"The Orioles apparently are inching closer to the selection and hiring of a new head of baseball operations as the clock begins to tick on what could be a very important offseason for the struggling franchise.

Toronto Blue Jays executive Tony LaCava was back in Baltimore on Monday to meet with owner Peter Angelos, according to team sources, but there has been no indication the club is about to announce a replacement for former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, and club officials are not ruling out the possibility that more candidates will be interviewed later this week.

The only thing that seems clear is that the team does not feel a particularly strong sense of urgency to get the front office put together before the opening of the free agent market on Thursday."