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The Seattle Mariners made history Friday night as six pitchers combined on a 1-0 no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was just the 10th combined no-hit game in Major League Baseball history and was the fourth no-hitter already of this still young 2012 season.

Veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood started for the M’s and pitched six no-hit innings at Safeco Field before leaving the game with a right groin injury.

Millwood was followed up by Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and, finally, Tom Wilhelmsen, who finished off the Dodgers in the ninth.

Still scoreless after six innings, Millwood had struck out six and given up just a single walk. “But while warming up for the seventh,” according to the Associated Press, “he felt a twinge in his groin and was pulled from the game.”

Furbush came on to record the first two outs in the top of the seventh for Seattle before he was relieved by eventual winner Pryor, who struck out Juan Rivera to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, third baseman Kyle Seager knocked in Ichiro Suzuki with a and the Mariners took a lead they would never relinquish. 

Pryor was yanked after allowing two walks in the top of the eighth, but Luetge and League combined to retire the side.

In the ninth, Wilhelmsen came on and though Dee Gordon nearly beat out a slow grounder to short in a bang-bang play at first, the 6’6” righty took down the Dodgers in order.

The struggling Andre Ethier made the final out on a grounder to second as Wilhelmsen secured his third save of the season.

After the final out, catcher Jesus Montero jogged out to the mound and shared an awkward embrace with Wilhelmsen, who appeared not to know quite how to celebrate a no-hitter he shared with five other teammates.

“That was unbelievable,” Seager told the AP after the game. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that with that many guys coming in and keeping the no-hitter intact.”

It was the third no-no in Mariners history, following Randy Johnson in 1990 and Chris Bosio in 1993.

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It appears that this might yet again be the year of the pitcher, or in the Seattle Mariners’ case, pitchers.

Kevin Millwood and the Mariners’ bullpen did something that had only been done nine times before Friday night in MLB history.

Millwood removed himself from the game due to a groin injury after the sixth inning, but the rest of the staff took the reigns and continued to shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers en route to a 1-0 victory.

Charlie Furbush pitched to two batters and struck out one of them. Stephen Pryor, who was credited with the win, recorded one out but walked two batters before leaving Lucas Luetge to record another out.

Then Brandon League took the mound with runners on second and third. He was able to pitch out of the jam with a looping out to left field and a strikeout to end the eighth inning.

Tom Wilhelmsen recorded the save in the no-hitter in a one-two-three ninth inning. Dee Gordon made the first out of the inning on a slow grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan. It was a play that could have been called either way, but on this night, the Mariners got the call.

Don Mattingly and Gordon argued the call but to no avail. Multiple angles showed that the play could have gone either way.

There are very few no-hitters without controversy, and this one will have this play as the source of controversy.

Millwood struck out six batters in his six innings of work before leaving the game to the bullpen.

It is the Mariners’ third no-hitter in franchise history and the first combined no-no. The no-hitter comes just one week after Johan Santana threw his no-hitter for the Mets. 

According to the SportingNews.com, the most no-hitters in one season occurred in 1990 and 1991 when there were seven in each season.

How many more no-no’s might we see before this season is over?

Follow @NargOnSports

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What can you really say about the whole Roy Oswalt signing with the Texas Rangers scenario other than thank God its over?

The rich certainly got richer in this case.

The Rangers already own the best record in the American League and are second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers in all of baseball. The addition of Oswalt bolsters their pitching staff as they continue on their voyage to make it to their third consecutive World Series.

So how exactly does this signing impact the Boston Red Sox?

The obvious answer is the fact that adding pitching depth for nothing more than money is now off the table. If the Sox are interested in adding an outside arm they will be forced to make some type of trade in order to do so.

That is, of course, unless Roger Clemens or Pedro Martinez walks through that door…I’m kidding.

That brings us to the list of truly viable pitching options that will be available at the trade deadline. There are of course the top tier players that the Red Sox will likely not touch: Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke. The cost to obtain either of these guys would be too high for what could result in just a short-term rental arm.

The next tier would fall to players like Chicago Cubs Ryan Dempster or Houston Astros Wandy Rodriguez.

