Contreras is back with the O’s, Mancini signs on with the D-backs, and a big change is coming to Camden Yards.
Good Morning Birdland!
We are just days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Sarasota for the start of Orioles’ spring training. It’s one of the best times of year, made even better by rooting for a team that should be competitive in the season ahead.
It is also the time of year where the fierce “roster battles” take place. Who will be the fourth outfielder? Is the five-man rotation set? Will the promising rookie breakthrough? It’s all relatively similar from team to team, albeit with varying degrees of overall talent.
The Orioles aren’t so different in that regard, but most of their questions are on the pitching side of things.
In the rotation, the O’s would seem to have their five to begin the year: Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, and Tomoyuki Sugano. That leaves guys like Cade Povich, Albert Suárez, Trevor Rogers, and Chayce McDermott on the outside, barring injury. But it is fair to wonder how Sugano will adapt to MLB. If he can’t, who will step into the fifth spot?
Félix Bautista is expected back in the closer role…at some point. The Orioles have dropped hints during the offseason that he may not be 100% right on Opening Day. That’s not to say he won’t be active, but the team may not want to assume he can just close every save situation out of the gate. If Bautista can not be a full go, it will be interesting to see who else closes on occasion.
Related to all of that is what the makeup of the O’s bullpen will be. Bautista, Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez, and Andrew Kittredge are the four late-inning locks, if healthy. Cionel Pérez, Keegan Akin, and Gregory Soto are the lefties that all feel very likely to make the team. That leaves one spot that could go to whichever starter is left out of the rotation or a fringier relief arm, like Colin Selby or Matt Bowman.
The lineup is on more solid footing, and may already be set.
Jorge Mateo is the big question mark at the moment. He had season-ending surgery to his left elbow in August. To this point, the talk has been that he will be ready for Opening Day, but that does feel optimistic. Starting him on the IL this year should not be too surprising.
If Mateo is slow played to begin the season, that simplifies everything else out of the gate.
Adley Rutschman and Gary Sánchez are the catchers. Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle share first base. Jackson Holliday plays second. Jordan Westburg mans third base. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop. In the outfield, the set up would be Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, and Tyler O’Neill most days. Ramón Urías, Heston Kjerstad, and Ramón Laureano are the backups at various spots.
That’s 13 hitters, plus the five starting pitchers, and eight relievers. There’s no spots left! Coby Mayo would have to start out in Triple-A.
Of course, things rarely work out so perfectly. There will be an unexpected injury to come. Perhaps someone has a worryingly poor spring. And there might even be a substantial trade to come. Until the players are running out onto the field on Opening Day, anything can happen.
Links
Orioles Claim Roansy Contreras, Designate Daz Cameron | MLB Trade Rumors
This is the second time the Orioles have claimed Contreras in the span of a month, so they must be relatively intrigued by his abilities. Given the proximity to spring training, he probably has a better chance of sticking around at this point. Cameron might still make it to the start of camp next week, but it makes sense that an outfielder was DFA’d given the number of players added to the position group this winter.
Mancini agrees to Minors deal with D-backs (source) | MLB.com
Trey Mancini is back in professional baseball! He was cut by the Marlins at the end of spring training last year, but had made it known that he wanted to play somewhere in 2025. The Diamondbacks are giving him a shot, which will make them my favorite NL team for as long as he is on the roster. Admittedly, that may not be very long, but it’s still cool to see Mancini with a chance to play some baseball this spring.
Because You Asked – The Voyage Home | Roch Kubatko
Roch references a potential trade for a starting pitcher several times in here, although he is light on specifics. The most detail he provides is that the Orioles and Padres have talked about Dylan Cease, and that the Orioles rejected any sort of deal that included Samuel Basallo, Jordan Westburg, or Coby Mayo. I also think a trade for a starter will happen…but not until July.
SuperBook Sports restaurant is leaving Camden Yards; plans for 2025 season to be announced | The Baltimore Banner
This is not surprising since SuperBook Sports was stopped from operating in Maryland back in July. The relationship with the Orioles no longer made sense, and I would imagine that few fans will be heartbroken. Dempsey’s was a far more fitting and charming name. The corporate replacement was soulless. Let’s get back to the charm in Charm City, yeah?
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Félix Pié is 40 years old. He roamed the Orioles outfielder for parts of four seasons from 2009-2011. He became the fourth Oriole to hit for the cycle, accomplishing the feat on August 14, 2009.
- The late Bob Oliver (b. 1943, d. 2020) was born on this day. His Orioles stint lasted just nine games in 1974, near the end of his eight-season MLB career.
- A posthumous celebration for Hoot Evers (b. 1921, d. 1991). The outfielder played in 108 total games for the O’s between the 1954 and ‘55 seasons
This day in history
2008 – One of the best trades in Orioles history takes place. The team sends starting pitcher Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a haul of five players: Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio.