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Baltimore Orioles Alan Rifkin and representatives from Lee County met to discuss the possibility of the Birds moving to City of Palms Park once the Red Sox depart for a new facility.

The Cactus League is expanding by three teams this spring and one more in 2010, but it could end up being even larger under a plan to add a Japanese team to the mix as part of a proposal to bring a year-round training facility to Tucson Electric Park.

Massachusetts-based Baseline Group, which works on Japanese and Korean player evaluation and development, is pitching Pima County on the prospect of establishing year-round operations at the Tucson Electric Park complex, currently housing spring training and extended-spring operations for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Baseline is headed by former major leaguer Mike Pagliarulo.

The Baltimore Orioles officially declined Sarasota's offer of $30 million to renovate Ed Smith Stadium as the future spring home of the Birds, but left open the possibility to a counteroffer from the county.

In a letter sent to county officials by team attorney Alan Rifkin, the team laid out its reasons for rejecting the offer. Basically, the team is looking for a new ballpark and wants to see the same financial commitment offered several months ago to the Boston Red Sox for a new ballpark at Payne Park and a separate minor-league facility. In addition, the team wanted to see land for a Ripken Baseball Academy, an action dismissed by the county.

The effort to bring the Baltimore Orioles to Sarasota is on life support after the Sarasota County Commission scaled back their financial offer to the team, offering $22 million toward a renovated Ed Smith Stadium.

There was no immediate reaction from the team; the Orioles had been asking for $57 million, which would build a new ballpark and a new Ripken Baseball youth academy. But with Vero Beach withdrawing its $13 million offer to renovate Holman Stadium Monday, the Orioles are suddenly running out of options as they explore a replacement for Fort Lauderdale Stadium.