The Orioles are inviting 30 non-roster players to spring training, led by right-hander Trey Gibson, the No. 3 prospect in the system according to Baseball America’s rankings. Gibson was chosen as the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Also on the list is left-hander Luis De León, the No. 5 prospect, and outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (No. 8).

Thirty players received invites, four more than last year’s initial list.

Pitchers

LHP Luis De León
LHP Andrew Magno
LHP Eric Torres
LHP Josh Walker
RHP Jeisson Cabrera
RHP Hans Crouse
RHP Nestor German
RHP Trey Gibson
RHP Keagan Gillies
RHP Richard Guasch
RHP Jean Carlos Henriquez
RHP Enoli Paredes
RHP Albert Suárez
RHP Levi Wells
RHP Cameron Weston

The Orioles today announced that they have invited 30 non-roster players to MLB Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla. The list includes 11 right-handed pitchers, four left-handed pitchers, five catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders. A complete list is below:

Baltimore’s current Spring Training roster with numbers is attached. Orioles pitchers and catchers are scheduled to hold their first workout on Wednesday, February 11, while the first full-squad workout will be held on Monday, February 16. The Orioles are slated to open 2026 Grapefruit League play at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, February 20, against the New York Yankees. Tickets to the 16 home spring games, as well as for the exhibition game on Sunday, March 22, against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, are available now at Orioles.com/Tickets.

The countdown to spring training is gaining momentum. Less than a week before everyone begins to gather in Sarasota and the last-place finish in 2025 feels like it’s pushed deeper into the distance.

Every team is 0-0. Hope is restored.  

Major League Baseball is arranging video calls with all of the baseball operations executives and managers for the annual “Media Day,” which normally is done in-person at locations in Florida and Arizona.

Mike Elias and Craig Albernaz will be available on Tuesday afternoon. Elias didn’t talk to reporters at the Birdland Caravan, and the questions for him are building, especially relating to the roster. We don’t know if anything significant will have occurred before that day.

Why or why not?

Orioles starter Kyle Bradish has won his arbitration case, as first reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by an industry source.

Bradish had his hearing yesterday after filing at $3.55 million, with the Orioles countering at $2.875 million. A three-person panel made the decision this afternoon.

The right-hander was paid $2.35 million last season in his first year of arbitration. As a Super Two player, he has four years of eligibility and can’t become a free agent until after the 2028 season.

Reliever Keegan Akin is the only unsigned arbitration-eligible Oriole. Akin is seeking $3.375 million, and the team filed at $2.975 million.

With Bradish’s salary set, the next unresolved issue is where he slots into the rotation.

The Frederick Keys have returned as an Orioles affiliate, competing in the High-A South Atlantic League, and they introduced Collin Woody earlier today as their manager.

Woody guided Class A Delmarva last summer. The Keys have replaced the Aberdeen IronBirds as the Orioles’ High-A team, and Woody becomes the first affiliated manager in Frederick since 2019.

Woody played in 79 games for the Keys in 2018. He spent the past two summers managing the Shorebirds, accumulating more than 100 wins during his time in Salisbury. Also, his pitching staff finished with 1,299 strikeouts, leading the Carolina League with 11.1 per game during the second half.

Ties to the Orioles go back to 2016, when he was a 38^th-round draft pick out of UNC Greensboro. He was fundamentals coach in the Florida Complex League in 2022 and 2023.

“I’m excited to be part of the crew that welcomes the Orioles back to Frederick,” Woody said in a statement. “When I was a player in the system, it was always everyone’s favorite affiliate that they talked about. I’m excited to continue to watch the players grow and develop and I think everyone is just as excited as I am and I’m just the lucky one that gets to be there.”

Pitchers and catchers begin reporting to spring training next week, both the World Baseball Classic participants and the regular crew. Position players in the WBC also are due, with the non-WBC hitters set for arrival no later than Feb. 16.

The majority of players unpack their bags early at Ed Smith Stadium, which speaks to the appeal of the complex. We won’t rehash the Fort Lauderdale issues. It’s like bashing an ex-girlfriend.

Appreciate the good times and move on.

The Orioles could trickle into the facility without making another huge splash. They haven’t added a starter for the top or upper portion of the rotation. The bullpen hasn’t acquired another impactful reliever beyond Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge and potentially Albert Suárez.

Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen and a handful of lower-tier starters remain in play, which can take the rotation in two dramatically different directions. We’re talking dominance versus depth, but either way can create vast improvements over a group that posted a 4.65 ERA last season.

The description sounds like the main character in a horror movie, but Trevor Rogers means it in the best possible way.

The Orioles made extensive changes to their coaching staff under new manager Craig Albernaz, but they brought back pitching coach Drew French, assistant Mitch Plassmeyer and pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek.

Rogers, whose career was resurrected in 2025, regards them as the separator from other organizations.

“It’s kind of like a three-headed monster,” he said.

Let him explain.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Acquired INF/OF Bryan Ramos from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
• Designated INF/OF Weston Wilson for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles have acquired third baseman Bryan Ramos from the White Sox for cash considerations. They designated infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson for assignment in a corresponding move.

Ramos, a 23-year-old right-handed hitter from Cuba, was designated for assignment last week after the White Sox signed former Orioles reliever Seranthony Domínguez.

Ramos, who turns 24 on March 12, has hit .198/.244/.333 in 36 games over parts of two seasons. He appeared in only four last year and went 2-for-12 with two doubles and two RBIs.

In 105 games with Triple-A Charlotte, Ramos batted .216 with 17 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .705 OPS. He’s a career .249/.336/.421 hitter in 560 games over six minor league seasons.

Ramos also has played first base, second base and left field in the minors. He’s out of options.

The back fields of Ed Smith Stadium won’t be short on camp battles.

While the starting rotation, barring another addition or a plan to expand to six, seems to be set, plenty of arms will duke it out for bullpen roles. Did pieces like Kade Strowd, Grant Wolfram and Yaramil Hiraldo do enough last season to earn spots on the Opening Day roster? Could prospects like Anthony Nunez or Cameron Foster rise through the ranks sooner than expected?

The relief battle will be intriguing, but it may pale in comparison to the drama surrounding the O’s position players.

Baltimore, with a healthy starting lineup, can’t begin the year with Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson and Leody Taveras up in the big leagues. Mountcastle seems to be the natural backup at first base, given his defensive prowess, and Taveras is likely to be the fifth outfielder with his ability to play center field.

The choice, then, could come down to rostering Mayo or Jackson, who both impressed down the stretch last season. Though the two may be fighting for one spot, they provide value to Baltimore in much different ways.

Report dates for spring training are barreling toward us.

The traction should be much better in Sarasota.

Let’s start the day by soliciting … hold on, let me finish … opinions on 25 topics. Please share your work, but also know that you won’t be graded on it.

I understand that some answers might change later after the roster is set. Don't worry about it. 

1. Which starter is added to the rotation before Opening Day?

Trevor Rogers and his wife Tessa had a plan that made sense for both of them. The Orioles’ left-hander would avoid social media during the summer, leaving her to take screen shots of various posts that put his outstanding season in its proper perspective.

Rogers described them earlier this week as “cool statistics,” which emanated from one of baseball’s hottest pitchers.

Tessa began reciting them about two weeks after the season, once they had settled back home. It felt to Rogers like she was talking about someone else.

"Just being so locked in, I didn’t really know how well I was doing,” he said Thursday on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio. “I just know that I was throwing the ball consistently and I was kind of blown away, the names that were getting brought up. It was really special during that time.”

Rogers posted a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts and a career-high 5.5 bWAR that led the club. He was the first pitcher named Most Valuable Oriole since Rodrigo Lopez in 2002.

Spring training results don’t count and don’t really matter unless you have a serious gambling addiction. Seek help immediately if you’re checking the line on an Orioles game in Lakeland.

Much more important is getting through camp healthy, and for some players, a level of production that keeps them under consideration for the Opening Day roster or perhaps an early call-up.

Stats don’t matter until they do.

Past managers swore that they didn’t check the numbers. We’ll find out later if Craig Albernaz makes the same claim. But it isn’t hard to identify some of the Orioles who need to get loud while stating their cases.

Not everyone has the luxury of using camp to get ready for the season.

I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve written one of these columns. But I’ve been a professional sportswriter for 27 years now. It’s part of the job description.

