BALTIMORE -- Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette had hoped to have more activity before the holidays.
"I thought there would be a few more deals done by now," said Duquette, who is still looking for a left-handed hitter and rotation upgrades.
• Hot Stove Tracker
Still, the team has made late signings in previous years -- adding the likes of Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez -- and Duquette said the organization is actively working toward bringing in a few more players before Spring Training. That could make January an interesting month.
Off the board already are several starters who interested the O's, including lefty Scott Kazmir, who recently landed a three-year, $48 million deal with the Dodgers. Kazmir has an opt-out clause after his first season, which turned off the Orioles.
"Some of the [contract] structures wouldn't work for us in Baltimore, based on the market," Duquette said. "But we are still looking around."
With the loss of Wei-Yin Chen to free agency, adding a lefty has always been more attractive, although Duquette said Tuesday that wouldn't preclude the organization from adding a right-hander if the O's thought it would bolster the rotation. Baltimore was linked to left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo by ESPN on Tuesday, and creating a lefty-heavy relief corps could help balance out the rotation.
Duquette said Tuesday there was nothing new to report on the progress regarding free-agent slugger Chris Davis. The O's continue to look for other options, with a slew of available outfielders. MLB.com reported last week that the Orioles had interest in Yoenis Cespedes, and Baltimore has also been linked to Justin Upton,Dexter Fowler and Denard Span.
"We are still trying to strengthen our team," Duquette said. "And have good balance to our pitching and our hitting."