BALTIMORE -- The Orioles are close to signing Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone to a three-year contract and the two clubs are working on a compensation package, according to a club source.

The Braves have asked for an Orioles Minor-League prospect in return but the two sides have yet to agree on which player.

Mazzone, who has been Atlanta's pitching coach since 1990 and has been integral in building one of the most dominant year-to-year staffs in baseball history, is close friends with Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo and the two have longed to work together.

Mazzone's contract expires on Nov. 15 and he was invited to return to the Braves, but at a similar salary to the $250,000 he earned in 2005. The Orioles were expected to nearly double that salary and sign Mazzone to a multiyear deal.

The hiring could mean the end of Ray Miller's tenure with the Orioles. Miller is recovering from surgery to remove an aneurysm near his heart and he did give the club his blessing to pursue Mazzone.

Executive vice president Mike Flanagan would not comment on negotiations with Mazzone but said Tuesday night that the club received permission to talk to the coach about coming to Baltimore.

The hire could spark a change in the perception of the Orioles organization. Mazzone's pitchers have earned six Cy Young Awards, and he was present during the Braves' glory years when the rotation was made up of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Steve Avery.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees released a statement Wednesday informing the media that negotiations with Mazzone to replace the departed Mel Stottlemyre had broken down.