Good morning Birdland,
The GM Meetings are underway in Las Vegas, which gave reporters a chance to chat with the Orioles front office duo of president of baseball operations Mike Elias and brand new general manager Jared Banner. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner provide a wrap up of the answers that Elias and Banner provided.
First, Banner confirmed that Mike Shildt will return as upper-level coordinator of instruction. That’s noteworthy since that sort of thing falls directly under Banner’s defined
purview. Seems like he was satisfied to maintain some continuity there. On top of that, the entire major league coaching staff is expected to return unless they are poached. That is somewhat surprising, at least on the offensive side of things.
Elias said that he has already told a few current infielders that they may see time in the outfield during the spring. He stopped short of naming those players. It has long been speculated that Coby Mayo would fit better in a corner outfield spot than he does at third base, and some have suggested that Jackson Holliday’s speed would be useful out on the grass.
Jordan Westburg is on track to be a “normal citizen” to begin spring training, which seems to be Elias-speak for being 100% recovered from his elbow surgery. The same is true for Holliday and his wrist. Let’s see if that ends up being true come February.
The back of the bullpen is a question mark, and the Orioles are being honest about it. Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista will factor in but, as Elias says “With both having injured 2026s, I don’t know if that’s entirely what we can rely on. We’ll see what moves we make over this winter.” That is good to hear.
And finally, Elias essentially confirmed the report from earlier this offseason that everyone on the roster is available, but provided additional clarity. “A lot of our key, core players are very unlikely to go anywhere…We’re talking to everybody about everything right now. … It’s part of our job, especially if a guy is not on a big, long-term contract, we’ve got to listen. But it doesn’t mean we’re motivated to trade players.”
All of this sounds perfectly reasonable on November 11. Elias is admitting to the team’s flaws in the bullpen and outfield. He also talked about how they want Trevor Rogers back but will have other avenues if he signs elsewhere, so the rotation is supposed to get some love as well. The guy understands where the weaknesses are.
Addressing those weaknesses and bringing in the correct players to fill those holes is where the struggles have been in recent years. The outfield will be a particularly tough problem to solve since the free agent market is thin, and the internal solutions are all huge variables. But they have to do something because it is probably the team’s most glaring need.
Links
Elias on trade buzz: O’s core players ‘very unlikely’ to be dealt | MLB.com
More on the press gaggle with Elias and Banner. Some fans will be relieved that the big names are likely to stay, others will wish the plan was to shake things up more.
Mountcastle feels good and is waiting to find out which team might benefit from it | Roch Kubatko
It was a bummer to see Ryan Mountcastle’s time with the Orioles come to such an unceremonious end. He was a fun personality and had been quite productive prior to 2025. He will get a job somewhere this offseason, likely a one-year, prove-it deal, where he can get back to hitting home runs somewhere other than the now-cavernous left field at Camden Yards.
Orioles takeaways: Front office looking to start revamp at GM meetings | The Baltimore Banner
This is a re-post of the link I provided in the opening diatribe. Kostka’s Bluesky account also has some nuggets that aren’t included in their entirety in the article.
Orioles retain ex-MLB manager to lead on-field education | The Baltimore Banner
This is a deeper dive in Shildt’s role and how he is sticking around. It makes sense for Banner to keep things somewhat steady. It’s so early in his tenure that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. Might as well learn how things function before you start poking too many holes.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Vinny Nittoli turns 30 today. He pitched in two games for the Orioles during the 2024 season.
- J.R. House is 47 years old. During the 2007 season he played in 19 games as a reserve catcher for the O’s.
- The late Ike Delock (b. 1929, d. 2022) was born on this day. The right-handed pitcher wrapped up his 11-season career with a seven-game stint on the Orioles in 1963. He had spent the prior decade with the Red Sox.
This day in O’s history
1953 – Jimmy Dykes is named manager of the Baltimore Orioles, succeeding Marty Marion in the role.
1970 – Boog Powell is named AL MVP. Although he did not lead the league in any one statistic, his entire stat-line of a .297 batting average, 35 home runs, and 114 RBI was impressive enough to beat out Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, and Carl Yastrzemski beneath him.
1982 – The Orioles name a new manager for the first time since 1968. Joe Altobelli is tapped to replace legendary skipper Earl Weaver.
2014 – O’s boss Buck Showalter wins his third career Manager of the Year award
