The opportunities to empty the offseason mailbag are dwindling. Spring training is right around the corner. Who’s excited?
That’s my only question. The rest must come from the readers.
You ask, I try to answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.
I don’t tamper with length, style, clarity or brevity. I usually don’t bother to shower. This is a very casual mailbag.
Also, my mailbag reports early and yours has visa problems and a maxed-out AMEX card.
The Orioles have constructed a full 40-man roster with a revolving door at the end of it.
They began January by signing veteran starter Charlie Morton and designating catcher René Pinto for assignment. The Diamondbacks claimed Pinto on waivers. The Orioles claimed pitcher Roansy Contreras and designated infielder Liván Soto, who was outrighted after clearing waivers. They signed reliever Andrew Kittredge and designated catcher Blake Hunt before trading him to the Mariners. They claimed infielder Jacob Amaya and designated Contreras, who was claimed by the Yankees. They signed outfielder Dylan Carlson and designated Amaya, and they acquired infielder Luis Vazquez in a trade with the Cubs and designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera.
This brings us to February.
The White Sox claimed Amaya, and Vazquez was designated when the Orioles signed outfielder Ramón Laureano. We aren’t even a week into the month.
Let’s take the latest look at the 40-man roster, which used to contain four catchers but now holds seven outfielders.
Outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., the Orioles’ first-round draft pick in 2023, highlights their list of spring training invites.
Twenty-six non-roster players will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota – 10 right-handers, two left-handers, four catchers, five infielders and five outfielders. Other players could be added later if the Orioles finalize another minor league contract.
Infielder Terrin Vavra is the most recent example, agreeing to terms yesterday on a minor league deal with a spring invitation.
Bradfield is the No. 6 prospect in the organization, according to Baseball America. MLB Pipeline’s final 2024 ranks placed Bradfield fourth.
The Orioles summoned Bradfield from the Twin Lakes side last spring, and he played in the Spring Breakout game.
Let Albert Suárez be clear about this again. Practice for the next time that he’s asked.
Would he rather start or relieve? Relieve or start?
Does it matter to him?
“Not really,” Suárez replied at Friday night’s Birdland Caravan stop at PBR Baltimore. “Like last year, it didn’t matter, either. I was just ready for anytime. So this year will be the same mentality.”
Bets could be won by challenging fans to name the Oriole who made the second-most starts last season behind Corbin Burnes’ 32. Súarez tied with Dean Kremer at 24, and his 32 appearances tied Burnes for first among pitchers who didn’t work exclusively in relief.
The pain has faded, but it took a while. The postseason silence in a clubhouse can ring in a player’s ears.
The Orioles won the American League East in 2023 and were swept by the Rangers in the best-of-five Division Series. They earned the top Wild Card in 2024 and were swept by the Royals in the best-of-three series.
Winning 192 games in the past two seasons doesn’t lessen the disappointment of those abrupt finishes. Making the playoffs three straight years for the first time since 1969-71 won’t mean much if eyes are filled with tears again and hugs are given to console rather than celebrate.
“That’s my No. 1 goal and it’s been my No. 1 goal since I’ve been up in the big leagues is to make a strong playoff push, and it stinks that we haven’t really done that,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said at last week’s Birdland Caravan. “That’s something that I’m really looking forward to going through this year is getting over that hump and making a strong push.”
That hump has looked 50 feet tall, with the streak of playoff game defeats reaching 10 in a row dating back to the 2014 Championship Series. The Orioles had their roster battered by injuries last year but competed into October before their championship dreams died again.
As speculation and rumors keep swirling about the Orioles’ quest to add another starting pitcher, contract agreements are finalized to deepen the outfield and raise more questions about possible future moves.
A crowded outfield is going to need extra space. The team announced today that it signed Ramón Laureano to a one-year deal with a club option for 2026. He can earn $4 million this season and the option is worth $6.5 million, per a source.
A corresponding 40-man roster move involved infielder Luis Vázquez, who was designated for assignment after the Orioles acquired him from the Cubs Friday for cash considerations.
Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Tyler O’Neill are the projected starters, with Heston Kjerstad viewed as the favorite to make the club as a fourth outfielder. Dylan Carlson signed last month for $975,000, but he holds three minor league options. Daz Cameron also is on the 40-man.
Carrying a fifth outfielder would whittle the infield group to six. Jorge Mateo is questionable for Opening Day after undergoing elbow surgery in late August. He’s going to be slow-played in camp.
The play still haunts Jordan Westburg and serves as a hard lesson.
Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ young star, reached on a tie-breaking infield single with two outs in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the Wild Card series. Westburg’s throw to first base was late as Kyle Isbel crossed the plate in a 2-1 loss that completed the sweep at Camden Yards.
Westburg keeps replaying it in his head, with the same result. He made a diving stop on a ground ball up the middle with runners on the corners, and Gunnar Henderson raced to second base in case Westburg tried for the force.
