Orioles GM Dan Duquette: Team would like Delmon Young to return in 2015

The Orioles would like free agent outfielder Delmon Young to return to Baltimore in 2015, GM Dan Duquette said Thursday, according to Eduardo Encina of the

The Orioles would like free agent outfielder Delmon Young to return to Baltimore in 2015, GM Dan Duquette said Thursday, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

Two of the Orioles' top offensive players, Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz, signed elsewhere as free agents. Young, 29, played 83 games last season as a designated hitter and outfielder. He batted .302 with a .779 OPS in 255 plate appearances. 

Duquette noted that the Orioles could spend more money on free agents or replace Markakis and Cruz internally. Alejandro De Aza, who was acquired in a trade with the White Sox last August, is one option, along with Steve Pearce and David Lough. Prospects Dariel Alvarez and Mike Yastrzemski could also be considered. 

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Reliever Andrew Miller, who spent the second half of last season with the Orioles, is a top free agent target for other teams, but Duquette implied Baltimore would not be willing to pay Miller as much as other teams are reported to be offering. "I'm not sure a relief pitcher has that kind of economic value in this market," Duquette said, according to Encina.

- Dan Gartland