Sure, Dempster might be 0-3, but he has a 2.14 ERA and a 1.061 WHIP after eight games, proving that he just doesn’t get offensive support. Rodriguez is also having a fine year for himself, with a 4-4 record with a 2.49 ERA and 1.161 WHIP.

Unfortunately, both Dempster and Rodriguez would likely require a larger return package than what the Red Sox are willing to give up for their services.

This brings me to Kevin Millwood.

No, this is not the same Millwood that was lights-out in the late-90s and early-2000s for the Atlanta Braves. That said, he is having a solid season for the Seattle Mariners. He currently owns a 3-4 record with a 3.56 ERA and 1.286 WHIP.

By itself, that comes across as decent numbers for a starting pitcher. However, the true merit to that stat line is what Millwood has done over his last four outings. He has recorded a 3-0 record with a very impressive 0.66 ERA and a 0.747 WHIP, recording 20 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.

Its entirely worth noting that those stats came against the New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers twice.

With that in mind, Millwood is only making $1 million in 2012 for the Mariners. He is only signed for the 2012 season. The Red Sox could potentially offer up a mid-level prospect, two at best, and could likely get their hands on Millwood.

It may not have been in the original plan, but this is one contingency plan the front office should certainly entertain.

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In February, the Yankees offered a minor-league deal to Kevin Millwood, which got turned down because he was looking for a more guaranteed deal.

With the 2011 baseball season less than a week away, Millwood still didn’t have a contract, nor did he have any other suitors interested in his services.

So, according to SI and WFAN’s Jon Heyman, Millwood will sign with the Yankees for an incentive-laden minor league deal.

As of right now, it looks as if Ivan Nova will lock down the No. 4 rotation spot with either Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia winning the No. 5 spot and the other being a long reliever, which will mean the release of Sergio Mitre (about time!).

Millwood had a terrible 2010 with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching to a 4-16 record and a 5.10 ERA in 31 starts.

Before his time in Baltimore, he was a very serviceable starter for the Texas Rangers, posting a 48-46 record in four seasons in Arlington, his best being 2006 when he went 16-12 and 2009 when he went 13-10.

What Millwood can give the Yankees is durability and innings, plus valuable experience.

He did throw 190.2 innings while in Baltimore last season in the 31 starts and has never been an injury problem in his career.

Millwood just turned 36 this past December, so he is on the decline of his career and he’s not the same pitcher he once was when a member of the Atlanta Braves or the Philadelphia Phillies.

Millwood did throw a no-hitter back on April 27, 2003 against the San Francisco Giants when he was a member of the Phillies.

Millwood was also a part of the old Braves rotation that featured Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux that got to the World Series in 1999 and were defeated by Millwood’s new team, the Yankees.

But that was then for Millwood. Now, he’s just looking for an opportunity to pitch.

At first, it did shock me to see the Yankees still interested in Millwood after he rejected their initial offer, and with the great competition between Nova, Colon and Garcia for their spots in the rotation.

But, aside from Nova, you don’t know how long Colon or Garcia will hold up for the Yankees in 2011. Plus, there is the old saying “you can never have enough pitching.”

It will take some time for Millwood to gain his form, so he won’t begin the season in the majors with the Yankees, but if there is an injury somewhere, or if one of the other guys don’t live up to their promise from spring training, Millwood will likely take their place and get his chance.

Yankee fans shouldn’t be scared off by the 4-16 record or the 5.10 ERA because in fact, he was pitching in Baltimore last year, and most of that was before Buck Showalter’s turnaround of the team.

In fact, just look at his 2009 numbers in Texas: 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA, pitching a lot of his games in an unfriendly pitchers park. That still shows me that Millwood can be a very good pitcher.

If the Yankees can give Millwood run support and he can keep the ball in the park, there is no reason why he can’t have a decent season for the Yankees.

After missing out on Cliff Lee in December, the Yankees haven’t been panicking. They’ve more or less been bargain hunting in the free-agent pool.

A lot of people thought Yankees GM Brian Cashman was out of his mind when they signed Bartolo Colon, and it looks as if he could win the fifth starter job because of his outstanding pitching in the spring.

The same was said about Garcia, and he too might be on the roster taking over for Mitre as the long reliever.

Now add in an experienced vet like Millwood, who if he can stay healthy, can eat up innings and go deep into games for the Yankees and take the pressure off the bullpen.

