Matt Lindstrom

Orioles reliever Matt Lindstrom, despite his hopes, will not be activated today. Manager Buck Showalter said Lindstrom, assuming he checks out OK with the medical staff, will be activated Wednesday. The assumption was that lefty Dana Eveland would be put on paternity leave, giving the Orioles at least three days to juggle their roster when activating Lindstrom. But Eveland's son, Asher Perry, was born Saturday night. So Eveland went home to be with his wife and will be back Tuesday night.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter pondered the question and then deftly evaded it. Just how good do you think right-hander Jason Hammel has a chance to be? Instead of answering, he reflected back on the deal last February that brought Hammel to the Orioles along with reliever Matt Lindstrom for veteran starter Jeremy Guthrie - a deal that was heavily criticized at the time for being one-sided in favor of the Colorado Rockies. "If I'd known then what I know now," Showalter said, "who knows what we would have given up for him. " The only thing anybody really knew about Hammel when he got here was that he was a big, rangy guy who threw hard and seemed to have a lot of untapped potential.

Here's Matt Lindstrom on his trade to Arizona (with a player to be named later) for cash and Joe Saunders. Lindstrom was 1-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 34 games with the Orioles.    Are you surprised by the deal? “Yeah, [I'm] surprised but also kind of excited. A little bittersweet, because the team here is doing so well and I really enjoyed being around my teammates, the guys in the clubhouse. I enjoyed competing with them but I'm looking forward to moving on to the next chapter in my career.” When did you hear about it?

The Orioles' official reporting day has been uneventful, so far. Some players are working out already, but the first organized pitcher/catcher workout will be Wednesday afternoon, following physicals. Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen spent some time with the Taiwanese media, but there is very limited media access today. General manager Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter will hold their first news briefing today at 12:30. Not expecting any startling revelations, but you never know. Duquette has been known to make significant moves late in the offseason.

Dan Duquette met with the Baltimore media about the deal today that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named to the Arizona Diamondbacks for lefty starter Joe Saunders and cash. Here's Duquette: On the trade: “We've liked Joe Saunders for quite a while, we've had some discussions (with him as a free agent in the winter). He's a local kid (Springfield, Va.). He's pitched in the American League. He's pitched in the playoffs. He's pitched in a tough ballpark in Arizona.

Needing to make room on the roster for Friday's starter Dana Eveland , the Orioles decided to place reliever Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list with a right middle finger injury. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after the game that Lindstrom's injury is being classified as a ligament sprain at this time. But the club hopes to get him a MRI on the finger Saturday. The belief was that the Orioles might have place a pitcher on the disabled list , but that conjecture surrounded starter Jason Hammel , who is dealing with a sore knee.

Heading into a new year, the Orioles have much of the same team as they did in 2012. That's by design, and apparently there is a push to continue that trend. The Orioles have re-signed left fielder Nate McLouth, maintain dialogue with lefty starter Joe Saunders and, according to an industry source, are among the clubs showing legitimate interest in signing right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom, whom the Orioles traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in August for Saunders. Lindstrom, 32, was 1-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 32 games with the Orioles, striking out 30 batters and walking 12 while allowing 35 hits in 36 1/3 innings.

The Orioles have placed right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom on the disabled list with a right middle finger injury in order to make space on the 25-man roster for tonight's starter, left-hander Dana Eveland. Eveland's contract was purchased from Triple-A Norfolk, and the Orioles designated minor-leaguer Zelous Wheeler for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster move. Lindstrom allowed his first earned runs of the season in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader (3 runs, two earned, in one inning)

The Orioles had their focus on Joe Saunders since he was on the free-agent market this offseason, and the club had been discussing the possibility of acquiring the left-hander in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the past few weeks. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette - always eager to add pitching depth - coveted Saunders' experience and the prospect of him helping the Orioles against some of the American League's lefty-laden lineups. On Sunday, the Orioles acquired the 31-year-old Saunders, along with cash considerations, for right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named after the season.

Free agent left-hander Randy Wolf is flying into Baltimore on Wednesday evening and will sign a contract with the Orioles, according to a source. Wolf, 36, was 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers this season before being released Aug. 22. He was not claimed on waivers, and therefore was eligible to sign with anyone for the prorated major league minimum. He has to be in the organization by Aug. 31 to be eligible for the postseason. Given his experience - he has appeared in 371 big-league games and made 366 starts in a 14-season career - he obviously will be signing in Baltimore to be on the 25-man roster.

