Orioles select three players in Rule 5 draft, adding to Dan Duquette’s extensive Rule 5 history

It’s no surprise that the Orioles were active in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Since Dan Duquette took the reins as executive vice president in 2011, the Orioles have made at least one selection in the Rule 5 draft every year. What was surprising, though, was that the Orioles selected three players Thursday...

VIDEO: Dan Connolly discusses the Manny Machado trade rumors

Tap-In Question: Which internal option — besides Gausman and Bundy — do you trust most for the 2018 Orioles’ rotation?

Thanks for patronizing the Tap Room today, and thanks for not complaining about the lack of holiday decorations in this joint. It’s still November. I’m not falling for the whole “holiday commercialism thing” yet. At least not in here. At my house, we already have the Christmas lights up ad the tree...

Tap-In Question: Is Chance Sisco a slam-dunk for your 2018 Opening Day roster?

While we wade through the “Orioles have interest in fill-in-name starting pitcher” reports, all of which seem both obvious and premature to those who have spent a nanosecond paying attention to this team this past season and in recent history, I thought I’d bring another issue into the Tap Room today. It’s...

Tap-In Question: Should a team’s record have any impact on MLB’s MVP races?

One of the things I like about this joint is that we have plenty of old-school thinkers and a bunch of new-aged baseball philosophers. We can talk about advanced statistics and the way it used to be and meet somewhere in the middle. I like to think as I’ve progressed as a...

Tap-In Question: What do you do with Britton?

We care about the environment here at Connolly’s. We like to recycle. So, let’s do this again. Let’s discuss what you would do with closer Zach Britton. Yep, we’ve been here before. But this week, with the general manager meetings going on – the GM meetings are the precursor to December’s winter...

1970 Orioles versus 2017 Astros in a battle of 100-win champs — here’s a guess at who’d win the fictional Series and how they’d do it

The Houston Astros made history in winning the 2017 World Series, and not just because they brought the franchise its first championship. The Astros (101-61), in besting the Los Angeles Dodgers (104-58), became the first 100-win club in 47 years to defeat a fellow 100-win team in the World Series. The last...

Tap-In Question: What’s the greatest World Series that you personally remember?

I’ve discussed several times in the Tap Room about how much I love the World Series. The only championship that comes close for me is the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness), but it is a distant second. Because I love the pitch-by-pitch drama when a World Series is hotly contested. And,...

Tap-In Question: If you could make one move for the Orioles this offseason, what would it be?

The World Series ends this week – either Tuesday or Wednesday. The next morning, at 9 a.m. EST, pending free agents are no longer attached to their 2017 teams, and not long after that, once qualifying offers are tendered/accepted/rejected, the feeding frenzy can begin. The Orioles have no “qualifying offer” questions this...