LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - If Dan Duquette arrived at the winter meetings feeling the pressure to do something immediately, he didn't show it on Monday.
The Baltimore Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations didn't pull off a major trade or signing. But, he's confident he will.
"We should be adding a couple of players by the end of the week," Duquette said.
The players could be added by free agent signings or trades.
"We met with a lot of people. I can tell you that," Duquette said.
It was a quiet first day of the winter meetings, which run through Thursday.
Baltimore will probably take a player in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday. In the last two years, they've added infielder Ryan Flaherty and pitcher T.J. McFarland.
The Orioles would like to add a left fielder, a left-handed hitting designated hitter, another starting pitcher and a closer to replace the departed Jim Johnson. They also may add another second baseman.
""We met with several agents and a couple of teams on the trade front. We were trying to find what our options are on the left-handed hitter," Duquette said." We've been working on that most of the day, and we've been taking a look at the pitcher market."
Baltimore was linked with several players in Monday trade chatter: pitcher Bartolo Colon, outfielders Nelson Cruz and Logan Morrison.
Colon and Cruz both have suspensions for performance-enhancing-drugs on their resume. Duquette said it wouldn't automatically eliminate them from consideration.
"The club has to do its due diligence on all the players, and the performance-enhancing drugs are just another area the clubs have to look carefully at," Duquette said. "It's really a fact of life now."
MACPHAIL'S BACK: In October 2011, Andy MacPhail left his position as the team's president of baseball operations. He was succeeded by Dan Duquette.
In his first group interview with Baltimore reporters since he left, MacPhail said that he doesn't want to comment on the state of the Orioles.
"I'm a big believer in no comments from the peanut gallery," MacPhail said. "I just try to keep, when you're out, you're out. You chose to go out and you should stay out of it and let people do their thing."
MacPhail said that what he misses most is this time of the year.
"I miss the offseason more than the season," he said.
He's proud of the deals that brought Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, J.J. Hardy, Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis to Baltimore. He also drafted Manny Machado and signed Matt Wieters shortly after he was named team president in June 2007.
"I'm pleased for them," MacPhail said. "I have a lot of admiration for a lot of that group and I am so pleased for some of the individuals, particularly somebody like Adam Jones, who I really think has grown as a player and as a person. I'm just delighted to see that. And I think the world of Buck [Showalter]. I think he's done a tremendous job. I think he's a real good fit for that franchise."
MacPhail also was behind getting the franchise's spring training home moved from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota. He deflected credit for that, and said that owner Peter Angelos spearheaded the move.
"All I did really was beg, cajole, complain," MacPhail said.
THREE FOR THE HALL: MacPhail was at the winter meetings to vote on the veterans committee, which unanimously elected former managers Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre to the Hall of Fame.
The three combined for nearly 7,600 wins and eight World Series winners.
No players were elected by the committee. Billy Martin, George Steinbrenner, and former Players Association leader Marvin Miller were not elected.
ODDS AND ENDS: The Orioles outrighted infielder Cord Phelps to Norfolk. ... The team will have a minicamp in Sarasota, Fla. from Jan. 13-16 for between 15 and 20 players, mostly young pitchers. ... RHP Ryan Webb will take his physical in Baltimore on Tuesday. The Orioles agreed to a two-year contract with the right-hander on Friday.
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