The Orioles were expected to find a new Opening Day starter in 2024, whether from outside the organization or by choosing one of their returnees.

Now, they’re assured of doing it.

Kyle Gibson reached agreement today on a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals that includes an option for 2025, per a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, with multiple outlets confirming.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that Gibson will receive $12 million next season.

It’s an ideal landing spot for Gibson, who lives in the St. Louis area and attended the University of Missouri. He follows the Cardinals’ agreement yesterday with veteran Lance Lynn to a one-year deal plus an option for a guaranteed $11 million.

Leftovers aren’t just for the days after Thanksgiving.

I had some extra questions in last week’s mailbag. I’d prefer green bean casserole, but maybe later.

The portion is modest, unlike your server. Just a couple handfuls of inquiries that didn’t make the first one.

Also, my mailbag serves homemade stuffing and your mailbag uses a box that expired three years ago.

Who will be the top two Orioles in stolen bases in 2024 and who will get the most innings at third base?
Two questions packed into one. Sort of like a casserole. I can’t make bold predictions without knowing the Opening Day roster. Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins were 1-2 this season, but Mateo appeared in 116 games. I wouldn’t expect the same in 2024. The second part is easier because I can just choose between Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. I’ll get back to you.

With family and friends gathering soon for the Thanksgiving holiday, the baseball business could slow but won’t necessarily halt. The screeching sound isn’t brakes. More likely talk radio.

Mike Elias could turn off his phone or charge it in another room while the turkey’s carved. He might be traveling and temporarily unavailable. But he’s aware of a fast-developing market after his time at the general managers meetings in Arizona. How pitching could fly off the board – unlike turkeys, who can’t fly – with so many teams searching for it.

The expanded playoffs increase the aggressiveness of executives, especially after the second-place, 84-win Diamondbacks reached the World Series. Snoozing brings the risk of losing.

Elias is known to prefer club control beyond one year if listening to trade offers, but the quest for a starter who slots high in the rotation might now allow it. Some of the biggest names assumed to be available are approaching free agency, most notably Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber and Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow. The White Sox’s Dylan Cease has two years left on his contract.

The rentals can command less in return, but higher demand and desperation also can plant the sellers more firmly in the driver’s seat. Bidding wars aren’t confined to free agency.

Guiding a team to 101 wins and the best record in the American League couldn’t be ignored by voters in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Brandon Hyde was named AL Manager of the Year, with the news coming tonight on MLB Network. He was the only manager to appear on every ballot.

Hyde, a runner-up last year to the Indians’ Terry Francona, received 27 first-place votes and three second. The Rangers’ Bruce Bochy garnered the other three first-place votes and finished with 61 points.

The Rays’ Kevin Cash had 52, followed by the Twins’ Rocco Baldelli (eight), the Astros’ Dusty Baker (four) and the Blue Jays’ John Schneider (one).

Joe Maddon, a three-time recipient and close friend of Hyde’s, made the announcement. Hyde was on Maddon’s coaching staff when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.

Some facts are informative, some are random. Some are just fun, which is why they have their own name.

Here are a few facts that fit in any category, with some extra notes and thoughts attached.

Fact: Heston Kjerstad became the sixth rookie in Orioles history to hit two or more home runs in his first five career games. Kjerstad joined Chance Sisco (two in 2017), Trey Mancini (three in 2016), Manny Machado (three in 2012), Andrés Mora (two in 1976) and Curt Belfary (three in 1965).

Follow: Sisco and Mora are proof that early power doesn’t always lead to staying power.

Sisco was the organization’s No. 1 prospect in 2017, but he hit .199 with a .658 OPS in parts of five seasons with the Orioles covering only 191 games and played independent ball this summer. Mora was hyped in the ‘70s and elected in 2003 to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, but he hit .223/.256/.383 in 235 major league games.

I’m returning later today from a quick trip to New York, which included tickets to the taping of Conan O’Brien’s podcast in Brooklyn and to “Wicked” on Broadway.

