Orioles may miss the target(s)

[Providence A's]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/b...ck=1&cset=true

Just days before baseball's winter meetings, the Orioles have yet to shore up any of their weaknesses, and now it appears a couple of their targets will remain elsewhere next season.

The Orioles' pursuit of Los Angeles Angels free-agent pitcher Paul Byrd is all but over, according to one team official. The Orioles offered Byrd a two-year, $13 million deal plus an option, but the right-hander has attracted significant interest from other teams and could be looking at a contract similar to the three-year, $21 million deal that Washington Nationals pitcher Esteban Loaiza signed with the Oakland Athletics last week.

"I don't think we ever got to that point where we said this was a done deal," said Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan. "But we stepped up and certainly had serious talks. It all changed a little bit."

The Orioles appeared to be nearing a deal for the pitcher earlier this week, but they couldn't complete it. Byrd reportedly spent part of the week in Cleveland meeting with Indians officials. The Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers are also reportedly in the mix for the pitcher. Also, the deal that would have sent reliever Jorge Julio to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Kris Benson appears to be abandoned at this point, according to an industry source.

Flanagan, who will leave for Dallas on Monday for the meetings, along with several other Orioles officials, said that finding starting pitching remains a priority for the club.

A.J. Burnett, one of the top pitchers on the free-agent market, has yet to get an offer from the Orioles, who aren't interested in extending a five-year deal to the right-hander.

What a shame...they lost out on some of the pitchers they wanted last year, too. They're not going to get better until they get some better pitching.

[Providence A's]

Byrd just signed with the Indians