In the latest unexpected development in the offseason, former Padres manager Mike Shildt is joining the Orioles to work in player development.

According to a source, Shildt has been hired as upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction. Samuel Vega is going from Latin American coordinator of instruction to lower-level coordinator of instruction.

Shildt, 57, announced his retirement last month after managing the Padres to back-to-back playoff appearances, saying "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."

The news came nine days after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in the National League Wild Card series.

Shildt compiled a 183-141 record as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season.

We’re a day away from Thanksgiving gluttony and I’ve got a mailbag that’s already stuffed.

You ask, I answer and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2009 original. That’s right, 2009. You can look it up if you navigate the internet better than me.

The only editing here is to remove the Jell-O salad that your crazy aunt insisted on bringing again.

Also, my mailbag carves the turkey at the head of the table and your mailbag sit at the kids' table.

Who is more likely to be traded, Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? And no “hold the Mayo” jokes.
I’m better than that. Mountcastle is a trade candidate because of a projected salary around $8 million, past health issues, a decline in production, and a market that exists for him. Mayo would be a big prospect piece in a potential deal. Both are possibilities, but if I have to rank them I’d say Mountcastle is more likely to go as a pending free agent. The reason why Mayo enters the conversation is because the Orioles would have to dip into that prospect pool in order to trade for an ace. He used to be untouchable but that might not be the case anymore. I’m not saying that he’s being shopped, just that there might be more of a willingness to listen.

Taylor Ward is about three weeks away from celebrating his 32^nd birthday and four months from the start of his ninth major league season. He’s changing his address from Anaheim to Baltimore but keeping the responsibilities that come with age and experience.

None of the Orioles’ hitters bring as much of it except for outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who’s only 30 but also made his debut in 2018. Ward was chosen 10 picks ahead of Ryan Mountcastle in the first round of the 2015 draft, but the homegrown first baseman is entering his seventh season and is 28.

Reliever Keegan Akin, awaiting his 31^st birthday on April 1 and with six major league seasons, inherited a leadership role in the bullpen after the deadline trades.

Ward will tackle the job with the same enthusiasm that he brings as a middle-of-the-order bat and left fielder.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said yesterday during his video call with the media. “Even with the Angels having a young core that they have right now, too. Yeah, anything that they need, any questions that they have, I’m absolutely available to tell them how I do things and just try to educate them the best I can to just speed up their development.

Taylor Ward’s phone rang around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he checked the name of the caller and saw that Angels general manager Perry Minasian was trying to contact him.

Ward had always prepared himself for the possibility of a trade, and now, Minasian randomly was on the other end of the line.

“Obviously,” he said today in a video call, “there’s been rumors for years now.”

The chatter apparently didn’t cause him to make any assumptions that night, to come away as anything except surprised when told that the Orioles acquired him for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

“Our conversation was pretty brief, but just told me that I was traded to Baltimore and he appreciated everything that I had done with the Angels and wished me luck. But had no idea,” Ward said.

The Orioles’ pitching staff is incomplete, with additions sought for the rotation and bullpen. Mike Elias traded for an outfielder but might want another option in center. He also has indicated that he could target a big bat.

Nothing much is said about the infield besides the decision to tender Ryan Mountcastle a contract.

Ramón Urías was used in a utility role until the deadline trade to Houston, which designated him for assignment last week. The Orioles designated Luis Vázquez for assignment on Tuesday, but he stays in the organization after clearing waivers yesterday and accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Vázquez will come to spring training after appearing in 32 games and going 8-for-50. He’s a plus defender at shortstop and maybe the best emergency reliever in history with four scoreless appearances with three hits allowed over 4 1/3 innings.

Got to be in the top 10 at least, right? Maybe he should close.

The 17-minute video call with president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias confirmed that he isn’t necessarily done with the outfield. He’s got the numbers but also a willingness to work them.

Seven outfielders are stashed on the 40-man roster, including Reed Trimble, who was added to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s expected to head back to Triple-A Norfolk and wait for a phone call.

Heston Kjerstad could join him after a lengthy shutdown caused by an undisclosed illness. He hit .192/.240/.327 in 54 games with the Orioles and .149/.225/.248 in 27 games with the Tides. The Orioles would settle for getting him back on the field and continuing their work with him at the plate and in right and left.

An Opening Day roster with Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras would suffice. Cowser could start in center, with the capability of moving to a corner late in games. Taveras could replace him. Ward could be the regular in left, with O’Neill and Beavers making most of their starts in right.

