The exhibitions finally are over. The Orioles aren’t playing anymore games in Florida, and they aren’t competing at home or in D.C. until the regular season.

No more early substitutions, starters re-entering games and media granted player access before the last out. Backfield workouts and live batting practice are in the past. The fuss over the $23 million player development complex in Sarasota transfers to the many renovations and changes to Camden Yards.

The final fake record is 13-13-3. They went 16-13 in 2023 and won 101 real games on their way to the best mark in the American League. They were 23-6 in 2024, the best in baseball, and earned the first Wild Card with 91 wins.

I guess we ignored the warning in 2025, when a 13-14 spring record was followed by a last-place finish and managerial change.

Or there’s no correlation. That’s more likely it.

Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh was right. Winning is better than losing. But that momentum doesn’t carry. Games are managed differently. Starters are pulled, minor leaguers finish up, and games can get out of hand.

Kyle Bradish tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday afternoon against the Nationals and Shane Baz followed yesterday with five scoreless in D.C. Chris Bassitt replaced him and shut out Washington for two innings.

This isn’t the best rotation in the majors but it’s a significant upgrade for the Orioles. It’s deeper, with a chance to be really, really good if Baz pitches to his potential and Zach Eflin, no longer held back by his injured back, works at the same level or higher than he did in 2024 after the deadline trade. Eflin finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting in 2023 and posted a 2.60 ERA in nine starts with the Orioles in ’24.

Let’s not forget that he’s got a track record, and that he’s at peak physical condition after years of trying to compensate for the pain, on the mound and at home. This could prove at $10 million to be a steal.

Dean Kremer is too good to be pitching in Triple-A and it probably won’t be a lengthy assignment. Get through the early part of the schedule with the three off-days and go with a six-man rotation. Manager Craig Albernaz and his pitching coaches will make it work.

Speaking of Albernaz, he told the assembled media yesterday in D.C. that it was “a great spring.” His first camp ran smoothly, and he was glad that the Orioles could play in two major league ballparks.

“The work, the attention to detail, the intensity, the competitiveness. It was fun,” he said.

“The boys were loose, so it’s tough to blend that all together, and they did it. It speaks to the players in that clubhouse. They jelled well. They pushed each other, and they had fun with each other.”

The roster still hasn’t come together, partly because of some health questions. Curveballs are being thrown at the Orioles in the late stages.

Outfielder Dylan Beavers has a sore right knee and Albernaz couldn’t provide an update to the media. He should be fine for Opening Day but that’s more of an assumption based on how he was trending earlier.

Heston Kjerstad probably would have been optioned but might end up on the injured list with his hamstring strain. The bullpen already was unsettled and now left-hander Keegan Akin has an adductor injury that could put him on the IL, depending on the results of his MRI. It feels inevitable, and that’s an important component lost.

Akin can fill many roles, and his ability to work multiple innings brings tremendous value.

Kind of makes you wonder if Albert Suárez’s chances improve because he’s an innings eater. But let’s see if Akin is any better today or Wednesday.g

The competition for utility infielder is narrowing more to Jeremiah Jackson, who hit a three-run homer Sunday at Camden Yards and started for the first time in left field yesterday before moving to right. Thairo Estrada exercised the opt-out clause in his contract yesterday and Luis Vázquez has a broken right thumb after being hit by a 92 mph cutter in Sunday’s game. He’s out, too.

Weston Wilson and Bryan Ramos remain in the mix, but it just seems like Jackson is at the head of the line. However, there could be room for two depending on whether the Orioles keep outfielder Leody Taveras, who hit a two-run homer yesterday.

Taveras is a natural center fielder and a switch-hitter, and both seem important, but he isn’t a lock despite the $2 million contract.

The roster is down to 39 with catcher Maverick Handley and first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel reassigned to minor league camp. Estrada was 2-for-25, Handley was 1-for-11, and “Big Christmas” batted .391 with two home runs and a 1.158 OPS. He also made a couple of nice plays in right field and at first base. Much more athletic than advertised.

*Left-hander Joseph Dzierwa, a second-round pick in 2025 out Michigan State, was named to the All-Spring Breakout Team after striking out eight Red Sox batters in three innings.

*Former Orioles left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez signed in February with the Nationals and made the club. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning yesterday.

Pérez was designated for assignment last season and didn’t pitch for the Orioles after May 20.

*The Orioles released minor league infielder Max Wagner last week, according to their transactions page. It’s noteworthy because he was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Clemson.

Wagner never made it to Triple-A and batted .223 with a .685 OPS in four minor league seasons.

Also released was right-hander Dylan Heid, an 11th round pick in 2021 from Pittsburgh-Johnstown who made seven relief appearances with Triple-A Norfolk last year and allowed five runs with eight walks and 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.