Good morning Birdland,
Spring training starts next month! Any pitchers and catchers participating in the World Baseball Classic must report to Sarasota by February 9, while the rest will be in by February 11.
Position players that will take part in the WBC must make it to Ed Smith Stadium by February 12, and all other players have to be checked in by February 16. It’s not too far away at all.
The Orioles have had themselves a busy offseason, but it still feels like they have more work to do. Specifically, the rotation could use one more “frontline” arm, the bullpen would do well to add another durable veteran, and there could be an upgrade to the “utility” role on the big league squad.
We learned this week that Tatsuya Imai is joining the Astros. There had been reports earlier in the offseason that the Orioles were interested in the 27-year-old Japanese pitcher, but it’s unclear how deep in conversations the two sides ever got. It may have been a case of due diligence, and the Orioles ultimately preferred different routes. If Imai was the move that was holding up others in the market, like Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, or Zac Gallen, then his signing should get things moving. And if the Orioles are still searching for a rotation upgrade, that could mean one final significant move on the horizon.
Presumably, the Astros signing Imai takes them out of the arena for other big additions. As MLB Trade Rumors explains, they are up against the luxury tax threshold, and have tended to enter recent seasons just below it to allow for in-season trades. Having one less team to battle for talent is good news for the Orioles.
Something else to note is Imai’s contract with the Astros. It surprised many. The young righty got just a three-year deal worth $54 million, but with opt outs after every season. That’s peanuts compared to some of the projections from major outlets coming into the offseason. The fact he can opt out after any season is a nice insurance policy though, and it might allow him to make even more money if he pitches well right away.
While the media seems to have overinflated Imai’s value, we still don’t know if they are right with their expectations of Suárez, Valdez, and others. If Imai is in the same talent class to them, maybe they will have to settle for a similarly subdued contract. Of course, the non-Imai pitchers have all proven themselves in the majors, so it is a different conversation, more about durability and longevity rather than potential.
Mike Elias has made his opposition to big, long-term deals for veteran pitchers known. He offered Corbin Burnes a four-year, $180 million last offseason. That would have been a record $45 million AAV, although for less time and overall money than the six-year, $210 million contract he ended up signing with the Diamondbacks. Burnes last year is probably better (it’s close) than the current-day version of any pitcher on the free agent market. So it’s tough to see Elias going too far above what he put on the table for Burnes.
Who knows. This has been a different type of offseason for the O’s front office boss. Elias clearly has a preference for shorter term, high AAV deals for veteran pitchers. It’s unclear if the remaining free agent pitchers would be open to that and what sort of budget the Orioles have to work with. Orioles control person Dave Rubenstein claimed at Pete Alonso’s introductory press conference that the team isn’t working with any hard cap on what they can spend. But what is said publicly and what is said behind closed doors can be very different.
Links
Peter Schmuck: Are the Orioles a strong playoff contender? Not yet. | Baltimore Baseball
The big variable in all of this is not the moves made this offseason. It’s the guys that were already on the roster. If the likes of Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg (among others) turn things around and stay healthy in 2026, the Orioles are going to be World Series contenders. If they struggle again, it’s going to be tough to compete.
Baz offers opinion on Orioles’ additions, club counting on Cowser and Westburg | Roch Kubatko
It feels like the Baz hypetrain is going to be fully loaded in spring. The guy has incredible stuff. That’s going to make his bullpens worth watching. Depending on what other moves the Orioles make, they are going to need him to be pretty good this year. Not an ace, necessarily, but worthy of being a horse come playoff time.
Nationals reportedly leaving MASN for MLB-controlled local broadcasts | Awful Announcing
This is not exactly a surprise. The Orioles and Nationals settled their 20-year feud over MASN last year. MASN is one of the last-surviving regional sports networks, and it seems that its time (at least it the current iteration) is nearing an end as well. Midway through last season, the network finally introduced a direct-to-consumer way of subscribing without a cable package. Will the Nationals leaving for greener pastures create an Orioles-only offer that is cheaper? Don’t hold your breath.
To help the Orioles, Shane Baz hopes to reintroduce a pitch he couldn’t locate in 2025 | The Baltimore Banner
It would be great if the Orioles could replicate the success they have had with transforming Trevor Rogers and apply it to Baz. If they can, might Baltimore become a destination for a pitchers looking for a makeover? That would be neat!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Mike Wright Jr. turns 36 today. The righty spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles from 2015 through 2019, sometimes flashing exciting potential. Ultimately he finished with a 5.95 ERA over 242 big league innings.
- Jim Dwyer is 76 years old. He played for seven different clubs in his 18-season MLB career, but Baltimore is were he spent the bulk of his time. Over eight years from 1981 through ‘88, he was worth 5.4 bWAR, posted a 119 OPS+, and helped the O’s win the 1983 World Series.
This day in O’s history
1955 – The Orioles buys outfielder Hoot Evers from the Tigers.
2011 – Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon surrenders to police days after a fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve in the Dominican Republic. Simon admits to firing celebratory shots in the air but denies that they were the fatal shots. He will eventually be released when police fail to find conclusive evidence linking the weapon to the deaths.
2012 – The Orioles purchase outfielder Jai Miller from the Athletics, and they sell first baseman Brandon Snyder to the Rangers.
2025 – Charlie Morton signs a one-year deal with the Orioles.
