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Stephen King wrote a novel in 1979 entitled “The Dead Zone” that became a movie four years later and a television series in the early 2000s. No one had October in mind for baseball’s non-playoff teams, but it applied.
Just sub out Christopher Walken for Christian Walker.
But this is about the Orioles.
A manager wasn’t going to be hired this quickly, but I’ve counted one confirmed interview, Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas, whose brother Felipe Alou Jr. has worked in a variety of roles in the Orioles’ organization. Rojas managed the Mets for two seasons.
Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols reportedly has drawn interest from the Orioles, but that’s it. They like the idea of interviewing him.
The Angels were viewed as the favorite to hire Pujols but talks reportedly are over, with the New York Post’s Jon Heyman citing differences regarding “coaches, resources and compensation.”
How deeply can you dig in your heels when you’ve never coached or managed in the majors?
The gap in dollars and years that apparently killed negotiations could make the Orioles uneasy, but who knows for sure? Well, they do.
The composition of the coaching staff is on hold until a manager is in place. We can only speculate whether some holdovers are possible.
The Orioles don’t have a major league transaction his month. They recalled or activated players onto the 40-man roster in typical procedural moves.
Seven players were released last week from the Dominican Summer League black and orange teams, per the minor league transactions page: pitchers Rafael Suero, Esmerlyn Valenzuela, Ezequiel Sosa, Robinson Javier, Reykelly Rubi and Eriner Batista, and shortstop Cleudis Valenzuela. Catcher David Bañuelo, infielders Emmanuel Rivera, Terrin Vavra and Vimael Machín, outfielder Jordyn Adams and pitchers Cionel Pérez, Corbin Martin, Scott Blewett and Luis F. Castillos elected free agency.
The Orioles don’t have a finalist for a Rawlings Gold Glove. Pitcher Albert Suárez doesn’t have surgery scheduled on his right elbow, with a second examination and opinion revealing only a mild forearm flexor strain.
Pitchers Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano and catcher Gary Sánchez will become free agents after the World Series and aren’t expected to return. Sánchez is the least likely with the Orioles having Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo as their catching duo in 2026. They could carry a third, but Alex Jackson has a much better chance.
Teams must decide whether to make qualifying offers to their free agents. The Orioles aren’t going there.
The Orioles can exercise or decline the $5.5 million option on infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo’s contract and the $3 million option on reliever Dietrich Enns’ contract. They will learn whether outfielder Tyler O’Neill, as expected, will honor the last two years of his deal rather than opt-out.
Fourteen Orioles are eligible for arbitration and the Orioles have some non-tender decisions to make by Nov. 21. The Rule 5 draft is held on the last day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando and the Orioles will set their 40-man roster ahead of it.
None of their Top 30 prospects, as determined by MLB Pipeline, are eligible to be selected.
Eight Orioles minor leaguers are playing for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, including No. 4 prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. and No. 21 prospect Luis De León. They’re joined by Ethan Anderson, Sayer Diederich, Carson Dorsey, Brandon Downer, Tanner Smith and Thomas Sosa.
Anderson is 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and an .899 OPS. Bradfield is 9-for-30 (.300) with two doubles, a triple, five RBIs, an .815 OPS and eight stolen bases in eight attempts. De León has allowed one earned run and four hits with 12 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.
The Orioles let the NFL’s Rams hold three practices at Camden Yards last week before Sunday morning’s game in London. The Rams defeated Jacksonville 35-7.
The practice agreement was finalized after it became apparent that the Orioles wouldn’t be playing this month, finishing in last place after back-to-back postseason appearances. Football gear was stored in both clubhouses – offensive players dressed on the home side and defense on the visiting. Training and weight rooms were transported to Baltimore.
The Rams also had to supply the goal posts.
(Because politics aren’t allowed here, we won’t discuss how many of you are wide left and wide right.)
I’ve got some mailbag leftovers to reheat this morning, most of them relating to baseball.
If you were forced to guess, what year would you say the Orioles will next appear in a World Series? The answer would be a four digit number starting with a 2.
Would you believe 2026? Or it could be a lot longer. There’s no easy answer here. They could be much healthier next season, they could add a top starter and a big bat, they could be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline, and some of the young core players could take giant leaps. I wouldn’t just assume that last place in 2025 eliminates any realistic chance to contend next summer. Why would it? Teams can go from sub-.500 to the playoffs, and then the dice get rolled and anything can happen.
I see the team is looking for a few engineers. Can you explain biomechanics in layman’s terms?
