A few lingering questions were answered yesterday with news that the Orioles re-signed pitcher Albert Suárez to a minor league deal, lost switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo to the Mets on a waiver claim and sent catcher Maverick Handley to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers.
Suárez was non-tendered on Nov. 21, but president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias indicated in a video call that the Orioles were willing to bring him back.
It always was expected to be a minor league contract because Suárez made $825,000 this year and MLBTradeRumors.com projected his arbitration salary at $900,000. Why else would the Orioles non-tender him?
“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” Elias said last month when asked about Suárez, who pitched in only five games this year due to shoulder and forearm injuries.
“We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did particularly in 2024. And it was a real bummer and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last (season) that he got hurt.
“I don’t want to go into details about our decision-making as we approach these tender decisions, but we very much are fans of Albert and we’re very much hoping to continue talking to him, and made that clear to him and his group. And I hope the feeling’s mutual.”
Now we know.
Suárez will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, of course. The Orioles wouldn’t finalize this deal and send him to Twin Lakes Park.
Their list of 2025 invites wasn’t published until Feb. 6, so it’s going to be a while longer.
The pitching staff isn’t close to completion. Elias is working to sign or acquire a starter via trade. He wants more than one, aiming at or near the top of the rotation and somewhere toward the back end. The bullpen has undergone some changes since the final game with Elias signing closer Ryan Helsley and trading for Andrew Kittredge, and he probably isn’t done.
The Orioles also claimed George Soriano on waivers from the Marlins and Josh Walker from the Braves, selected the contracts of Anthony Nunez and Cameron Foster and signed Andrew Magno to a minor league deal. Rather than exercise a $3 million option on Dietrich Enns’ contract, they reached agreement on a one-year deal for $2.625 million with another option for 2027.
To know what the Orioles could do with their ‘pen requires some confirmation about the rotation.
Helsley will close and Kittredge will work primarily in a set-up role. Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano were tendered contracts. The Enns contract sets him up nicely to make the club. The Orioles re-signed Rico Garcia to a split contract, where he earns $900,000 in the majors and $225,000 in the minors. Kade Strowd posted a 1.71 ERA in 25 appearances as a rookie, which gives him an early edge.
Also on the 40-man roster are Jose Espada, Yaramil Hiraldo, Colin Selby, Grant Wolfram and Chayce McDermott. Tyler Wells will work as a starter in camp but could shift again to relief duties. Cade Povich and Brandon Young also will compete for spots in the rotation but should be viewed as possibilities for long relief if further development in Triple-A isn’t essential to the organization.
Because the Orioles are seeking multiple starters, it becomes more likely that Suárez will compete for a swingman-type role. They’d happily take his 2024 production, when he registered a 3.70 ERA in 32 games, including 24 starts.
Let’s take another dip into the mailbag.
Some baseball pundits think that the O’s are five big acquisitions away - two starters, two good relievers, one more big bat - from being the AL favorite. Do you think Elias will be able to pull it off?
I’ll disagree with one more big bat. I think Elias is done with a major impact move on the position side. He stated on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” that he’s looking more at role players. We’ll see. But two starters and one or two more relievers are reasonable expectations. And it's more than reasonable to expect the Orioles to challenge for a division title. Favorites? The Blue Jays would like a minute for rebuttal. And, you know, there's the Yankees and Red Sox. It ain't easy in the East. But the Orioles should be in the thick of the race if they upgrade the rotation and the young core shows improvement. Oh, and good health is a must, too.
Now that we have a Drew Romo update, is Drew Rom still in baseball?
The Brewers signed him yesterday to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023 with the Cardinals and didn’t pitch in 2024 due to shoulder surgery.
Seems like the O’s could make Taylor Ward the “emergency third catcher “ instead of wasting a roster spot on another catcher. Any reason why they wouldn’t make that decision?
Ward hasn’t caught since logging two innings in 2021 and his last start was in A ball in 2017. He could handle the position for the Orioles in an emergency, but the idea of a third catcher is to use him in non-emergency situations. Think Alex Jackson. I don’t know if there’s going to be room on the roster.
Would you do the Polar Bear Plunge for fun? For charity?
I did it many years ago at Sandy Point State Park for Special Olympics Maryland. Hypothermia isn’t my idea of fun. I took a swig from a stranger’s miniature bottle of whisky, which was more dangerous than the freezing temperatures, ran into the water, stopped as soon as the level reached my … sugar plums … and headed back. That probably didn’t count as a “plunge," but my heart was in the right place. Other body parts were g
What do you think of Imai as the big addition to our rotation?
Tatsuya Imai has to sign with a major league team by Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. or return to the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. He recorded a 1.92 ERA over 163 2/3 innings last season, striking out 178 batters, walking 45 and surrendering only six home runs. His ERA is 2.18 over the past three seasons totaling 470 innings. That’s really good, right? But will he have the same success in the U.S.? That’s the expectation, of course, but that’s also the risk. I’m fine with Imai, as if that matters, but a proven major league starter like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez is less of a gamble.
Why haven't the Orioles signed a top starter yet? Is Elias on a tropical island instead of manning the phones?
I don’t know Elias’ holiday plans, but he’s negotiating to land that top starter. He engaged in talks at the general managers meetings and the Winter Meetings. You may have noticed that other teams are trying to do the same thing.
Every day the O's claim they are looking for a utility guy to sign. What about Ramón Urías? As far as I've heard he hasn't signed with anyone, and no one is better than he is on defense. And he's a pretty potent bat in the clutch.
Urías is a free agent. You didn’t lose track of him. The Orioles don’t have anyone with his overall skillset for that role, but how much do they want to invest in that type of player, and would Urías be OK with substantial bench time unless an injury presents more opportunities for him? The infield seems set with Pete Alonso at first, Jackson Holliday at second, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop and Jordan Westburg at third, but a utility player is necessary to back up at every position. It isn’t ideal to just move Holliday from second to short, Henderson from short to third, Westburg from third to second. But again, we’re left to wonder about roster construction with Alonso, Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo currently on it.
Who decided that Mike Devereaux would represent the Orioles at the draft lottery?
It was a group effort this year with a combination of senior vice president of communications Jennifer Grondahl, vice president of domestic scouting Will Robertson and Orioles alumni director and team historian Bill Stetka.
What is your exit velocity when leaving the press box at the end of a game?
I’ve never measured it. I’m more concerned about my exit velo after a few press meals, if you get my drift. And this is a good place to stop.