As 2025 begins, let’s look at some important dates between now and Opening Day for the Orioles.
January 9th-Arbitration figures must be exchanged
The Orioles have 11 players eligible for arbitration, and by 8 p.m. next Thursday, figures must be exchanged for each side if agreement on a 2025 contract is not reached.
Starting pitchers Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers; relievers Keegan Akin and Gregory Soto; catcher Adley Rutschman; first baseman Ryan Mountcastle; infielders Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías; and centerfielder Cedric Mullins are unsigned.
The Orioles agreed on a $1 million contract with infielder Emmanuel Rivera in November.
Last year, the Orioles took two players to arbitration — outfielder Austin Hays, who lost his case and was paid $5.85 million; and right-handed pitcher Jacob Webb, who won his and was awarded $1 million.
First baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and relievers Danny Coulombe and Cionel Pérez agreed to 2024 contracts with options for 2025.
O’Hearn and Pérez’s options were exercised; Coulombe’s was not. Hays was traded to Philadelphia on July 26th, and Webb was not offered a 2025 contract and signed with the Texas Rangers.
Arbitration hearings will be held in St. Petersburg from January 27th-February 14th.
January 15th-International signing period begins
The Orioles have $6,908,600 in their bonus pool to sign international players. At last month’s Winter Meetings, Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president for international scouting and operations, said the team will likely spread out the bonus pool to about 12 players.
That doesn’t include Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, who is expected to sign during the early days of the signing period. The Orioles aren’t considered a contender to sign Sasaki.
Mid-February
Orioles pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in about six weeks. Infielders and outfielders report a few days later.
In recent years, many infielders and outfielders reported on the first day or two of camp.
February 22nd
The Orioles begin their Grapefruit League schedule with a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota at 1:05 p.m.
There will be games each day through March 23rd with the exception of March 4th and 19th.
The Orioles will play split-squad games on March 9th and 16th, and on March 15th, they’ll play the Pirates in Bradenton at 1:05 p.m., and at 6:05 p.m., Yankees and Orioles’ prospects play their Spring Breakout Game in Sarasota.
On March 6th, 14th, 18th, 20th and 21st, they’ll play 6:05 p.m. games in Sarasota. All other home games are at 1:05 p.m.
March 27th
Teams must reduce their rosters to the required 26 players by noon. The Orioles open their 2025 season against Toronto at Rogers Centre at 3:07 p.m.
March 31st
The Orioles open their home season against the Boston Red Sox at 3:05 p.m.
What we’re hearing: According to The Athletic, the Orioles have inquired about right-handed starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who pitched the final two months of the 2023 season for them.
They traded infielder César Prieto and left-handed pitcher Drew Rom to the St. Louis Cardinals for him, and Flaherty had a disappointing time with the Orioles with a 1-3 record and 6.75 ERA in nine games, seven starts.
Flaherty signed a one-year contract with Detroit, who sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series. In 2024, Flaherty was 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts, striking out 194 in 162 innings.
A five-year contract for the 29-year-old Flaherty might seem excessive, but he is the best starter remaining on the free-agent market. Because he was traded, the Dodgers couldn’t proffer a qualifying offer, so the Orioles wouldn’t have to lose a draft choice to sign him.
They would have to surrender a draft choice if they signed Nick Pivetta, who was 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 27 games for the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles have seen plenty of Pivetta, who’s pitched for the Red Sox since 2020. He’s 8-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 starts against the Orioles.
Anthony Santander, who hit 44 home runs for the Orioles in 2024, remains a free agent and the most recent reporting indicates that the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are interested in him. The Orioles placed the $21.05 million qualifying offer on Santander and will receive a draft choice if he signs with another team.
According to The Athletic, the Orioles are one of several teams that have shown interest in left-hander Kyle Hart, a 32-year-old who pitched his only four major league games for the Red Sox in 2020. There’s interest in Hart because he had an excellent season in South Korea, with a 13-3 record and 2.69 ERA for the NC Dinos.
The Orioles had success with Albert Suárez, who pitched in Korea in 2022 and 2023.
Note: The Orioles signed infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon to a minor league contract. Gordon, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, has a .244 average in four seasons. He played from 2021-2023 with Minnesota and hit .227 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs and a .627 OPS in 95 games with Miami in 2024.
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.