Dan Connolly's take on the rotation and O's management

[wildcard]

Dan Connolly gets to talk to O's officials that we do not.  He does work for MASN so he is not bias.  Here is his take on what will happen with to rotation this off season and what will happen is Buck and Dan.

Rotation:

Q: The obvious…who will the O’s go after for starting pitching for next year? 
A: This is the biggie. They need to add three starters, in my opinion. Gabriel Ynoa and Miguel Castro are fine guys to plug in at the back-end of the rotation in a pinch, but they shouldn’t start the season that way. So, how do the Orioles get three bona fide starters? Well, obviously specifics are hard to come by in October. I imagine they’ll get one through free agency, but it won’t be the ace they truly need. The Orioles never win a bidding war for a top-line starter. Ownership doesn’t believe in megadeals for pitchers (and, to be fair, those contracts rarely pan out) and mid-level starters with suitors aren’t choosing Camden Yards unless they are grossly overpaid (see Jimenez, Ubaldo). So, you can forget about the two free-agent aces, Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish, and an Alex Cobb, for instance, will have too many other options in better pitcher’s parks. So, look for someone in the second tier whom the Orioles could overpay (an Andrew Cashner/Jason Vargas type). I also fully expect Duquette to try and tap the international pro market for the next Wei-Yin Chen. And I could see some recycling going on, too, whether it is a Chris Tillman or a Miguel Gonzalez. I don’t expect Wade Miley to be back, though. It makes no sense for him to take a one-year contract in Baltimore when he could get a better “pillow contract” elsewhere – like the NL. They’ll also be looking to pick up at least one starter via trade, even if it means taking on an unwieldy contract.

Buck and Dan:

Q: Best chance of being extended this offseason: Dan Duquette, Buck Showalter, Machado, Jonathan Schoop?(from @grindt)

A: I had several extension questions, but I like this one. I think Showalter is with this organization next year, but I don’t know exactly what the role will be. I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t already an understanding that he can return in 2018 and beyond if he wants to. So, I wouldn’t think he is a lame-duck manager, even if something official isn’t announced. Therefore, I guess I’d go with him in this particular heat. Duquette and owner Peter Angelos also seemingly have a good relationship, but I don’t see a determination being made with Duquette’s contract now. Again, Machado will be tricky. Schoop, in my opinion, makes the most sense, but extensions two years before free agency don’t happen often in Baltimore – though they should.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/10/31/taking-stab-questions-rotation-machado-showalter-duquette-stanton/