Changes made to scouting department (with quote)

Changes made to scouting department (with quote)
The Orioles have brought in a new executive vice president and scouting director. It was logical to assume that more changes were coming to various departments. Dan Duquette has made a few hires and done some restructuring, and it continued yesterday. Confirming this report from FOX Sports, Duquette has reassigned pro scouts Todd Frohwirth, Jim Howard, James Keller, Ted Lekas, Lee MacPhail IV and Jim Thrift to the amateur side. Dave Engle and Bruce Kison will remain in their current...

Cleaning out my notebook

Cleaning out my notebook
New Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada says one of the biggest differences between baseball in Japan and the U.S. is that the game is "more power generated" here. He's referring to both the batters and the pitchers. He's not going to blow the ball past anyone, but it sounds like he's a left-handed version of Koji Uehara - excellent control and a wide assortment of pitches. Hopefully, he's got better stamina. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's hoping that the minor league...

More from Duquette

More from Duquette
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette took more questions from reporters after today's press conference to introduce Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada. I say he "took" them. That doesn't mean he answered all of them. Like many baseball executives, Duquette won't show his hand and let the rest of the world know which players he's pursuing. He isn't going to offer specifics on trade talks or which free agents are mulling offers from the club. Don't bother asking whether he...

Hearing from Duquette and Wada

Hearing from Duquette and Wada
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of today's press conference occurred near the beginning, when Japanese pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada gave his opening remarks in English. You had to appreciate the effort. "My name is Tsuyoshi Wada," he said. "I'm from Shimane, Japan. I played for Fukoka SoftBank Hawks. I would like to thank you, Baltimore Orioles organization to give me this opportunity. I was dreaming to play major league baseball since I was a college (pitcher), so this is a very special...

Wada day at Camden Yards

Wada day at Camden Yards
The Orioles will introduce Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada today at a 4 p.m. press conference at Camden Yards. Here's the first thing you need to know: His name is pronounced "sue-YO-she WAH-dah" It's probably also good to know that Wada, 30, was 107-61 with a 3.13 ERA and 1,329 strikeouts in 210 career games and 1,444 2/3 innings over nine seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League. In his 52 starts over the last two seasons, Wada is 33-13 with a 2.29...

Orioles passing on Darvish, introducing Wada Thursday (updated)

Orioles passing on Darvish, introducing Wada Thursday (updated)
The Orioles are trying to become big players in the international market, but they won't pursue Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish. The Orioles will let the 5 p.m. deadline pass today without posting a bid, leaving other teams to fight for his services. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports! has estimated that it could cost a team in the $30 million to $70 million range to win the rights to negotiate with the 25-year-old Darvish. Then there's the matter of getting his signature on a contract. Meanwhile,...

Guthrie tunes out the trade talk

Guthrie tunes out the trade talk
It must seem a little strange for Jeremy Guthrie to be greeted this way by so many people who approach him: "So, are you surprised that you're still here?" It happened again yesterday at Dave and Buster's at the Arundel Mills Mall. Reporters glided over to his table and greeted him warmly. Then it happened. Again. One guy in the group asked if Guthrie was happy that he "was still here." That's quite an opening line. Guthrie wouldn't take the bait. "Yeah, it's great to be back...

Duquette talks about Wada, Chong, Scott and Bergesen

Duquette talks about Wada, Chong, Scott and Bergesen
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette wouldn't confirm tonight that the Orioles have reached agreement with Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada on a two-year contract. He only spoke in general terms about the Orioles wanting to "add to our pitching staff." "That's what I've been talking about all along," he said. "We also want to be active in all of the markets - in all the international markets as well as the domestic markets." Wada reportedly has agreed to a two-year deal...

Showalter talks about pitching

Showalter talks about pitching
Manager Buck Showalter stays in contact with everyone on his roster throughout the winter. Each time I bring up a name, he'll mention how he recently spoke to that individual over the phone. I'm told that he saw Alfredo Simon in the Dominican Republic over the weekend. I'm not sure if that qualifies as a random sighting, but I assumed that Simon was staying in the U.S. Showalter had a much easier time getting caught up today, since Jeremy Guthrie, Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton and Brian...

Notes on Wada, report dates and Roberts

Notes on Wada, report dates and Roberts
I just arrived home from the OriolesREACH holiday party and am trying to get caught up on all the breaking news while also passing along a few notes from my morning excursion to the Arundel Mills Mall. (Surviving a trip to that mall is noteworthy in itself, but I've got more.) The Orioles have reached agreement with Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, according to several sources, though no announcement has been made by the club. Multiple reports say the deal is for two years and $8.15...

