SAN ANTONIO de GUERRA, Dominican Republic – Among the stacks of mental snapshots from yesterday’s opening of the Orioles’ new baseball academy, with its Sarasota vibe that whets the appetite for spring training, is the image of former pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez strolling into the complex with a big smile on his face and his old black cap with the orange bill perched atop his head.

The man doesn’t take the chance to represent lightly.

Jiménez was invited to the ceremony and made the trip from his Miami home, where his passions are real estate investments and helping to raise his three daughters. He last pitched in the majors with the Orioles on Sept. 22, 2017. The Rockies signed him in February 2020 and released him five months later.

Still appearing in baseball shape, could another comeback attempt be in the works? Jiménez flashed his familiar smile again and reminded us that he turns 40 next week.

Jiménez couldn’t single out just one feature of the state-of-the-art academy that most impressed him.

SAN ANTONIO de GUERRA, Dominican Republic – Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias recited some of his club’s accomplishments earlier today – the best record in the American League and the top farm system in baseball getting their proper due – before redirecting his attention to the reason for the enormous gathering. The grand opening of their state-of-the-art training academy that attracted several of the country’s dignitaries and the club’s top officials.

“But,” Elias said with impeccable timing, “this is the most important achievement our group has made in these five years.”

The 22.5-acre complex is home to the Orioles’ regional facility for Caribbean, Central and South American player development operations, and includes three full fields, a sports turf agility field, batting and pitching tunnels, administrative buildings, dormitories and educational facilities. It can hold more than 100 players, coaches and staff, compared to 60-70 at the old facility in Boca Chica.

The project was led by landowner and developer Brian Mejia of Brison SRL, who choked up several times today and wiped away tears as he shared his mother’s wish to see the completion of the academy. She passed away last month.

Spectators applauded and encouraged Mejia during his emotional speech. He’d pause, try to regroup and push ahead.

SAN ANTONIO de GUERRA, Dominican Republic – Some of the top Orioles officials are gathering this morning for the opening ceremony for their new state-of-the-art training academy in Guerra. The club is hosting a clinic for kids from communities across the Dominican Republic on Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m., with the organization and the Orioles Advocates providing 150 baseball gloves to the participants that were gathered at collections in Baltimore throughout the 2023 season.

Players, coaches and alumni will offer instruction on a variety of baseball skills.

This is a quick break from the winter work done to improve the major league roster and begin another hunt for the first World Series title since 1983.

The biggest move remains the signing of closer Craig Kimbrel at the Winter Meetings for a guaranteed $13 million. The rest is about depth – pitcher Jonathan Heasley, catchers David Bañuelos and Michael Pérez, third baseman Dominic Freeberger and utility infielder Errol Robinson.

Kimbrel always had top two status. An extra infielder or outfielder was less important. A starter to lead the rotation was the crucial pairing.

In order for the Orioles to come out clean on the other side of their teardown and rebuild, they had to create a presence in the international market. Spend money in it. Find the right people with solid reputations and name and face recognition instead of being invisible.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias made one of his most important moves in January 2019, two months after joining the Orioles, by hiring Cleveland’s Koby Perez as senior director of international scouting. Elias called it “the first major step in improving our footing in Latin America.”

“His experience, connections and reputation built across a fast-rising career in multiple successful organizations will immediately elevate our capabilities in this critical market,” Elias said that day.

The department lacked a formal leader since Fred Ferreria was dismissed after the 2017 season. Assistant director of minor league and international operations Cale Cox was let go in October 2018.

The Orioles played on the fringes of the market. Now, they’re in the deep end.

I shared some predictions a week ago and set aside topics that I wasn’t ready to touch.

Let’s do this again with a few more, pausing the arbitration talk and waiting one more day for the start of the international signing period.

Predictions:

The Orioles will exceed the 87.5 wins set as odds by BetOnline.

The site adds that “these win totals are subject to change leading up to the season due to injuries, performance, public action, etc.” So yes, the acquisition of a stud starting pitcher, for example, could scramble some numbers.

The interest in the Orioles can’t always be confined to one mailbag entry. There’s some spillover that must be cleaned up.

Think of this space as aisle 5.

Here’s the remainder, along with a reminder that my mailbag parts ways amicably and yours is fired.

Where is Félix Bautista rehabbing?
I’m told he’s rehabbing at the spring training complex in Sarasota, but he’ll be in the Dominican Republic for Tuesday’s unveiling of the new state-of-the-art academy.

Are there any MLB teams not linked to a trade for Dylan Cease?
I like how you emphasized “MLB.” Just to be clear that you weren’t referring to the Northwoods League. It isn’t every team in the majors, but it’s more than a half-dozen, right? And yes, the Orioles are talking to the White Sox about him. Why is this treated like breaking news? And are they reportedly the “favorites” simply because they have the most prospects to offer?

The Orioles announced another new addition to their 2024 coaching staff, though he comes from within the organization.

Mitch Plassmeyer, 28, has been promoted from minor league pitching coordinator to major league assistant pitching coach. He replaces Darren Holmes, who was hired as the Cubs bullpen coach.

