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The latest Top 100 prospects list was launched yesterday, illustrating again that the formulas aren’t duplicates.
ESPN has catcher Samuel Basallo at No. 4, pitcher Trey Gibson at No. 46 and outfielder Dylan Beavers at No. 57. These are the highest rankings for Basallo and Gibson in the preseason, with MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and The Athletics also sharing their results.
The significance with Gibson is he also appeared on Baseball America’s list at No. 72 and can be Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) eligible if he accrues the necessary service time.
A team earns an extra draft pick if an eligible player wins Rookie of the Year or finishes in the top three in Most Valuable Player/Cy Young voting.
Gibson isn’t expected to break camp with the team after winning the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year award, simply because the rotation figures to be too stacked. But he could debut at some point.
The Birdland Caravan wrapped up on Friday, a winter storm dumped copious amounts of snow and ice on the region, and we're still waiting to find out whether the Orioles can secure one of the top remaining starters on the market, who's getting spring training invitations, what's the composition of the minor league staffs, and whether pitchers Kyle Bradish and Keegan Akin are going to arbitration hearings.
Spring training isn't that far away. Temperatures in Sarasota are dipping into the 30s at night this week.
That needs to stop.
Here are five leftovers from the Caravan:
Gunnar Henderson didn’t bite on a contract-extension question.
The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- LHP José Suarez claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
There are just 16 days until pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, but who’s counting?
As we continue barreling down the track towards the season, plenty of questions remain.
Will the team add another big-time starting pitcher? What will Tyler Wells’ role be? What the heck is the “New Oriole Way?” And what does Heston Kjerstad’s status mean for the outfield conversation?
This week on “The Bird’s Nest,” which goes live every Wednesday at 11 a.m. on our MASN Orioles YouTube and Facebook pages before living on your favorite podcast platforms, Annie Klaff and I will answer your most pressing O’s queries.
Drop your questions in the comments below, and we could discuss it on this week’s show!
The buzz that Pete Alonso has generated by signing his $155 million contract with the Orioles really came to life last week. Much more than words and photos on a billboard or on social media posts. It became faces and voices at the Birdland Caravan, with fans getting a chance to express their gratitude, appreciation and anything else to make him feel at home.
Alonso sat with manager Craig Albernaz for a question-and-answer session at the Senator Theatre, cracking jokes and asking for input on his walk-up song. He greeted the participants at the “Blessings in a Backpack” event on the sixth floor of the warehouse while also boxing bags of food for students at Beechfield Elementary/Middle School who otherwise might not have a meal on the weekends.
People showered him with applause before having to dig out from the snowstorm.
“It’s been great so far,” he said. “Just seeing the amount of excitement and passion that people have this early just before spring training, it’s really exciting. It’s an exciting time in Birdland and I’m honored to be part of it.
“Just seeing everybody and hearing their excitement and feeling their excitement, too. The amount of intensity that you hear, it’s just really, I feel like this is like, I’ve used the word ‘shift.’ Talking with Alby, he’s like, it’s true. The organization from the top-bottom, it’s like we’re charging toward something forward, we’re working toward something forward, and it’s really gonna be a special time.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is aware that the roster could undergo more changes before players begin reporting to spring training. He also insists that it didn’t need much work.
“I felt good about this club when I initially took this job,” he said at Friday’s Birdland Caravan event at the warehouse.
It’s true. But Albernaz’s hiring came before the Orioles signed first baseman Pete Alonso, closer Ryan Helsley and starter Zach Eflin and traded for outfielder Taylor Ward, starter Shane Baz and set-up man Andrew Kittredge.
The cupboard is better stocked, but it wasn’t close to bare.
“That just speaks to the team that Mike (Elias) and his group have constructed, both in the player development side and acquisition side,” Albernaz said.
The Orioles have three players in MLB Pipeline’s latest Top 100 prospects list, including two who debuted a day apart in 2025 and a 16th-round draft pick who earned the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year award.
Outfielder Nate George, 19, is the newcomer, ranking 93rd after playing at three levels in his first professional season and batting .337/.413/.483 with 14 doubles, nine triples, five home runs, 42 RBIs and 50 stolen bases in 87 games. He topped out at High-A Aberdeen.
Catcher Samuel Basallo is eighth and outfielder Dylan Beavers is 69th after they joined the Orioles in August.
Here’s why it matters:
Because both players rank in the Top 100 by multiple outlets, they become eligible for baseball’s Prospect Promotion Incentive program. They must begin the season on the Opening Day roster, which they will, and be chosen the American League’s Rookie of the Year, which gives the Orioles an extra draft pick between the first and second rounds.
