Duquette Speaks

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Buck Showalter: "I'm not going to take a left-handed guy just because he's left-handed." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Orioles?src=hash">#Orioles</a></p>— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) <a href="

">February 11, 2016</a></blockquote>

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[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Buck on 105.7 The Fan repeated that Chris Davis will play most of his games at 1B <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orioles?src=hash">#orioles</a></p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">February 11, 2016</a></blockquote>

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Buck "We are gonna see how unhappy those guys are with how last season ended in just a few days."

[25 Nuggets]

Buck

"Kim is in Sarasota, getting acclimated to things. He comes from a totally different time zone.... You're gonna like this guy."

Optimistic about Kim. Buck said something about Brady seeing Kim hit a large number of line drives while working with him.

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Buck: "I think we have the best farm director in baseball in Brian Graham." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orioles?src=hash">#orioles</a></p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">February 11, 2016</a></blockquote>

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[weams]

"Put on an Orioles hat, come to Sarasota, and you'll see them (Jones, and Davis) all you want to.

[OFFNY]

o

JIM HUNTER:o The elephant in the room ...... GALLARDO !!! What is the story ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o We trying to upgrade pitching staff. A 13 game winner like Gallardo would do that, right ??? He has been a good career pitcher in both the AL and the NL, including the playoffs. He has had 30 or more starts for 7 consecutive seasons. There are not too many guys out there like that. He is VERY dependable, as is Ubaldo Jimenez. We have been trying all winter to add to our starting rotation, and we still are. We know that THAT is a primary need.

JIM HUNTER:o What is the hold up at this late date ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o It's that time of year in which the free-agent players at the high end of the scale have gotten a lot (in terms of money.) Those players do very well. But then there is another level of players (like Gallardo) in which the draft pick is a deterrent to them getting what they would like. A lot of times they have to adjust their expectations as spring training grows closer, and this is what you are seeing. Now, we are seeing players finally accept the QO (like Wieters) because of this.

JIM HUNTER:o Is it safe to assume you are more comfortable giving up the #14 pick at this point because of the fact that you really need a starting pitcher ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o I don't like to give up draft picks, but we need to have pitchers to be strong for today. I don't like giving up the draft pick UNLESS all of other options are gone away, and right about now, we are almost at that point.

JIM HUNTER:o You're clearly not a fan of opt-out clause, correct ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o That opt-out clause ...... I am not sure how it benefits the team, AND I don't know if the fans are thrilled about it. For example, fans (and the team) want to know that Chris Davis is OUR GUY, for whatever his contract length is for. It clearly benefits the player, but not the team. I don't think it's a good idea, and it reminds me somewhat of the NCAA's "One and done" players that come out of high school in basketball. It is entirely loaded in the players' benefit. I might consider something like an opt-out clause AND a team option, where either side could opt out.

JIM HUNTER:o You've got a hich-octane offense with sluggers like Davis, Trumbo, Jones, Machado, Wieters, etc. This team is offensively built to win NOW. Hence, is it a bad idea to go ahead and lose the picks because of this ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o I think it is important to have a team that can win every year, not just this year. We have a good defense, we have a good lineup, we have an excellent bullpen ...... the only area in which we could use more depth is at starting pitcher. Secondly, we could use more depth in the outfield AND we could use more OBP. We have been emphasizing that (the need for a higher team OBP) since last year. Joey Rickard (for example) can get on base at the highest levels of the minors AND he can play good defense, so he could help. Kim I have very high hopes for. He is left-handed, he gets on base, he walks more than he strikes out ....... OBP has been a major focus for us this offseason.

JIM HUNTER:o Despaigne ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Despaigne had a good year in 2014, which is somewhat encouraging (although he struggled last year.) Despaigne saw the Orioles as a 12 year-old kid in Cuba in 1999, and said that he wanted to play for the Orioles. Now he is getting a chance to do just that. He has a delivery similar to Orlando" El Duque" Hernandez. Omar Minaya (Despaigne's GM with the Padres) had some good things to say about him as well, WHILE he was still pitching for them.

JIM HUNTER:o Is Kim primarily a leftfielder ??? And if you sign Fowler, will he necessarily will go to rightfield ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Kim has been a leftfielder for his entire career, Kim is primarily a leftfielder, so that is pretty much where he is going to be. To answer your question, "Yes."

JIM HUNTER:o Between starting pitcher and the need for a new outfielder ....... rank the importance of them

DAN DUQUETTE:o We're leaning towards adding to the the pitching as a priority. We got some sluggers (Machado, Jones, Schoop, Wieters, Hardy, etc.), so what we need is someone who can add to our overall OBP ...... because the power is there.

JIM HUNTER:o Dexter Fowler. He is EXACTLY what you just described, right Dan ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Fowler gets on base. He is a switch-hitter, he has speed, and he is a very good defensive outfielder. He has developed into an excellent player. He has the tools. To answer your question, "Yes."

JIM HUNTER:o How long do you go before you say THIS THE GROUP that we have ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Buck has a very intense and regimented spring training program, so it's obviously a lot easier if you have your team together on time. I suspect that in the next week or so, we will know who we have, and who we don't have.

JIM HUNTER:o In the event that you wind up with an all-righty starting rotation ......How important is it for you to have a left-handed long man in the bullpen ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o We would prefer to have a left-handed starter, but if we don't get one, we would obviously like to have left-handers in the bullpen that can actually get guys out !!! We have McFarland, He is familiar with the long-relief role. Chris Jones had a good year at AAA last year, so he is a possibility. Plus, we signed a few non-roster pitcher. Tyler Wilson (although he is a righty) is a good candidate for long relief.

JIM HUNTER:o If you cannot get any more veterans coming in, are you comfortable looking at a guy like Alvarez ??? And what about Mike Yastrzemski ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Alvarez needs to improve his plate discipline. As I said, we have a lot of sluggers already. We need someone who can help us with out OBP. Yastrzemski can play all 3 outfield positions, AND he has speed. He (and numerous others) will get an opportunity in SP. Buck gives them LOTS of chances in A games, B games, practices, etc.

[Can_of_corn]

He leads off with pitching wins?

Dan thinks we are idiots.

[Babypowder]

He leads off with pitching wins?

Dan thinks we are idiots.

He's speaking to the typical baseball fan tuning into 105.7. That attitude is very applicable.

[Frobby]

Sure sounds like we're gunning for the Gallardo/Fowler doubleheader. I must admit I'll be pretty excited for 2016 if we land both of them. Worried about the long term but excited for the short term.

[waroriole]

Sure sounds like we're gunning for the Gallardo/Fowler doubleheader. I must admit I'll be pretty excited for 2016 if we land both of them. Worried about the long term but excited for the short term.

Yeah. I don't agree with the moves, but we should be pretty good with both of them. I'll enjoy this season at least.

[Why Not?]

o

JIM HUNTER:o The elephant in the room ...... GALLARDO !!! What is the story ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o We trying to upgrade pitching staff. A 13 game winner like Gallardo.......

Thanks for transcribing all that, my man.

[O'sHeelsFan]

Sure sounds like we're gunning for the Gallardo/Fowler doubleheader. I must admit I'll be pretty excited for 2016 if we land both of them. Worried about the long term but excited for the short term.

If we get both those guys, I'm stoked for two reasons: we are showing the willingness to spend money, and we look like a pretty good team on paper in 2016. I was really dreading that 2016 was going to be a seriously down year but we've brought back more than I thought and getting these 2 plus Kim, I think puts us on paper as better than last year.

Give me competitive baseball and happy.

The future? Concerning, but there are many ways to prepare the club for that beyond those two picks. Just hope they are ready to get creative in adding talent. In the meantime lets get these 2 and ramp it up for 2016!!

[CaptainRedbeard]

o

JIM HUNTER:o Is it safe to assume you are more comfortable giving up the #14 pick at this point because of the fact that you really need a starting pitcher ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o I don't like to give up draft picks, but we need to have pitchers to be strong for today. I don't like giving up the draft pick UNLESS all of other options are gone away, and right about now, we are almost at that point.

JIM HUNTER:o Dexter Fowler. He is EXACTLY what you just described, right Dan ???

DAN DUQUETTE:o Fowler gets on base. He is a switch-hitter, he has speed, and he is a very good defensive outfielder. He has developed into an excellent player. He has the tools. To answer your question, "Yes."

Thanks for typing this all up OFFNY. Amazing.

The quoted portions above are more forward than I think I've ever seen DD in talking about free agents. He usually plays it much more close to the vest and doesn't let on a whole lot about his interest in them. I take this as an indication that these deals are likely to happen.

[Nevermore]

Dependable.

Was he dependable when the O's demoted him to the bullpen? How about when they left him off the playoff roster?

Dan, the word you are looking for is mediocre, not dependable.

All that happened to Ubaldo during his awful 2014 season. Even Ubaldo acknowledged that his 2014 season was bad. However, he made a bounceback during the 2015 season. Though he had a rough stretch in August. Still, he was better than Tillman and Gonzo. I'm not too worried about him.

But we do need another starter to replace Chen.

[weams]

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