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.

The introduction of new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz earlier today revealed his sense of humor, passion for the game and the lives he’s intersected with along the way, and how family always is going to be a huge part of who he is both on and off the field.

His first managing act was sitting through a nearly 44-minute press conference with attention split among media and his 2-year-old daughter Gigi, who held and occasionally dropped her Oriole Bird bobblehead and a bottled water meant more as a toy than a means of hydration, engaged in cute conversations with her mother Genevieve and eventually was lifted up by control owner David Rubenstein and handed to Albernaz, who sat her on his lap, kissed her and whispered to her at one point so he could finish his answer.

Handling a 26-man clubhouse should be a breeze.

The crowd also included young sons CJ (8) and Norman (6), and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and his wife Alyssa, who left her seat for a while to play with Gigi away from the dais.

“My kids are the greatest gift I can ever, ever have,” Albernaz said, before his daughter interrupted.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher ANDREW KITTREDGE from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations.

Kittredge, 35, went 4-3 with five saves, 15 holds, and a 3.40 ERA (20 ER/53.0 IP) on 41 hits (7 HR), 11 walks (1 IBB), and 64 strikeouts in 54 appearances between the Orioles and Cubs in 2025.

On July 31, Kittredge was traded from Baltimore to Chicago in exchange for minor league shortstop WILFRI DE LA CRUZ. De La Cruz, 18, is currently ranked as the No. 20 Orioles prospect by Baseball America and No. 24 by MLB Pipeline.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms with LHP Josh Walker on a one-year major league contract for the 2026 season.

Baseball’s offseason calendar is loaded with significant dates. A few others develop over the course of the fall and winter.

Today is a prime example.

The media will be introduced to new manager Craig Albernaz at a press conference at Camden Yards that airs live on MASN beginning at 11 a.m. President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias and control owner David Rubenstein also will attend.

Albernaz can explain why he viewed the Orioles as a good match. Everything he knows about the organization and what he’s got to learn. Whether he’s spoken to any of his players. His level of confidence that a turnaround is imminent for a team that finished in last place.

What did Albernaz observe about the Orioles from the opposite dugout?

The Orioles are holding onto left-hander Dietrich Enns as part of their offseason business that’s gaining momentum after the World Series.

Rather than exercise a $3 million option on Enns’ contract, the club reached an agreement on a one-year deal with another option for 2027.

Enns, 34, was involved in the last of nine deadline trades this summer, coming to the Orioles in a cash transaction with the Tigers. He made 17 appearances and posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.326 WHIP over 28 2/3 innings. He also recorded two saves.

High-leverage situations kept falling to Enns with the bullpen depleted from four earlier trades and Félix Bautista’s shoulder injury that required surgery on his labrum and rotator cuff. He’s out of minor league options and seemingly in the team’s plans for next season.

It wasn’t easy to predict.

The end of the World Series gives teams an exclusive five-day window to negotiate with their own free agents before other clubs can begin making their own pitches.

The Orioles are waiting to be turned loose in the market.

The general manager meetings begin a week from today in Las Vegas, which can ignite trade discussions in the Orioles’ quest for pitching and an impact bat. It’s time to ditch the quiet period and get loud.

Among the questions I’ve posed in recent weeks involve cramming five starters into the rotation, who bats first, who’s in center field, does Tyler O’Neill homer again on Opening Day, will some starters be on innings limits, what happens to Albert Suárez, if any starters could move to the bullpen, what the Orioles will get from Trevor Rogers, and who leads the staff in innings.

Here's another one for the discussion.

The World Series is over, which begins the official countdown to the start of free agency. The exact time is 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Teams also must decide whether to make qualifying offers to their free agents, with the cost rising to $22.025 million. The Orioles won’t float it past Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano or Gary Sánchez.

Eflin seemed like a candidate earlier in the year, before a third trip to the injured list led to lower-back surgery in August.

Teams receive a compensatory draft pick if a player declines the offer and signs with another organization. The risk, of course, is having the player accept it.

The Orioles in theory could allow Eflin to test free agency and try to negotiate a short-term deal, the ol’ pillow contract that gives him an opportunity to reestablish his value. The club, in turn, would have a veteran, track record starter for the back end of their rotation. He wouldn’t be in line to repeat as Opening Day starter.

The Orioles didn’t announce any other roster moves following Thursday’s doubleheader. They slipped back into quiet mode.

One-year major league contracts were given to reliever Rico Garcia and infielder Luis Vázquez, keeping them in the organization without offering any assurances about their status for 2026.

They can help to fill two of the team’s needs. The bullpen is hollow. The infield lacks a real utility player since Ramón Urías was traded. But there’s going to be competition in camp.

To make sense of it, remember what the Orioles did with corner infielder Emmanuel Rivera. They reached an agreement last November on a $1 million deal, making him the first of their arbitration-eligible players to receive a contract.