Taveras signed for $2 million but he’s out of minor league options, which could complicate matters. He’d have to pass through waivers – the contract could make it easier - and approve an outright assignment.

Because it’s never too early to wonder about lineup construction, even before Thanksgiving, there’s an instant curiosity over the most ideal spot to bat Taylor Ward.

Ward has hit everywhere during his eight-year career, and before the Orioles acquired him from the Angels this week for starter Grayson Rodriguez in a shocking one-for-one deal.

The breakdown goes as follows:

First: 169 starts
Second: 19
Third: 139
Fourth: 179
Fifth: 37
Sixth: 36
Seventh: 49
Eighth: 32
Ninth: five

Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs this year and 18 of them came from the cleanup spot, where he made 99 starts. He batted third in 30 games and hit nine homers and swatted six among his 22 starts at leadoff. Ward batted fifth in three games (two homers) and second twice (one homer).

The decision to non-tender pitcher Albert Suárez didn’t necessarily close the door on his return next year.

The decision to tender first baseman Ryan Mountcastle showed that the Orioles are open to making room for him on the roster.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias explained today’s moves in a video call, as well as the motivation behind trading for Angels outfielder Taylor Ward earlier this week.

“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 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.

The Orioles tendered first baseman Ryan Mountcastle a contract for the 2026 season earlier today but chose to let pitcher Albert Suárez enter free agency.

Suárez was the only non-tender at today’s arbitration deadline.

Closer Félix Bautista, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, agreed to terms on a contract for 2026 that prevents a possible hearing. A source confirmed an MLB.com report that the deal is worth $2.25 million.

Bautista will miss the majority of the upcoming season, but the club is hopeful that he can contribute down the stretch.

Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Yennier Cano, Gunnar Henderson, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were tendered contracts, along with all pre-arbitration players on the 40-man roster.

The Orioles had a contract decision to make on catcher Alex Jackson. They did it this morning.

It’s passed along to the Minnesota Twins.

Jackson was traded today for minor league infielder Payton Eeles, reducing the number of players on the 40-man roster to 39.

Eeles, who turned 26 earlier this month, signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent after playing at Coastal Carolina – where he was teammates with Orioles 2025 first-round draft pick Caden Bodine – and in the independent American Association in 2023.

Over 210 minor league games, Eeles has batted .285/.410/.417 with 28 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs and 94 RBIs and has stolen 68 bases in 86 attempts. He’s also walked 120 times and struck out 141.

The Orioles have reached the latest important date on the offseason calendar, and this one is worth circling twice.

Teams must decide tonight whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. The list grew to 13 with the Taylor Ward trade.

Players with three-to-six years of service time must go through the process. The sides exchange figures if an agreement isn’t reached, and a three-person panel chooses a winner in hearings that run between late January and early February.

The Orioles prefer the file-and-go approach, also known as the alliterative file-and-trial, but they make exceptions for contracts that include options and aren’t strictly for the upcoming season.

The offseason began with 14 eligible Orioles, but the Mets claimed reliever José Castillo on waivers earlier this month and outfielder Dylan Carlson chose free agency after clearing waivers.

The Orioles are getting closer to completing their coaching staff for the 2026 season.

According to a source, Hank Conger has been hired as bullpen coach under new manager Craig Albernaz.

Conger most recently was Minnesota’s assistant bench coach before finding out earlier this month that he wouldn’t be retained under new manager Derek Shelton. He joined the Twins in 2022 as first base and catching coach.

More youth is added to the staff with the 37-year-old Conger, a former first round draft pick of the Angels who played in the majors for seven seasons. He also gives the Orioles’ another hire with a catching background.

Conger spent five seasons with the Angels and played for the Astros in 2015 and Rays in 2016. Albernaz managed Tampa Bay’s instructional league team that year. Mike Elias was Houston’s director of amateur scouting in ’15.

In case anyone thought the offseason would be a bore, the Orioles stunned the industry with Tuesday night’s Grayson Rodriguez trade – a late one on the East Coast. They broke their own news, which is a rarity in this industry. It froze us like a 12-6 curveball.

And they’re just getting started.

Let’s sift through some leftover thoughts on the one-for-one deal that brings slugging outfielder Taylor Ward to Baltimore.

* Some of the reviews from national media aren’t favorable for the Orioles based on Rodriguez’s potential and controllability. He can’t become a free agent until after the 2029 season. He hasn’t even reached arbitration eligibility. Ward, meanwhile, can test the market after 2026.

The Orioles are living in the moment.

They didn't get me this time.

The Orioles announce a late trade or signing every offseason that catches me napping. Or sleeping, to be exact.