Plassmeyer was minor league pitching coordinator since May 2022. He had worked at the University of Missouri-Columbia as pitching coach and director of player development–baseball after beginning his coaching career at Premier Pitching and Performance (P3) in Missouri.

Drew French, 39, was named pitching coach earlier in the offseason after spending the last three seasons as Braves bullpen coach. He replaces Chris Holt, who remains director of pitching.

The other change is Grant Anders’ role as major league development coach.

A month has passed since the last big mailbag reveal, when blue smoke told us that the Orioles would make a trade with the Royals.

Welcome to the Orioles world, Jonathan Heasley.

The deadline to sign arbitration-eligible players or exchange salary figures was last night, followed by the start of the international signing period on Monday. The three-day Birdland Caravan begins Jan. 25. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training by the middle of February.

Heasley could make another new friend before reporting to camp. The Orioles still haven’t acquired a starting pitcher.

I won’t wait until it happens to respond to your questions. Let’s do it now, with a second batch held for later.

The string of slow-to-nonexistent news days is about to get snipped with the Orioles approaching the deadline to sign their arbitration-eligible players or exchange salary figures.

This counts as actual news, right? Or maybe it depends on your standards. After all, they're under team control no matter the outcome. But at least it's more than a minor league signing.

Deals need to get done by 8 p.m. tonight or risk hearings between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Yes, the deadline is tonight despite the 1,472 articles in Google searches that say Friday. It was changed.

One more time, I hope, are the 13 impacted players and MLBTradeRumors’ projected raises:

An organization that isn’t hurting for infield prospects and choices made a depth move this morning.

The Orioles signed 29-year-old utility player Errol Robinson to a minor league deal. The announcement didn’t include mention of a spring training invite but he’s likely on the list.

Robinson is a local product, growing up in Boyds, Md. and attending St. John’s College High School in D.C. The Dodgers drafted him in the sixth round in 2016 out of the University of Mississippi.

The Reds claimed Robinson on waivers in December 2020 and the Cardinals signed him to a minor league contract in July 2022. St. Louis released him three months ago.

Robinson is a career .251/.332/.347 hitter in seven minor league seasons and hasn’t reached the majors. He’s totaled 82 doubles, 10 triples, 28 home runs, 196 RBIs and 95 stolen bases.

Left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain on the free-agent market but are viewed as too pricey for the Orioles. The contract length and dollars don’t work for them.

The club is linked to Marcus Stromen in various reports, whether due to serious or surface interest. Could be ongoing talks or tire kicking.

Could be an attempt to stick another team into the conversation besides the Yankees.

A recent article on this site spurred a discussion over a No. 1 starter and whether anyone should slot ahead of Kyle Bradish. And more specific, in comparison to the White Sox’s Dylan Cease if the Orioles managed to acquire him in a trade.

Cease was 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.109 WHIP in 32 starts in 2022 and finished second in American League Cy Young voting. Bradish was 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA and 1.402 WHIP in 23 starts as a rookie.

Now that we know the roster for the upcoming Birdland Caravan, we can formulate a plan for interaction and, if you’re in the media, to conduct interviews.

I wrote last month that I hoped for a Félix Bautista sighting, but he isn’t on the list. We’ll just assume he’s feeling good and his recovery is going well after Tommy John surgery. And, of course, he’s working hard to come back.

Also, no Kyle Bradish to talk about finishing fourth in Cy Young voting in the American League. We’ll save it for spring training.

Anthony Santander won't be there, preventing the media from calling him a "trade chip" in person.

You’ve already been told about Adley Rutschman’s previous commitment to speak at an event at Oregon State, and Gunnar Henderson’s commitment to receive his AL Rookie of the Year award in New York. They send their regrets and hope to see fans in Sarasota.

The Orioles have announced participants and shared details for their three-day Birdland Caravan later this month.

Current Orioles players and coaches participating in select events include, alphabetically, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, manager Brandon Hyde, coaches Cody Asche, Matt Borgschulte, Ryan Fuller, Fredi González, Ryan Klimek and Tony Mansolino, and players Keegan Akin, Mike Baumann, Danny Coulombe, Colton Cowser, DL Hall, Austin Hays, Cole Irvin, Ryan McKenna, John Means, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Joey Ortiz, Grayson Rodriguez, Anthony Santander, Dillon Tate, Nick Vespi, Jacob Webb, Tyler Wells, Jordan Westburg and Bruce Zimmermann.

Also attending are prospects Jackson Holliday, Chayce McDermott, Coby Mayo and Cade Povich.

The weekend-long celebration runs from Jan. 25-27. A fourth day was eliminated to avoid a possible conflict with the Ravens, who qualified for the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The conference championship games are slated for the 28^th.

Buses will be arriving at Bowlero Timonium and Topgolf Germantown that give fans an opportunity to interact with players and staff. The caravan will make stops in 13 cities, including Baltimore City, Capitol Heights, Catonsville, Columbia, Frederick, Gambrills, Hagerstown, Halethorpe, Hanover, Havre De Grace, Laurel, and Timonium.

