While the baseball world balances on the edge of its seats waiting for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper to sign their monstrous contracts, which will reduce the media's baseball chatter by about 75 percent, the Orioles are quietly researching ways to fill out their roster. Much of the heavy lifting outside of it is done. Two big front office hires have been completed in executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and assistant Sig Mejdal, the latter responsible for building up the...

The process of hiring Koby Perez as the Orioles' senior director of international scouting began immediately after the Winter Meetings and appeared to wrap up as the warehouse shut down for the holidays. Scout Calvin Maduro was given the news a few weeks ago, with the announcement coming on Wednesday. Perez, calling into the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan, said executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias contacted the Indians upon returning from Las Vegas seeking permission to...

The hiring of Koby Perez as the Orioles' senior director of international scouting enabled executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias to reach further into his professional past, all the way to his Cardinals days in their scouting department. Elias also has brought in assistant Sig Mejdal, who worked with him in St. Louis and Houston, and minor league pitching coordinator Chris Holt, formerly the Astros' assistant pitching coordinator. If anyone needs additional information on...

The Orioles continue to hold the most international signing bonus slot money in baseball before the reset later this summer. However, they are conceding that the top-tier talent no longer is on the board and funds are more likely to be redirected. This is just one of the points made today during a conference call with executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and new senior director of international scouting Koby Perez. Perez was hired yesterday after spending the past five years...

LAS VEGAS - The lack of a buzz surrounding the Orioles at baseball's Winter Meetings, the heavy silence that's pervasive beyond the managerial chatter, has been deafening. The only interesting note so far today was agent Scott Boras revealing during his annual media scrum that he met with team officials yesterday, but not to pitch a client. Rather, to assist in getting more production out of one. Boras said he talked to the Orioles last night regarding first baseman Chris Davis, who has four...

The most impressive trait that Mike Elias exhibited yesterday during his introduction as Orioles executive vice president and general manager was the ability to convey his thoughts on the rebuild, the process that brought him to Baltimore, his knowledge of the city and roster, and the appeal of the job at hand while his head continued to spin. Elias is bound to come across as more relaxed and personable once he's done being pulled in every direction. He sat through a 40-minute session with the...

If you've shifted to the edge of your seat waiting for the Orioles to announce a hiring, sit back and try to relax for at least a few more days. Nothing is imminent. Nothing is likely to happen this week as the GM meetings run their course. The interview process hasn't reached its conclusion, which allows more time for fans to become confused over the reports that keep surfacing. All I can do in the meantime is try to provide at least a modicum of clarity while operating largely in the...

The Orioles announced their latest international signing this afternoon, 16-year-old outfielder J'Rudjeanon Isenia out of Curaçao. The agreement on a $125,000 bonus was reported back in late August, but now it's official. The club provided the following statement from director of player development Brian Graham, who's handling the day-to-day duties in baseball operations on an interim basis: "Isenia is a right-handed-hitting outfielder with above average tools and a good swing. He is a...

We already know that the Orioles will undergo significant changes beyond their roster after moving away from executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter. There will be ripple effects, the only question how far-reaching. The press release noted how vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson, director of player development Brian Graham and director of scouting Gary Rajsich are "currently" under contract, and the wording jumped off the page and rolled under the...

As the Orioles gathered inside their clubhouse following last night's dramatic 6-5 13-inning win over the Red Sox, they still had sole possession of third place in the American League East and trailed the Astros by 5 1/2 for the second wild card. The heart is still beating. Chris Davis produced the game-winning single, his third walk-off hit of the season. The bullpen allowed one run over eight innings. Manny Machado put on another show at third base, homered and delivered a huge single in the...

It doesn't seem like Calvin Maduro has been retired only five years. The way the former Orioles right-hander has been keeping busy, he's hardly had time to reflect on the fact that he hasn't thrown a pitch in anger since 2006, when he went 1-5 and worked mostly in relief for the O's Double-A affiliate in Bowie. "That sounded old," Maduro chuckled when asked if he felt like he belonged signing postcards and posing for photos as part of the Orioles Alumni autograph series after a recent...