"With the market for Vladimir Guerrero seemingly slimming by the day, the Orioles have had recent conversations with the agent for the veteran slugger, but they still don't feel they are close to a deal.

"We've had some conversations, but there is nothing on the horizon," said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, declining to characterize his team's chances of landing the nine-time All-Star.

The Orioles expressed interest in Guerrero, who hit .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs for the Texas Rangers in 2010, earlier this offseason as a contingency plan had they been unable to sign a first baseman and needed to play normal designated hitter Luke Scott at the position.

However, since the Orioles signed veteran first baseman Derrek Lee earlier this month, there has been very little dialogue between MacPhail and Guerrero's representatives — Fern Cuza and Diego Bentz — as the club was content with using Scott at designated hitter and a platoon of Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold in left field.

That the two sides have talked this week is an indication both that Guerrero's price tag has dropped, as has his list of suitors. The Tampa Bay Rays, believed to be Guerrero's most likely landing spot 10 days ago, agreed to terms with both Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez on Friday, taking them out of the picture. The Rangers, already planning to use Michael Young in a utility/designated hitter role but still interested in a right-handed bat off the bench, acquired catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli on Tuesday.

Another potential destination, the Los Angeles Angels, whom Guerrero stared for from 2004 to 2009, acquired outfielder Vernon Wells last week. They still haven't ruled out signing Guerrero, but they are more likely to use Bobby Abreu at designated hitter.

Guerrero, who has 436 career home runs and has driven in 100 runs or more 10 different seasons, was looking for a two-year deal worth between $8 million and $10 million per when the offseason began, according to multiple reports."