Rivera was designated for assignment multiple times and no one claimed him on waivers, with his salary being a detriment. The plan worked. He provided some depth at Triple-A.

New Orioles manager Craig Albernaz will have a different bench coach in his first season at the helm.

Robinson Chirinos won’t return in 2026, according to an industry source.

Chirinos was hired prior to 2025, his first coaching position at any level. He kept the job through manager Brandon Hyde and interim manager Tony Mansolino, who was promoted from third base coach on May 17.

The Orioles didn’t bring back Fredi González as bench coach following the 2024 season, leaving Hyde with a less experienced staff. Mansolino replaced him in the dugout, and the Orioles hired John Mabry as senior advisor.

To be determined is whether the club will give Albernaz, who’s a first-time manager, a veteran coach in the dugout.

The Orioles have decisions to make with their 40-man roster as players on the 60-day injured list are reinstated after the World Series.

Rico Garcia is holding onto his spot.

The right-hander signed a one-year major league contract earlier today to thrust himself into the bullpen picture for 2026, though he’s got to hold onto the job in camp.

Garcia, who turns 32 in January, appeared in 20 games with the Orioles and posted a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings. They claimed him on waivers from the Mets on Aug. 5.

Garcia also pitched for the Yankees and compiled a 3.15 ERA and 1.194 ERA in 29 appearances this summer. His five-year major league career includes six appearances with the Orioles in 2022.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms with RHP Rico Garcia on a one-year major league contract for the 2026 season.

New Orioles manager Craig Albernaz delivered his first message to the fan base yesterday via the team’s social media accounts. Light in length but with a thick Boston accent.

“Can’t wait to see all you guys out at Camden Yards this year to watch our boys go out there to compete,” Albernaz said in the nine-second video.

The Orioles hope that they made a wicked good hire.

Albernaz spent the past two seasons as Guardians bench coach and associate manager under Stephen Vogt, and the team won back-to-back Central Division titles after finishing third in 2023. Vogt was chosen as the American League’s Manager of the Year in ’24.

The Guardians went 4-3 against the Orioles this summer. They had a healthier roster and much better pitching, registering a 3.70 ERA compared to the Orioles’ 4.60. Cleveland’s 3.44 bullpen ERA was third in the majors. The Orioles, decimated at the deadline, were 25^th at 4.57.

The Orioles can move on from one of the tallest orders of their offseason business, the box at the top of the to-do list checked because of the importance of its timing. They have a manager. The interim tag is ripped away. They couldn’t wait too long to make the decision.

The swiftness was expected but a little surprising that the club made the announcement before Game 3 of the World Series. Most estimations placed the date shortly after the last champagne cork was popped. Or on the next off-day at the earliest. But the news broke late Sunday night as the Orioles were finalizing their deal with Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz.  

Would they seek out a manager with past major league experience and a track record? We now know that they were most impressed with another first-timer, and that they interviewed others who hadn’t done the job at this level, including former Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty.

More information on their decision will be available Tuesday during the introductory press conference that also will include control owner David Rubenstein and president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias.

Albernaz wasn’t really linked to the Orioles before Sunday, a testament to the club’s ability to keep its business under wraps. At the most, Albernaz was a speculated candidate who interviewed with other teams and built a solid reputation over the years, with his stock rising after working with Gabe Kapler in San Francisco and Stephen Vogt in Cleveland.

Changes to the Orioles’ coaching staff were inevitable with the hiring yesterday of Craig Albernaz as manager.

It’s already started.

Two-thirds of the hitting coach group is confirmed to be leaving, according to sources. Sherman Johnson, an assistant hitting coach and upper level hitting coordinator, is joining the White Sox as minor league hitting coordinator. Another assistant, Tommy Joseph, won’t be retained.

Johnson is reunited with Ryan Fuller, currently the White Sox director of hitting and previously Orioles co-hitting coach. Johnson and Joseph spent one season with the Orioles, the latter coming over from the Mariners.

Johnson had been in the organization in various hitting coach roles since the 2023 season.

The first managerial hire for Mike Elias in December 2018 presented Brandon Hyde with his first opportunity in the majors after serving as a coach and working in a variety of roles in the minors. He was tasked with guiding the Orioles, coming off a 115-loss season, through a painful rebuild and back into contention. Deficiencies in the roster were part of the inheritance.

The second managerial hire for Elias has given Craig Albernaz his first chance in the majors after serving as a coach and associate manager and working in a variety of roles in the minors. He’s tasked with orchestrating an immediate turnaround from last place to the playoffs. Anything less is unacceptable.

A daunting task? Anyone who’s familiar with Albernaz’s ascension from non-drafted catcher to his current post is confident that he’s ready for the challenge, that he’s absolutely the right man for the job.

Mitch Lukevics was on the ground floor as Tampa Bay’s farm director for 14 seasons. The Rays needed a catcher in camp after an unexpected retirement. Lukevics phoned scouting director R.J. Harrison, who was at a showcase with one of his Florida scouts. Albernaz played at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and got a recommendation that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Let’s go, sign him up,” Lukevics said.

