The calendar has flipped to a new month. The last fun-size candy bar is out of my house. And I’ll go to my grave arguing that there’s nothing fun about smaller portions of chocolate.

Gold Glove winners will be announced tonight. Don’t worry about it. None of the finalists play for the Orioles.

Free agency is wide open beginning at 5 p.m. Monday. The exclusive negotiating window slams shut.

Teams must decide whether to pick up options on contracts. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, and reliever Dietrich Enns could hop into free agency. Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million option was declined last night, as expected. And Monday also is the date when Trevor Rogers finds out whether he’s receiving the qualifying offer.

That’s the assumption and it isn’t a bold one.

Players on the 60-day injured list will return to the 40-man roster. Lots and lots of activity is on the horizon.

The list of arbitration-eligible Orioles is down to five with Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Félix Bautista, Colton Cowser and Leody Taveras.

Looking back at November 2025, the Orioles acquired reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs for cash considerations and picked up his $9 million option, signed right-hander Jean Henriquez to a minor league deal, claimed right-hander George Soriano on waivers from the Marlins and designated outfielder Daniel Johnson for assignment, claimed outfielder Pedro León on waivers from the Astros and lost him to the Phillies on a waiver claim, declined the $5.5 million option on utility player Jorge Mateo’s contract, put outfielder Dylan Carlson on waivers and watched him elect free agency, non-tendered pitcher Albert Suárez, lost reliever Josh Walker to the Braves on a waiver claim before he returned in December, signed Taveras as a free agent, lost right-hander Carson Ragsdale to the Braves on a waiver claim, signed right-hander Richard Guasch to a minor league deal,  acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Angels for starter Grayson Rodriguez, acquired infielder Payton Eeles from the Twins for catcher Alex Jackson, and outrighted infielder Luis Vázquez.

Some of these moves were more impactful than others. A few of those guys are long forgotten.

Kittredge began another season on the injured list but posted a 3.54 ERA in 55 games and led the club with 11 saves. And I can’t imagine that anyone predicted 11 saves as the high mark in 2026.

I also doubt that anyone projected Ward with seven home runs and a .383 on-base percentage in 111 games before the Orioles traded him to the Mariners. He finished the season with seven homers, 37 RBIs and a .225/.359/.311 line.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked Ward as the No. 29 free agent on the market and assigned him a one-year, $10 million contract. He’s gonna have to settle for a prove-it deal, which certainly was not his intention.

Injured? Something else? Free agent pressure got to Bud Norris in 2015, as he admitted, but we can’t prove that the same is true with Ward.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, went on the injured list twice and posted a 6.02 ERA and 1.561 WHIP in 20 starts. He’s eligible for arbitration and MLBTradeRumors.com projects his salary at $2.1 million.

Let’s take a Sunday dip into the mailbag while we wait for the Orioles to make more news.

Could Cedric Mullins be a fit as our fourth outfielder?
The defense and speed come in handy, but this team also needs an offensive jolt and Mullins batted .205/.284/.344 in 137 games with the Rays. His 2025 line with the Orioles and Mets was .216/.299/.391. The Orioles already have left-handed hitting outfielders Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers who might be used in platoon-type roles. Tyler O’Neill could be a part-timer, as well, with his starts against left-handers. Mullins might make more sense if the Orioles were set at all three spots, like in the days of Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and whichever player was in left. Or in 2023 with Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and … yeah, Mullins. Santander appeared in 155 games in 2024, Cowser in 153 and Mullins in 147. Paul Blair appeared in 150 in 1969, Frank Robinson 148 and Don Buford 144, but Merv Rettenmund was valuable coming off the bench. Sorry, I fell down the outfield rabbit hole. Anyway, Mullins as an inexpensive backup wouldn’t be the worst idea, but the Orioles need a more impactful move before they consider the bench.

The Brewers smoked cigarettes in the batting cage as some form of bonding ritual before each World Series game. It seemed to work, obviously. Should the O’s incorporate some sort of vice in pregame activities? Shots of tequila? Puffs of “funny” cigarettes? Eat some fatty snacks?
Rally heaters seemed to work for them, but five out of five doctors don’t recommend it. Marijuana gummies with the pregame meal also should be frowned upon. And drunk-texting old girlfriends also is a bad idea. Wearing socks with Crocs. Putting Cooper Rush on your fantasy football team. Getting a face tattoo. Building a Netflix series around Pauly Shore. None of this is helpful. I get it. You know what can bond a team? Winning. Unless you’re on the other side of the chicken-or-egg debate and believe that winning comes from bonding. Then we’re back to taking suggestions. The Tidong community of Borneo enforces a strict three-day bathroom ban for newlyweds immediately following their wedding, which is believed to ward off bad luck and infidelity. I can certainly see why it would work on the latter.