Jake Arrieta: "I'm healed up and ready to go"

Jake Arrieta: "I'm healed up and ready to go"
Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta says he's thrown on flat ground several times since undergoing surgery Aug. 12 to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. He's had "zero complications," and remains ahead of schedule and optimistic about being fully recovered long before spring training. "I'm healed up and ready to go," he said this morning at Dave and Buster's at the Arundel Mills Mall, where the Orioles are hosting 90 third- and fourth-graders from City Springs Elementary School in...

Chong staying in Korea

Chong staying in Korea
If the Orioles are going to open the door to the Korean market, they'll have to choose a different item from the shelves. According to a tweet from MyKBO, which I began to follow last month, pitcher Chong Tae-Hyon has decided to stay in Korea rather than come to the U.S. Chong has signed a four-year, $3.1 million contract with the Lotte Giants. The Orioles reportedly offered the submarining right-hander a two-year deal worth $3 million. Executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed during...

Bergesen tendered contract, Reyes and Eyre non-tendered (updated)

Bergesen tendered contract, Reyes and Eyre non-tendered (updated)
The Orioles just announced that they've non-tendered pitchers Jo-Jo Reyes and Willie Eyre, and outfielder Luke Scott. Brad Bergesen was offered a contract shortly before the midnight deadline. Scott, Reyes and Eyre have become free agents, but they could re-sign with the Orioles. Scott is a possibility to remain in the organization. Both sides are open to working out a new contract. Reyes went 5-8 with a 5.40 ERA in 20 starts with the Blue Jays and 2-3 with a 6.16 ERA in nine games (five...

Orioles non-tender Luke Scott (updated)

Orioles non-tender Luke Scott (updated)
As expected, the Orioles have decided not to offer a 2012 contract to outfielder Luke Scott, making him a free agent. Both sides are open to negotiating a new deal, so it's not necessarily the end of Scott's career as an Oriole. But he can sign with any club. Scott made $6.4 million this year, and his season was cut short because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. Scott has received encouraging reports from Dr. James Andrews, and the outfielder says he'll be a beast in spring...

Orioles approach another deadline (updated twice)

Orioles approach another deadline (updated twice)
At some point today, we'll find out whether the Orioles have tendered contracts to the following arbitration-eligible players: pitchers Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson, Brad Bergesen and Jo-Jo Reyes, infielder Robert Andino, and outfielders Adam Jones and Luke Scott. Update: I omitted left-hander Dana Eveland, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time. Players who are non-tendered become free agents, but they can sign with their former teams. It's not necessarily a divorce. It could be...

Quick Cespedes update

Quick Cespedes update
The Orioles aren't saying much about the two days spent in the Dominican Republic this weekend to scout Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, but here's what I've been able to piece together about his workouts: Cespedes showed impressive power during a batting practice session. Short-season Single-A Aberdeen right-hander Jose Mota threw about 35 balls to him so the Orioles could watch him hit live pitching. Also, Cespedes shagged fly balls and threw from center field. However, he chose not to...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
So how would you like to be a Brewers fan these days? Sure, you made the playoffs, but you've probably lost Prince Fielder forever and you might have lost MVP Ryan Braun for the first 50 games next season. OK, it's still not bad being a Brewers fan, but that's got to sting. Braun reportedly learned of his failed test for PEDs back in late October. Imagine having that weight on your shoulders every day. Imagine taking MVP questions from reporters while knowing that this story was going to...

Bergesen waits to learn his fate

Bergesen waits to learn his fate
If anyone asks which one of my blog entries has attracted the most comments, I'll just refer back to yesterday. The total has climbed to a dizzying 592, which shatters the previous record of ... I have no idea. But I know that it's destroyed. The Orioles must decide Monday whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. One name fell off the list when they designated reliever Willie Eyre for assignment to make room on their 40-man roster for new pitcher Dana Eveland. Brad...

A small stack of trade chips

A small stack of trade chips
It's nice to begin a blog entry without typing in a dateline. There's no place like home. I won't lie. I feel a little dumb clicking my heels together. I didn't shop for souvenirs in Dallas - I worried that the bottle of barbecue sauce would shatter in my luggage - but I returned to Sykesville with dirty clothes and a reminder that executive vice president Dan Duquette really does have his work cut out for him. He doesn't have much to offer in trades if he isn't going to part with...

For what it's worth ...

For what it's worth ...
DALLAS - This will be my final blog entry from the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, where the sun has finally come out as I prepare to climb into a cab for my ride to the airport. I was told that it's snowing back home, but my daughter shot down that rumor via a text message. I should have brought her here. She could have saved me a lot of work. I made one last stroll through the hotel lobby and ran into agent Scott Boras. Not literally. But I did stop him, shake hands and immediately bring up