Craig Albernaz is officially the 21st manager in Orioles history.

Like his predecessors Brandon Hyde and Tony Mansolino, Albernaz does not have any big league managerial experience. He most recently sat as the associate manager for the Guardians, a role that he was promoted to after serving as Cleveland’s bench coach in 2024.

So without a track record as a manager to lean on and with about a week until we hear from Albernaz at his introductory press conference, we’re left with gathering bits and pieces of information where we can.

Let’s start with Albernaz’s previous coaching experience, which isn’t terribly expansive, given the fact that he was playing in the minor leagues as recently as 2014. 

His coaching career began just one year later with the Rays, the organization that he spent a majority of his minor league career with. After starting as a hitting coach, Albernaz got his first experience as a skipper in 2017, managing the Yankees’ High-A affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades and leading them to a Penn League championship. 

The Orioles today announced that CRAIG ALBERNAZ has been named the 21^st manager in club history. This will mark Albernaz’s first major league managerial assignment.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” said Orioles President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, MIKE ELIAS. “Craig has built an exemplary career across multiple successful organizations and brings a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and talent to our organization and to this new challenge. We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series Championship.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the storied Baltimore Orioles organization,” said Albernaz. “This is a tremendous honor, and I'm grateful to Mike Elias and the entire Orioles team for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this talented club.”

Albernaz, 42, begins his first managerial role following 11 seasons as a professional coach, and nine professional seasons as a player. Albernaz most recently spent two seasons as part of the Cleveland Guardians coaching staff, serving as the associate manager in 2025, a role he was promoted to after joining Cleveland’s staff as bench coach in 2024. The Guardians won the American League Central Division in both of his seasons in the organization, marking the first time the club won consecutive division titles since 2016-18 (three straight). In 2025, Cleveland won the AL Central on the final day after being 15.5 games behind Detroit on July 8, becoming the first team in MLB history to overcome a deficit that large to win a division (since 1969) or league (1900-68) in that season, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Last year, the Guardians finished 92-69 and advanced to the AL Championship Series.

Prior to joining the Guardians, he served as the bullpen and catching coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23. Under his command, the Giants’ relief unit posted a 3.92 ERA in 2023, leading the majors in relief innings (705.1). In 2021, his relievers posted a 2.97 ERA (206 ER/623.2 IP), the lowest in the majors, while helping San Francisco win the National League West Division. From 2020-23, Giants catchers helped guide the pitching staff to a 3.80 ERA (2,045 ER/4,840.1 IP), third-best in the NL and sixth-best in MLB. Before heading west, Albernaz coached and managed in the Tampa Bay Rays organization from 2015-19, compiling a two-year managerial record of 145-83 (.636) at Short-Season A Hudson Valley (2017) and Class-A Bowling Green (2018), before serving as minor league field coordinator in 2019. Albernaz also managed Tampa Bay’s instructional league team in 2016. His coaching career began in 2015 as hitting coach at Rookie-level Princeton before holding the same role with Hudson Valley in 2016. He began the 2017 season with Triple-A Durham as third base and catching coach, before transitioning to Hudson Valley’s manager, leading the Renegades to a New York-Penn League Championship. The Bulls also won the International League that season. In 2018, Albernaz managed Bowling Green to the Midwest League Championship after winning a Minor League Baseball-best 90 games, a mark that earned him Midwest League Manager of the Year.

The hiring is official.

Craig Albernaz is the 21^st manager in Orioles history, with the announcement coming early this afternoon.

News broke late last night that the club was finalizing a deal with Albernaz, who spent the 2024 season as Guardians bench coach and 2025 as associate manager.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Craig has built an exemplary career across multiple successful organizations and brings a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and talent to our organization and to this new challenge. We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series championship.”

A big leap is required after the Orioles finished in last place this season with a 75-87 record following back-to-back playoff appearances.

The only Orioles player moves this month were made last Monday when they signed left-handers Scarling Sterling and Christian Rojas to minor league contracts. The deals didn’t appear on the transactions page until the weekend.

Sterling was assigned to “Purple-South” in the MLB amateur scouting league in the Dominican Republic on May 5. That’s the extent of the results found in my research.

Meanwhile, Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz is going to be hired as the next manager, with an announcement likely to come later in the week. That will have to do.

The choice of Albernaz after a search that didn’t take a full month – the Orioles were serious about making a decision ASAP – provides an answer to the question of who’s following interim manager Tony Mansolino, whether he’d get the full-time job and whether experience was really important.

Among the questions I’ve posed in recent weeks, besides wondering about the manager, involve cramming five starters into the rotation, who bats first, who’s in center field, does Tyler O’Neill homer again on Opening Day, will some starters be on innings limits, what happens to Albert Suárez, and if any starters could move to the bullpen.