The Astros won the American League West with a .500 record. The Rangers were trying to do the same but lost in Minnesota.

The first lockout happened when sanity tried to enter the door to the 2026 season.

Yesterday’s rainout left the Orioles with a 79-82 record as players showered, dressed and scattered across and outside the country. The book finally is closed. And this isn’t the ending that the organization anticipated after an offseason spent signing Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley and trading for Taylor Ward and Shane Baz.

The smaller stuff also figured to make an impact.

How appropriate that the Orioles were eliminated on an off-day and never got on the field yesterday. The hits just keep coming, unless runners are in scoring position.

Alonso finishes with 43 home runs and 113 RBIs to lead the American League. He appeared in 162 games in back-to-back seasons before the nor’easter caused him to fall one short.

Baz didn’t lose 16 games to lead the majors. Andrew Kittredge edged out Rico Garcia for the team lead in saves with 11.

The Orioles hadn’t played 161 games since 2008 when Game 1 of a Sept. 6 doubleheader was canceled due to Tropical Storm Hanna. They played the nightcap.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias and manager Craig Albernaz will address the media later today, an annual tradition after the last out is made and other teams keep playing into October.

Not every detail of the offseason agenda will be shared, either because the Orioles want to keep it private or they haven’t gotten that far in their planning. They’ll be asked whether the entire coaching staff is back next season, even though there’s little to no chance of getting confirmation on Sept. 28. Perhaps Elias will have to remind the group again that there’s no advantage to discussing negotiations on contract extensions.

What went wrong will be rehashed and it’s going to include another massive amount of injuries, plus the regression or stagnation of some younger players, poor defense, failure to hit consistently with RISP. Elias will point this out while also pointing a finger at himself as the architect of the roster.

More front office changes could be coming besides Matt Blood’s departure and Sid Mejdal’s new title and responsibilities, but Elias already covered that in his last dugout scrum. I don’t think anything’s different today, but hey, let’s find out.

I might be a good idea to check whether anyone is scheduled for a surgical procedure. For instance, Kyle Bradish with his sports hernia. Or if simple rest is prescribed.

The possibility of baseball shutting down on Dec. 1 could rush or delay certain moves. Teams can’t sign or trade for players after the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. The Winter Meetings could be canceled again, and that includes the Rule 5 draft, but the deadline to set the 40-man roster and protect eligible players is in November.

It’s important to note that anyone added to the 40-man can’t play in the minors during a lockout. Those are union rules.

The current 40-man roster is full and players on the 60-day injured list must be added to it after the World Series. That includes pitchers Helsley, Kyle Bradish and Colin Selby, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, infielder Jordan Westburg and outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

Reliever Keegan Akin and starter Zach Eflin also are on the 60-day. Akin will become a free agent, which removes him from the 40-man. Eflin’s contract includes a $25 million mutual option for 2027 that likely returns him to the market.

Mountcastle becomes a free agent if the Orioles don’t exercise his $7.5 million option. Luis Robert Jr. came to the Orioles, and appeared in three games before injuring his hamstring, with a $20 million club option and $2 million buyout.

Other pending free agents who drop off the 40-man include Kittredge, Trevor Rogers and Chris Bassitt. Rogers seems guaranteed of getting the qualifying offer, which nets the Orioles a compensatory draft pick if he declines and signs with another team.

Among the players who would be exposed to the Rule 5 draft if unprotected are outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., infielder Aron Estrada, and pitchers Michael Forret, Nestor German, Levi Wells, Juaron Watts-Brown, Braxton Bragg, Patrick Reilly and Kiefer Lord. Catcher Creed Willems was bypassed in last year’s Rule 5.

There’s usually a surprise inclusion to the 40-man, like outfielder Reed Trimble last season, left-hander Luis González in 2024 and reliever Logan Gillaspie in 2021. Félix Bautista wasn’t a sure thing in ’21 based on his high walk rates in the minors.

Here’s the 40-man as it stands now without the 60-day IL guys:

Pitchers
Chris Bassitt
Félix Bautista
Shane Baz
Yennier Cano
Luis De León
Cameron Foster
Rico Garcia
Trey Gibson
Codi Heuer
Yaramil Hiraldo
Alex Hoppe
Andrew Kittredge
Anthony Nunez
Cade Povich
Trevor Rogers
Cam Sanders
Albert Suárez
Josh Walker
Grant Wolfram
Brandon Young
Yosver Zulueta

Catchers
Samuel Basallo
Carlos Narváez
Yohel Pozo

Infielders
Blaze Alexander
Pete Alonso
José Barrero
Christian Encarnacion-Strand
Gunnar Henderson
Jackson Holliday
Jeremiah Jackson
Coby Mayo

Outfielders
Dylan Beavers
Colton Cowser
Christian Franklin
Rece Hinds
Heston Kjerstad
Luis Robert Jr.
Leody Taveras
Reed Trimble

You can see where some subtractions are easily made beyond pending free agents if the space is needed.

The 2027 season is scheduled to begin March 25 against the Rays at Tropicana Field, with the first home game March 29 versus the Blue Jays. A lockout could push back those dates. Heaven forbid that anything be normal.