Dan Connolly

Is Dan Duquette done dealing after the Miley trade? He’s never really done dealing

By Dan Connolly

Posted on August 1, 2016

As soon as the Wade Miley trade became official Sunday night, I immediately received the same question from various people.

Will the Orioles continue to try and make moves before Monday’s 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline or is Sunday’s acquisition of Miley from Seattle for Triple-A lefty Ariel Miranda all the club will do?

I asked the same of several Oriole types Sunday night, and the consensus is this: Dan Duquette’s never done. No one can predict what he’ll do or whether it will have any lasting significance, but Duquette doesn’t ever put the fishing pole away.

So, yeah, he may add another piece before today’s deadline. I’d call it 50-50.

I would think what would make most sense is acquiring a lefty reliever, a Boone Logan type. Or Duquette could get back into discussions for an outfielder – though a fourth outfielder is much more likely than a Jay Bruce-type. As I’ve written for, well, a long time, the Orioles don’t have the upper echelon prospects to win a sweepstakes for a huge name.

As for starting pitching, I would think the Miley trade doesn’t preclude the Orioles from trading for another starter, but it makes it more unlikely. Given the industry-wide competition for rotation help, acquiring any starting pitcher is difficult right now. Landing two is darn near heroic.

That said, the Orioles basically have the same trade chips they did before the Miley deal. Losing Miranda, listed before the season by Baseball America as the organization’s 23rd prospect, doesn’t change that landscape.

And the Orioles aren’t exactly swimming in quality starters right now, so, theoretically, I’d imagine Duquette has not closed the door completely on adding another one. But it’s no longer as dire of a need (but, in my opinion, it’s still a need).

One thing that must be remembered if Jeremy Hellickson or Matt Moore or Ervin Santana end up somewhere else Monday: Duquette can still make trades in August. And he will.

I say that not because I have a crystal ball or sparkling insider information. I say it because that’s what Duquette does. He makes deals into August, when players have to first pass through trade waivers before they can switch teams.

Duquette hasn’t done the blockbuster in Baltimore, but he has completed several incremental August additions, whether it was Mike Morse or Joe Saunders or Kelly Johnson. It won’t be sexy, but it likely will be somebody you’ve heard of – and perhaps had forgotten.

Duquette is the ultimate architect beyond the margins. And, though most fans would prefer him working within familiar parameters more often, Duquette does the job a certain way. And his teams consistently win more than they lose.

So, no, he’s not closing up shop with one Miley to go. He’s going to keep pounding the pavement to see what else shakes loose Monday or at some point in August.

Good or bad, it’s what he does.