Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette on Saturday at the team's annual FanFest event said that he is "committed to building a contending club this season," but he did not address "his long-term future beyond the upcoming season," according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore SUN. Duquette, in his first comments since being linked to the Blue Jays presidency said, "It's important for the Orioles fans to know that my focus -- and my singular focus -- is on improving the team." Fans "realized that Duquette's uncertain future with the club was a prevailing topic this offseason," and gave him a "warm reception and partial standing ovation" upon taking the stage. During a Q&A with season-ticket holders, manager Buck Showalter and VP/Baseball Operations Brady Anderson "both jokingly moved their chairs away from Duquette" when asked about other teams wanting to steal the Orioles' people. Anderson said that there is "no doubt that Duquette was always focused on the Orioles and will remain committed to building a contending club." Anderson: "The job that Dan was offered was really unusual in baseball. They don't really exist. There are three or four teams. It's a huge job and I can see why the idea of that was really appealing to him. It's a rare job and a very big job." Encina noted the "more than 16,000 attendees" Saturday exceeded all previous FanFest events with the exception of 18,000 fans in '13. (Baltimore SUN, 2/1). Duquette said being the subject of rumors “was a unique experience," but added “there was substance” to the reports that he was offered a position as Blue Jays President. CSNBALTIMORE.com's, Rich Dubroff noted the Blue Jays last week "reportedly cut off negotiations with the Orioles and announced that Paul Beeston will stay as president" for '15. Duquette said, "When you have a good team, other people take notice. My singular focus is on building the team" (CSNBALTIMORE.com, 1/31).
BUSINESS AS USUAL: In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote of Duquette's admitting his focus is on improving the Orioles, "I'm still wondering why Duquette felt that he couldn't articulate that publicly during the eight weeks of on-again, off-again media speculation about his future, if only to counter the appearance that the front office was in limbo while some of the Orioles' division rivals were making major offseason upgrades." Duquette is "well-known for his deliberate and conservative approach to offseason team-building and the club was in much the same position at this time last year." Showalter said that the front office "has been operating normally and the team would have remained on course even if Duquette had gotten permission" from Orioles Owner Peter Angelos to "accept the big promotion from the Blue Jays." Schmuck: "It was fair to assume that many of the announced 16,000-plus fans who showed up at Baltimore Convention Center came looking for answers to the questions that cast a shadow over the winter and threatened to alter the trajectory of the franchise" (Baltimore SUN, 2/1).
