The MLB Winter Meetings is two weeks away and there will finally be some action to talk about as the off-season has remained relatively quiet since the end of the World Series. There have been plenty of rumors however; especially involving the Orioles with the many needs this team has in order to put together a team to get back to the playoffs next season.

ANGELOS INVOLVED IN DAVIS NEGOTIATIONS

This shouldn’t be a surprise is expected when a team will have to commit six or seven years and roughly $22-25 million a season, but I still find it encouraging. This shows it is not all smoke and mirrors that the team is serious about keeping Chris Davis around. Also consider that Dan Duquette has said that Matt Wieters accepting the qualifying offer does not preclude the organization from signing Davis or any other free agent and there’s optimism that “Crush Davis” is back in orange and black next year.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweeted out earlier that the O’s are serious about prospect Trey Mancini as a fallback option if they are unable to sign Davis. After last off-season filled with “what ifs” and most not working out, it will be very tough for the front office to sell Mancini as Davis’ replacement. I think Mancini has a bright future, but probably needs more time in the minor leagues before being a realistic option with the O’s. If the team is able to come to terms with Davis, Mancini’s future could come as a corner outfielder or as a trade piece to fill another need.

O’DAY IS GOOD AS GONE

Unfortunately, the organization has to prioritize where they want to spend their money and Darren O’Day is quickly becoming too expensive to retain. The Washington Nationals are the latest team to jump into the O’Day sweepstakes and they join a very long list of interested teams. We all know how important O’Day is, but at the end of the day, he is a set-up man and if the Orioles are truly on a strict budget, he is – and should be – the odd man out. I am a big believer in not spending money on the bullpen which is why I am OK with the organization parting ways with O’Day due to his escalating price.

I think Mychal Givens and Brad Brach can easily slide into the eighth inning role and be very effective. O’Day and Zach Britton had no experience in their roles before given the opportunity and they excelled and I think the same will happen with Givens and Brach.

ORIOLES INTERESTED IN TRADING FOR BRUCE

The Orioles can be interested in trading for as many players as they want, but to have the players to part with to get the guys they want is where the challenge lies. Crasnick mentioned that exact issue as well earlier – he had a couple of solid O’s tweets, so I encourage everyone to take a look at his timeline – and he is completely correct. The players other teams are asking for are the players the O’s are trying to build around in Kevin Gausman, Jonathan Schoop, Mancini, and even Dariel Alvarez. Jay Bruce would provide power and fill a position of need in the outfield, but he had an on base percentage of .294 which was lower than Adam Jones last season. We all know this team needs to add players who are known to get on base, not acquire guys who have lower on base percentages than the free-swinging Jones. Bruce did walk 58 times which would have ranked third on the team and his .226 batting average played a huge part in why his OBP was so low. He has a career on base percentage of .319, but that is still not the upgrade this offense needs heading into next season.

Bruce may become a fallback option if Davis signs elsewhere as they will try and find someone who has the potential to hit 30 home runs, a feat Bruce has managed three times in his career.