Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles’ search for another rotation upgrade probably feels a lot like going to the grocery store ahead of the big snow storm about to tear through half the country. Many of the shelves
are barren.
If you poke around, you can probably find that last gallon of milk or loaf of bread, but then you see that it’s past its “Best By” date. That’s Justin Verlander. It could be fine. Those dates are just suggestions anyway. It doesn’t mean that the food has spoiled. And let’s be honest, you’ve bought questionable things like this before when you were desperate. But do you want to take the chance this time? Maybe if you can get a discount.
The fresh meat section has been picked through, but there is one package left. And it’s a steak! Framber Valdez! Maybe you’ll treat yourself. If you’re gonna be snowed in, you might as well make something special. But the price of beef is out of control right now, and it’s not even your favorite cut. Let’s do a loop and see if we can find something else.
As you’re shopping you peek in the carts of a few other folks in the store. It feels like they all already have their essentials. They must have gotten here earlier. The Red Sox got eggs AND toilet paper. How? No one is getting both!
It feels like a good time to pull your cart over, look at your list, and do a mental inventory of what you already have at home. Do you want pitching? Yes. But do you absolutely need it? What you have at home might be plenty to get through the storm. It might not make for the most luxurious 48 hours stuck inside, but you’ll survive. Once you’ve dug out and the roads have cleared, you can head back out and get what you need without as much stress.
The Orioles rotation is in better shape than it was at the end of the 2025 season, and it is worlds better than 12 months ago. They could use more, another playoff-caliber arm that you can depend on for both innings and quality. But you don’t have to settle for something you don’t actually want. You aren’t desperate. If Valdez fits what the front office is after, they should go get him. If they prefer someone else, and are OK to pay in prospects sometime mid-season, then they should do that. That one pitcher probably won’t change the team’s overall trajectory for the season. But it will matter in the second half, and especially if they get in the playoffs. So the time for panic may come, but it is not now.
Links
As a newbie, Alonso embraces ‘New Oriole Way’ | Orioles.com
I have trepidations about how the Pete Alonso contract will age, but the guy has said everything you could want him to since signing his deal back in mid-December. He comes off as genuine and excited to be a part of the Orioles organization. That’s all you can really ask for.
Basallo and Beavers give Orioles a pair of prospects who should contribute in 2026 | Roch Kubatko
It has felt like the public perception of the Orioles minor league system has diminished the last year or two. But that way of thinking might be getting crushed in 2026. The organization is back to having a handful of “Top 100” types in the minors, including the duo of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers, who both have a chance to win Rookie of the Year.
White Sox To Sign Seranthony Domínguez | MLB Trade Rumors
There was some theorizing that Domínguez would fit right back into the Orioles bullpen. He was solid here, and it seemed like he and the organization really liked one another. But the Orioles were never going to give him the two-year, $20 million he just got from the White Sox. The hard-throwing righty will close games for the South Siders, which could set him up for an even bigger pay day two years from now. Good for him!
Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson looking forward to healthy season after dealing with shoulder impingement | The Baltimore Banner
Make no mistake, Henderson was still very good last year. But he was lacking some of his normal power. It sounds like both his shoulder and the intercostal strain played a part in that. The Orioles will need him back closer to an MVP level in 2026 if they are going to storm back into the playoffs. A side note in this one pertains to Heston Kjerstad. He is going to be a full participant in the spring, which is great to hear. He faces quite a battle to get in the lineup though.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Ashur Tolliver turns 38 today. The lefty pitched in five games out of the Orioles bullpen in 2016.
- Tim Stoddard celebrates his 73rd birthday. From 1978 through ‘83, the 6-foot-7 hurler tossed 313 total innings for the Orioles, all of which came in relief. Although he did not pitch in the 1983 World Series, he was still part of the team that won it, making him the first player to win both a World Series and an NCAA basketball championship. Stoddard was a starting forward on the 1973-74 NC State team that took home the national title.
This day in O’s history
1961 – The Orioles and the Kansas City Athletics agree to a six-player trade. Outfielders Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder head to Baltimore in exchange for infielder Wayne Causey, pitcher Jim Archer, and outfielders Bob Boyd and Al Pilarcik.
