The Orioles were linked to Michael King pretty much from the outset of free agency in their quest to land a starting pitcher, and nothing has changed in the many weeks that followed.
Framber Valdez also is in play and the Orioles already met with him at the general managers meetings. Ranger Suárez, too, seems to fall in their price range, given that they spent $155 million over five years for first baseman Pete Alonso.
It wouldn’t be completely accurate to say that money is no object, but it isn’t nearly as much of an obstruction anymore.
“We have resources to do other deals, as well, and we don't have particular constraints,” control owner David Rubenstein said again at the Alonso press conference. “We don't have any particular limit that we imposed on Mike (Elias). So as long as the baseball rules are what they are today, we can do what we want to do, and we're prepared to do what we need to do to get the team to be on a championship level. We're ready to go.
“If there are other great players we can get, we'll try to get 'em.”
King falls in that category and at a lesser cost with MLBTradeRumors.com projecting his salary at $80 million over four years. Right shoulder and left knee inflammation hurt his bargaining power. He declined a $15 million mutual option to gamble on himself – in the legal sense – as well as the qualifying offer.
The Orioles maintain confirmed interest in King, and the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox and Yankees also are in the bidding. King is a Rhode Island native who pitched at Boston College, which could give the Red Sox an edge, but the Orioles shouldn’t be counted out after their sales pitch and $155 million convinced Alonso that they were the right team for him.
Alonso is holding the door open for other players to join him, another reason why his agreement is so important.
“I think people have known we’ve been out looking for talent all winter, and not just this winter,” Elias said. “Our front office has been working very hard and we’ve been in communication, not only with all the free agents but also all the other teams, so we’ve been very active. But I think adding not only a talent, but a persona like Pete, is attractive because our team looks a lot stronger now, and players want to play on winning teams.
“You know, I think adding him to this positional core gives us a big boost, and you know we’re going for the American League East. It’s a non-stop division. Those teams are out adding, as well, and so for us to secure a player of this caliber, a perennial All-Star type of player at this point in the winter, really puts us in a stronger position on a go-forward basis this offseason.”
* The Orioles tried to improve their numbers against left-handed pitching last offseason by signing outfielder Tyler O’Neill and catcher Gary Sánchez. They’re taking a bigger swing at it with Alonso and Taylor Ward.
The Alonso splits are interesting because he’s a career .260/.342/.523 hitter against right-handers and .232/.336/.499 against left-handers. He slashed .291/.362/.567 against right-handers this year and .227/.309/.420 against lefties. But the Orioles are paying for the overall body of work, which has led to five All-Star selections, 264 career home runs and a Silver Slugger this year.
“For me, I think a huge adjustment I made was in the offseason from ’24 to ’25, kind of deep dove into some things, how I could get better as a player,” Alonso said.
“For me, I love baseball and I love performing. There’s some areas I wanted to attack to get better, and for me it was understanding my body, and I pretty much took a huge deep dive into analytics, and not just that, but using biomechanics, biometrics, to really understand how my body moves. … Last year was my first year really taking that on with a full understanding of things, and I feel like as time goes on, the more information I have in this new way, I feel like I’m really going to extract even better seasons from my skills.”
* Let’s reach back into the mailbag.
If you were writing out lineups, would you put Gunnar Henderson at leadoff to maximize his number of at bats, or would you put him third to maximize the impact of Polar Bear Protection?
Polar Bear Protection will raise your insurance rates. Just an FYI. Right now, I’m more inclined to bat Henderson first, followed by Jordan Westburg, Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso in the first four spots, though that’s three right-handed hitters in a row. Dylan Beavers is an intriguing leadoff option with his .375 on-base percentage in 35 games with the Orioles and .383 OBP in four minor league seasons. That’s when I could see lowering Henderson. There could be many versions of the lineup depending on the opposing starter.
Any chance career .351 hitter Livan Soto is re-signed by the Orioles and gets invited to spring training to compete for the utility infielder spot? Jeremiah Jackson seems to be a better option, but I could see Soto making a case for that roster spot.
Dang, I had to look up Soto’s average and you’re right, though we’re only talking 35 games. Soto is the better defensive option. He’s a truer utility guy. But the Orioles didn’t call him up this year and they used 70 players. Take the hint, right?
When can I get my Pete Alonso jersey?
Alonso jerseys are available at the Team Store at Camden Yards. First level at the warehouse. The team announced that the jerseys include men’s, women’s and youth sizes in a variety of colors. I don't know about dog sweaters. The store is currently running a “12 Days of Holiday Deals” now through Dec. 23. You can click on Orioles.com/TeamStore for more details.
Can a Polar Bear survive as far south as Baltimore?
Survive? That sucker better thrive.
Tucker and Valdez update?