The equipment trucks pulled out of Camden Yards earlier today and began their 1,000-mile trip to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota in preparation for spring training. The haul included 320 uniforms, 300 hats, 200 helmets, 10 pitching machines, 800 dozen baseballs and 300 bats, all of which are expected to arrive at the complex next week.
The Birdland Caravan is wrapping up this evening, cut short due to an impending storm that’s forecast to blanket the region in substantial amounts of snow and ice. Manager Craig Albernaz, first baseman Pete Alonso, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, infielder Jordan Westburg, catcher Samuel Basallo and pitcher Tyler Wells filed onto the sixth floor of the warehouse and volunteered at the “Blessings in a Backpack” event, with fans and media also invited to fill bags with food – including cans of pasta, fruit cups and bowls of cereal - for school-aged children who otherwise might go hungry on weekends.
Today’s event assisted students in need at Beechfield Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore.
After an hour’s worth of packing, Albernaz and some players met separately with the local media on the seventh floor. Westburg had to catch a flight home, but outfielder Dylan Beavers showed up later.
Here are a few nuggets after the food was bagged and boxed.
Earlier today, Von Paris Moving & Storage trucks departed from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, beginning their 1,000-mile trip to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., in preparation for the 2026 Spring Training season.
Downloadable footage of the Orioles' equipment trucks is now available courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles at Frame.io (password: Media2026), and photos at PhotoShelter (password: Media2026).
The trucks, which are carrying 320 uniforms, 300 hats, 200 helmets, and 10 pitching machines, are scheduled to arrive at the Orioles’ Spring Training home next week. Eight hundred dozen baseballs and 300 bats are also making their way to Florida.
The 2026 season will mark the club’s 17th year at Ed Smith Stadium. Von Paris Moving & Storage has been the official mover of the Orioles since 1991.
Orioles pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Tuesday, February 10, with the first full-squad workout set for Monday, February 16. Spring Training games are slated to begin Friday, February 20, when the Orioles host the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium at 1:05 p.m. ET.
For the last month-plus, the Orioles’ attention has been on the pitching staff.
Baltimore’s first big moves of the offseason were to bolster their lineup, trading for former Angels’ slugger Taylor Ward and signing another home-run machine in Pete Alonso. Since then, the most significant moves have been addressing starting pitching with the acquisitions of Shane Baz and Zach Eflin.
If additional moves are looming around the corner, they will, most likely, come on that pitching front once more. As such, a question arises: are the Orioles done adding significantly to their position player group?
A 26-man Opening Day roster will consist of 13 position players, most of which seem to be locked in.
Adley Rutschman, Pete Alonso, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward and Colton Cowser should all be considered everyday players, assuming that they all stay healthy. That’s more than half the spots taken up already.
Ranger Suárez signed with the Red Sox. The Marlins traded Edward Cabrera to the Cubs for three prospects. The Brewers traded Freddy Peralta to the Mets for two prospects. The Nationals traded MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers yesterday for five prospects.
The options for the Orioles’ rotation are dwindling.
So is the competition for the other starters.
Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen remain available in free agency. The trade market isn’t dry, though Peralta and Gore were two of the more appealing candidates. Gore has two more years of team control.
The industry seems braced for the Orioles to make the next big move, but yesterday’s activity was confined to the waiver claim of infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from the Phillies.
The Orioles might be ready to toss another player into their competition for a bench role.
Weston Wilson was claimed on waivers earlier today from the Phillies. Left-hander José Suarez was designated for assignment to make room on a full 40-man roster.
The Phillies designated Wilson for assignment a few days ago after re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto. Wilson, 31, has appeared in 100 games over the past three seasons and slashed .242/.328/.428 with 11 doubles and nine home runs.
Wilson played in 52 games last season and hit .198/.282/.369 with four doubles and five home runs. He has major league experience at second base, third base, first base and both outfield corners. Most of his starts have been in left.
The Orioles saw eight of Wilson’s plate appearances last summer in Philadelphia. He singled twice, homered and walked.
The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- OF Marco Luciano claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees.
The Orioles have made the following roster moves:
- Claimed INF/OF Weston Wilson off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Designated LHP José Suarez for assignment.
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.
The impending winter storm is forcing the Orioles to make some major adjustments to their Birdland Caravan.
