Rumor: O's in formal negotiations with Buck Showalter

[ScottieBaseball]

This has been attributed to Ken Rosenthal...More info and/or link to follow...

[sangar]

If true this is very good news.

[DuffMan]

When I spoke to president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail on Friday, he said that no other interviews with managerial candidates were scheduled in the near future. Multiple reports surfaced last night that the Orioles contacted Buck Showalter again.

It doesn't sound like another formal interview, so I guess we've ventured into a gray area here, but it seems to confirm that Showalter remains the favorite to replace interim manager Juan Samuel.

http://www.masnsports.com/school_of_roch/2010/07/funny-how-things-change---part-ii.html

From Roch's blog this morning. Finally some good news, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

If Showalter is the guy do you want him to take over now, or observe from the sidelines until the season is over?

[bassgtrst]

Excellent. I will be interested to see if he takes the bench in the 2nd half.

If Showalter is the guy do you want him to take over now, or observe from the sidelines until the season is over?

I don't mind either way, but the fan in me would certainly like to see Buck sooner rather than later. Its a tough situation, do you bring him in and but the other coaches into an obvious lame duck situation? I think that scenario is inevitable either way, whether you put him on next Friday or next April.

[Say O!]

Don't think Buck will come cheap either. Going to be paid in the top 10, I would imagine. Quite a departure from the "value" plays of Mazzilli, Perlozzo, Trembley. But would rather spend a couple of million on Buck, then pay for more Atkins.

[Boy Howdy]

[Greg Pappas]

I would like him on-board by the break, and IF he is going to be the manager in the dugout immediately, I'd like to think (and hope) that he'd have the entire coaching staff replaced with his own choices.

[VAB2110]

I'm really more interested in Showalter's organizational skills than his managing. Getting the system of drafting and developing talent stronger is what's really needed right now. If hired, it will interesting to see how much power he is given in that area.

[lovetoaster]

I know nothing is for sure and things can always fall apart, especially with this team. But....

[ShaneDawg85]

I see Showalter, if this is true, coming on board after the All Star break. It doesn't make sense for him to start with a couple of games left. Let Samuel finish out the "1st half" of the season, and then turn the reigns over to Showalter.

[NewMarketSean]

Good news. Showalter is exactly what this organization needs right now.

[Dr. FLK]

He shouldn't be hired until he has had time to assemble the coaching staff that he wants to roll with. Once that is ironed out, they should all be brought on board. If there are pieces that can't be hired until after the season (i.e. currently under contract), he should keep guys from current staff to fill voids.

[SammyBirdland]

I hope he gets started immediately. I don't care if he's in the dugout right away, but I hope he starts working towards fixing our infrastructure through the minors immediately.

[hatepaste]

Tim Kurkijan comments on it as well:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5356703

[JTrea81]

If I was Buck, I'd make sure to have it in the contract that the Orioles had to get the talent that he wanted and that he would have some control over day to day personnel decisions as well.

That way MacPhail couldn't set him up to fail like he did with Trembley as it would be a breach of the contract.