Baltimore Orioles: The Latest Dan Duquette Comments

May 6, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters (32) talks with manager Buck Showalter (26) prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The most recent comments on the Baltimore Orioles and their offseason were given by Dan Duquette last night (Tuesday evening) on the Brett Hollander program on WBAL.

There were no new themes or previously unheard perspectives, but it is always interesting and instructive to get a taste of what the O’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations is thinking about at any moment in time. Many fans probably presume he is thinking about what to buy at the baseball equivalent of K-Mart.

But here are a few topics discussed…

Regarding the Signing of Matt Wieters

As always, Duquette rehearsed the strengths of the player being discussed, speaking of Wieters and his rare switch-hitting ability from the catcher position to hit the ball out of the park from both sides. He spoke also of Matt’s ability to work with the staff, along with his track record that includes being an All-Star.

But Duquette seemed genuinely surprised that Wieters took the qualifying offer, saying …

"“I was a little bit surprised. Some of the things that I had seen and heard were that he would get a multi-year offer from another club. But we were prepared either way. Overall, I thought it was good that he accepted … I know that he is determined to have a very good year coming back from the injury he had.”"

DD acknowledged the fact about accepting qualifying offers (even though none had done it before this past week) … “The one-year contract is good; the pay is good!”

And further talking about Wieters’ decision and his conversation with the Birds’ catcher, Duquette quoted him as saying, “I’m real comfortable here; I enjoy playing here; my family likes it here and this is a good place for me.”

And you have to like hearing that. This would not have been something that would have been heard about the Baltimore Orioles prior to the Showalter era.

Regarding the Free Agent System

Duquette registered an overall like for the free agent system with qualifying offers, etc. He said …

"“I think it works out from a club perspective … It has shown it is a drag on some of these free agent salaries, so the players don’t like it.”"

Regarding When the Free Agent Market Will Heat Up

When asked by Hollander when the free agent market will open up and see some movement. This led to a laugh from DD who said, “Any day!”

But he went on to speak of a reasonable reality that is behind the scenes, saying that there needs to be time for a series of meetings between agents and clubs. Multiple conversations need to happen in order for the market price to get established for various players before actual deals can be solidified.

Duquette spoke about how the typical scenario is that a couple of the top free agents will sign, and then it gets going to the next tier and so on.

Regarding Budget and Flexibility

Of course, Duquette repeated the line that he feels the Orioles have some good inventory of interest to other teams. He also spoke of monetary flexibility and the certainty that players will be signed — speaking particularly of adding pitching and outfielders (no comment about Chris Davis).

As always, DD reminded the fanbase of the foundation strength of the Orioles in terms of the solid core of players up the middle, beginning with catcher, and then on to shortstop J.J. Hardy, second baseman Jonathan Schoop, and center fielder Adam Jones. “So that’s a good place to start in building your team,” he said.