Justin Tucker worked out for the Saints and Colts but wasn't signed. Tanya Tucker was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2023. If you mean Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez, they remain on the free agent market. The Orioles don’t seem to be “in on” Tucker anymore after signing Alonso. I asked Mike Elias at last week’s “Orioles Hot Stove Show” if he could make another big strike with a position player and he responded, “I definitely think front of mind right now is the pitching side and we have work to do there and we’ve been working on it all winter, but that market is still developing and it’s still happening both in trade and free agency, and we’re heavily focused on that. I do think there are still ways to spruce up the position player side of the roster, get the depth that we want, get some of the role players that we want. But I guess it’s safe to say that we’re working and talking a little bit more pointedly on the pitching side.”
Whatever happened to Spenser Watkins?
The former Orioles right-hander, who pitched in Taiwan this year, has announced his retirement and will begin working with Gaeta Sports Management, the agency that repped him during his playing days. He’s a good guy. Wishing him luck in his next endeavor.
If you had a choice, who would be your first target for a starting pitcher?
Tarik Skubal or Paul Skenes. But you mean realistically? After much deliberation, I'd go with Ranger Suárez. However, I'll also say that Framber Valdez or Michael King would work, too. I have nothing against them. I'd slot King lower in the rotation that the other two, but that's OK. He's still in the top three. Suárez is younger and a postseason beast.
How deep are those pockets anyway?
Barry Gibb wants to know how deep is your love. As for those pockets, they’ve got enough depth to get Pete Alonso to Baltimore and perhaps one of the top starting pitchers on the market. That might not qualify as Yankees and Dodgers dollars, but they’ll spend.
Who is more likely to be trade bait this offseason, Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? That is, assuming the Orioles want something more than "your mom" in return for one of them.
Whoa. You’re not gonna like this answer, but the Orioles could trade one, both or neither. I’ll run back another Elias quote from Thursday night’s show, when I asked about the excess at first base. “We want talent and we have a lot of good position players right now, and obviously we do our jobs as front offices and we have conversations and see if there are ways that other rosters line up with ours and provide fits, but it is never a problem if you have too many good bats. We saw last year how much depth a baseball team needs, and it’s more than ever, and we really like all these guys. … And we have designated hitter at-bats to go around for these players, too.”
Is there room for both Mayo and Mountcastle on the O’s 2026 roster?
The Orioles would need to get a bit creative with the roster, but they could do it. I did a rundown over the weekend of 13 possible position players. A utility infielder would be missing. Catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, infielders Mountcastle, Mayo, Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg, and outfielders Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras. Six infielders and none of them a utility type isn't ideal or common. And that's four first basemen including Basallo. I don't see it happening, but yes, there's room.
I noticed you asked the first question at Alonzo's introductory press conference. How is the order of questions decided? Arm wrestling contest? Roch, paper, scissors?
I see what you did there. I also see that you misspelled Alonso’s last name, which is becoming an epidemic in my comments. Anyway, there’s no designated order, but over the years I’ve seemed to be given first crack at pressers. My age? Number of years on the beat? Somebody’s gotta do it?
What is your take on Framber Valdez supposedly hitting his catcher on purpose? Shouldn't the catcher have caught that ball anyway?
It’s extremely difficult to catch a ball when you’re crossed up. You’ve got a split second to adjust. Valdez denies that he did it intentionally and apologized afterward for the mix up. Not everyone is convinced that he’s telling the truth, mostly due to a tense interaction after Framber surrendered a grand slam, but Cesar Salazar said he pressed the wrong button on his PitchCom transmitter. The Orioles obviously aren’t holding it against Valdez because he's on their board.
How long before everyone uses the S instead of a Z when they type out Alonso in School of Roch?
I’ll be in mourning until Alonso is written correctly.
I see what you did there!
That isn’t a question.
If you were to guess (which I'm asking you to do), who will be the biggest O's acquisition at the Winter Meetings?
Oh, oh, Alonso! Pete Alonso! Sorry, I’m late with this one … but Alonso!
If the Orioles get two starters, do you expect the more highly rated one to be via free agency or trade? And the other one?
You probably won’t like this answer, but it could go either way. The No. 1, 2 or 3 could be a free agent signing, and we've gone over some of the top candidates, or a trade. And the other starter for the back end of the rotation could be, wait for it, a free agent signing or a trade.
Do you have a favorite Rob Reiner movie or scene?
“When Harry Met Sally” is probably in my top five all-time favorite films, so that answers the first part. And Meg Ryan’s fake … you know … in the deli is the best scene. But there’s also Jack Nicholson on the stand in “A Few Good Men.” Yeah, you want him on that wall. And Wallace Shawn trying to decide which cup has the poison in “The Princess Bride.” To omit him would be inconceivable! On the all-time underrated list is “The Sure Thing,” with John Cusak teaching Daphne Zuniga how to shotgun a beer. Come on, we all punched a hole in the side of a beer can. Don’t play dumb. And now I’m sad, and wanting a beer, so this is a good place to stop.