More reports are surfacing that Andy MacPhail will not return as the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, but he refuses to confirm or deny the rumors.
Such rumors surfaced earlier in the year not long after owner Peter Angelos said that MacPhail wouldn't be going anywhere despite the fact that his contract runs out at the end of the season.
MacPhail has been non-committal about his role going forward, saying he simply wanted to let the season play out and see how things fall.
Buck Showalter and Angelos have been meeting quite often throughout the season. The two are certainly trying to build a relationship, but the meetings also likely focus on how the club should procede if MacPhail opts not to return.
Would Showalter possibly move into the front office? I'm sure he would enjoy the opportunity, but I get the feeling that he would miss working with the players and the competition between the white lines.
Instead, I would think Showalter is looking to hand-pick MacPhail's successor, bringing in someone with whom he is comfortable. John Hart, who currently works for the MLB Network, seems like a logical choice.
Hart spent considerable time working with Showalter when he was the general manager of the Texas Rangers. He played a role in building the Rangers into the winning team they are today and seems like a logical choice.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has also been a name floated out there, but that doesn't seem to be the best fit. Cashman has done a pretty good job in New York, but the O's don't have the kind of resources he is used to.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming months and what other names will emerge as possible candidates for the O's GM job should it become available.
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