What do we make of Vance Honeycutt’s resurgence? Could he make an impact on the Baltimore MLB team eventually or does his recent good play make him an attractive trade piece?
Too soon to project him on the major league roster in 2027, but he looks like a guy who could help sometime down the road. He also could be a guy who’s packaged in a trade, as we’ve seen with other promising minor leaguers. His stock is at its highest. The defense is exceptional and the bat finally came alive. The Orioles just had to get him out of A ball. He hit .182 with a .644 OPS in 63 games with Frederick and .288 with a .997 OPS in 20 games with Double-A Chesapeake. He had 19 extra-base hits with the Keys and 13 with the Baysox. And he began yesterday slashing .294/.500/.618 with two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs in 11 games in the Arizona Fall League, with 14 walks and 15 strikeouts. We saw the power in spring training, and he’s got speed and base-stealing skills. He’s healthy now and making better swing decisions. That swing also is shorter and the contact rate is better. He sought some outside help in August at 80 Scale in Gaithersburg and it paid off.

Do you envision most big names (Skubal, Rogers etc.) signing with teams before or after the 12/1 shut down?
Not to sound like I’m dodging your question, but it could go either way. I don’t think agent Scott Boras will feel any pressure to get a quick deal done with Skubal or any other clients. That just isn’t his usual style. Rogers, who’s repped by PSI Sports Management, also is going to be in demand and probably can afford to remain patient. The 2027 season won’t be canceled. Implementing a salary cap still seems unlikely. But spring training could be pushed back and shortened, and that creates stress. Some players and teams will act with more urgency than others. There were a crazy amount of signings ahead of the 2021 lockout, including Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Max Scherzer, Javy Báez, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman, and we could see more of the same. But if history has taught us anything, some of the bigger names will find homes after business resumes.

Any idea whether Jared Banner will end up being the main front office person at some point in the next few years?
Mike Elias is the president of baseball operations and the main guy as long as he’s in the organization. He’s the loudest voice in the room. That’s how it works under these arrangements, which are becoming more common in baseball. If you’re asking me to predict whether Elias has the job “in the next few years,” it hinges on whether the Orioles get back into the playoffs. And they need to win some games. They can’t be swept again. This is obvious stuff.

Are the Vikings for real?
I’m not feeling it. The lack of offense will be exposed, beginning today against the Lions. They can’t spend the entire season relying on their defense and kicker. The Colts are selling. Go get Jonathan Taylor. And they gave up on J.J. McCarthy way too soon. They’re gonna regret that later. In an unrelated rant, LSU is gonna curb stomp Bama next weekend because they’re better and the football gods still hate me. I can’t have nice things.

How in the world can “Because 2023” still be an answer for Mike Elias still being here?
Tough crowd. He laid out a plan to the former owners and implemented it. The Orioles went through their rebuild, had the best record in the American League in 2023 and earned the top Wild Card in ’24. And they weren’t outspending teams to do it. He built the analytics and international scouting departments, dragging the Orioles into modern times. The farm system went from one of the worst to No. 1. It seems like he’s earned the opportunity to turn around this team again after back-to-back losing seasons. He understands the consequences if he can’t do it. 2027 is important for multiple reasons.

With the high likelihood of an MLB lockout, do you think MASN might show some Shorebirds/Keys/Baysox/Tides games to fill in some open slots with no Orioles games?
I suggested home movies, but minor league games are a more likely choice. However, the programming guide isn’t ready. Stay tuned for updates.

Will coaching staff decisions be made during the lockout? Any early thoughts on who stays and who goes?
Those decisions could be finalized in November. I don’t know if the entire group returns and certainly won’t speculate. General manager Jared Banner was asked about the coaches during his press conference and replied, “We’re in the process of working through that. We are hoping for some continuity. Things could change. Some of our staff members could get new big opportunities in other places, things like that, so we’ll see how that all shakes out. But we’re hoping for some continuity.”

Who is the bigger bust, Vance Honeycutt or Salma Hayek?
Scroll up for the latest on Honeycutt, who hit in Double-A and continues to swing a hot bat in the Arizona Fall League. He’s playing more and more like a first-round draft pick. And … this seems like a good place to stop.