Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com--who previously worked in Baltimore for a long time--reports that “the tension in management is reaching a breaking point” within the Orioles. In other words, manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette are having some major issues.
Publicly at least both Showalter and Duquette say things are just fine, but Rosenthal reports that “Showalter is frustrated with Duquette and wants greater involvement in personnel decisions.” With both parties under contract through 2018 and the Orioles in the midst of a very strong run of overall success it would be an ugly breakout, if it comes to that of course.
It’s also worth noting that Showalter has a reputation for wearing out his welcome in numerous places after initially being well-liked and successful. In this case Rosenthal says he doesn’t want to become the GM himself, but perhaps wants someone other than Duquette in charge of building his roster. Toss in Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, and Wei-Yin Chen all being eligible for free agency next month and it’s a hugely important offseason in Baltimore.