Good morning Birdland,
Despite the unknowns of the next CBA, teams are starting to get a little busy this offseason. Emilio Pagán agreed to a deal with the Tigers on Tuesday, Evan Phillips inked a three-year contract with the Braves on Thursday, and then just yesterday World Series champ Jake Bauers joined the Red Sox on a four-year pact.
Bauers was one of the best hitters available in what is an admittedly thin free agent class. He had an outstanding 2026 season, slashing .266/.389/.484 with 26 home
runs as a 30-year-old. The campaign sticks out like a sore thumb in an MLB career. According to Baseball Reference, Bauers was worth 3.3 bWAR in 2026 alone, bringing his career bWAR up from the red to 2.0. The Red Sox will be betting that he is simply a late bloomer and can largely maintain that performance moving forward.
FanGraphs had projectedBauers, who did have a qualifying offer attached to him, would get a three-year deal worth $51 million ($17 million AAV). Instead, he gets four years at $58 million ($14.5 million) from Boston. Phillips had a projection of one year at $6.8 million. He was able to land a three-year deal worth $35 million ($11.67 AAV) in Atlanta.
The Bauers deal feels fair. He got less AAV but an additional year despite the QO. That’s pretty good. Phillips, a former Oriole that was born in Salisbury, has to be ecstatic about his new contract. He barely pitched between the end of 2024 and this past July due to injuries to his rotator cuff and then Tommy John surgery. But he was great towards the end of this past season and likely factors into high-leverage innings for Atlanta.
What does all of that mean? Honestly, who knows. Public projections often differ from how team’s are evaluating talent internally. But it certainly doesn’t seem like teams are too worried about the talk of a salary cap, at least not for 2027 anyway. MLB Trade Rumors explains that the Red Sox exceeded the 2026 CBT threshold and are on pace to do so again in 2027, if the system is in place. The signing of Phillips will push the Braves close to the line as well.
All that to say that if the Orioles were hoping Trevor Rogers might give them a discount on account of everyone being artificially strapped for cash, they had better think again. There is money to be spent, and it could come sooner than later, regardless of what’s happening behind the scenes.
Links
Mariners Notes: Infield Needs, Trade Candidates, Sloan | MLB Trade Rumors
Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg are listed as potential trade candidates that fit what the Mariners are looking for. The O’s and M’s have long seemed like good partners due to the former’s glut of infielders and the latter’s wealth of pitchers. And yet, nothing has happened. Maybe that changes this winter.
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Roch touches on the Orioles closing situation. Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista are both likely to factor in, but injuries are a concern. Yennier Cano has closing experience, though he has never really been a fit in the ninth inning. The team needs a real backup plan. How much they are willing to pay for it is unclear.
As a lockout looms, MLB teams say it’s ‘business as usual.’ Is it really? | The Baltimore Banner
Obviously not. But what else are they gonna say? MLB will have their next season at some point, and the holes on a team’s roster are not going to fix themselves, so they have to make moves to address them. It won’t all happen overnight, and it’s quite likely that there will be a multi-week/month pause in the middle. But for now, they do what they can.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Freddy Galvis turns 37 today. He spent part of the 2021 seasona s the Orioles everyday shortstop before being dealt to the Phillies for a minor leaguer.
- Curt Schilling is 60 years old. His storied 20-season MLB career began in Baltimore, where he spent parts of three seasons from 1988 through ‘90. The Orioles’ decision to then trade him, along with Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch, to the Astros in exchange for Glenn Davis is widely regarded as the worst trade in team history.
This day in O’s history
1973 – Jim Palmer is named AL Cy Young after winning 22 games and leading the league with a 2.40 ERA. The 28-year-old Palmer is a first-time winner and will go on to earn the award twice more in his Hall of Fame career.
2005 – The Orioles announce that neither Sammy Sosa nor Rafael Palmeiro will be returning to the team next season. Both players claim they wish to keep playing. Sosa will eventually sign back with the Rangers, but not until 2007. Palmeiro never gets another MLB deal.
2023 – Brandon Hyde is named Manager of the Year in the American League. Marlins’ boss Skip Schumaker earns the NL honor.