This should turn out to be a decent signing, as long as Millwood doesn’t post another 4-16 record or 5.10 ERA. Anywhere between 10-12 wins and a 3.50-4.00 ERA would do just fine. 

It remains to be seen if the Yankees will still look to add more starting pitching as the season goes along. But for now, it looks like they are ready to go into the season with the arms they have now.

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Just to clarify:

Yes, I know that Adam Wainwright is in St. Louis.

And yes, I know that the Yankees are in no way directly related to him.

Yet, Adam Wainwright’s injury could spell bad news for the Yankees as they begin their long climb back to the top.

We all know of the Yankees’ rotation woes. It’s been well-documented through every single form of media available to the masses. Nos. 1 through 3 are a lock, and that’s not saying much as Hughes and Burnett are question marks, and Nos. 4 and 5 are up for grabs.

The Yankees have plenty of options for those last two spots, but none that they are absolutely in love with. Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Andrew Brackman, Hector Noesi and David Phelps are all in competition for those last spots, and each one is just as inconsistent as the last.

There are a few intriguing free agents left, such as veteran Kevin Millwood, the oft-injured Jeremy Bonderman, left-hander Doug Davis and even the injury magnet himself, Ben Sheets.

The Yankees would prefer to offer any free-agent starter a minor league deal, this way, there’s no guarantee that they’ll crack the rotation. They would rather have a competition this spring, and rightly so.

Now, even if they wanted to sign any of the aforementioned free agents, they’ll have very stiff competition from the Cardinals.

The Cardinals can, and probably will, offer a major league contract to any free-agent pitcher they chase after, and, of course, a major league contract versus a minor league contract is a joke. 

The Yankees already attempted to entice Millwood with a minor league deal, but to no avail. He has chosen to hold out for a major league contract, and he may get one in St. Louis.

Having Millwood could really help the Bombers. An innings eater his entire career, Millwood has the potential to give the Yanks 180-190 solid innings. For argument’s sake, let’s just say that Sergio Mitre occupies the spot that Millwood doesn’t.

The only time that Mitre has cracked the 100-inning plateau was in 2007 when he threw 149 innings for the Marlins. He was 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA. In my personal opinion, keeping Mitre out of the rotation is incentive enough to sign Millwood.

Remember that Chris Carpenter to the Yankees rumor?

Well, you can forget about that one now.

I’m not sure how reliable that rumor was, but it’s moot now. The Cardinals will be extremely reluctant to trade their ace now that his co-ace has gone down for the season. 

Adam Wainwright’s injury affects more than just the Cardinals.  The Yankees will have to fight even harder to attract some of the remaining free agent arms.  If not, the Yankees are going to have to catch lightning in a bottle in 2011 and hope that Hughes, Burnett and the fourth and fifth starters will produce.

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Though among the league’s worst last season, Kevin Millwood is among the top pitchers still available on the free agent market. He posted an atrocious 4-16 record coupled with an awful 5.10 ERA last season with the Baltimore Orioles. 

Aside from the previously mentioned facts, Millwood’s WHIP last season was 1.51 and his 16 losses were the highest in the AL and tied for most in the majors with Rodrigo Lopez. 

Of Millwood’s four wins last year, two of them came in June. The other two came after Buck Showalter came to town, though Millwood’s pitching inefficiency can’t be blamed on just his team.

Under Showalter, the Orioles had the third-best record in baseball during the time Showalter came in—they went 34-23 in August-September-October..

While he is 36 years old and is definitely past his prime, Millwood can still pitch effectively. Millwood went 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA in 2009, which is top-notch compared to his stats this past season.

And we can’t forget that until Buck Showalter showed up in August last season, the Orioles were a team that was scorned and mocked.

But does Kevin Millwood still have potential for the future?

Granted, Millwood had one of the worst season of his career last year, and one of the worst seasons by a starting pitcher in recent memory.

However, his stats from 2009 and 2008 aren’t that bad—he compiled a 24-20 record in those two seasons. There is, although slim, a possibility that Kevin Millwood could still pitch well next season. 

Many teams have shown interest in Millwood now that the offseason is winding down.

Regardless of how much interest, teams that have inquired about Millwood include the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Indians, the Orioles, and, most recently, the New York Yankees.

