Dan Duquette has made it clear that the Baltimore Orioles are interested in bringing back Mark Reynolds in 2013, just not at $11 million. The team declined Reynolds option and Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that he is expected to be non-tendered if a new deal isn’t in place by Friday’s deadline.
“We could negotiate a deal with him, which we’re exploring,” Duquette said according to Kubatko. “That’s what we’ll be doing between now and Friday.”
And the feeling is apparently mutual.
However, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that the Orioles have had “no talks” with Reynolds’ on a potential deal for next season. “Zero negotiations as of right now,” Ghiroli tweeted.
While communication has been sparse between the two sides, executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette didn’t rule out the possibility of retaining Reynolds when reached by phone Tuesday night.
“We could explore a deal between now and the tender date,” Duquette said. “We’ve had some conversations with him and his agent. Some continuous discussions.”
Based on zero insider information or actual knowledge, I still think Reynolds will be back in an Orioles uniform next season. The free agent market for first baseman is weak and he proved to be a valuable asset for the O’s on defense. Perhaps the money isn’t right quite yet, but I have faith that both sides will find some common ground and get a deal done.
I’d give him 2 years, $16 million. It gives him some stability and a bigger paycheck.
WE ALL WANT MARK REYNOLDS BACK IN 2013!!!!!!!