Dan Duquette spoke with reporters during tonight's game in Boston.
Here is Duquette on various topics:
On the signing of Jamie Moyer to a minor league deal: "Jamie Moyer is a veteran pitcher and he has been a winning pitcher and we are going to see if he can help us. He is going to take a couple starts at Triple-A, and if he can do well, he then will be in a position where we can put him on the ballclub."
More on Moyer: "He is not that far removed from (Tommy John) surgery, so there is a chance he could regain his previous form by continuing to pitch. A lot of veteran pitchers sometimes it takes a little bit longer to get into the length of the season until they come around. We'll see if that is the case. But Jamie has won a lot of games. He's a good role model and has had some success."
On Moyer's timeline: "A couple weeks, a couple of starts and if he is doing well …."
On whether there is an opt-out in the contract: "We agreed to give it a few starts. He's a veteran player and he'll know. And if he can help us, he can help us."
On the Orioles drafting Ryan Ripken, Cal's son, in the 20th round: "The Ripken family has had a long association with the Orioles. His grandfather was there, his father was there and he's a good athlete. He's a good athlete in his own right. We thought it was the right thing to do, to draft him. He's got a good opportunity to go to [the University of] South Carolina. We expect he'll go to South Carolina. But we thought it was the right thing to do to draft him today."
On drafting local products: "We are putting an emphasis on drafting and signing local players."
Also Duquette said that veterans Joel Pineiro and Dontrelle Willis are currently pitching in extended spring. He said Pineiro (shoulder) threw a couple innings this week. Willis is getting close to rejoining Triple-A Norfolk: "The D-Train is back on track. He is down there pitching … and is just about ready to go up."
On signing Nate McLouth to a minor-league deal: "He's been a quality major league outfielder. He didn't perform that well for Pittsburgh this year, but he is only 30 years old."
On the Orioles' 2012 amateur draft: "We accomplished a couple things in the draft, primarily giving us some pitching depth. [High school shortstop] Adrian Marin, the third round pick, is a top athlete. The kid [fourth-rounder Christian Walker] out of South Carolina is a quality hitter."