While reports say a deal could be close, the Orioles owner disputes that Duquette is going anywhere.
Rumors resurfaced today indicating that Dan Duquette could be heading to Toronto with some sort of compensation finding it's way back to Baltimore. Tony Paul of the Detroit News reported that a source told him the "trade" was almost done, with FoxSports' Jon Morosi reporting that compensation talks were ongoing and there was optimism that a deal could get done.
Then things took a turn. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun countered those reports with quotes from Peter Angelos (the cause of delay in Duquette going to Toronto in the first place) saying that "it's not going to happen." Angelos reiterated that Duquette was their GM and would remain as such. He understood their interest in Duquette, but even denied that they were in negotiations.
This is quite obviously something of a tricky situation. One can understand Angelos' desire to hold on to a highly coveted asset who is under contract. Then again, if Duquette doesn't want to be in Baltimore, it's hard to see him remaining there, contract or not. These things usually do work out in the end, even if involves some sort of MLB mediation. We've seen Theo Epstein acquired by the Cubs and John Farrell acquired by the Blue Jays, so there is precedent for this sort of thing. Those precedents also indicate that any potential piece heading back to Baltimore would be quite small.
By the same token, Angelos has a history of being a squeaky wheel and getting the grease from MLB. He put up a fight against the Nationals coming to DC, and while he "lost," he came away with an extremely favorable television deal as consolation.
All of this and we have yet to figure out what may happen with incumbent Blue Jays CEO Paul Beeston, who has been in that role since 2009. It's unclear if he would be forced out of the front office altogether, or slide to a less prominent position if Duquette did indeed come aboard.
