Happy Tuesday, Birdland! The offseason is kicking into full swing, with the Orioles making the first of their moves yesterday. As expected, Tyler O’Neill exercised his opt-in and will remain an Oriole for two more years. After his very disappointing 2025 season, it is no surprise that O’Neill prefers to lock in to a guaranteed $33 million rather than test free agency.
Maybe O’Neill will surprise us in the next two seasons. I admit I don’t have high hopes, but he has been good in the past, even if
it has never been sustained. He’s bound to have some decent stretches. At least, I have to tell myself that.
In other roster moves, the Orioles declined Jorge Mateo’s team option, making him a free agent. Mateo had been with the Orioles since 2021. I always liked Mateo, even though he never lived up to the potential of his speed and athleticism. He was always a joy to watch run the bases, although he never got on base with enough frequency to take full advantage. Mateo leaves Baltimore with 100 stolen bases in 408 games. I wish Mateo well and send my thoughts out to everyone who is #TeamMateo.
The third roster move yesterday was with relief pitcher Dietrich Enns. Enns hasn’t found much success in the majors since he debuted in 2017. But after being purchased from the Tigers at the trade deadline, Enns was a stabilizing force in the bullpen. Admittedly, that was a low bar to clear in a bullpen as bad as the Orioles’. But he was solid and now he’s being rewarded. The Orioles signed the lefty, who is out of options, to a $2.5 million contract for 2026 with a club option for 2027.
These are all minor moves for the Orioles, but the moves have to start somewhere. Hopefully soon we’ll hear about hirings to replace last year’s coaching staff. We already know that assistant hitting coaches Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson, bench coach Robinson Chirinos, and third-base-coach-turned-interim-manager Tony Mansolino will not return. Who else will join them in the exodus?
Perhaps we’ll hear more about that after today’s press conference with new manager Craig Albernaz. Though his hiring was announced way back on October 27th, the introductory press conference was pushed until after the end of the World Series. We’ll hear from Albernaz, President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias, and Control Owner David Rubenstein at 11:00 a.m.
Links
Wondering what’s in Heston Kjerstad’s future – MASN Sports
A lot of people have written Kjerstad off, and he’s definitely had his troubles. I sure hope he can turn it around.
Craig Albernaz was a ‘manager’s dream.’ Now he’s a manager himself. – The Baltimore Banner
Andy Kostka with a long piece about the new manager. This guy sure is getting a lot of positive press. That doesn’t make me nervous or anything.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, including Larry Bigbie (48). Bigbie was a first-round draft pick who played for the Orioles from 2001-05, accumulating 3.2 bWAR in 352 games. Bigbie still hangs around quite Birdland quite a bit, and you can catch him every year at various events.
Also born on this day are former Orioles Doug Corbett (73) and Tito Francona (b. 1933, d. 2018).
On this day in 1975, Jim Palmer won his second Cy Young award. Palmer won easily, earning 15 first-place votes and 98 overall points. In second place was Catfish Hunter with 74 points. Palmer pitched 323 innings and led the league in starts, ERA, wins, and shutouts.
In 2002, the Orioles took home both second and third place in the AL Rookie of the Year award. Rodrigo Lopez placed second and picked up nine first-place votes. Jorge Julio placed third. Neither were anywhere close to the winner, Eric Hinske.
In 2014, the Gold Glove Awards were announced and the Orioles took home three. J.J Hardy, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones took home the hardware. Jones won his fourth award overall, Hardy’s third, and Markakis’s second.
