Will O's take a chance: Is Sisco ready for the majors?

Will O's take a chance: Is Sisco ready for the majors?
There was a time when you could find scouts who felt that Chance Sisco would never improve enough on defense to ever catch an inning in the major leagues. You don't hear that talk anymore - and he did, in fact, catch in the majors after a call-up last September. Now the talk more centers on just how much has Sisco improved as a pro on defense, how well will he do throwing out runners and how ready he is for a big league opportunity. In 2018, his chance could truly arrive, no pun intended. The...

Miguel Castro would face some challenges as a starting pitcher

Miguel Castro would face some challenges as a starting pitcher
Orioles manager Buck Showalter added further confirmation Tuesday to what looked to be a pretty safe bet when last season ended. That is that right-hander Miguel Castro will get a look for a rotation spot in spring training. And why not? He's a young guy with a good arm and the Orioles surely need starting pitchers right now. The Orioles' trade last April 7 for Castro from Colorado was an under-the-radar move that could pay off for years to come. That is if Castro continues to show the...

Revisiting some free agent pitching talk

Revisiting some free agent pitching talk
Over the weekend, the Orioles were once again linked to free agent right-hander Andrew Cashner. When the free agent period began, MLBTradeRumors.com ranked him as the No. 27 free agent on a list of all available players. They projected he would get a two-year deal for $20 million from the Oakland Athletics. Here is what I have written previously about Cashner, when we looked at him here: He signed a one-year $10 million deal for Texas last winter and it paid off for the Rangers. After pitching...

Manny Machado trade talk isn't going away yet

Manny Machado trade talk isn't going away yet
If it seems like trade talk about Manny Machado has been going on for a long time now, that is because it has. The speculation and rumor mill kicked into overdrive at the Winter Meetings, and while it has cooled considerably since then, it still seems to be hanging over the team as the new year begins. It would seem that it is getting in the way a bit at this point, but maybe that is just due to the media focus. Perhaps team officials are much less focused on their All-Star third baseman who...

Week in review: Notes on Machado, Schoop, Bundy and Gausman

Week in review: Notes on Machado, Schoop, Bundy and Gausman
Let's take a look back at a few stories that appeared in this space in the last week. Feel free to revisit them and post some comments here today on any or all of them. The new year began with this story from Monday expressing a wish for a quick resolution to the Manny Machado situation - essentially the hope for a trade to be completed soon. We are still waiting on that. It could be that the Orioles themselves are now less inclined to deal Machado. It could also be that they are just waiting...

Mussina's possible call to the Hall and more Machado trade talk

Mussina's possible call to the Hall and more Machado trade talk
In his fifth year of eligibility, is this the year for former Orioles and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina to make the Hall of Fame? According to this Hall of Fame tracker, he is at 73.7 percent of the votes that are known and 75 percent is needed for election. In his first year of eligibility in 2014, he got just 20.3 percent of the vote. But that has gone up to 24.6 in 2015, 43.0 in 2016 and to 51.8 percent last year. He keeps looking better to the voters, I guess, without throwing a single...

Revisiting Machado at shortstop and a look at Hosmer's free agency

Revisiting Machado at shortstop and a look at Hosmer's free agency
If Manny Machado is an Oriole in 2018, we still don't know if he will be playing at third base or moved to shortstop, a position he has played before in the majors but not last season. An argument against moving Machado is that he has been an elite defender at third base, winning the Platinum Glove after the 2013 season. That goes to the best defender in the league, no matter the position. One argument for moving Machado is that shortstop is a premium defensive positon and he would be involved...

For starters, Bundy and Gausman were good in the AL East

For starters, Bundy and Gausman were good in the AL East
As the Orioles look to build a rotation for the 2018 season, right now we only know for certain that right-handers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman will be two of the five starters. The good news is both are young and under team control for a combined seven more seasons. Gausman cannot be a free agent until after the 2020 season and Bundy after 2021. And while both posted very good numbers at times last season, their final season stats included an ERA of 4.24 for Bundy and 4.68 for Gausman. But in...

The skipper's confidence in his middle-of-the-order hitter

The skipper's confidence in his middle-of-the-order hitter
He is the only player on the Orioles roster signed beyond the 2019 season. His contract runs through 2022. When first baseman Chris Davis signed a seven-year deal worth $161 million in January 2016, a lot changed for him. He had incredible financial security for his family's future, but also the expectations for him would now be higher than ever. Davis produced 47 homers and a .923 OPS in 2015 that helped get him that contract. But in 2016, he hit 38 homers with an OPS of .792, and last year...

What a Jonathan Schoop contract extension might look like

What a Jonathan Schoop contract extension might look like
With one homegrown star possibly leaving the team in the next year via a trade or free agency, can the Orioles keep another? If third baseman Manny Machado leaves the Orioles via free agency after the 2018 season, second baseman Jonathan Schoop could do the same at the end of 2019. With Machado likely to command a contract the team is not prepared and/or willing to match, Schoop should be a different story. He has two years of team control left and his next deal will come well under the...