“Witt is fast,” Westburg told the media while standing at his locker inside a quiet clubhouse. “I got to the ball and made a stop. It’s kind of sandwiched in between dirt and my glove. Didn’t pick it clean right away. Probably took an extra half second to kind of get my feet underneath me and try and get off a throw and he was too fast. Yeah, I want to make that play. It’s a tough play. I’m trying not to beat myself up over that.”
"I was in the hole a little bit, so I was doing my best over there to get it," Henderson said. "Felt like whatever way he decided to go. Obviously the guy at first (Michael Massey) can run and Bobby obviously can run really well. Just tough play."
The latest health updates on Orioles recovering from injuries or surgeries will be shared on the first day of spring training. Media access begins Feb. 13.
Nothing passed along at this point has sounded the alarms.
Jorge Mateo seems to be the largest question mark regarding Opening Day availability as he recovers from Aug. 28 surgery to correct a dislocated left elbow. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said Thursday that Mateo’s “not going to be a hundred percent citizen of spring training, but he’ll be ramping up and we’ll be able to address whether or not he’s going to break for exact Opening Day a little bit later.”
That crowded infield might have found its solution. Too soon to know.
Closer Félix Bautista also needs to ramp up after reporting and is going to be on a slower spring pace than his teammates, but he’s expected to be ready for March 27 in Toronto.
The maturity of Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday can reveal itself in many ways.
On Friday night, it happened behind a bar at PBR Baltimore during a Birdland Caravan stop. Holliday is old enough to drink alcohol – and certainly to pour, which he was busy doing.
The kid turned 21 in December. He won’t be relegated to sipping “Bird Bath” water, unless he chooses it, if another clinching celebration erupts in the clubhouse.
Holliday will report to spring training as the favorite to win the second base job, but it’s a competition. He probably can’t afford to have a terrible camp with the team well-stocked in infielders, even after designating Emmanuel Rivera for assignment.
It would get a little trickier if Jorge Mateo isn’t ready for Opening Day, but still manageable. And there’s always the waiver wire.
The smiles appear before the response.
Ask a few Orioles hitters for their immediate reactions to news that the club is moving in the left field wall, and their approval can be seen on their faces.
“I mean, I’m not disappointed,” catcher Adley Rutschman said yesterday evening after the Birdland Caravan made a stop at PBR Baltimore.
“It’s definitely nice as a righty, and maybe as a lefty. I think everyone’s excited.”
No one more than first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who was robbed of 11 home runs over three seasons, per Statcast data, after the Orioles pushed back the wall and raised its height. The new dimensions bring it up at varying distances between nine and 20 feet.
Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias joined a group of players and local media this morning in volunteering at the Warehouse Collaborative, a space for Baltimore-based nonprofit organizations to share resources. Moving from station to station, Elias boxed and bagged donated items and books, assisted in building skateboards, tore tags off Orioles hoodies and shirts to be distributed.
Employees divided everyone into four groups and turned it into a contest, with the winning team posting the fastest times. Elias and Adley Rutschman left the facility with bragging rights.
Elias is eyeing much bigger victories down the road, but this was a nice start on Day 2 of the Birdland Caravan.
A 13-minute interview session followed with Elias, who confirmed that he isn’t done conducting roster business - or at least attempting it.
Asked whether he’s still targeting pitching, Elias said, “I think we’re targeting improvements to the team.”
The second day of the Birdland Caravan brings 10 players to PBR Baltimore at Power Plant Live! Perhaps a few of them will be convinced to sing Karaoke. Riding the mechanical bull might not be included among permissible activities in their contracts.
That’s a difficult injury story to write. It might throw me.
Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn, Jordan Westburg, Albert Suárez, Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott will make appearances between 6-8 p.m. Seven of them seem like locks to occupy the Opening Day roster, an eighth remains a favorite but becomes more vulnerable if another pitcher arrives, and two probably need some breaks to avoid Triple-A.
Cowser
The runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year should get heavy usage again after appearing in 153 games last season.
Adam Jones played on Orioles teams that reached the postseason in 2012, 2014 and 2016 and stayed in contention in ’17 until the final month. He became an executive and community ambassador for the organization earlier this week, attaching him to a club that’s made back-to-back playoff appearances, including a division title in 2023.
He seems qualified to offer comparisons.
The 2025 edition will try to make it three in a row for the first time since 1969-71, when the Orioles went 1-2 in the World Series.
The teams with Jones were eliminated in the Division Series in ’12, Championship Series in ’14 and Wild Card in ’16. The outcomes left a bitter taste but were much easier to digest than the streak of 14 straight losing seasons that began in 1998.
“When I look at this team and I compare them to the teams I played on, I mean, they’re more athletic. They run the bases better,” Jones said during Tuesday’s video call.
Adam Jones used to flash his range in center field, running down fly balls in the gaps or back at the wall. His impactful reach touched the city and its communities with his charitable work. And now, the Orioles are counting on his influence in Japan.
Jones spent the last two years of his professional career with the Orix Buffalos of Nippon Professional Baseball before the Orioles hired him this week as special advisor to the general manager and community ambassador. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias stated yesterday in a video call with media that Jones is “going to be helpful” in the club’s plans to tap into the Japanese market.
