in the future you can depend on this kind of a performance and hopefully much better.”

Angelos said a contract extension with manager Buck Showalter –who is signed through 2013—hasn’t been discussed, but if the O’s skipper wants to stay “nobody’s more interested in keeping him than I am.”

“And certainly I speak for everyone in the organization,” Angelos said of Showalter, considered a legitimate candidate for AL Manager of the Year. “They had Buck as the manager and Dan Duquette as the GM. You certainly couldn’t ask for a better, better combination.”

Angelos, who went around to several players lockers to shake their hands and visit –much like he did in Baltimore Monday night – also had some words for the Orioles divisional rivals in New York.

“As far as the local team here is concerned, we just want to tell them we will be back next year,” he said. “They better get ready for it.”

I'm at the Point if you don't try to get Hamilton, then you have to give Nate the LF job. I think Nate earned some money this post season. Hope no team offers him a lot of coin.

I agree. I wouldn't mind the 2nd baseman leading off. But I recall Nick saying something along the lines of leading off enabled him to use the whole field as he saw fit. Yea he's not traditional, but he was effective. If only we had him this series.

The only reason I want mclouth as the 4th outfielder (sounds like a travesty after his series) is he has a bit of a weak arm for even left field.

You guys can have Francouer for a bag of Gardetto mix and a warm 6 of Hamms....

I'm not really on board with Hamilton (or any other big money FA) yet. Don't want to **** up team chemistry. Maybe I'm just a True Fan...

That last sentence made me smile, thanks for posting

I agree but this team needs a true Clean up hitter bad.

Dont worry he'll wind up in ny :doh!:

You know Frenchy would have been amazing in B'more. You know it.

...Oh shit, I can't type that with a straight face.

Seriously, though, I think the only guy they brought in this year who was a complete bust was JC Romero. Whoever Duquette touched seemingly turned to gold. I guess you could call it luck, but luck over and over and over and over again might not be luck after all.

Awesome season..we not only proved that we could hang with the big boys, make the playoffs, go 5 games with the evil empire, but we put Baltimore back on the map and now maybe free agents will want to come here and play for Buck

http://cjzero.com/gifs/McClouthHRFoul.gif


Dr. Johnny Fever ?

My own salute to each & every one of you

http://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/i...3a635ec9/l.jpg

Why the gloves? Psoriasis? Nail fungus? Little baby bitch hands?

Ill choke u to your last breath ****a!!!!

http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/i...f58a95fa/l.jpg

Agreed. Jeter has no range, he just has the nerves to make the big plays like that big one in the 8th.

May not be worth much, but I gained a lot of respect for your team. I gained some from you not going away during the season, but winning 2 elimination games with Saunders and winning game 4 after how you lost game 3 is impressive. I shouldn't be surprised for a team coached by Buck.

I also was impressed by your Starters. The strange part is that the Yankees won the late innings. It was a great, intense series. I suspect you guys aren't going away.

Is this an attempt at trolling or real?

Current 2013 and Future Orioles Roster Commitments

OK guys, here are the players currently under contract or under team control through the arbitration/pre-arb years. I've included Reynolds and Ayala, who have outstanding team options. I've excluded Saunders, McLouth, and the other free agents. Some of the arb year numbers may be off by one.

Position Starters:
LF Nolan Reimold (1st year arb)
CF Adam Jones (signed through 2018, $83.5M)
RF Nick Markakis (signed through 2014, $30M)
3B Manny Machado (pre-arb)
SS JJ Hardy (signed through 2014, $14M)
2B Ryan Flaherty (pre-arb)
1B Mark Reynolds ($11M team option)
C Matt Wieters (1st year arb)
DH Chris Davis (1st year arb)

Bench:
Backup C Taylor Teagarden (1st year arb)
Backup IF Robert Andino (2nd year arb)
Backup IF Wilson Betemit (signed through 2013, $1.75M)
Backup OF OPEN

Other options: Brian Roberts (signed through 2013, $10M), Steve Tolleson, Joe Mahoney, Steve Pearce, Omar Quintanilla, Lew Ford (FA?), Bill Hall (FA?)

Starting Rotation
SP Jason Hammel (3rd year arb)
SP Wei-Yin Chen (signed through 2014, $7.6M)
SP Chris Tillman (pre-arb)
SP Miguel Gonzalez (pre-arb)
SP OPEN

Bullpen
RP Jim Johnson (2nd year arb)
RP Darren O'Day (3rd year arb)
RP Pedro Strop (pre-arb)
RP Troy Patton (1st year arb)
RP Brian Matusz (1st year arb)
RP Tommy Hunter (1st year arb)
RP Luis Ayala ($1M team option)

Other pitching options: Tsuyoshi Wada, Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton, Steve Johnson, Zach Phillips, Stuart Pomeranz

Don't worry my white sox will get Hamilton!!

Steve Melewski ‏@masnSteve

Adam Jones wins the AL Gold Glove for CFers, upsets Trout.



Roch Kubatko ‏@masnRoch

Wieters wins his second Gold Glove - School of Roch: Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has won his second consecutive.

