Leftovers for breakfast

Perhaps this was the plan all along.

Trade four relievers at the deadline and then try to bring them back one at a time.

Andrew Kittredge is walking through that door again, after the Orioles reacquired him yesterday from the Cubs for cash considerations. Kittredge was dealt on July 31 for teenage Dominican shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz, though the $9 million option on his contract made him controllable for a team hoping to contend in 2026.

So, to review: President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias loaned Kittredge to the Cubs and got the No. 20 or 24 prospect in the organization, depending on whether you trust Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. That’s pretty savvy.

De La Cruz, a switch-hitter praised for his advanced offensive approach, signed for $2.3 million in January, the largest bonus in the Cubs' 2025 international class and the ninth highest on the entire market. He appeared in 12 games with the Orioles’ Dominican Summer League team and posted a .509 on-base percentage, going 8-for-34 with two doubles, a triple and 20 walks.

Kittredge is a much-needed, high-leverage arm, and the Orioles aren’t done. The bullpen must be rebuilt.

They’ve signed Rico Garcia and Dietrich Enns to one-year deals, with the latter initially questionable to return due to the $3 million option in his contract. They aren’t promised jobs, however.

Kittredge missed almost two months after undergoing surgery on his left knee in March and registered a 3.45 ERA and 1.085 WHIP in 31 games prior to the trade. He also gives the Orioles a closing option – he has 21 career saves in nine seasons – with Félix Bautista recovering from shoulder surgery.

* Craig Albernaz removed himself from consideration for the Marlins’ and White Sox’s managerial jobs last offseason before accepting the Orioles’ offer. He chose to remain with the Guardians, working as associate manager to Stephen Vogt.

So why Baltimore? Why now?

“I think last year had more to do with where I was at, in Cleveland, being around one of your great friends and learning in Cleveland, and also being around that front office and learning more,” he said at yesterday’s press conference.

“I think at that point in time, I felt like I was ready, but deep down, you’re just kind of like, ‘Do you want to take that next step?’ It’s a big job. I wanted to make sure that whichever organization I go to, I was really ready to jump in and dive in. Going through the process, meeting David (Rubenstein) and Mike and the rest of the front office, it really was, to me, an easy decision. Getting to know everyone.

“I think Mike would probably tell you, he’d probably wish I was a little more, had more pep in my step in the process,  but I was more just being very thorough and looping in the people that I surround myself with to get their input. As you go through it, the clarity became clear that I wanted to be in Baltimore, be a Baltimore Oriole, and be in this organization, be in that dugout with this group of players.” 

* Albernaz was a standout defensive catcher at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., but he never rose above Triple-A and didn’t play after 2014. One of the lessons gained from overseeing major leaguers is how players want to be coached.

“For me, players just want to know that you have their right interests in mind, to get them better,” he said. “There’s no ulterior motives. All players want to make as much money as they can and they want coaches and people in their corner who can help them do that. And also, it helps the team win a lot of games.

“Players see through when you’re being fake, so you have to be a truthteller, you have to be authentic to yourself. And that’s something that I pride myself on since I first started coaching. And that’s never going to change.”

* Albernaz already has contacted some of the Orioles. He placed the estimate at six or seven, partly to amuse sons CJ and Norman, who dared him to make the “joke without a punchline” and up-and-down hand gesture that’s circulating through school hallways across the country.

You had to be there, and you still might not understand it.

“My kids put me up to it,” he said. “I’ve probably reached out to six, seven, to be honest with you. It’s just to get to know them and to introduce myself and get to know who they are. Come to find out, a couple of our guys have fiancés or wives with two first names, so that’s fun to see. But yeah, right now, obviously it’s been chaos in the best way possible, the past week or so.

“Somehow I’m just trying to dive in with the players and get to know them. We haven’t really shared too much with what’s going to take place on the field in spring training, but like I said, just try to get to know them, getting to know how they tick, and kind of guiding them as the offseason moves along.”  

* Albernaz earns respect throughout baseball but also is known to keep players loose and relaxed. He was far from uptight yesterday, comfortable in new surroundings and while being in an unusual position as the center of attention.

“It’s funny, when I first started coaching in the minor leagues, I remember talking to my wife Genevieve like, ‘Now that I’m a coach, do I have to change who I am? Do I have to change the music I listen to?’ And it was just a joke and laughing, but I’m just going to be me. That’s all I know,” he said.

“Players want to know who’s in their corner that’s authentic and real, and they need a sounding board and someone that they can talk to. Tough conversations always happen. It’s a part of the game. I’m not scared to have a tough conversation. I do it all the time. But when it comes from a place of truth and a place of care and love, you have to have those tough conversations.

“Joe Maddon said it years ago that if you tell a player a truth, he might be mad at you for a day. If you lie to him, you lost him forever. So that’s something where we have to be truthful and honest, but also, yeah, I’m going to keep it loose. It’s baseball. We’re with each other 162 games for a season. We’re with each other more than our families. And it’s baseball. And guys play at their best when they’re having fun and just playing a kid’s game.” 

* Albernaz is a big proponent of analytics, which also worked in his favor during the interview process.

“I love the information. I want all the information,” he said.

“Those data points have been available for years now, like batting average, ERA, that’s all data points. But you can now get a little bit granular and there’s better information, and me and my coaching staff, we’re going to want that information. But that’s only a piece of the puzzle.

“I talk about it like you’re trying to place good bets on the field, bet those numbers. Those data points help you place those bets. But it’s not 100 percent certainty. At the end of the day, the players go out and play. So it’s equipping them with the right information at the right time that’s digestible. But also getting the players’ feedback and listening to your players, because certain things might not land for the player or there’s other aspects of the game that’s going on with the player. And that’s why you have to know the player.

“So analytics is a piece of how we’re going to go about our business in our clubhouse and on the field.”

* The Tigers are hiring Anthony Sanders as first base coach and Cody Asche as assistant hitting coach, as first reported by The Athletic.

That’s two more confirmed departures from the Orioles’ 2025 staff.

Sanders held the same job with the Orioles. Asche served as hitting coach following his stints as offensive strategy coach and hitting coordinator.

The Orioles also must replace bench coach Robinson Chirinos and assistant hitting coaches Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson if they keep the same three-headed arrangement. Johnson also worked as upper level hitting coordinator.

* MASN is airing “Orioles Hall of Fame: Class of 2025” multiple times this month, beginning tonight at 8 p.m.

The hour-long special features one-on-one interviews with Adam Jones (with me), Joe Orsulak (with Ben McDonald) and broadcaster Tom Davis (with Brett Hollander).