You get hired by one outlet, you hope to do your best work and survive there as long as possible, then inevitably one day you write your farewell column after getting laid off. I did it in 2009. I did it in 2015. And I’m doing it again today, my last day working for MASN.

You might think I’d be bitter and cynical at this point about a profession that keeps squeezing me through the ringer like this, but you’d be wrong. It’s a privilege to do this for a living, and there’s no profession I’d rather call mine.

I try to remind myself of this every time I meet someone who enthusiastically wants to know what the job is like. I could tell them about the long hours and the delayed flights and the family events missed and everything else that makes this life far less glamorous than most imagine. But I don’t. Because in spite of all that, it still is the coolest job in the world. And I know others would give anything to have this job.

I worked a couple weeks shy of 10 years for MASN, and wow what a roller coaster this last decade has been for the Nationals. When I started here in February 2016, Dusty Baker had just taken over as manager. His immediate tasks: Try to get Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper to coexist, try to overcome the losses of Ian Desmond, Denard Span, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister to free agency and try to lead this franchise back to the postseason after a hugely disappointing 2015.

The Washington Nationals announced their 2026 Minor League coaches, coordinators and player development staff on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, Assistant General Manager Devin Pearson and Special Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations Andrew Wright made the announcements. Washington’s system now includes additional coaches and athletic training staff at each affiliate and an increased number of hitting and pitching coordinators.

Coach and Coordinator Bios

Triple-A Rochester

• Matt LeCroy embarks on his sixth season as the manager of Triple-A Rochester. He returned to the dugout in 2021 after spending the 2020 season as Washington’s Minor League quality control coordinator. The 2026 season will mark his 18^th season in a coaching role with the Washington Nationals organization.
• Hitting Coach Brian Daubach, entering his 16^th season in Washington’s chain, returns to the Triple-A ranks for his 11^th season as hitting coach. Daubach transitioned to the hitting coach role after managing stints with Double-A Harrisburg (2014), Single-A Potomac (2013) and Single-A Hagerstown (2010-11).
• Assistant Hitting Coach Travis Fitta joins the organization after working as the senior hitting trainer and hitting coordinator at Driveline Baseball from 2023-25. Prior to that, he served as the director of hitting and director of player development at Ascent Athlete from 2021-23. Fitta was a Minor League hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs during the 2020 season, conducting swing, batted ball, biomechanic and force plate assessments. Before his time with the Cubs, Fitta was the director of hitting development at Ohio University.
• Pitching Coach Fernando Nieve spent the last seven seasons as a Minor League pitching coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates, working with the Florida Complex League Pirates (2025), Double-A Altoona (2024), Single-A Greensboro (2022-23), Single-A Bradenton (2021), Single-A Bristol (2020) and Gulf Coast League Pirates (2019). He pitched in parts of four Major League seasons with the Houston Astros and New York Mets.
• Assistant Pitching Coach Sam Narron moves to this role after spending the last four seasons (2022-25) as Washington’s Minor League pitching coordinator. Prior to that, Narron spent 10 seasons as a pitching coach in Washington’s system with Double-A Harrisburg (2020-21), Single-A Potomac (2018-19), Single-A Hagerstown (2014-17) and Single-A Auburn (2012-13).
• Defensive Coach Mario Lisson returns to Rochester for the second consecutive season after serving as their developmental coach in 2025. He served as the manager of Single-A Wilmington from 2022-24, Single-A Fredericksburg in 2021 and the GCL Nationals in 2018 and 2019.
• Quality Control and Development Coach Anthony Deleo spent the last seven seasons (2019-25) with New Jersey Institute of Technology as an assistant coach/pitching and catching coach. Prior to his time with the Highlanders, he served as an assistant coach at Merrimack College (2018) and worked in player development for the Toronto Blue Jays (2017) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2016).

Double-A Harrisburg

After announcing a new partnership with Major League Baseball for production and distribution of games in the 2026 season, the Washington Nationals today announced the lineup of broadcasters for the inaugural season of Nationals.TV, which will feature Dan Kolko as the Nationals’ play-by-play broadcaster sitting alongside analyst Kevin Frandsen and joined by host and reporter Alexa Datt. Led by this exciting trio, local Washington Nationals games will now be available to in-market fans on cable and satellite television as well as through the MLB direct-to-consumer streaming platform. For more information and to receive email alerts when additional details and subscriptions are available, visit Nationals.TV.