Baltimore Orioles ‏@Orioles

#Orioles SS J.J. Hardy, CF Adam Jones & CA Matt Wieters have each won a 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove at their respective positions!


wow 3 O's

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 31 (L-R) Ian Kinsler #5 and Josh Hamilton #32 of the Texas Rangers talk as they walk out to the field after Hamilton struck out to end the bottom of the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles during the American League Wild Card playoff game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 5, 2012 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

It's only window dressing when folks say there's a chance the Texas Rangers will bring back free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton. He's not coming back to Arlington. The chances are like one in a million, and on, Jim Carrey (Lloyd Christmas), that doesn't mean there's a chance.

So the speculation since October started has been where will Hamilton end up next. Pretty much since the day he dropped that fly ball in Oakland, it's been a slam dunk he wasn't returning. So where could he end up? How about Baltimore.

The Orioles were already a favorite to land the free agent slugger, and they made things a little more likely this week when they declined an $11 million option on corner infielder Mark Reynolds, a slugger who likes to strike out and take walks.

So what's that mean for Hamilton? It means former Rangers first baseman Chris Davis will probably move to first permanently from the outfield after a breakout season and open up an outfield spot for Hamilton to slide into, pairing him with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis in the Orioles' outfield. That's not a bad outfield at all, in case you were wondering.

It makes total sense for the Orioles now, who had money to spend, but now have even more. They want to make a splash and prove 2012 wasn't a fluke, as they took the New York Yankees to the final days of the season in the AL East race before beating the Rangers in the AL Wild Card Game.

Orioles claim Alexi Casilla from Twins
https://twitter.com/danconnollysun/s...42228028628992



Love this move

Source: Josh Hamilton, Cody Ross on Orioles’ list
2 hours ago by JonPaulMorosi

The Baltimore Orioles aren’t content with being one of baseball’s most surprising stories of 2012. This winter, they plan to pursue the biggest free-agent hitter: Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton is on the Orioles’ list of targets for left field, according to a source with knowledge of the organization’s plans. Hamilton has started more games in left field than center over the past three seasons, and the Orioles have an opening there now that Nate McLouth has become a free agent.

Baltimore also has some interest in free-agent outfielder Cody Ross, the source said. Ross would be a cheaper option than Hamilton and had success in the American League East with the Boston Red Sox this year.

The Orioles wouldn’t need Hamilton to play center field, as Adam Jones is coming off a season in which he won a Gold Glove while starting 161 games there. Baltimore’s internal options to play left field include Nolan Reimold, Xavier Avery and L.J. Hoes. Reimold, this year’s Opening Day left fielder, is the most experienced of the group, but he played only 16 games before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. So it appears likely the Orioles will add a left fielder this offseason, one way or the other.

Statistically, the 31-year-old Hamilton is top position player available on the open market. Over the past three years with the Texas Rangers, he has averaged a .952 OPS, 33 home runs and 107 RBI. But questions persist about his long-term durability, given his injury history and struggles with addiction. In the past, Orioles owner Peter Angelos has emphasized the importance of clean medical records and personal conduct before acquiring players.

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus reported recently that Hamilton’s asking price is seven years and $175 million. The Orioles might have difficulty signing Hamilton if the bidding reaches that neighborhood. This year, the team’s Opening Day payroll was between $80 million and $85 million.

— Jon Paul Morosi

Good luck outbidding some of the big money teams.

Roch Kubatko ‏@masnRoch

Mariners announce they've acquired Robert Andino from #orioles for OF Trayvon Robinson

Baltimore Orioles ‏@Orioles

The Orioles have acquired INF Danny Valencia from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. INF Joe Mahoney has been DFA.

Baltimore Orioles ‏@Orioles

The Orioles have agreed to terms on contracts for 2013 with INF Alexi Casilla, OF Steve Pearce and CA Taylor Teagarden.



Baltimore Orioles ‏@Orioles

The Orioles have acquired INF Yamaico Navarro from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor league RHP Jhondaniel Medina.

Brittany Ghiroli ‏@Britt_Ghiroli

Mark Reynolds has been non-tendered.

OK, does this mean he's a free agent now?

Yup we have a huge hole at first now.

I really liked Reynolds over there, just as much as I hated him at 3B. I think guys like Machado could make plays and just let it fly because they knew Reynolds would scoop it. A few of those throws end up in the dugout next year, the guys are going to get tentative about letting the ball go.

Next week is key i think Dan has a couple of moves.

Schmuck predicts the payroll will be around $100 million

There's a pretty good chance the Orioles' payroll will be above $100 million by the end of the team's last arbitration hearing in February.

The Orioles are facing the only downside to developing a broad base of young major league talent. They entered this offseason with the highest number of arbitration-eligible players in the major leagues at the same time that top stars Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are due multi-million-dollar raises under their long-term contracts.

Markakis will get a $3 million bump to $15 million in 2013 and Jones will get a $2.35 million raise in the first year of his six-year contract extension, but that's just the beginning. Matt Wieters and Jim Johnson are both up for big raises in arbitration, as are Jason Hammel and Chris Davis. Throw in a $750,000 raise for Wilson Betemit and arbitration increases for Darren O'Day, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Troy Patton and Nolan Reimold and estimates range as high as $24 million in increased payroll without adding any big-dollar players from outside the organization.

The payroll space created by subtracting Reynolds' 2012 salary and those of other departed players (most notably reliever Kevin Gregg) still leaves the Orioles with an estimated payroll increase of more than $10 million before anybody starts talking about what it would cost to re-sign free agent outfielder Nate McLouth or pitcher Joe Saunders.

If the Orioles sign one of those two at a reasonable price, it would put the team very close to $100 million in payroll, which probably is the club's salary budget. It is, after all, kind of a big round number.

That would explain why Reynolds didn't fit, but it might not satisfy the masses if the club fails to make any significant improvements during the winter. If ever there was a time to justify pulling an additional $10 million or so out of the improving revenue stream (on top of that organic increase), this would appear to be it.

The other explanation, of course, might be that Duquette has big plans for the Winter Meetings, which are about to begin in Nashville. He's got pitching to trade and there are teams out there with bats to sell.

By Chris Korman

12:30 p.m. EST, December 3, 2012

Fox has already made a significant move to generate revenue from television customers in the huge Washington D.C./Baltimore market. It owns 49 percent of the Big Ten Network and handles the business operations of the channel that will soon be showing Maryland games.

It may be thinking even bigger. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Fox has had negotiations with Peter Angelos about acquiring MASN and the rights to both Orioles and Nationals games.

Though he says the talks have cooled -- and that similar discussions with Comcast stalled -- the most interesting thing Ourand reports is what brought about the move: pressure from Major League Baseball.

MASN formed when MLB wanted to move the Montreal Expos to D.C. Angelos pointed out how much that would hurt his market and eventually leveraged his complaint into a remarkable deal. He owns most of the network, and his decreasing share will eventually bottom out at 67 percent (it's currently at 87).

I spoke with Ourand today, and he said the value of the network could easily be $1 billion.

MLB would push a sale of the network because Angelos -- notoriously stubborn, in case you somehow forgot -- has refused to budge on negotiations with the Nationals concerning how much the team should receive in yearly TV rights. According to The Washington Post, the Nationals have asked for $110 million and the Orioles have offered $34 million.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers may end up receiving $6 billion in a 25-year broadcast deal with Fox. That's $240 million per year.

Since MASN's inception, rights fees for live sports have skyrocketed. In the DVR and on-demand age, sporting events are the best way for a television network to ensure advertisers that people might actually be watching the commercials.






This is gonna be sweet if it happens. More money for payroll.

Jayson Stark ‏@jaysonst

Here's another team to add to list of Adam LaRoche pursuers: The #Orioles. An exec of one interested team says O's in on him "hard."

Dan Connolly ‏@danconnollysun

The Orioles are closing in on re-signing Nate McLouth accdg to multiple sources. One source called it very close.

Brittany Ghiroli ‏@Britt_Ghiroli

Confirming @danconnollysun report, #Orioles have agreed to terms w Nate McLouth.

From Bob Dutton/The Star:
We're a long way from opening day. Trades or an injury could change a lot of things. Here's a low-level rumor: The Orioles have some interest in Francoeur. For what? I don't know. Would the Royals need to eat some salary? Probably. Something to watch for

Not gonna happen now with Nate back.

Baltimore Orioles‏@Orioles

The Orioles have announced contract extensions through 2018 for Executive VP of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette & Manager Buck Showalter.


Dan Connolly‏@danconnollysun

Am told Showalter will be in top 1/4 or so of managers, salarywise, when deal peaks. He said all along he was never pushing to break banks

Jurrjens agrees to deal with Orioles
By Jon Heyman | Baseball Insider
January 24, 2013 10:34 pm ET

Free agent righthander Jair Jurrjens, who was not tendered by the Braves after a rough 2012 season, has agreed to a deal with the Orioles, CBSSports.com has learned.

Jurrjens will receive a $1.5 million base on a Major League deal and can bring his totalk to $4 million with incentives.

Orioles GM Dan Duquette did a superb job finding pitching gems last winter, and this is another of the low-risk variety. Jurrjens went 3-4 with a 6.89 ERA with Atlanta and spent much of the year in the minors.

But he's only 26, and he's only a year removed from making the All_Star team. Jurrjens was 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 2011.

The Orioles talked about trading for Jurrjens a year ago, but comes a better price now.

Cool.

It's a no-lose situation.


I wonder if a 2013 thread is appropriate, or just keep this thing going?

Not sure up to Mods.

Actually, I think it's more up to Royals fans who want to keep you occupied and out of their thread...

Good thing about Jair Jurrjens has 2 minor league options and Under control till 2015.

Well, then it's a pretty fair bet he'll be in Norfolk a few times. Duquette loves those guys with options, doesn't he?

O's have 14 guys for 5 spots.