Good morning Birdland,
While we wait for the next significant pitching domino to fall, we can look forward to the start of spring training. It’s not far away now!
According to MLB.com, Orioles pitchers and
catchers that will be taking part in the 2026 World Baseball Classic will report to Sarasota on February 9. That would include Dean Kremer (Israel) and Rico Garcia (Puerto Rico). The rest of the pitchers and catchers would join on February 11.
Position players that will be playing in the WBC must be at Ed Smith Stadium by February 11. Gunnar Henderson (USA) and Tyler O’Neill (Canada) are in that group. The rest of them will arrive by February 16.
The Orioles’ Grapefruit League slate will get underway on February 20. It will include a March 3 matchup with Team Netherlands. The World Baseball Classic will begin in earnest on March 5. Team USA’s first game is on March 6 against Brazil.
What many of us would love to know is how, exactly, we are going to consume the Orioles games down in Florida. But as has become an annual tradition, it’s a mystery. In recent years, MASN has tended to broadcast a handful of games themselves, the Orioles Radio Network has offered a few more, and then you can usually see several road games by finding an opposition’s broadcast feed.
One can imagine that TV ratings of midday spring training games are not terribly high. And it costs money for MASN and the Orioles to broadcast these games. So it may not make financial sense for them to get every game on TV. But last time I checked, the cable providers that carry MASN still charge extra for the channel each month. And unless you are interested in the random mid-major college basketball game here or there, or an insane amount of horse racing, you aren’t getting your money’s worth during the winter months.
To me, it would make sense for MLB to step in and tell every club that they need to provide some type of broadcast for every home game during the the spring. Then, the away team can simply simulcast that feed in their local market. Now, do I want to hear the Yankees announcers give me some anecdote about a 20-year-old wearing number 87 without a prayer of making the roster? No. But I will take it if it means I can see the Orioles play baseball.
Links
Orioles Outright Will Robertson | MLB Trade Rumors
Another Mike Elias waiver claim works out just the way he wanted. The Orioles’ boss loves to claim players and then DFA them days later, hoping to sneak them through to Triple-A. Now the club has the player without clogging up their 40-man roster. Robertson is still in a position to compete at spring training next month, although the O’s outfield is pretty darn full.
Orioles’ Birdland Caravan returns with star-studded player lineup, including Pete Alonso | The Baltimore Banner
This is an updated story as the Orioles continue to finalize the details ahead of the Caravan later this month. The players, coaches, Oriole Bird, and Mr. Splash will be all over the place, from Montgomery County to Bel Air, several spots in Baltimore, Frederick, and elsewhere. Specific info on individual events and how to buy tickets can be found at Orioles.com.
Still more mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko
Roch mentions that the opening of the international signing period comes this week. It sounds like the Orioles will be getting yet another exciting injection of talent to their organization.
Who’s most likely to win a World Series over the next decade? | MLB.com
The Orioles do get a mention here, but their star has certainly faded after last year’s disaster. A bounce back this year might help the organization get its groove back.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- José Castillo turns 30 today. The southpaw appeared in five games out of the Orioles bullpen last year.
- Rico Garcia is 32. He had a solid 20-game run with the Orioles just last year, accumulating a 2.84 ERA over 19 innings. For now, Garcia is poised to compete for a middle relief spot in the O’s bullpen heading into 2026.
- Aríel Miranda turns 37. The Cuban-born lefty pitched in just one game for the 2016 O’s before he was dealt to the Mariners for Wade Miley.
- Rick Bauer is 49 years old. From 2001 through ‘05, he was a familiar face in the Orioles bullpen. In those five seasons he tossed 240 innings over 125 appearances, and had a 4.58 ERA.
This day in O’s history
1991 – The Orioles make a misguided trade with the Astros. They send Curt Schilling, Pete Harnisch, and Steve Finley to Houston in exchange for slugger Glenn Davis.
2000 – After the Orioles nixed a four-year, $29 million deal with him following a bad review of his physical, right-handed pitcher Aaron Sele signs a two-year, $15-million contract with the Mariners.
2012 – The Orioles sign Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen to a three-year deal. Chen had been released by the Chunichi Dragons, so he was not exposed to the typical posting system for players coming to MLB from Asia.
