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ORLANDO, Fla. – New Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is acing his first Winter Meetings.
Albernaz came across as relaxed and prepared during his 20-minute media session this afternoon, eager to share information and toss out the occasional quip.
He confirmed that Ryan Helsley will be the closer rather than working multiple innings after signing a two-year, $28 million contract with an opt-out clause. He said the coaching staff is “pretty much done” but could have a fit for one more hire. The club is trying to figure out what that would look like or whether there’s a need. He feels “great” about the club as it’s presently constructed.
“We have a great young core and we have some really good veteran pieces around it, and our coaches right now, now that we’re almost in place, they’re having great conversations with them, start getting their plans going heading into spring training,” Albernaz said. “So I feel very good.”
The No. 1 strength cited by Albernaz is the team’s pure athleticism and the engines. He isn’t ready to talk about weaknesses based solely on what he’s watched on video and gathered through the numbers.
“You want to see the actual guys out there playing the game, and for us as a coaching staff, that’s what we’re trying to do right now is with these conversations, making sure that we have a great plan heading into spring training, where a plan for us as a staff to evaluate the players but also support them,” Albernaz said.
“I feel like that’s the biggest thing that we have to do right now as a coaching staff is to figure out how best to support our players so we know how to coach them.”
Helsley was pursued because Félix Bautista underwent surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, which will keep him out for most, if not all, of the 2026 season. Helsley struggled after being traded from the Cardinals to the Mets, but the Orioles expect him to pitch like a two-time All-Star.
“Extremely excited,” Albernaz said. “The initial thought is also like, with Bautista, it sucks to have that injury because he was that dude, you know? And then to now have Ryan to step up and be that guy, it’s awesome. And for me, just like a lot of guys on our team, development and learning is messy. It’s not linear as far as success in this game. So for him to kind of have not the year that he wanted and hit the free agent market, and then him choosing us, because he had a bunch of different teams, that says a lot about our coaching staff and our front office and our organization that he wanted to be here. So we’re excited to have him.”
Albernaz said he knows as much about this team “as anyone could who has a month and a half on the job.” He’s watched new outfielder Taylor Ward from the other dugout and is getting a middle-of-the-order bat that cost the Orioles former first-round draft pick Grayson Rodriguez in a trade with the Angels.
“The biggest thing for me with Taylor is that he plays every day,” Albernaz said. “I think having a steady presence out there and someone who posts every day is a big asset for us. But then also on the flip side, you lose someone like Grayson where, me personally, I haven’t had a relationship with him, but knowing the name and obviously speaking to him after he got traded, obviously that’s a blow for us. But also, it’s a great experience.
“I would say, when someone gets traded, it means the other team really wants you. So for him to have that, it’s really cool.”
The Orioles hired Dustin Lind as hitting coach and Brady North as his assistant. What’s the offensive philosophy going to be in 2026?
"Our offensive philosophy is to touch home plate more than the other team before the 27th out happens. Like, that's basically it,” Albernaz said.
“The reason why I say that, it's not tongue-in-cheek, but our coaches are going to cater to the individual. I think that's where we lose sight of what makes players special. We're going to be very individualized with how we attack each player and how we coach each player."
Albernaz said the spring training focus will be on attacking the “small things,” the fundamentals, to create a strong foundation and baseline heading into the season. He also said players have talked about what they need to do in order to improve and win games.
“We can go toe-to-toe and slug with teams, but also, we have to do the little things to win those close games, as well, and those guys have identified that, so that’s something we’re going to be striving for in spring training,” Albernaz said.
“It was surprising to me how each player said the same thing. It wasn’t like a mass call. It was like all these individual calls, and each individual was saying the same thing. It was really cool for me because, one, the self-reflection, the self-awareness was off the charts. And no jaded views of, like, the season for them or the team. It just speaks to the character of these guys and the culture that’s built here is that these guys are all saying the same thing and it’s nothing personal, about personal aspirations. It’s all about the team.”
The Orioles had the fewest sacrifice bunts this year with only four. Albernaz got to flash his sense of humor when asked whether he would attempt more of them and how aggressive he’s going to be as manager.
“Sacrifice bunts or flies?”
Bunts.
“I was going to say, that would be great if you just hit a sacrifice fly, put the sign on. That would be sick,” he said.
“Maybe we should do that. I may implement that this year.”
But seriously, it’s going to be whatever the game dictates.
“For us, we’re not going to be running just to run on the bases,” he said. “Twenty-seven outs are extremely valuable, and if you just wanna give up an out, it’s got to be a very specific situation. And also, when we’re running, we want to make sure we’re not just running into an out.
“Like everything, we have to do our prep work to make sure this is the right time, that we can make it. There’s never a sure bet in this game, but we try to place pretty strong bets that we’re gonna succeed in that situation.”
Albernaz also was amused by a question relating to his future residency in Baltimore and his impression of the city.
“You want me to tell the masses where I’m going to live?” he quipped. “Are you kidding me? I mean, come on, man. What are we doing?
“I’m kidding. I know what you mean, I know what you’re saying. I love the city. It’s awesome. It feels like a big northeast city, but it’s not, it’s smaller, which is awesome in itself. The people have been outstanding to me, my family. Great food. Just even taking the drive down to go to the Ravens practice facility and seeing that area, which I haven’t been down there, the first time doing that, yeah, it’s a great area.”
* Free agent first baseman Pete Alonso is driving to the Winter Meetings to meet with multiple teams, including the Orioles, according to a New York Post report.
The Orioles want to add another impactful bat to their lineup and inject more veteran leadership in their clubhouse. They don’t have an obvious need at first base, but a trade would create room.
MLBTradeRumors.com ranks Alonso as the No. 11 free agent on the market and projects a four-year, $110 million contract.
* The Nationals have hired Matt Borgschulte as hitting coach.
Borgschulte was the Orioles’ co-hitting coach for three seasons until leaving to become the Twins’ primary coach for the 2025 season. He had two years left on his contract when Minnesota let him go.
* Major League Baseball’s 12th annual Winter Meetings auction this year will benefit the Little League Disaster Relief Fund. Proceeds will be directed “to help leagues impacted by disaster receive the support they need to rebuild, recover and continue providing children with the life lessons learned through youth baseball and softball,” according to the news release.
The Orioles are offering a VIP Experience, with premium game seats, batting practice passes, a pregame meet-and-greet with a current player and an autographed baseball, and Bird Bath Guest Splasher Experience.
Bidding runs until Thursday at 10:00 p.m.
Since its inception in 2012, the Winter Meetings Charity Auction has raised nearly $2 million toward a variety of causes, including lung cancer research in honor and memory of former Orioles public relations director Monica Barlow.