Scanning social media baseball posts on the former Twitter, as it’s now called, can be informative and enlightening. Also, comical and annoying. The emotions have more range than Paul Blair in center field.

Sometimes, you’ll stumble upon things that make you go “hmmmm.” And then you're at risk of overthinking it.

The Orioles are reported to have interest in reliever Ryan Brasier, 36, with his market also including the Cardinals, Rangers, Dodgers, Angels and Cubs. He isn’t the starting pitcher that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias has tried to procure. He doesn’t appear to be a necessity with the club holding so many relief options.

Elias indicated on the final day of the Winter Meetings that he’d monitor other opportunities with relievers, whether through a trade or signing, but the urgency seemed to be fading after the Orioles signed closer Craig Kimbrel.

"There's room for more, but I would feel like this group now stacks up really well around the league with what we have now," Elias said in Nashville. "We also have the possibility depending on how our rotation pursuits and our rotation competition goes in Sarasota, that some of the talented guys we have in that mix could spill over into the 'pen.

A new week is beginning and another important baseball date is approaching.

Friday is the deadline for teams to reach agreements on contracts with their arbitration-eligible players before the sides exchange salary figures. Hearings are scheduled between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The non-tender deadline passed on Nov. 17 with the Orioles signing shortstop Jorge Mateo for $2.7 million, left-hander Keegan Akin for $825,000 and outfielders Ryan McKenna and Sam Hilliard for $800,000.

The other 13 eligible players were tendered contracts. The Orioles went 17-for-17 to shock prognosticators like me who practically guaranteed at least one non-tender. Guys sitting on the bubble didn’t burst it.

At the risk of shattering the record for the most rehashed numbers, here are the MLBTradeRumors projected raises:

The countdown to spring training is gaining momentum. The offseason is melting away as the temperature drops, forming a Frosty puddle.

I’m about to get busy, busy, busy.

Mocks and predictions are popular ways to keep fans engaged, with the disclaimer that everything can change with one or two transactions.

The Orioles and their division rivals aren’t done constructing their rosters. I don’t own a crystal ball, but I highly recommend Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Skull vodka. It's first on my list, but it’s harder to find than a usable Erik Bedard quote.

But I digress …

The media crowd around Jackson Holliday’s locker will have more layers than an onion on his first day of availability in camp. Must be his appeal.

(You see what I did there.)

Holliday was a good story last spring. The first-overall draft pick with the youthful face and famous father. Everyone wanted to see him play, and he stuck around much longer than anticipated.

It turned out to be more than a courtesy look and a chance to soak in the environment. Holliday wasn’t reassigned to the minor league side until March 14, after batting .385 with a .991 OPS.

The Orioles announced 30 non-roster invites on Feb. 2 and expanded the list later that day after outrighting reliever Darwinzon Hernández. The camp roster held 71 players, with an overflow in the auxiliary clubhouse.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in a little over a month, marking the official beginning of the Orioles’ quest for their first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1996-97. And their first consecutive division titles since 1973-74.

They wouldn’t spit on a wild card berth, but the goals get higher as the win totals rise.

There’s also an increase in the questions and curiosities that I’ll bring into camp, with more on deck as the Orioles fill their roster.

I’ve wondered whether Kyle Bradish could build on his breakout season, Jordan Westburg would play more regularly, Cole Irvin would keep bouncing between the rotation and bullpen, and John Means would give the club a full and productive season.

I’ve asked for an update on Dillon Tate and whether Seth Johnson would debut next summer. How much Craig Kimbrel has left in tank, whether Jackson Holliday makes the Opening Day roster, what happens to Joey Ortiz, whether Colton Cowser makes the team in spring training, which version of Jacob Webb we’ll see, and whether Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn are the primary first basemen and their impact on Coby Mayo.

The Orioles’ offseason needs and intentions are threadbare from the constant reciting in the media.

They want a starting pitcher, ideally for the top half of the rotation. They seem more likely to consummate a trade than throw money at a free agent. And yes, they remain engaged with the White Sox regarding Dylan Cease, who’s under team control through 2025.

I rang in a new year with the same ringing in my ears from the repetition.

The Orioles have been active in trade talks since the offseason began and throughout the Winter Meetings. Why would they drop anchor and stop? Nothing has changed. But it’s become a tradition to provide incremental non-update updates.

I’m guilty of it, too.

The Orioles haven’t announced their non-roster invites to major league spring training, but it must be on this month’s agenda. A list that can be updated later depending on future transactions.

They didn’t need to protect Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby and Coby Mayo in the Rule 5 draft, with the latter two eligible next winter. All three could be added to the 40-man roster this year to eliminate that task.

They were camp invites last year, with no chance of heading north for Opening Day. Holliday seems to have the best shot this spring despite his age and limited experience at Triple-A Norfolk. Norby and Mayo are waiting for their opportunities and hopeful that the Orioles can make room.

Norby is a second baseman with some corner outfield starts. Mayo is a corner infielder who appears blocked by Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and others at third base and Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn at first.

Mayo also will be working out in right field, a new position for him. Can’t hurt to try it and maybe provide another way to get him on the roster.