PLAYER REVIEW: ROBERT GARCIA

Age on Opening Day 2025: 28

How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Marlins, August 2023

MLB service time: 1 year, 86 days

2024 salary: $742,800

Eight players elect free agency

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder DAZ CAMERON from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.

Cameron, 27, slashed .200/.258/.329 (34-for-170) with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 runs scored, 15 RBI, 13 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and five stolen bases in 66 games with the A’s last season. He opened the season with Triple-A Las Vegas and batted .307/.424/.577 (42-for-137) with 15 doubles, two triples, six homers, 32 runs scored, 27 RBI, 27 walks (1 IBB), one hit-by-pitch, and eight stolen bases in 41 games for the Aviators before having his contract selected on May 23. In his Athletics debut that same day against Colorado, Cameron launched a game-tying solo home run leading off the ninth inning as the A’s rallied for a 10-9 victory in 11 innings. He earned Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the period April 29-May 5 with Las Vegas.

Cameron was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training with Baltimore in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on November 9, 2022, and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on December 2. He spent the entire 2023 season with the Tides, helping the team win the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship. Cameron was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the Competitive Balance Round A (No. 37 overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (GA). The Astros traded him to the Tigers as part of a five-player deal that involved Justin Verlander going to Houston on August 31, 2017.

He’s the son of 2001 American League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner Mike Cameron.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced the following promotions within Baseball Operations: MIKE SNYDER from Senior Director, Pro Scouting to Vice President, Pro Scouting; BRENDAN FOURNIE from Director, Baseball Strategy to Senior Director, Baseball Strategy & Operations; DI ZOU from Director, Baseball Systems to Senior Director, Baseball Systems & Analytics Operations; RYAN HARDIN from Senior Data Scientist, Pro Player Evaluation to Director, Pro Player Analytics; MICHAEL WEIS from Senior Data Scientist, Draft Evaluation to Director, Draft Analytics; JIM DANIELS from Senior Software Engineer to Assistant Director, Baseball Systems; PETER ASH from Senior Software Engineer to  Principal Software Engineer; BEN MacLEAN from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; BEN REED from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; and SAM KIM from MLB Fellow to Analyst, Pro Scouting.

“I am proud to announce these promotions, which reflect the growth of our front office and the ascent of the organization as a whole," said MIKE ELIAS, Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager. “The pro scouting department has made a tremendous positive impact in shaping our roster and farm system. The baseball analytics group has provided the high-quality information and cutting-edge tools that shape everything we do in our offices in the Warehouse and across our scouting and player development operations. The work of these staff members has been indispensable in our winning more games than any team in the American League the last two seasons. I’d like to thank David Rubenstein and the entire ownership group for their commitment and investment toward continual improvement in baseball operations.” 

Snyder will continue to oversee the club’s pro scouting and player analysis across the majors, minors, and Asian professional leagues, and assist with contract negotiations, 40-man roster construction, player transactions, and departmental hiring. He previously served as the club’s Director of Pro Scouting (2020-23), Director of Pro Scouting Director of Pacific Rim Operations & Baseball Development (2015-19), Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2013-14), Assistant Director of Scouting and Player Development (2012), Baseball Operations Assistant and International Scout (2010-11), and Baseball Operations Intern (2009). In his time with the Orioles, he has had active involvement in the amateur draft, international scouting, compliance, contracts, and salary arbitration, in addition to his pro scouting leadership that has contributed to several impact acquisitions. He graduated with honors from Princeton University (NJ) in 2008 with a degree in economics, and he received his master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 2019. Snyder and his wife, Lindsay, reside in Frederick, Md. with their two children, Ellie and Jonah. 

Fournie oversees baseball economic research and advance scouting, while advising the baseball operations team on roster management, transactions, and contracts. He just completed his ninth season in Major League Baseball and third with the Orioles after spending his first six years in the industry in various baseball operations roles with the Houston Astros from 2016-21. Fournie attended the University of Missouri and received dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and sport management and received his master’s degree in sport management from the University of Florida, where he also minored in statistics and entrepreneurship.

Zou just completed his eighth season with the Orioles and third as the Director, Baseball Systems. He will continue to oversee development of internal baseball operations information systems and contributes to various initiatives related to baseball technology and analytics. Zou started with the organization in 2017 as Developer of Baseball Systems before being promoted to Manager of Baseball Systems in 2020. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in mathematics and resides in Ellicott City, Md. with his wife and daughters.

PLAYER REVIEW: TANNER RAINEY

Age on Opening Day 2025: 32

How acquired: Traded from Reds for Tanner Roark, December 2018

MLB service time: 5 years, 127 days

2024 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE A. FERRER

Age on Opening Day 2025: 25

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2017

MLB service time: 1 year, 94 days

2024 salary: $743,000

PLAYER REVIEW: DEREK LAW

Age on Opening Day 2025: 34

How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, February 2024

MLB service time: 5 years, 81 days

2024 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: KYLE FINNEGAN

Age on Opening Day 2025: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2019

MLB service time: 5 years

2024 salary: $5.1 million

Josiah Gray was the Nationals’ Opening Day starter this season, and on the heels of an All-Star selection the previous year, the right-hander looked like a critical part of the club’s pitching plan in both the short and long term.

