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Duquette says Bautista comments were blown out of proportion

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Dan Duquette isn't discounting anyone as a possible addition to the Orioles, no matter how much the city of Baltimore may despise them.

In December, the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations infamously referred to Jose Bautista as a "villain in Baltimore" and appeared to rule out his club as a potential destination for the free-agent slugger. But with the 36-year-old still looking for an employer in 2017, Duquette cleared the air regarding his comments, stating an improbable pairing with Bautista isn't off the table.

"I was just trying to make it clear to the agent that we didn't want the fans to be upset that we were trying to bring Bautista here after we had competed against him for the last six or seven years," Duquette said on MLB Network Radio on Sunday. "That kind of got blown out of proportion."

Bautista joining the Orioles may be the last thing some Baltimore fans want. After nine seasons with their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, the outfielder has been involved in a handful of incidents with the team in recent years, perhaps most notably his war of words with reliever Darren O'Day.

As long as the conditions are right, though, Baltimore will keep an open mind throughout free agency.

"We are always interested in the market this time of year," Duquette said. "There is some good value. We're still interested in a number of players in the market. We'll have to see if there's a match."

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