Orioles owner Peter Angelos and manager Mike Hargrove were pulling for bench coach Sam Perlozzo to land the Seattle Mariners' managing job last week, but when he didn't get it, they were both glad to have him back.
Perlozzo's contract with the Orioles has expired, but Angelos said he'll be back, along with the rest of the coaching staff.
"He's an excellent coach and a fine guy," Angelos said. "I'm sorry for him that he didn't get [the Seattle job], but it's good for us."
The Mariners interviewed 12 candidates for the position, then narrowed the field to four finalists, including Perlozzo, before ultimately selecting former Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach and former Orioles catcher Bob Melvin.
"I was really surprised [Perlozzo] didn't get that job out there," Hargrove said. "I think it'll only be a matter of time before he's a manager."
Singleton still on block
The Orioles were willing to send center fielder Chris Singleton to the Oakland Athletics in a package for pitcher Cory Lidle, but Oakland wanted two top prospects for Lidle instead. The A's traded Lidle to the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend for Double-A infielder/outfielder Mike Rouse and Single-A pitcher Chris Mowday.
Orioles vice president for baseball operations Syd Thrift said he still has three or four potential suitors for Singleton, and Oakland is believed to be one of them. Singleton became expendable when Gary Matthews blossomed into an everyday player after being acquired from the New York Mets. The Orioles also have center fielder Luis Matos on their 40-man roster.
"Some teams have no center fielder; we have three," Thrift said, explaining the interest in Singleton.
Search continues
Angelos hopes to name a replacement for Thrift by the end of the week. As of last evening, the owner was still deciding whether to bring in more candidates for interviews.
The Orioles have already interviewed six external candidates and have former Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan waiting in the wings.
Around the horn
The Orioles added Albert Belle and David Segui to the 40-man roster from the 60-day disabled list. Belle, who hasn't played since 2000 but has one year left on his contract, remains on the roster for insurance purposes. Teams must set their 40-man rosters by Wednesday. ... Orioles special assistant to the vice president Mel Didier was an honorary captain for Louisiana State at Saturday's football game against Alabama. Didier was a football and baseball standout at LSU in his college days.