You want more fantasy? Read any article that suggests a possible link between the Orioles and free agent Shohei Ohtani.

Stop it. Please.

They don’t need a full-time designated hitter and they won’t hand out the most lucrative contract in baseball history, with some published salary predictions around $500 million.

It’s worse than the Winter Meetings rumors of interest in free-agent starter Carlos Rodón, that the Orioles were “in on” him.

Winning more games attracts more attention, and the Orioles are finding out during awards season.

The recognition is spreading like cold germs.

The team will learn tonight whether Silver Sluggers are coming to catcher Adley Rutschman, outfielder Anthony Santander and infielder Gunnar Henderson, who’s nominated in the utility category. The winners will be revealed at 6 p.m. on MLB Network.

Rutschman and Santander were finalists last year but didn’t get the hardware. The Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk was the recipient among AL catchers, and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez and the Angels’ Mike Trout were chosen as outfielders.

The other catchers tonight are the Royals' Salvador Pérez and the Mariners' Cal Raleigh. The outfielders with Santander are Judge, Rodríguez, the Rays' Randy Arozarena, the Rangers' Adolis García, the White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. and the Astros' Kyle Tucker.

I recently spent about an hour taping a “Wall to Wall Baseball” show with Baltimore broadcasting legend Tom Davis that’s going to air throughout the month of November on MASN.

This is more than just a shameless plug. It’s a chance to go over a few questions that he asked, though I don’t recall whether they were on the air or during breaks. We like to chat.

The falling leaves and 40-degree temperature signaled the end of the baseball season. So did Game 5 of the World Series. But we aren’t done reviewing everything that the Orioles accomplished, and wondering what’s next.  

Does Gunnar Henderson become an everyday player at one position?

I don’t think so.

A team that won 101 games and posted the best record in the American League isn’t primed for a roster overhaul. Heavy tinkering, if such a thing exists, also seems unlikely based on results, returnees and talent funneling through the pipeline.

What are these Orioles going to do between now and Opening Day?

I’ve heard some people in the industry and some friends of mine insist that changes should be minimal or non-existent because, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the Orioles aren’t perfect. They didn’t get a third champagne and beer celebration.

The holes aren’t crater-size, but any chance to upgrade must be done.

Kyle Gibson, Adam Frazier and James McCann didn't qualify as blockbuster transactions, but they were improvements over Jordan Lyles, Rougned Odor and Robinson Chirinos. That's the point.

Major League Baseball’s general managers meetings are held this week, a three-day event beginning Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. An appetizer for the Winter Meetings in December that are a buffet of activity.

The GM gathering isn’t the same media extravaganza and typically focuses on off-the-field matters, including any rules changes and medical issues. The Athletic's Jim Bowden said the postseason format, including the five-day break for the first- and second-seeded teams, will be evaluated. But executives can lay the groundwork for future trades and obtain a clearer read on the market.

Deals aren’t normally consummated, but the Braves sent veteran starter Jake Odorizzi to the Rangers last year for left-hander Kolby Allard. Texas won the World Series without Odorizzi, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in April.

The Orioles didn’t do anything significant last November, their only outside addition being outfielder Daz Cameron on a waiver claim from the Tigers. He didn’t play for them this year.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias wants pitching because nobody can get enough of it, and the Orioles might find an upgrade for the rotation. If they won’t spend huge amounts in free agency, perhaps they can take on a bigger contract via trade.

Austin Hays didn’t commit an error this season. He also didn’t receive a Gold Glove.

The Guardians’ Steven Kwan won his second award in left field, with the announcement made tonight on ESPN. Catcher Adley Rutschman and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle also were finalists, but they lost to Rangers teammates Jonah Heim and Nathaniel Lowe, respectively.

The Orioles drafted Heim in the fourth round in 2013 and traded him to the Rays three years later for Steve Pearce.

The Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho also was a finalist in left, but Kwan is a back-to-back recipient. Hays was trying to become the first Orioles outfielder to win since Adam Jones and Nick Markakis in 2014.

