The Orioles are close to naming a general manager, and Dan Duquette is close to getting back in baseball.

It's taken them a while. It's him a while, too.

They're taking a chance, and so is he.

Sources confirmed to CBSSports.com late Saturday afternoon that Duquette is indeed the Orioles' latest choice to replace Andy MacPhail, and that team officials were working with the former Expos and Red Sox general manager to finalize a deal that could be announced within the next couple of days.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian first reported that the Orioles were close to a deal with Duquette.

Duquette will be returning to professional baseball after a nine-year absence. The Orioles' GM search has only seemed to take that long.

The Orioles settled on Duquette only after interviewing five other candidates, and only after first offering the job to Blue Jays executive Tony LaCava, who turned it down. Several other possible candidates also either pulled out of the running or made it clear that they weren't interested in joining an organization that has appeared dysfunctional.

That said, the 53-year-old Duquette could give the Orioles exactly what they were looking for. He had a good track record in both Montreal and Boston, and he has the scouting and player development background that they said was a prerequisite.

Duquette has a particular strength in Latin American scouting, an area where the Orioles have been particularly lagging.

The biggest concern is whether Duquette has lost touch with professional baseball after being out of the game so long. Fired by the Red Sox soon after the current ownership group took over, he has spent the last nine years running the Dan Duquette Sports Academy in Massachusetts, and also running a sports consulting business.

The Orioles' job is a challenge for many reasons, the first being that owner Peter Angelos can be difficult to work for. The presence of strong-minded manager Buck Showalter is also seen by some as an issue, and one of the many things that made the Orioles' GM search unusual was that Showalter sat in on the interviews and had a strong voice in the process.

Too often, the process seemed to be a total mess.

Now, it seems to be reaching the end. The Orioles seem to have found their man, and it's even possible that they found the right man.

It just took them a while.

Some day, the Orioles will find a general manager. It won't be Allard Baird.

Baird said Friday night that he has decided against interviewing for the job, and will instead remain with the Red Sox. He cited his strong relationship with new Sox general manager Ben Cherington as the main factor in his decision. Baird has been heavily involved in the Red Sox' search for a new manager to replace Terry Francona.

Baird's decision is great news for the Red Sox, and especially for Cherington, who as a first-time GM will benefit from having an experienced baseball man at his side. Baird, a former GM with the Royals, is very highly respected in baseball circles.

The decision is another blow to the Orioles, who were turned down by Tony LaCava, saw Jerry Dipoto accept the Angels job, were denied permission to talk to Mike Radcliff, watched DeJon Watson pull out of the running, and have seen any number of other executives signal a lack of interest in even pursuing the job that Andy MacPhail left at the end of the season.

The Orioles have interviewed former Expos and Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, and are expected to interview Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer. Earlier, they interviewed John Stockstill, an internal candidate who was believed to have had just a courtesy interview, and Scott Proefrock, the Phillies assistant GM.

Baird said he would still like to have another shot as a GM. But despite long ties to Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who he once interviewed as a possible Royals skipper, Baird decided to pass on this one.

Cherington has shown an interest in expanding Baird's responsibilities with the Red Sox. The Sox have been looking to hire another experienced baseball man, and offered a job to Larry Corrigan before Corrigan chose instead to go work with Dipoto with the Angels.