Wait a minute…the Yankees? They might want Millwood?

That’s right. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you.

After signing veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to minor league deals, the Yankees are still looking for pitching and announced on Friday that they would consider signing Millwood.

The Indians have shown the most interest but aren’t willing to sign Millwood to a contract worth $4 million or more, which is Millwood’s asking price.

Either way, the Indians have also said that they would rather sign a minor league pitcher, so a deal is not necessarily imminent.

There’s also the possibility that Millwood could return to his team last season, the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles have reshaped their team this offseason, among the highlights being the acquisition of Mark Reynolds and the signing of Vladimir Guerrero and free-agent pitcher Justin Duscherer. But is there still room for Millwood on the Orioles’ roster? 

By the looks of it, even if signed to a minor-league deal, many teams believe that Kevin Millwood’s gas tank isn’t quite empty just yet.

Millwood’s agent, Scott Boras, has tried persuading teams that Millwood still has what it takes to be a good pitcher.

But does he?

Could Kevin Millwood, in fact, be next season’s comeback player?

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Via Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated:

Yankees still considering millwood. Innings eater. #canthurt

It seems like every couple of days Heyman tweets something connecting the Yankees and Kevin Millwood. From what we heard, though, Millwood is looking for at least $4-5 million to sign with a team, and last we heard, that was too much for the Yankees.

Without other suitors aggressively making moves though it seems like his price will have to drop. Pitchers and catchers are due on Monday, so hopefully that price drop will happen before then.

As it currently stands, the Yankees have two open rotation spots. It is assumed that Ivan Nova will get the fourth spot and Bartolo Colon, Sergio Mitre and Freddy Garcia will fight some prospects for the fifth and final rotation spot.

Related Stories

• February 6, 2011 — Rumors: Millwood Still Wants Too Much Money, Yankees Waiting
• February 3, 2011 — Rumors: Yankees Still In Contact with Kevin Millwood
• January 25, 2011 — 10 Available Free Agents that Fit the Yankees
• January 20, 2011 — Rumors: Yankees Definitely Interested in Millwood if Pettitte Retires

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The Cubs managed to get Carlos Pena for only $5 mil this year ($5 mil deferred until 2012) and stole Kerry Wood for $1.5 mil.  Factoring in arbitration raises though, they only have a few mil left to work with, so what are the rest of the possibilities for the Cubs offseason?  In this article I’ll look at free agent possibilities and later will look at trade possibilities:

The position players all look set and will probably break down to 13 people:

Starting lineup:   Castro, Colvin, Byrd, Ramirez, Pena, Soriano, Soto, Dewitt

Bench: Fukudome, Baker, Barney, Hill

As always, no great leadoff options and Hill’s offense is nonexistent.  Having said that, Fukudome makes  a more than capable backup in case Soriano continues his 3 year decline or Colvin suffers from the sophomore slump.  I like Baker in a platoon at 2B with Dewitt but not crazy about Pena playing everyday as he’s always struggled against lefthanders….an average lineup at best, unless Ramirez rounds back into a 110-RBI threat in his contract year.

Possibilities: Not much affordable that’s still out there since the Cubs already missed the boat on a couple of possibilities.  SF only paid $1 mil for Pat Burrell to come back and I would’ve offered $2.5 to make him the right-handed part of a RF-platoon.  They could still go out and get Reed Johnson back for $1.2 mil to spell Tyler Colvin against left-handed pitchers and provide late-inning defense for Soriano.  In the infield, what about Cristian Guzman as a superutility player and right-handed platoon option?  He does have a .329 avg and .816 OPS against left-handed pitching the last 3 years, so you could play him at 2B and Jeff Baker at 1B for 6 innings until the other team’s bullpen comes in.….if Bill Hall can get $3 mil, I might offer this to Guzman only if the club can’t afford to get anybody else on the roster.  Otherwise, might offer Mike Lowell $1 mil to be the platoon 1B option and bat off the bench.

Current Grade:  C

Starting rotation: Zambrano, Dempster, Silva, Wells, Gorzelanny

Say what you will, but Zambrano managed to turn around his season once he was back in the rotation for good, and Dempster has continued to surprise me by throwing  great innings for a 3^rd consecutive year. Wells and Gorzelanny are average starters for the back end and Silva’s always an injury risk.

