Orioles News, Notes, and Links

Free-Agent 1B Adam Laroche is still sitting on the O's offer (supposedly 3 years, $21 million), and while it's irritating the fan base, I have no problem with it. Let the guy make an informed decision, let him leverage the offer with other clubs, etc.. at the end of the day, if he wants to play here, he will.

For those of you that remember it, the guys at FanGraphs have a cool article up this morning that tells The Story Behind Billy Ripken’s F*ck Face Card.

Steve Melewski @ MASN talked to Lee MacPhail, the team's Director of Pro Scouting, about the Orioles Rule 5 draft picks. That includes RHP Adrian Rosario (21), infielder Dale Mollenhauer (24), LHP Casey Lambert (25), and RHP Jacob Rasner (24).

The Nationals signed ex-Orioles 1B Michael Aubrey to a minor league contract. This isn't that interesting, except that a couple people on Twitter thought it would be funny to post "Nationals Steal Orioles First Baseman!", which people was referring to Adam LaRoche.

There are rumors out there in the ether that the Orioles have shown some interest in Free-Agent starter Freddy Garcia... but supposedly only mild interest. A veteran starter is a need that would probably be addressed later in the off-season, if at all.

Matt Garrioch of SB Nation;s "MLB Bonus Baby" blog liked the Orioles approach to the draft, in his Baltimore Orioles Draft Report, posted on Sunday. He notes that:

"The Orioles spent the 6th most on draft picks this season, and were only behind the Pirates for spending on high school talent. This means the talent they signed won't help them real soon, but it allows them to develop the talent within the organization under their tutelage."

• He posted scouting reports on a lot of the O's 2010 selections, including this one (which I thought was interesting) on catcher Wynston Sawyer (19), an 8th round pick out of high school in San Diego, CA:

"Sawyer is a huge kid. He's 6'3, 190 lbs, and is likely to gain 20-30 lbs as he gains strength. I don't know if he can stay at catcher, but he should be able to hit enough to play 1B. He has huge power potential but has a long swing, so he might strike out a lot. The fact he only struck out 2 times in his 27 plate apperances in his pro debut is a good sign. I look forward to seeing how he develops. I like the fact that the Orioles drafted and signed players they liked, even if it was over slot, and Sawyer is a good example of that."