I can’t even explain it in Heyman’s terms But check with Jon directly. The study of the mechanical laws and principles that govern the human body and other biological systems, focusing on how forces and energy affect movement and structure. It combines aspects of physics, engineering, and biology to analyze everything from muscle activation and joint movement to the design of sports equipment and the prevention of injuries. I got that straight from the internet. The job summary posted by the Orioles reads: “This person will be responsible for the innovation, development, and application of biomechanics related tools and metrics across the pitching, hitting, and performance departments. This person will apply a strong understanding of 3D dynamics, inverse dynamics, inverse kinematics, and musculoskeletal modeling towards developing algorithms and software for biomechanical analysis.” I’m considering it as a career alternative. Or ballpark usher.
What current Oriole is most likely to hit 30 home runs next year besides Gunnar Henderson?
Tyler O’Neill if he’s healthy for most of the season. I’d like to see Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg get 550-600 at-bats, not combined, and check their numbers. We can dare to dream about Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers.
How about a veteran hitter? Is Ryan O’Hearn in play?
Is your mom? I’m kidding. The problem with bringing back O’Hearn is that first base isn’t open. Let’s assume that Coby Mayo breaks camp with the team. We know that Samuel Basallo will be on the roster. We don’t know about Ryan Mountcastle, but first base already accounted for and O’Hearn should be able to find more playing time elsewhere.
According to Fangraphs, the Orioles estimated payroll currently sits at $68,725,000 for 2026 if they don't make any moves. I'm assuming it includes salary increases from arbitration. This is nearly a $100,000,000 decrease from the 2025 payroll. With such a decrease, do you think the Orioles will make a few big moves in free agency this offseason as well as locking in a couple of our core players on long-term contracts?
I’m assuming that FanGraphs (note the spelling) is calculating the current payroll. Right? It’s gonna undergo significant changes. I think at least one move will be made that can be described as “big.” There certainly will be multiple moves because the bullpen must be rebuilt and the rotation is going to get at least one starter. There will be lots of arbitration raises. Also, don’t get greedy. You should be celebrating if one young player receives a long-term extension. A couple? Tap the brakes there, my friend.
Have you tried mushroom coffee yet? I had a cup today for the first time. Not bad.
I immediately began to hallucinate. Was that the wrong kind of mushroom?
If a trade possibility and/or free-agent signing were to pop up quickly after the World Series ends, would the lack of a signed manager and/or GM inhibit such a deal in Baltimore?
The Orioles can do business without a manager and problem will conduct it without a general manager because they don’t seem in much of a rush to hire one. Free agents might prefer to know who’s managing before signing unless blown away by an offer, but the Orioles probably will have somebody in place. The goal, we’re told, is to get it done ASAP.
Do you see the O's naming a manager in the next few days or not until after World Series? Also, if you could make an educated guess, what percent of the O’s team would support having Tony Mansolino back, based on your interactions with them?
Not in the next few days. No way. They haven’t gotten deep enough into the interview process. It will likely happen after the World Series. Rather than try to offer a percentage on players supporting Mansolino, I’ll just say that everyone I talked to on and off the record was very supportive. Players like and respect him. They’re comfortable with him because he’s been here since 2021. They admired how he handled an extremely tough situation. And they’d be happy to have him in the manager’s office in 2026.
Do you take trips to see the Vikings play in person?
No. And I’m so down on them now after Sunday’s loss, I won’t take a few steps to grab the remote and turn on their next game. They’re dead to me.
Will the new manager and general manger be named before the Orioles hold the Birdland Caravan at the end of January?
This again? Manager, absolutely. GM, maybe not. In fact, I’ll be bold here and say that the Orioles won’t have a GM by that date. I could be wrong. It’s known to happen. I still can’t believe that Adam Loewen signed with the Blue Jays. The Orioles basically had a handshake agreement with him and I was willing to jog around Canton Square in rabbit ears and a thong if he didn’t stay in Baltimore.
What are your thoughts on Colton Cowser’s defense in center field? What is the club’s comfort level with him in center based on your observations? What do the defensive metrics suggest? Thanks.
I thought Cowser played a nice center field after Cedric Mullins was traded. He covered a lot of ground and he’s got a tremendous arm. Baseball Savant liked him more in center than left and right with outs above average (OAA), but Statcast has his defensive runs saved (DRS) at seven in left and minus-1 in center. The Orioles trust him in both spots. However, I think they’d like to put him in left full-time, with those funky dimensions at Camden Yards. Let’s see how the offseason unfolds.
Is the mailbag letter still good if it's got fuzzy white stuff growing on it?
I usually smell it. And this is a good place to stop.
