Hello, friends.
There are now 102 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2026.
Are you still riding the good feelings from Pete Alonso being introduced to Birdland a couple of days ago? The slugger was really impressive in his responses to questions from Friday and that’s going to keep the excitement high for at least a little while longer.
That said, Alonso’s signing doesn’t change anything about the needs for the Orioles starting rotation. Mike Elias seemingly has multiple moves to make there, and
seemingly one of those moves needs to be something with the potential to be a real high-end addition. Is that going to mean one of the top remaining starting pitchers, a guy who’s likely to command a nine-figure contract? Even after the Alonso signing has happened, it’s hard to imagine Elias doing that for a pitcher.
One rumor from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman is that Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai will start meeting with teams this coming week. Flowing from that has been some speculation that teams who might also be interested in the other high-end pitchers, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez, are waiting to hear what kind of numbers Imai will be talking before they commit to the MLB veterans. If that’s the case, then it could be that those guys will all find landing spots before Christmas. Sometimes, the dominos do fall rapidly.
Imai is represented by agent Scott Boras, who just did some negotiating with Elias in getting Alonso to come to Baltimore. If the team is able to impress Imai the way that they did Alonso, and if they offer enough money to also be impressive, maybe that signing could happen. Elias sure sounds serious about doing something about the rotation.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
‘No hesitation at all’: Alonso all-in on Orioles blueprint for winning (Orioles.com)
More from the Pete Alonso press conference on Friday. The guy seemed pumped to be here. I’m going to enjoy that fun as long as it lasts.
How spending big on Alonso impacts the futures of Gunnar Henderson and others (The Baltimore Banner)
Andy Kostka reads between the lines of some of the exchanges that went on at the Friday press conference. In short, if David Rubenstein and company want to commit to the core, maybe something can happen, even if it takes until the Boras clients hit free agency.
Buck Showalter to Alonso: “Pete, you’re going to absolutely crush this place” (Steve Melewski on Baseball)
One thing that caught me by surprise from Friday’s press conference was Alonso’s brief impersonations of multiple people, including former Orioles manager Buck Showalter.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
One current Oriole who has yet to play a game for the team has a birthday today. Happy 32nd to Taylor Ward! May you hit at least one dinger per year of age in the 2026 season.
There are also a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2023 infielder Adam Frazier, 2002-06 pitcher Rodrigo López, 1991 pitcher Jeff Robinson, and 1964 pitcher Sam Jones.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546), Medal of Honor-winning World War II pilot Jimmy Doolittle (1896), baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (1965), and actress Vanessa Hudgens (1988).
On this day in history…
In 1812, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia ended as the last of the French forces retreated from Russian territory. The Grande Armée suffered at least 380,000 fatalities as a result of the ill-advised invasion.
In 1911, a five-person team led by Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole, the first people known to have ever done so.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on December 14. Have a safe Sunday.