The Orioles gave starter Tomoyuki Sugano a $13 million contract, making him just the third Japanese player to sign with the club directly from his home country. Jones didn’t develop a relationship with him over the years, but they faced each other in the NPB and the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Jones isn’t paid as a scout, but it can come with the job, and he “signed off” on Sugano, according to Elias.
"He's a fan of Sugano,” Elias said.
The Orioles broke out another option year to bend from their file-and-go stance in arbitration.
Jorge Mateo has agreed to a contract for the 2025 season to avoid a hearing. He’s set to earn $3.55 million, according to an industry source.
The deal also includes a $5.5 million option for 2026 with escalators that could increase the value to $6 million based on plate appearances this season, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
The club added an extra year to previous agreements with John Means and Trey Mancini past the deadline to exchange figures. Otherwise, negotiations are closed. ]
Mateo filed for $4 million and the Orioles countered at $3.1 million. MLBTradeRumors.com projected a raise to $3.2.
The front office vision shared by the newcomers who marched into Camden Yards beginning in the winter of 2018 required them to gaze into the past. To look back while also trying to push a flailing franchise forward.
Adam Jones is serving as an ideal example of this mindset, with the Orioles hiring the five-time All-Star and one of the most popular players in franchise history as special advisor to the general manager and community ambassador.
He’s an Oriole again.
It’s almost like he never left. Or it never left him.
Jones and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spent about 32 minutes this morning on a video call with reporters and random media. The moving trucks departed Baltimore earlier today for Sarasota, carrying 320 uniforms, 300 hats, 200 helmets, 10 pitching machines, 800 dozen baseballs and 300 bats, with an arrival scheduled for later this week. Jones will get there from his Barcelona home, working as a guest instructor and getting acclimated to his new job and set of responsibilities.
The love for Orioles minor league catcher Samuel Basallo keeps growing, with The Athletic’s Keith Law ranking him third yesterday on the site’s top 100 prospects list.
Red Sox minor league outfielder Roman Anthony is first and Rangers infielder Sebastian Walcott is second.
Baseball Prospectus ranks Basallo at No. 11, three spots ahead of Coby Mayo and 35 ahead of Enrique Bradfield Jr. Baseball America ranks Basallo 14th, which is 15 spots ahead of Mayo and 67 ahead of Heston Kjerstad, who still qualifies at this outlet. Basallo is the highest rated catcher.
The Athletic has Mayo 18th and Bradfield 82nd.
The obsessing and hype surrounding past decorated Orioles prospects Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday is shifting to Basallo, who celebrated his 20th birthday in August.
The Orioles weren’t finished with the position player side of their roster.
The club announced today that it signed outfielder Dylan Carlson to a one-year contract. It’s worth $975,000 with a $25,000 bonus if he reaches 200 plate appearances, according to an industry source.
Infielder Jacob Amaya was designated for assignment to create room for Carlson on a full 40-man roster.
Carlson, 26, is a switch-hitter and the 33rd overall pick of the Cardinals in the 2016 draft. He split last season between St. Louis and Tampa Bay and batted .209/.287/.277 in 96 games.
This was a big drop from the 2021 season when Carlson finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .266/.343/.437 with 31 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 65 RBIs in 149 games.
One of the most popular players in Orioles history is returning to the organization.
Long-time outfielder Adam Jones, revered in Baltimore for his production at the plate, defense, leadership and charitable work over 11 seasons, has been hired as special advisor to the general manager and community ambassador.
The club made the announcement this morning in a release, explaining that Jones will “advise executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias on various matters and serve as a resource for the rest of the baseball operations department and Orioles major and minor league players.”
Jones will serve as a guest instructor in spring training, marking the beginning of his new role. He has visited the Ed Smith Stadium complex in the past, in part due to his work for the players association, and signed autographs for fans.
The job will have Jones participating in a multitude of club-sponsored community service projects, such as the adopt-a-school partnership with Harlem Park Elementary Middle School, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and the Challenger League. He’s also going to interact with Birdland Members, corporate partners, fans and members of the front office as an Orioles representative.
When the playoffs started, I predicted an Eagles-Bills Super Bowl in a beat writer text thread. No one else had Philadelphia, but I cited its defense, offensive line and weapons in the backfield and at receiver and tight end.
I got it half right. Josh Allen just came along at the wrong time, in the midst of the Chiefs dynasty.
I also knew that I’d have leftovers from my last mailbag. A precedent is set.
Here are some extras.
Outfield versatility is a great thing, usually for substitutions or resting the starters. But Brandon Hyde used to switch Austin Hays and Anthony Santander to the opposite corners occasionally when they were both almost everyday starters. It might have depended on the road park and its dimensions. Happened maybe even at Fenway Park. Think we'll see Tyler O'Neill and Colton Cowser at both corners even as everyday starters in the same lineup?
I don’t think Cowser is locked into left field and O’Neill into right, but those will be their primary positions. They could switch on occasion. Moving Santander to the other corner made sense in some ballparks if there was more ground to cover in right. Hays had better range, of course. O’Neill has won two Gold Gloves. Hyde could be less inclined to make that switch.
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