For O's, the new year begins amid similar concerns, questions

For O's, the new year begins amid similar concerns, questions
As the new year arrives, the Orioles have some of the old problems. The calendar may have changed, but it is the same offseason from one day to the next. So today I wish everyone a happy new year along with a wish that in 2018 the discourse could always be nice and pleasant here. That is the wish anyway. I also wish for a resolution soon of the situation with Manny Machado. Until the Orioles make a public statement saying otherwise, they certainly appear still open to dealing the third baseman....

Week in review: More Machado talk, a slow market and power on the farm

Week in review: More Machado talk, a slow market and power on the farm
Time to take a look back at the last week of stories here. Yes, of course, there was much more talk and discussion about Manny Machado. This amid some reports that indicate the Orioles, while still open to dealing their star third baseman, won't wait on offers forever. Probably time to make a deal if they are going to. On Tuesday, we looked at how Machado might bring a return to include at least one major league ready starting pitcher. He may be about the only player they could trade that...

Is the new year bringing new thinking about rebuilding?

Is the new year bringing new thinking about rebuilding?
Right now, the Orioles have that feel of a team between a rock and hard place. Trying to catch the Yankees and Red Sox looks like a daunting task. They have four key players entering the last years of their contracts. They are coming off their first last-place finish since 2011. There are other facts that are daunting. The 2017 Orioles finished the year going 7-22. The Orioles have had losing records in six of their last nine full months of baseball. But the Orioles also have some huge...

Another look at an impressive power display on the farm in '17

Another look at an impressive power display on the farm in '17
Four players hit 32 or more home runs this year in Minor League Baseball. Three of the four played in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League. The only player that didn't was the Orioles' Austin Hays, who hit 32 between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. Houston's A.J. Reed hit 34 to lead all of the minors playing in the PCL. Former Oriole Christian Walker hit 32 for Arizona's PCL entry and Oakland's Renato Núñez hit 32 in the same league. Hays had a monster season on the O's farm,...

Will slow-moving free agent market impact the Orioles?

Will slow-moving free agent market impact the Orioles?
According to MLBTradeRumors.com, this time last year, 15 of its top 20 free agents had signed. This year that number is five of 20. Why have the signings been slow to develop? When the situations with Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton got resolved, some felt there would be a flurry of signings to follow. It didn't happen. Some thought the Winter Meetings would be active with signings. Nope. We are closing in on six weeks to spring training and the movement has been slower than Matt Wieters...

Could this O's reliever be converted to a starter?

Could this O's reliever be converted to a starter?
It was interesting to read a report from MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko a few days ago about the Orioles approaching Zach Britton earlier this year to gauge his interest in returning to a starter's role. It seems Britton was just fine with staying as a closer and all of this happened before his recent Achilles surgery, which will delay his start to the 2018 season. While the Orioles seem very unlikely to move a reliever into a starter's role for 2018, I have often thought the reliever best...

In search for pitching, Manny Machado could be big price to pay

In search for pitching, Manny Machado could be big price to pay
Well, I return from a few days off to find that the Orioles have not yet added any key starting pitchers and/or subtracted Manny Machado. One of the best talents in team history is still an Oriole, but will it stay that way? There are two main reasons that I feel Machado should be traded. First, paying him $300 million or more is probably not a good move for a team with a decent payroll, but not one of the largest in baseball. Second, the Orioles may not be able to win right now, even with...

If Machado is dealt, should O's then continue dealing?

If Machado is dealt, should O's then continue dealing?
If the Orioles do pull off a trade involving Manny Machado, should they then continue the trades? Should a partial or a complete rebuilding of the team commence? O's management seems against that, and with both Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter in the last years of their contract, it could get awkward to ask them to start building a team for a future they don't know they will be a part of. But the Orioles look like a real long shot to have much of a chance in the American League East this year...

Second offseason edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

Second offseason edition: "10 questions for O's fans"
I could be wrong, but I believe we have only had one offseason edition of "10 questions for O's fans." So it is time for another. Free free to answer all 10 questions or just one or two. Provide brief answers or go in depth with your response. You make the call and you provide the comments and answers. 1) If the Orioles trade Manny Machado, which team will he go to? 2) What return should the club seek for Machado? 3) Are most fans for or against a trade of Machado? Would the fans understand...

Jim Callis on what makes a player a good prospect

Jim Callis on what makes a player a good prospect
When it comes to ranking prospects, few have done it longer or done it better than Jim Callis. For many years he was the key guy for prospects at Baseball America. Now he works for MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com. During the Winter Meetings, I asked Callis a simple question, but one that doesn't lend itself to a simple answer: What makes a good prospect and what goes into ranking prospects? By that, I meant what does he look for and how does he weigh certain attributes of a player? How important...