They’ve finally found their man. Er, a man.
According to Baltimore sports reporter Jen Royle, the Orioles have officially hired Dan Duqette to be their next general manager and will introduce him at a press conference Tuesday at Camden Yards.
Duquette served as the Expos’ general manager from 1992-1994 before taking the same position with the Red Sox for eight seasons. He’s been out of baseball since 2002, but the 53-year-old has a background in scouting and player development, and he boasts a strong resume that includes many successful drafts.
The Orioles won’t be able to escape the fact that they were turned down by multiple candidates before settling on Duquette, but he’s a fine fit for the role and will succeed if given the right resources.
Duquette’s primary challenge will be to turn around a Baltimore pitching staff that registered a league-worst 4.89 ERA this past season. The 29th-ranked Twins pitching staff had a 4.58 team ERA.