The Orioles wanted to re-sign left-hander Joe Saunders, who played a significant role in the team's playoff run, but on Thursday evening the 31-year-old reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. Saunders, who was 3-3 with a 3.63 ERA in seven regular season starts with the Orioles, told The Baltimore Sun earlier this offseason that he wanted to return to Baltimore because he wanted to play for a contender while remaining close to home. He grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Virginia Tech.

It's now less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., but I still get a sense Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette isn't done compiling his roster. Really, I'm not sure there is ever a time when he stops (he added another veteran outfielder Tuesday with the signing of Chris Dickerson to a minor league deal). Remember, news of the Jeremy Guthrie trade didn't break until the morning after last year's Super Bowl -- and that probably proved to be Duquette's biggest move of 2012 (because it brought the club's top starter, Jason Hammel, and reliever Matt Lindstrom, who eventually was traded in August for Joe Saunders)

My guess is I am averaging about five questions a day for the past two weeks on the Orioles' pursuit of left-handed pitcher Joe Saunders. Pretty incredible considering when the Orioles dealt reliever Matt Lindstrom to Arizona for Saunders last August, the move was met with collective yawns across Baltimore. The veteran and Northern Virginia native must have made quite an impression in his month-plus time with the Orioles (I guess that's what happens when you shut down the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees in the playoffs)

Last season, the bullpen was one of the Orioles' season-long strengths, and while the club's corps of relievers returns intact in 2013, executive vice president Dan Duquette said he's open to adding another bullpen arm this offseason. The Orioles' bullpen compiled a 3.00 ERA last season, the fifth-best mark in baseball and the third best in the American League. The bullpen returns five locks: closer Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Darren O'Day, Luis Ayala and Troy Patton. Right-hander Tommy Hunter blossomed when he moved to the bullpen, so he's a likely candidate to return.

Heading into a new year, the Orioles have much of the same team as they did in 2012. That's by design, and apparently there is a push to continue that trend. The Orioles have re-signed left fielder Nate McLouth, maintain dialogue with lefty starter Joe Saunders and, according to an industry source, are among the clubs showing legitimate interest in signing right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom, whom the Orioles traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in August for Saunders. Lindstrom, 32, was 1-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 32 games with the Orioles, striking out 30 batters and walking 12 while allowing 35 hits in 36 1/3 innings.

When the Orioles traded reliever Matt Lindstrom to the Arizona Diamondbacks in late August for veteran lefty Joe Saunders, the Orioles were dealing a surplus bullpen arm for needed playoff experience. The transaction registered a blip on the national radar. That's because no one knew the Orioles would be getting the pitching version of Mr. October. And that's only a slight exaggeration considering the opposition Saunders has had to face and the intense situations in which he has had to thrive in his last two outings.

Baltimore Sun reporters, columnists and editors analyze the Orioles' trade of Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. Eduardo A. Encina, Orioles beat writer The Orioles dealing RHP Jeremy Guthrie, the only sure thing in their starting rotation, adds more questions than answers heading into spring. The timing, which came on the day Guthrie was scheduled to go to arbitration, was telling. In return, the Orioles will get two pieces to help rebuild the pitching.

Right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom's minor league outing, his first game action since re-tweaking his hamstring, was quick and effective today. Lindstrom pitched one inning, recording four outs against the Orioles' Triple-A team. He struck out two batters, including Orioles 40-man player Josh Bell. Lindstrom said he went through the first three hitters he faced quickly in about 9-10 pitches. He said he felt his velocity was good and there was no pain in the hamstring, which is in his pushing-off leg. He threw all his pitches, including his split-fingered fastball and his slider.

- Left-hander Joe Saunders was not the popular choice to get the Orioles' first postseason start in 15 years and to try and guide the club back to Baltimore for its first home playoff contest since Game 6 of the 1997 American League Championship Series. Saunders has been with the Orioles for barely a month. The 31-year-old veteran had never won a playoff game in four previous attempts. And he's been on the ugly side of awful for most of his career against the Texas Rangers, including a dismal 0-6 record and a 9.38 ERA in his starts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

TORONTO -- Orioles Opening Day starter Jake Arrieta has returned to Baltimore and is expected to be recalled when the team returns home from its six-game road trip and opens a seven-game homestand Thursday against the Yankees. Arrieta has been working out with Double-A Bowie the past two days after starting Triple-A Norfolk's season finale. Arrieta was optioned to Norfolk on July 5 after going 3-9 with a 6.13 ERA in 18 starts for the Orioles. He has pitched well in Triple-A.