Possibilities: I see Casey Coleman getting lots of average fill-in innings once again. Although I’d prefer having a low-base guy like Brandon Webb or Chris Young waiting in the wings, I see them signing for more with other clubs….if you can’t get either of them, Kevin Millwood’s stock has never been lower so you could probably get him for just $2 mil plus incentives….this might all change if Andrew Cashner looks good as a starter during spring training and unfortunately I don’t see them trading Silva now while the free agent market looks as bad as it does for teams looking for pitchers….

Current Grade: C+

Bullpen: Marmol, Marshall, Wood, Grabow, Cashner, Samardzija, Maine

The late innings look good and I expect Grabow to bounce back as a decent middle reliever (although a really expensive one at $4.8 mil…..)  This is Samardzija’s last year and the club is paying him $3.5 mil so I expect him to get his final shot at a bullpen spot in spring training.  Scott Maine impressed down the stretch last year so lets hope he doesn’t turn into another pumpkin like Esmailin Caridad and Justin Berg did this year after their 2009 stretch runs……

Possibilities:  This is the one area where I think the Cubs will probably make their remaining moves. Middle-relief is thin again and they could probably use a left-handed specialist.  I might offer Joe Beimel $2.25 mil annually to fill that role, and if he turns the club down offer $1.5 to Lance Cormier. Strangely, Cormier is a right-hander who has been better against left-handers, with a 3-year OPS-against-lefthanders of .686.  Brian Fuentes, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch will probably all cost $4 mil or more, so I would take a flier on Takashi Saito.  Strangely, this guy continues to fly under the radar but there have been few relievers in the last five years that have been as good as this guy if you really crunch the numbers. He’s terrific against left-handers and even better against right-handers.  Many teams will try to lowball him with incentive-laden deals due to his advanced age and injury concerns, but I would offer a deal guaranteed to blow away the competition: 1-year, $3.5 mil guaranteed, with vesting option for 2012 based on innings pitched.

Current Grade:  C+

Final free agent possibilities: 

Player                                   Role                                                                                       Contract

Reed Johnson                   4^th OF against LH pitchers                                              1 year, $1.2 mil

Mike Lowell                        1B against LH pitchers and RH bat bench                1 year, $1 mil

Kevin Millwood                 5^th starting pitcher                                                           1 year, $2 mil guaranteed

Joe Beimel                          LOOGY relief specialist                                                   2 years, $2 mil in 2011

Takashi Saito                      right-handed relief, 7^th inning                                     1 year, $2.5 mil with $1 buyout

Total cost in 2011:  $8.7 mil

Ultimately, the everyday lineup and starting rotation still aren’t great but the bullpen and bench are a little better.  That might be all we can hope for this offseason before some of the big contracts (Ramirez, Fukudome, Silva, Grabow, Samardzija) come off the books after 2011…

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General Manager Andy MacPhail has made it public that he will be aggressive in trying to sign players in an attempt to improve an Orioles team that actually impressed people over the final two months of the season.

That being said, very little is being said about the players that were on the roster last season that are currently free agents and whether or not to sign them.

Here is the list of the seven major free agents the Orioles will be at risk to lose and whether or not they should be in Baltimore next season.

Begin Slideshow

Yes, I know, the World Series isn’t even half-way over, so the term “offseason” is a bit premature.

That said, a lot has happened in the Charm City since the season ended. Let’s start at the top.

Buck Showalter and the Coaching Carousel

At one time, it looked like the Orioles might retain all the coaches that finished the season with Showalter. That clearly isn’t the case anymore. The first domino to fall was former hitting coach Terry Crowley, who was moved to another position within the organization.

Then the news broke a few days ago that the O’s were looking at Jim Presley, a former infielder with the Mariners, Braves and Padres. “Hound Dog” Presley served as hitting coach for the Marlins for the past five years before being ousted along with manager Fredi Gonzalez. Hitters who blossomed under Presley’s tutelage include Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu.

The Mark Connor emerged as the leading candidate to replace pitching coach Rick Kranitz. And although Kranitz hasn’t officially been ousted, the relationship that Showalter has with Connor, that dates back to their days in Arizona, makes the move look fairly imminent.