All of the events on Saturday are cancelled due to safety concerns for fans, staff, players and vendors. In addition, the Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash Meet & Greet at Weis Markets Bel Air originally set for Friday afternoon also is cancelled.
The Orioles announced that anyone who secured access to Saturday’s paid ticketed events – breakfast with the O’s and duckpin bowling - will receive an email from the club today with information on a full refund.
“This difficult decision was made in coordination with trusted meteorologists, due to the Governor’s State of Preparedness Order, and out of concern for the safety of our players departing from locations around the country also projected to be impacted by the winter storm,” the Orioles wrote in a statement.
Player attendance for Friday events is adjusted as follows:
Due to the impending forecasted winter weather throughout the south, east, and mid-Atlantic, and for the continued safety of our fans, staff, players, and vendors, all Birdland Caravan events scheduled for Saturday, January 24, are cancelled. Additionally, the Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash Meet & Greet at Weis Markets Bel Air originally scheduled for Friday afternoon is cancelled. Fans who secured access to Saturday’s paid ticketed events (Breakfast with the O’s and Duckpin Bowling), will receive an email from the Orioles today with information on a full refund.
This difficult decision was made in coordination with trusted meteorologists, due to the Governor’s State of Preparedness Order, and out of concern for the safety of our players departing from locations around the country also projected to be impacted by the winter storm.
Additionally, due to weather impacting travel to and from Baltimore, player attendance for Friday events is adjusted as follows:
Arcade Happy Hour at GameOn – ADLEY RUTSCHMAN and TYLER WELLS
Flight Night at Guinness Open Gate Brewery – CRAIG ALBERNAZ, SAMUEL BASALLO, and DYLAN BEAVERS
We are grateful to our fans who travel from far and wide to support their favorite team and want to ensure they also remain safe during the storm. We strongly urge fans to follow the Governor’s guidance for emergency preparedness, as well as their own local policies, and visit weather.gov for regular updates.
The Birdland Caravan begins tonight with a Q&A session with manager Craig Albernaz and first baseman Pete Alonso at the historic Senator Theatre.
The event is sold out, as you’d expect.
In fact, all of the ticketed events over the three-day period are sold out.
I’ll be packing bags alongside players Friday afternoon at the warehouse to benefit Blessings in a Backpack. The Orioles are matching the proceeds of the ticket sales.
The mission is to provide food on the weekends for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Fans and players will assist with packing bags down the line with two entrée, two breakfast and two snack items.
Organizational depth snagged the headlines again yesterday.
Well, it warranted the only social media posts from the Orioles except for the new alternate cap that went on sale at the Team Store at Camden Yards - black with an orange bill and orange script “B,” the same letter logo from the club’s City Connect uniform.
Right-hander Hans Crouse, 27, signed a minor league contract after missing most of the 2025 season with a torn lat muscle.
When Crouse wasn't busy with his side gig as a villain in “Die Hard,” he was posting a 2.84 ERA in 25 relief appearances with the Angels in 2024. He walked 17 batters and struck out 34 in 25 2/3 innings. In 29 games with Triple-A Salt Lake, Crouse registered a 2.27 ERA with 13 walks and 59 strikeouts in 31 2/3.
The Rangers drafted Crouse in the second round in 2017 out of Dana Hills (Cal.) High School. He was included with Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy in a 2021 deadline trade to the Phillies, made two starts and allowed four runs with seven walks and two strikeouts in seven innings.
The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- Agreed to terms on a 2026 minor league contract with RHP Hans Crouse.
The Orioles didn’t cut ties with Jorge Mateo in order to sew them together later.
Mateo had his $5.5 million club option declined back in November, which sent him into free agency and further away from Baltimore. He was hurt again, didn’t hit again, and wasn’t going to earn that kind of salary from any team.
The possibility lingered that the Orioles might try to negotiate a cheaper deal because they were unsettled at utility infielder, if they decided to actually carry one, but the Braves signed Mateo yesterday to a one-year, $1 million contract.
Mateo won a Fielding Bible Award in 2022 as the top defensive shortstop in the majors. The Braves need a player at the position after Ha-Seong Kim underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger after slipping on ice in South Korea and is expected to miss four-to-five months.
Staying on the field and getting on base have been challenges for Mateo. He underwent surgery in August 2024 after suffering a left elbow subluxation in a collision with Gunnar Henderson and returned to the injured list in June 2025 with inflammation in the elbow. A hamstring strain while on his rehab assignment became the latest setback and limited Mateo to 42 games in 2025 and only 110 over the past two seasons.
