Everyone still awaits the first big (or even medium) free agent signing of the offseason.
Hello, friends.
There are now four months and two days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2023.
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. I spent the holiday visiting in-laws and am glad that a surprise Orioles move didn’t infringe upon my time not thinking about them. All that happened is that a couple of other teams made small moves that could ripple into the markets the Orioles were looking to play in. Veteran lefty batter Carlos Santana reached an agreement with the Pirates for one year and $6.25 million, while pitcher Mike Clevinger’s coming with the White Sox is good for $8 million next year.
The Orioles were not linked to either of these players, so in that sense, it doesn’t matter. Still, you could sketch out a scenario where guys like these might have been the chairs the O’s scramble towards late in a game of musical chairs. Santana is a lefty 1B/DH like the O’s are said to crave; Clevinger has had past success as a starting pitcher, though he wasn’t good in 2022 in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. Now they’re not around. We can hope that whoever the Orioles do sign will be better than either one of these guys.
This time next week, the winter meetings will be under way. That’s usually good for some big news. Of course there’s no guarantee any of it will be Orioles-related. I would guess at least one player who would be a good fit for the O’s signs at the meetings. Between now and then, who knows? It only takes one series of messages – be they texts, emails, or phone calls – for everything to fall into place for a signing or trade. I’ll be on alert so you don’t have to be.
Who do you think will be the first big domino to fall? What team do you think will be the one to start the cascade? As Orioles fans, about all we can do is hope that when the good players all get snatched up, the O’s can get one or two of them so they don’t have to come back around for a Jordan Lyles reunion.
Around the blogO’sphere
Orioles front office decisions: What would you do? (School of Roch)
One of these questions is extremely high-stakes: Should the Orioles go for internal options at shortstop or sign a big free agent? The other is extremely low-stakes: Would you make a Rule 5 pick?
Grayson Rodriguez eyeing Major League debut in 2023 (Orioles.com)
If the Orioles don’t have Rodriguez on the Opening Day roster to start next season, I’m going to be mighty disappointed.
Solutions for each AL team’s most pressing needs (The Athletic)
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden runs through what he sees as the best free agent and trade targets that might fit what the Orioles are looking for. Some of these names are a bit more exciting than others.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1973, Al Bumbry was named the winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award. In the first full season of his 14-year career, Bumbry batted .337/.398/.500 and was named as the winner on 13 of the ballots – enough to win in a crowded field. He was the third Oriole to win ROY. Three more have won since, the last being Gregg Olson in 1989.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018-19 pitcher Yefry Ramirez, and 1973-74 outfielder Jim Fuller. The Maryland-born Fuller turns 72 today, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: poet/painter William Blake (1757), philosopher Friedrich Engels (1820), Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon (1866), director Alfonso Cuarón (1961), and actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (1984).
On this day in history…
In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition to circumnavigate the globe discovered the passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without having to go all the way around the tip of South America. Magellan called this “the Strait of All Saints” but today it bears his name: the Strait of Magellan.
In 1811, Beethoven premiered his Piano Concerto No. 5 in Leipzig. Now dubbed the “Emperor” Concerto, the work is notable in concertos for moving towards a trend of bright opening flourishes of notes from the soloist in response to chords played by the orchestra.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 28. Have a safe Monday.