Then it was announced that Rick Adair, formerly of the Seattle Mariners, but also the Tigers, Indians, Braves, and Blue Jays, would become the Orioles bullpen coach. Adair replaces Alan Dunn, who has held that same position since 2007.

And the word on the street (and web) is that Showalter is a huge fan of former Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu, and is luring him to Baltimore to become the bench coach, forcing Jeff Datz out of a job. Wakamatsu and Show go way back to their days in the AL West, and Buck has always been a big supporter of him, even as he was being forced out of Seattle this past season.

As is stands, the only member of the coaching staff that is set to return in his role is first base coach John Shelby. Third base coach Gary Allenson hasn’t yet been offered any sort of extension to stay on, but has been told that he will be offered his old position (manager of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides) if Showalter decides to go another direction at third base.

Hiroyuki Nakajima: Will He or Won’t He?

The Orioles have been widely rumored to be in the running for Nakajima’s services should be be posted and allowed to come play in the States. 

The 28-year-old shortstop is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in Japan, and hit .309 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI in 2009. He also stole 20 bases, giving him back-to-back 20-plus steal seasons. This season he hit .314 with 20 homers. Since breaking in with the Seibu Lions in 2002, Nakajima has posted five .300-plus seasons, three 20-plus homer seasons and has driven in at least 63 runs in each season.

Many believed that Seibu would allow him to post and make the jump to MLB, but two days ago, the Lions announced that they were refusing to allow him that privilege.

And just when you thought it was over, and the Orioles would either have to settle for another year of Cesar Izturis (which isn’t the worst thing), word broke today that Nakajima was going to meet again with Seibu to try to convince them to let him try his hand in the U.S.

Arizona Fall League Update

Just in case you hadn’t been paying attention to the Orioles playing in the AFL this year, you might be surprised to know that the squad made up of Nationals, Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Orioles is currently sitting in first-place, with a two-game lead.

Representing the Orioles, second-baseman Ryan Adams has been a revelation. Against very talented pitching the 23-year-old has more than held his own, hitting .289, busting out of an 0-for-6 slump with a two-double, three-RBI effort last-night. Adams ranks sixth in the circuit with 11 RBI and was named co-AFL player of the week.

Also playing in the AFL are shortstop Greg Miclat, who is hitting an impressive .297, and Xavier Avery, who has been much less impressive, hitting a mere .200 in 35 at-bats. To his credit, he does have five stolen bases in five attempts.

And another player who is receiving much less playing time is catcher Caleb Joseph, who’s hitting .368 in only 19 at-bats.

On the mound in Arizona, the Orioles have Pat Egan, who has a 4.05 ERA and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work, Oliver Drake, who has posted a 5.79 ERA over three outings, Kam Mickolio who has an impressive seven strikeouts in only 5.2 innings, and Wynn Pelzer, who has a 5:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in five innings.

Another player who had been schedule to get some at-bats was Tyler Townsend, who made four plate appearances before heading back to Baltimore. He will miss the rest of the AFL season to have surgery to remove a cyst in his hand.

Possible Free Agent Compensation

Each season when free agents depart a given team they are given a final ranking, and those players who are deemed worthy of an “A” or “B” rank leave their team with an extra draft choice in either the first or second supplemental round of the first-year player draft.

This season the O’s have two “B” candidates: Kevin Millwood and Koji Uehara. The team is widely expected to bring back Uehara, who pitched brilliantly down the stretch, but in letting Millwood walk, the team would pick up an extra pick after the second round.

Free Agency Updates

Not much to share here. The O’s are eying a couple of free agents, most notably former Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez, former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, and former Brave Derrek Lee.

It doesn’t look like the O’s will do much to spruce up their young rotation unless they can make the perfect move.

Shortstop, first base, third base and left field are all areas of concern for the Orioles, or at least areas where they could do better than Izturis, Brandon Snyder/Michael Aubrey/Rhyne Hughes, Josh Bell and Felix Pie.

Another interesting option is Phillies’ Jayson Werth. A one-time Oriole prospect, Werth flourished upon his move to Philadelphia and is one of the top free-agent outfielders available. Not only would he fill a need in left field, but it would give the Orioles a much-needed power presence.

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