“I’m excited about the lineup of television broadcasters coming to Nationals.TV this season,” said Managing Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner. “It’s been a privilege to watch Dan Kolko grow throughout his time covering the organization, and I’m so proud of the work he’s put in to earn this position. I know he and Kevin will continue to have a great rapport in the booth, entertaining and educating our viewers, and I know our fans are going to love having Alexa in the mix as a host and reporter. We’re incredibly happy to welcome her back home.”

Kolko’s first season calling play-by-play will also mark his 13^th season as part of the Nationals’ television broadcast team and 15^th overall covering the Club. Kolko previously worked a hybrid role hosting the “Nats Xtra” pre- and postgame shows, serving as an on-field reporter and providing fill-in play-by-play and analysis. He hosted Nats Xtra alongside analyst Bo Porter, where the two covered the Nationals’ World Series Championship season in 2019. Kolko served as on-field reporter on television game broadcasts from 2014-18, and as the team’s MASNsports.com beat writer from 2012-14. Kolko has also worked as an MLB Network Radio host and MLB Network contributor, and he also calls college basketball play-by-play for FOX Sports. Kolko’s early experience working in television commercials began when he served as the “host” in Toyota’s 2013 regional commercial spots featuring Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. Kolko also covered the Baltimore Ravens for MASN from 2008-11, writing for the network’s website and providing on-air analysis for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Report. Prior to joining MASN, Kolko worked with Comcast SportsNet in a production role. A native of Silver Spring, Md., Kolko earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Delaware.

Kevin Frandsen, a member of Washington’s 2014 National League East Division championship team, will return for his fifth season as the analyst for the Nationals. Frandsen played nine Major League seasons with the San Francisco Giants (2006-09, 2015), Los Angeles Angels (2010), Philadelphia Phillies (2012-13) and Washington Nationals (2014). A versatile defender and utility player, he saw action at second base, third base, first base, outfield, shortstop and designated hitter during his Major League career. Frandsen joined MASN and the Nationals in 2022 after four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies radio broadcast team. Since 2019, Frandsen has also hosted shows on MLB Network Radio, and from 2016 to 2019, worked on AM radio in the San Francisco Bay area. He co-hosted “KNBR Tonight” on KNBR 680 AM and, prior to that, spent one year as co-host for KNBR 1050 AM’s morning drive show, “The Audible.” Frandsen is a native of San Jose, Calif. and was selected in the 12th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of San Jose State University where he set the program’s all-time record for career hits (246).

A Derwood, Md., native, veteran sports broadcaster Alexa Datt will return to the Washington, D.C., area for her first season with the Nationals. Datt most recently served as a host for FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, where she covered the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues. While in St. Louis, Datt spent one season calling play-by-play for the Saint Louis University men’s baseball team, and she made history in early 2025 as the first female broadcaster to call play-by-play for the Cardinals during Spring Training. Datt spent time with MLB Network and NHL Network where she hosted several programs, including “The Rundown,” “Quick Pitch,” “The Cycle,” and “On The Fly.” She also led the MLB.com daily show “12:25 Live with Alexa” as well as “The Morning Run” for Chicago-based digital sports network 120 Sports. Datt’s career has also included internships at “America’s Most Wanted” and Comcast SportsNet in Bethesda, Md. She worked as an associate producer and on-air personality at SportsNet New York, served as the in-stadium host and reporter for the New York Mets, and worked as a sideline reporter for SNY’s coverage of Atlantic-10 college basketball. Datt co-hosted “Datt’s What She Said with Dani,” a podcast that interviewed baseball’s biggest stars and discussed amusing and heartwarming stories from on and off the diamond. An alumnus of the University of Maryland and Magruder High School, Datt will make her debut during Spring Training coverage. The Spring Training broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

A layer of snow and ice may be covering the field at Camden Yards, but from the fifth floor of the warehouse in right field, you can still make out the vague shape of a pitcher’s mound.

Baseball, despite nature’s best efforts, looms just beneath the surface.

Pitchers and catchers have arranged their travel to Sarasota, and “The Bird’s Nest” is getting geared up for spring training. This week, Annie Klaff and I opened up the mailbag. Some of the questions have been answered here, but for more, be sure to check out this week’s episode.

