After a second week of free agency that was quiet until Mike Elias’ surprising Friday announcement that the left-field wall at Camden Yards would be brought in, this week promises plenty of news. Let’s look at what might be ahead:
Cowser could be Rookie of the Year
On Monday night, Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser could be named the American League Rookie of the Year. Cowser and the New York Yankees’ battery of starting pitcher Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells are finalists.
If Cowser wins Rookie of the Year, he’ll be the second consecutive Oriole to win. Gunnar Henderson won it last year, and the award would give the Orioles a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick at the end of the first round.
The Orioles traded their PPI pick to Milwaukee in the trade for Corbin Burnes.
No Orioles will finish in the top three in Manager of the Year, Cy Young Award or Most Valuable Player, though Burnes and Henderson could be Top 5 finishers.
Burnes and Santander will decline qualifying offers
Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander, who won a Silver Slugger Award last week, have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to decline the Orioles’ $21.05 qualifying offer.
If they accept, which isn’t expected, they’d sign a one-year contract with the Orioles for $21.05 million and be free to negotiate a longer-term contract.
If they don’t accept, the free-agent market for them will heat up, and the Orioles will receive a draft choice after they sign with a new club.
Deadline approaching for adding minor leaguers to 40-man roster
The Orioles have until 6 p.m. Tuesday to add minor league prospects who are eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 draft to the 40-man roster.
Currently, they have 37 players on the 40-man roster.
Earlier this month, the Orioles added left-handed reliever Luis González to the 40-man roster. That was a surprise since the 32-year-old career minor leaguer spent all of the 2024 season at Triple-A Norfolk.
Right-hander Brandon Young, an undrafted signee in 2020 who won the Jim Palmer Award for the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year, seems to have the best chance of being added.
Alex Pham, who was 7-4 with a 4.26 ERA at Double-A Bowie, also has a chance at a roster spot.
Juan Nuñez, the team’s No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is also eligible, but he pitched in only seven games for High-A Aberdeen because of a shoulder injury.
While Nuñez is an exciting prospect, it would be hard for a team to keep him on their major league roster for an entire season and protecting him could start his options clock prematurely.
Catcher Maverick Handley is also eligible, but he’s been passed over in the last two Rule 5 drafts, and the Orioles already have possible backup catchers Blake Hunt and René Pinto on the 40-man roster.
Contract tender season nears
The Orioles have until Friday to offer 2025 contracts to their 13 arbitration-eligible players. Those players are Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Emmanuel Rivera, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Gregory Soto, Ramón Urías, Jacob Webb and Tyler Wells.
Last year, they offered contracts to each of their 17 eligible players. While many seem to be sure things for tenders, there could be questions about Rivera and Rogers.
Rivera is a corner infielder who performed well in the last six weeks of the season after injuries to Mateo, Urías and Jordan Westburg, but with those players healthy and Coby Mayo on the horizon, there may not be room for Rivera.
MLBTradeRumors.com pegs his 2025 salary at an affordable $1.4 million.
Rogers came to the Orioles from Miami at the trade deadline in exchange for infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers. Rogers had a 7.11 ERA in four starts before he was sent to Norfolk.
It might pain the Oriole to reward Rogers with his estimated $2.8 million salary, but it would probably pain them more to give up on him so quickly.
There was some thought that Mateo might not be tendered, but Elias spoke favorably about him in Friday’s video conference call.
The guess here is that the Orioles tender all 13 players.
Free agency heats up
Elias says he’s eager to get rotation help, and perhaps negotiations get more serious this week.
“We’re looking at the whole menu, the whole spectrum,” he said on Friday. “I credit the ownership change toward putting us in a position to do that. That doesn’t mean that we are going to spend money indiscriminately this offseason come hell or high water. We’re going to seek good talent evaluation, good long-term investments for the team.
“We’re trying to keep a healthy franchise for a really long time. I think it you’re running a team optimally, which is the word I’ve been focused on, you’re certainly wanting to keep the whole menu of player acquisition open and that involves high-end free agent deals over many years, and we’ve been engaged in those conversations already.”
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.