Day Three of the Winter Meetings

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Just as the Orioles haven't totally moved away from catcher Matt Wieters, they remain in the mix to re-sign outfielder Mark Trumbo. He just needs to come down to them.

It's a steep drop.

mark-trumbo-in-white.jpgThe sides agree on four years, but they're far apart on money and the Orioles won't give a full no-trade clause. But you already know this if you've been paying attention.

In the meantime, the Mariners reportedly are making a strong push to get him back. The market expanded just as it appeared to tighten.

I'm not putting much stock in the idea that the Orioles pulled their offer from the table. Didn't they do the same thing with Chris Davis? How did that turn out? And we're not talking nearly as many years and dollars with Trumbo.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette is checking the international market while he's at the Winter Meetings. It isn't all about free agent outfielders and catchers, potential trade partners and the Rule 5 draft.

Just don't hold out hope for another Wei-Yin Chen or Hyun Soo Kim. Duquette indicated that the club hasn't found anyone of that caliber.

"By 'caliber,' of course, I refer to both the size of their gun barrels and the high quality of their characters. Two meanings. Caliber. It's a homonym. Forget it."

(Name the movie)

"I don't know if that's the case this year," Duquette said, "but we are active in the international markets, looking for players coming and looking for players going."

There are times when I don't know whether I'm coming or going, but I digress ...

Among the players currently on the Orioles' roster, Adam Jones is 4-for-13 with a home run versus left-hander Chris Sale, acquired yesterday by the Red Sox in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox.

J.J. Hardy is 3-for-12 with a home run, Manny Machado is 3-for-9, Jonathan Schoop is 2-for-8, Caleb Joseph is 2-for-9 with a double, Davis is 1-for-10 and Joey Rickard is 1-for-2.

Trumbo is 5-for-14 with two doubles and a home run. Another reason to re-sign the guy if you're a fan of small sample sizes.

Duquette was asked about the possible ripple effects of the Sale trade, whether the Orioles could somehow benefit from it because the Red Sox now seem to have at least one extra starter.

"When a club makes a trade for a starting pitcher, there's usually another starting pitcher on the market, right? So the acquiring club might have surplus, have another different type pitcher on the market, for example," Duquette said.

However, it's unlikely that the Red Sox would deal a pitcher to the Orioles.

"So not really direct," Duquette said.

It may seem insignificant while plopped in the middle of the Winter Meetings, but the Orioles still need to hire Rick Peterson's replacement. The job title could change to minor league pitching coordinator.

Former Orioles left-hander and current pitching rehabilitation coordinator Scott McGregor is under consideration. The club has reached out to him.

Triple-A pitching coach Mike Griffin doesn't appear to be interested in the position.

As I wrote last month, Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark isn't regarded as a candidate because he wouldn't receive approval from his current employer to make a lateral move. He interviewed for the jobs of pitching coach and bullpen coach before the Orioles hired Roger McDowell and Alan Mills, respectively.

The Orioles need to replace Mills at Double-A Bowie and they may move up the pitching coaches at their lower affiliates.

Kennie Steenstra could return to Bowie, where he worked from 2010-2012, after spending the past four seasons at high Single-A Frederick. Steenstra also is at least a consideration to replace Peterson.

Also under this scenario, Blaine Beatty would move up from low Single-A Delmarva to Frederick, Justin Lord would move up from short-season Single-A Aberdeen to Delmarva and Wilson Alvarez would move up from the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League to Aberdeen.

Leaving the GCL spot open would allow the Orioles to perhaps hire someone lacking in coaching experience. One name I've heard as a possibility is Orioles Hall of Famer Gregg Olson, the club's all-time leader in saves with 160. He served as a scout in the Padres' organization from 2009-2012.

Another intriguing name is former Orioles left-hander Mark Hendrickson. They wanted to keep him in the organization after he retired in spring training in March 2015 following another failed comeback attempt. Hendrickson seemed open to the idea, but nothing materialized.

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