How O's, Brewers can salvage winter

December, 24, 2012

12/24/12

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By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

The Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers are two good teams that have been curiously quiet this offseason. Sure, the Orioles did re-sign left fielder Nate McLouth and make a bevy of small deals that included the acquisitions of third baseman Danny Valencia, left fielder Trayvon Robinson and second baseman Alexi Casilla. And yes, the Brewers did improve their bullpen by inking free-agent left-hander Tom Gorzelanny and trading for Burke Badenhop. But besides those moves, it’s basically been crickets for Orioles and Brewers fans.

Both of these clubs are playoff contenders, capable of winning their divisions or at the very least securing wild-card berths. One problem: The teams around them have spent the winter improving, while they have stood still. The good news for the O's and Brewers is that there is one free agent still out there who could help them save their respective offseasons, and his name is Kyle Lohse.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.