I still haven't gotten over the James McCann deal in December 2022. I woke up to multiple missed calls and texts.

Anyway, they tried to sneak Taylor Ward past me last night and it didn't work. I was awake - barely. And this was a real shocker because the Orioles dealt Grayson Rodriguez in a one-for-one. 

They couldn't wait any longer for Rodriguez to reach his vast potential. The injuries kept piling up, making him the right-handed version of DL Hall, chosen in the first round one year earlier. Rodriguez hasn't pitched since July 31, 2024. Lat/teres, elbow, triceps, shoulder. The hits just kept coming.

The Orioles weren’t done making 40-man roster moves early this evening.

In a surprising piece of news, the Orioles have traded pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. They get the power bat that fits in the most logical space for it. They surrender the future ace who never got to that level.

The teams made the announcement late tonight.

Ward turns 32 next month and is a rental with free agency coming after the 2026 season. The Angels made him the 26^th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Fresno State and he’s hit .247/.327/.439 in 704 games in eight seasons. He’s appeared in 156 and 157 games over the last two with 663 plate appearances in both seasons.

The Dayton, Ohio native is coming off a career year with 31 doubles, 36 home runs, 103 RBIs, 75 walks and 86 runs scored. He also posted a .228 average that’s his lowest over a full season.

The Orioles are protecting right-hander Cameron Foster and outfielder Reed Trimble in the Rule 5 Draft.

Foster and Trimble had their contracts selected and were placed on the 40-man roster earlier today. Outfielder Pedro León and infielder Luis Vázquez were designated for assignment to create room.

Foster, 26, and right-hander Wellington Aracena were acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline for left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. Foster made 13 relief appearances with Triple-A Norfolk and posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.375 WHIP in 16 innings, with eight walks and 23 strikeouts. He has a 3.75 ERA in 79 minor league games and 215 strikeouts over 199 1/3 innings.

Trimble, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. He’s a career .251/.344/.420 hitter in five minor league seasons and has stolen 61 bases without being caught.

Trimble batted .259/.319/.435 this year in 30 games with Norfolk and .257/.352/.503 in 53 games with Double­-A Chesapeake. He plays all three outfield positions.

The Orioles must set their 40-man roster later today by protecting the Rule 5 eligible players they don’t want exposed in the draft.

Cross off another date on baseball’s fall and winter calendar. Up next is Friday night’s non-tender deadline.

The mailbag doesn’t need to be protected, though many outlets would love to claim it.

You ask, I try to answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved early 2009 original. That's when it debuted, upon further review. A four-star review. 

Also, my mailbag will never be exposed and your mailbag is left outside in the rain and cold.

Former Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis is among the 12 new candidates for baseball’s Hall of Fame.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot also includes 15 holdovers. Results will be announced live on Jan. 20 on MLB Network.

Players must receive 75 percent of the votes for induction in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Markakis was a first-round pick in the 2003 draft who played nine seasons with the Orioles and won two Gold Gloves in right field. His last six seasons were spent with the Braves, where he won another Gold Glove and his first Silver Slugger in 2018 and made his only All-Star team.

The Georgia native finished his career with a .288/.357/.423 slash line and 514 doubles, 22 triples, 189 home runs and 1,046 RBIs in 2,154 games. He registered a 33.7 bWAR.

If the Orioles hold onto their offseason plan as if it’s covered in stickum, they’re going to emphasis starting pitching, late-inning relief and an impact bat while constructing their roster for Opening Day.

I don’t believe there’s an actual order to it. The calls and meetings are taking place and any deal that can be completed, whether in free agency or a trade, will rank ahead of the others. Mike Elias isn’t putting any of these needs on a back burner.

The hiring of a general manager sits there.

I’ve got more questions swirling in my brain, and among them is which of these additions is most important to the club’s future success? That’s different than which comes first.

I’m not too chicken to egg you on.

A new week brings the next set of meetings in baseball, with owners gathering in New York on Tuesday.

Don’t expect David Rubenstein to swing any deals.

The Orioles’ last trade brought them reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs on Nov. 4 for cash considerations. What’s next?

I’ve already published a batch of questions, including how the Orioles are going to jam five starters in the rotation, who bats first, who’s in center field, whether Tyler O’Neill can extend his Opening Day home run streak, whether there are innings limits for some starters, what’s next for Albert Suárez, which starters could move to the bullpen, whether Trevor Rogers can maintain his level of excellence, which starter will lead the club in innings, and what’s next for Heston Kjerstad.

Here are two more.