Keith Law on O's pick and a take on Austin Martin (with video)

Keith Law on O's pick and a take on Austin Martin (with video)
While pointing out that the Orioles could go underslot with their No. 2 draft pick to go over at No. 30 and/or No. 39, The Athletic's Keith Law still has the club taking Vanderbilt's Austin Martin with its first pick. The draft begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night with coverage on both ESPN and MLB Network. That night, the first round features picks No. 1 through No. 29 and then the competitive balance round with selections Nos. 30 through 37. So the O's will have two picks Wednesday. Draft...

Some of the best quotes and takes from Las Vegas

Some of the best quotes and takes from Las Vegas
We covered a lot of topics and got the opinions and thoughts of a few national reporters and analysts over four days of the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. Today, we'll take a look back at some of the most interesting and pertinent quotes of the week. ESPN's Keith Law provided a take on new GM Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal: "I think this is exactly what they needed. The fact that these guys have worked together for a while now and had so much success in Houston points to this being a great hire. I...

Mike Elias on building the talent pipeline, Keith Law on analytics

Mike Elias on building the talent pipeline, Keith Law on analytics
LAS VEGAS - Hiring the next manager for the Orioles is an important priority in the short term for new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. He will pick one of six candidates he's interviewed for the job. Though Elias wouldn't confirm any of the reported names, the six candidates are known to be Nationals bench coach Chip Hale, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, Royals quality control/catching coach Pedro Grifol, Diamondbacks director of player development Mike Bell, Rockies...

ESPN's Keith Law on the O's hire of Mike Elias and more

ESPN's Keith Law on the O's hire of Mike Elias and more
LAS VEGAS - Just as we can't expect their won-loss record to quickly improve as they rebuild, the Orioles' battle against other teams off the field in the front office could be lengthy as well. We're talking about how the club catches up to other teams in analytics and in making data-driven decisions. On Nov. 21, new Orioles general manager Mike Elias hired Sig Mejdal as the club's assistant general manager, analytics. He is tasked with building up the Orioles analytics department and...

ESPN's Keith Law on Manny Machado and the search for pitchers (with video)

ESPN's Keith Law on Manny Machado and the search for pitchers (with video)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - ESPN analyst Keith Law is not a fan of the Marlins' trade of outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees. "I was kind of disgusted actually, that Major League Baseball would let an ownership group buy the Marlins when it's pretty clear they can't afford to field a competitive team," Law said. "Or simply are choosing not to do so. They moved two valuable players (Dee Gordon and Stanton) and got very, very little in return in young talent." Law compared...

A special FanFest "Mo-ment" and other notes

A special FanFest "Mo-ment" and other notes
Regular listeners to the Orioles' flagship radio station, 105.7 FM The Fan in Baltimore, certainly know the youngster's voice. They surely know his knowledge of and passion for Baltimore sports. And they are certainly familiar with that wonderful laugh. But a few hundred fans got to see and meet 11-year-old Mo in person on stage Saturday at FanFest. Everyone in the room cheered loudly when they saw the Orioles' Adam Jones come out to greet Mo. That is everyone but Mo, who is blind and had to...

The O's could be closing in on a catcher (plus other notes)

The O's could be closing in on a catcher (plus other notes)
When asked about free agent catcher Welington Castillo on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, "That's a good name." Welington is a good name, but Showalter didn't mean that. He meant the Orioles had some interest in the catcher that was non-tendered by Arizona. At least that is the way I took it. And I haven't been wrong since earlier this morning. The Orioles have been talking about finding a catcher to pair with Caleb Joseph for the 2017 season as they...

Trade the stars? O's not going there right now

Trade the stars? O's not going there right now
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette made it very clear yesterday, but it was no surprise anyway, that the Orioles are not shopping closer Zach Britton and/or third baseman Manny Machado. They are players the Orioles are looking to build around - two of their top core players - not players they want to subtract from a contending team. Or at least a team that has designs on contending again in 2017. The issue the Orioles are facing is trying to win in the present...

ESPN's Keith Law on Chance Sisco, Mark Trumbo, Zach Britton and more

ESPN's Keith Law on Chance Sisco, Mark Trumbo, Zach Britton and more
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - In asking ESPN's Keith Law today about what it would take for a team like the Orioles to trade for outfielder Adam Eaton, he mentioned that it would be tough. The package would probably have to start with their No. 1 prospect, catcher Chance Sisco, Law said. The point is moot now; Eaton was traded to the Nationals this afternoon and the price was very high. The Nats surrendered three pitching prospects, including top mound prospect Lucas Giolito. But back to Sisco. In...

A look at some inaccurate PECOTA projections for the Orioles, plus other notes

A look at some inaccurate PECOTA projections for the Orioles, plus other notes
When Baseball Prospectus released its latest PECOTA projections for the 2016 season, it basically predicted a strong race in the American League East this year - but not one that will include the Orioles. PECOTA, which stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, is Baseball Prospectus' proprietary system that projects player performance based on comparison with historical player seasons. There are three elements to PECOTA: * Major league equivalencies, to allow the...