Cade Cavalli was the Nationals’ top pitching prospect since the day they used their 2020 first round pick on the right-hander, and though his career hit a roadblock following Tommy John surgery in March 2023, everyone expected him to return to the big leagues sometime this summer and re-establish himself as a key part of the team’s rotation.

Neither Gray nor Cavalli, of course, was part of the Nats’ active pitching staff at season’s end. They combined to make all of two major league starts this year, both by Gray before he suffered an elbow injury in early April.

Which begs the question: Do either of these guys still fit into the team’s plans, either in the short or long term?

The easy answer is yes. The Nationals absolutely believe both will be significant contributors for them, with Cavalli ideally pitching a lot for them in 2025 and Gray ideally returning from his Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure in time to make a handful of September starts.

PLAYER REVIEW: TREVOR WILLIAMS

Age on Opening Day 2025: 32

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2022

MLB service time: 8 years, 27 days

2024 salary: $7 million

PLAYER REVIEW: PATRICK CORBIN

Age on Opening Day 2025: 35

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2018

MLB service time: 12 years, 105 days

2024 salary: $35 million ($10 million deferred to be paid between November 2024-January 2026)

PLAYER REVIEW: MITCHELL PARKER

Age on Opening Day 2025: 25

How acquired: Fifth round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 year

2024 salary: $740,000

PLAYER REVIEW: DJ HERZ

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Traded with Kevin Made from Cubs for Jeimer Candelario, July 2023

MLB service time: 99 days

2024 salary: $740,000

PLAYER REVIEW: JAKE IRVIN

Age on Opening Day 2025: 28

How acquired: Fourth round pick, 2018 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 years, 152 days

2024 salary: $745,600

PLAYER REVIEW: MACKENZIE GORE

Age on Opening Day 2025: 26

How acquired: Traded with CJ Abrams, James Wood, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022

MLB service time: 3 years

2024 salary: $749,600

We’ve spent the last two weeks here running through all of the prominent position players on the Nationals, reviewing their 2024 performances and looking ahead to how they might (or might not) fit into the club’s 2025 plans. And we’ll transition to the pitching staff beginning Monday, first looking at the starters and then the primary relievers.

But to wrap up the position-player portion of this annual exercise, we still need to examine one more position on the roster: Backup catcher. And because two different players held that role this year, it seems appropriate to lump them in together and examine the overall state of the position.

Riley Adams has been the Nats’ main No. 2 catcher for three years now, and his amount of playing time has been remarkably consistent. He took 155 plate appearances over 48 games in 2022, then 158 over 44 games in 2023, then 130 over 41 games this season. And what’s been the biggest takeaway out of all that? He has neither hit consistently enough or shown enough behind the plate to warrant a permanent spot on the roster.

That certainly was the Nationals’ point of view this year, one in which they twice optioned a slumping Adams to Triple-A Rochester, including for the season’s final six weeks. The 28-year-old finished with an unimpressive .224/.292/.336 slash line, with five doubles, a triple, two homers and only eight RBIs. In the field, he ranked in the bottom third of all major league catchers in blocking, framing and pop time, and he threw out only three of 34 basestealers.

“I’ve said this before: Riley, when he consistently hits the ball, he can really help us against left-handed pitching,” manager Davey Martinez said after Adams’ second demotion this summer. “And he’s working on his catching again.”

PLAYER REVIEW: TREY LIPSCOMB

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Third round pick, 2022 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 95 days

2024 salary: $740,000

The month of October can be slow for teams that aren’t in the playoffs. That’s sort of the idea. The spotlight shines on the ones who remain in the championship chase. The others quietly take care of their business and wait until free agency begins and other important dates arrive. Big announcements are frowned upon.

The last Orioles transaction is left-hander Tucker Davidson choosing free agency on Oct. 7 after he was designated for assignment on Sept. 29. However, changes are being made in the front office.

According to a source, Bill Wilkes, Ben Sussman-Hyde and Sam Berk will not return to the advance scouting and strategy department in 2025.

Wilkes served as the Orioles' manager of major league strategy since October 2021 after spending three years as advance scouting operations manager. Sussman-Hyde was major league video/run creation strategist manager after three years as major league video/advance scouting coordinator. Berk finished his first year as an advance scouting analyst after his promotion from advance scouting fellow.

Director of baseball strategy Brendan Fournie remains in the department.

PLAYER REVIEW: JOEY GALLO

Age on Opening Day 2025: 31

How acquired: Signed as free agent, January 2024

MLB service time: 8 years, 130 days

2024 salary: $2.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSÉ TENA

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Traded with Alex Clemmey and Rafael Ramirez Jr. from Guardians for Lane Thomas, July 2024

MLB service time: 93 days

2024 salary: $740,000

PLAYER REVIEW: LUIS GARCÍA JR.

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2016

MLB service time: 3 years, 142 days

2024 salary: $1.95 million