What letter grade would you give the O’s front office for their offseason efforts at the roster?

It’s difficult to start any lower than a B for an offseason in which Baltimore inked Pete Alonso to a 5-year, $155 million contract. The first baseman, and his 264 career home runs, instantly injects life into a lineup that needed a power surge. His acquisition also demonstrates the front office’s willingness to spend the necessary dollars to improve the team.

The Nationals claimed shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Mets on Wednesday, adding another infielder to an organization that continues to make transactions on the fringes of the roster while avoiding more significant moves this offseason.

Cheng’s acquisition prompted the club to designate Konnor Pilkington for assignment, dropping the left-hander who became a prominent member of the bullpen last summer from the 40-man roster.

The 24-year-old Cheng, who stands only 5-foot-8, was signed by the Pirates out of his native Taiwan in 2019 at 17. He slowly climbed the organizational ladder, playing 107 games at Triple-A Indianapolis last season. He also made his major league debut in April, appearing in three games and going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts.

Pittsburgh designated Cheng for assignment last month, and he was claimed off waivers by the Rays on Jan. 7. Tampa Bay also designated him for assignment only five days later, with the Mets then claiming him Jan. 16, only to designate him for assignment five days after that.

Cheng can only hope he sticks with the Nationals longer. A versatile infielder who primarily plays shortstop but has also seen action at second and third base, he owns a career .251/.350/.385 slash line with 88 doubles, 21 triples, 35 homers and 112 stolen bases in 507 professional games across five seasons.

A week has passed since the Orioles made their last roster move, claiming outfielder/infielder Weston Wilson on waivers from the Phillies. In less than three weeks, the full squad will have reported to spring training in Sarasota.

Perhaps the Orioles will have found another starting pitcher and reliever. They could do a little more work on the position side, too.

Let’s dig into both sides of the mailbag while we wait.

You ask, I try to answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved original. And a reminder that my mailbag owns a snowblower and your mailbag tries to clear the driveway with table salt and a spatula.

Do you think the Orioles bullpen is good enough to not be a problem? Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin and Tyler Wells have track records of success. Dietrich Enns, Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia, Colin Selby, Kade Strowd and Grant Wolfram seem like the most likely pool for the other four spots. Anthony Nunez may be a wild card. Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young could be converts. Seems thin. What do you think?
I think you should be gassed after asking such a long question. Is this your attempt at cardio? Anyway, I think the Orioles should and will add at least one more high-leverage reliever, ideally a left-hander to go with Akin and Enns. Would they consider a reunion with Danny Coulombe or Cionel Pérez? The latter worked out for about 20 teams in Tampa and I talked to a scout from another American League team who recommended him. The stuff looked good, including a 98 mph fastball. But the Orioles soured on him, and for good reason. They may not be interested in 2.0. I think Helsley, Kittredge, Akin and Wells are locks, and that’s assuming the rotation doesn’t have room for Wells. I expect Enns to join them, and Cano probably will, but he must earn a spot. He has minor league options, and a putrid spring could cost him a roster spot. You left out Albert Suárez. He’s in my mock bullpen. After that, it could be a free-for-all. Another bullpen signing late in the offseason changes the equation. The unit looks pretty good but could be better.

The Washington Nationals claimed shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the New York Mets and designated left-handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington for assignment on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.

Cheng, 24, spent five professional seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates system after signing with them on July 2, 2019. He hit .251 with a .350 on-base percentage and a .385 slugging percentage and recorded 88 doubles, 21 triples, 35 home runs, 230 RBI, 112 stolen bases and 296 runs scored in 507 career Minor League games in the Pirates organization. He made his Major League debut in 2025, appearing in three games during the month of April. Cheng was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays on Jan. 7 and by the New York Mets on Jan. 16.

A native of Pingtung County, Taiwan, Cheng was considered the “Best Defensive Infielder” and had the “Best Strike Zone Discipline” in Pittsburgh’s system entering the 2025 season, according to Baseball America. He hit .207 with 12 doubles, three triples, one homer, 36 RBI, 48 walks, 20 stolen bases and 36 runs scored in 110 games between Triple-A Indianapolis and Single-A Bradenton last season.

Washington’s 40-man roster is now at 40 players.