As Yovani Gallardo's strikeout rate decreased, so did his ERA (plus prospect notes)

As Yovani Gallardo's strikeout rate decreased, so did his ERA (plus prospect notes)
There has been some discussion about free agent pitcher Yovani Gallardo and his declining strikeout rates in recent years. But at the same time, while the strikeouts have declined, so has his ERA. Over the last four years, his two lowest seasons of strikeouts per nine innings have also produced his lowest ERAs in that stretch: 2012: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 9.0 and 3.66 ERA2013: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 7.2 and 4.18 ERA2014: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 6.8 and 3.51...

ESPN's Keith Law on Chris Davis and the Orioles

ESPN's Keith Law on Chris Davis and the Orioles
NASHVILLE - Last night at the Winter Meetings, I recorded a video interview with ESPN's Keith Law where we primarily discussed Chris Davis' free agency. After we recorded this interview, my colleague Roch Kubatko broke the news via Twitter that the Orioles have made a huge offer to Davis. He tweeted the following: Sounds like no progress was made in #orioles talks with Boras regarding Chris Davis. Its believed Os offer in neighborhood of $150 mil. -- Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) December 9,...

Nats rank ninth in ESPN's list of top farm systems

Nats rank ninth in ESPN's list of top farm systems
The Nationals might have graduated a number of their top prospects to the major leagues in recent years (see: Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon), but they still have one of the more talented minor league systems in baseball, according to one analyst. ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks the Nats ninth in his list of the top farm systems, and places six Nats minor leaguers on his list of the top 100 prospects in baseball entering the 2015 season. Because the Nats have seen a number of their...

Video interview with ESPN's Keith Law talking Orioles

Video interview with ESPN's Keith Law talking Orioles
SAN DIEGO - Here is a video taped yesterday at the Winter Meetings with ESPN's Keith Law. Watch the video for the full interview, in which we talked about the Orioles' need for an outfielder and other moves that they might make. Law agreed with me that the Orioles should have some financial flexibility right now with the departures of Nick Markakis, Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller. The money they might have signed Markakis with is available for use elsewhere. "I think it gives them the...

Is there pressure on the Orioles to match moves by other AL East teams?

Is there pressure on the Orioles to match moves by other AL East teams?
SAN DIEGO - It was interesting to hear executive vice president Dan Duquette suggest the Orioles are more likely to acquire an outfielder right now via free agency rather than through a trade. I don't think that ends any rumors about the club's possible pursuit of Matt Kemp or Justin Upton, but that seems unlikely at this moment. Here is the lengthy list of free agent corner outfielders according to MLBTradeRumors.com: Nori Aoki (33) Melky Cabrera (30) Mike Carp (29) Endy Chavez (37) Tyler...

ESPN's Keith Law on the Dan Duquette-to-Toronto rumors

ESPN's Keith Law on the Dan Duquette-to-Toronto rumors
SAN DIEGO - ESPN's Keith Law knows something about how baseball teams run their front offices. He worked for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2002-06, now covers everything from the minors to the majors for ESPN and ESPN.com, and is a big part of the network's coverage from the Winter Meetings. Law talked at length with me about reports that Toronto has interest in Dan Duquette for a president/CEO position with their team. Keith, what is your reaction to this news? "I think the new trend now in...

From selfies to signings: How did we get here?

From selfies to signings: How did we get here?
Less than two weeks ago, everyone was buzzing when Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon tweeted a selfie of himself in an Orioles hat. That late night photo feels like it happened ages ago. Let's recap how we got here, shall we? At the time, the Orioles still had not made a big offseason move, leaving the Baltimore fan base frustrated as the O's began spring training. A few days later, the Orioles officially announced a three-year, $5.575 million deal with Yoon, but national writers were already...

Latest free agent reports not music to the ears of O's fans

Latest free agent reports not music to the ears of O's fans
For Orioles fans, the emotional roller coaster is still running at high speed. One day they hear the club is "all in" on A.J. Burnett and that he wants to pitch for their team. Today, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko quotes a source saying Burnett to Baltimore now "doesn't look good" and that he wants to play in the National League. Of the remaining pitchers, when all things are considered, Burnett seems like the best fit for the Orioles, and he might be as good as any other pitcher left...

ESPN's Keith Law on A.J. Burnett and O's prospects

ESPN's Keith Law on A.J. Burnett and O's prospects
If the Orioles make a major run at signing free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett, ESPN's Keith Law thinks it would be a great move for the team and that he's likely the best fit for the club among the free agent pitchers. I spoke with Law on several topics today, including a long interview about his prospect reports this week, which were quite positive on the O's farm system. I'll include some of his thoughts here on that and will have some more of his more specific comments on the O's farm...

Notes on King Felix, Hobgood and spring training

Notes on King Felix, Hobgood and spring training
Checking in on a few topics from this week and looking ahead to spring training. Yes, he is the King. The baseball world was buzzing for a while Thursday with the report that Felix Hernandez may be about to sign a seven-year, $175 million dollar deal with the Seattle Mariners. There are some reports out of Seattle now that say those terms may not be accurate. If they are, that's a $25 million average annual value, topping a mark for pitchers that had been set by Zach Greinke's six-year,...