Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters.
There hasn’t been any movement to the Orioles roster since the Grayson Rodriguez trade, but there was some news about the team yesterday. Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported
that broadcaster Geoff Arnold will not return to the team in 2026. Arnold had been with the Orioles since the 2020 season and spent five seasons with the Frederick Keys before that.
Arnold joined the broadcast team at the same time as Melanie Newman, just one year after Kevin Brown. The trio was part of a new guard of broadcasters who have always been linked in my mind. Per Ghiroli, no other personnel moves are expected. So Brown and Newman will remain, but it will be a bummer to lose Arnold.
Geoff Arnold was the main radio play-by-play guy and will presumably be replaced in that role by the newest member of the team, Ben Wagner. I am not the most loyal radio listener, so I haven’t heard much from Wagner. In my experience, he is fine. But he never stood out above Arnold as a talent, and with Arnold’s roots in the minors I always felt an affinity for him.
Arnold was the 2023 Maryland Sportscaster of the Year, and per Ghiroli, was a finalist last year to land the TV play-by-play job with the Marlins. Hopefully, he will find a new spot soon.
Major League Baseball is notoriously quiet the week of Thanksgiving and yesterday was no exception. But Britt Ghiroli doesn’t rest. She also reported yesterday that the Marlins and former Oriole Kyle Stowers discussed an extension at the start of the offseason, but that those talks broke down. The difference between the two camps was reportedly $50 million over eight years, so they were pretty far apart.
One year ago, the idea of a team wanting to sign Stowers to an extension would have been unbelievable. But his season with Miami, in which he OPS’s .912 with 25 home runs in 117 games, has changed the game. Stowers is not eligible for arbitration until 2027 and doesn’t reach free agency until 2030. If he has a great season next year, he might get closer to that larger payday. If he doesn’t, he might be wishing for that $50 extension. He’s betting on himself; we’ll see how that goes.
Speaking of Stowers and contract extensions, if the Orioles want to go ahead and extend the guy they traded Stowers for, I’m all about it. Even if Trevor Rogers isn’t as good going forward as he was this season, he’d still be a valuable guy to have around for the next few years.
Links
Ward: “This team’s definitely capable of making a deep playoff run and I’m excited to join that.”
Taylor Ward met with the Baltimore media yesterday to express his surprise that the Orioles wanted him.
Taylor Ward’s prowess for punishing mistake pitches will translate well to Orioles – Baltimore Banner
Andy Kostka dove into Ward’s stats to see how he found success in 2025.
Why didn’t the Orioles keep Jorge Mateo? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Reader Howard thinks that the Orioles didn’t give Mateo the chance to be successful. I don’t agree with Howard, and neither does Rich Dubroff.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, including 2025 Oriole Seranthony Domínguez, who turns 31. Domínguez finished the season with the AL champion Blue Jays after two half-seasons with the Orioles and is now a free agent. I don’t expect we’ll see a reunion.
Also celebrating today are former Orioles Jimmy Paredes (37) and Nate Karns (38).
One year ago today, the Orioles signed Jeremiah Jackson to a minor-league contract. I don’t think anyone noticed the signing. I sure didn’t. But Jackson turned out to be a fun surprise, hitting .276/.328/.447 in 48 games in 2025.
In 2013, they traded minor leaguer Devin Jones to the Padres for Brad Brach. The trade turned out well for the Orioles. Jones never got out of the minors, and Brach spent five seasons as a big part of the Orioles’ bullpen and was an All-Star in 2016.