Hays also failed to become the first left fielder since Rawlings began awarding Gold Gloves for each outfield position in 2011.

The World Series lasted only five games, setting the official offseason into motion faster than usual.

A relatively quiet one for the Orioles is on the verge of getting louder. They won’t sit on the Tucker Davidson and Sam Hilliard waiver claims as their signature moves.

Perhaps Davidson and Hilliard will become a couple of those unexpected happenings that I’ve recounted since the Orioles lost to the eventual-champion Rangers in the Division Series.

To review:

Austin Voth wasn’t impactful. Dillon Tate wasn’t able to pitch. Mike Baumann wasn’t big only in size. Yennier Cano was an All-Star. Danny Coulombe was cool under pressure. Adam Frazier hit for power and stopped.

The leftover Halloween candy should be the good stuff if you were smart and used the proper strategy. Hand out the filler first from those big variety bags – Whoppers, Sweet Tarts, Dum Dums – and withhold the fun-size Snickers until you run out.

We could debate what’s “fun” about a smaller version, but I’m here to share extras from this week’s mailbag.

Always a sweet treat.

An important reminder: My mailbag turns sugar into muscle and yours turns it into Type 2 diabetes.

Did any Orioles make the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game?
We found out yesterday that left-hander Trey McGough was chosen. The Orioles selected him from the Pirates organization in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. He pitched at Mount St. Mary's University and was recovering from Tommy John surgery when the Orioles got him at the Winter Meetings. McGough allowed three earned runs and struck out 12 batters in nine innings with the Mesa Solar Sox. The game airs Sunday night on MLB Network.

The Orioles added to their outfield depth this afternoon by claiming Sam Hilliard off waivers from the Braves.

Reliever Joey Krehbiel was designated for assignment to make room for Hilliard on the 40-man roster.

Hilliard, 29, was the Rockies’ 15^th-round pick in the 2015 draft out of Wichita State University. He spent parts of four seasons with Colorado and appeared in 40 games with the Braves this summer, batting .236/.295/.431 in 78 plate appearances for the National League East champions.

The Braves acquired Hilliard from the Rockies on Nov. 6, 2022 for minor league pitcher Dylan Spain. He broke camp with them this spring but didn't play after July 18.

Hilliard, who bats from the left side, is a career .215/.294/.424 hitter in 254 major league games, and he’s stolen 19 bases in 20 attempts. He appeared in a career-high 81 games with the Rockies in 2021 and had seven doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 34 RBIs in 238 plate appearances.

The World Series remains unsettled and free agency is on hold until five days after the conclusion of it. However, a mailbag can be sorted and shared at any time.

Let’s begin a new month with a fresh batch of questions.

Some of the responses might be stale. Some might prove inaccurate. I’m counting on short memories in these cases.

You should remember that I do minimal editing. Tampering with clarity is a rarity. I’d walk miles to maintain your unique styles.

Also, my mailbag hands out full-size candy bars at Halloween and yours gives out toothbrushes.

Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton summoned Colton Cowser to his office following a July 4 game and told the outfielder to pack his bags. He was joining the Orioles in New York. The wait was over.

Cowser’s time in the majors met the same fate on Aug. 14, with the Orioles optioning him to create roster space after Aaron Hicks' reinstatement from the injured list. Cowser had seven hits in 61 at-bats, with three coming in his first five games.

“It’s not always a terrible thing to have a guy come up here and experience what big league pitching is like and what major league life is like and understand how to go through adjustments,” manager Brandon Hyde said while explaining the decision. “We saw Grayson (Rodriguez) do that earlier this year and he came back a different guy.”

Cowser came back on Sept. 1 but lasted only two days on the expanded roster and didn’t play. Hicks returned from a second stint on the IL. Cowser had to leave again.

He wasn’t on the playoff roster. He wasn’t on the taxi squad. But it wasn’t a total loss.

A World Series that supposedly was going to be boring and a ratings killer began last night with Corey Seager’s game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and Adolis García’s walk-off homer in the 11th that gave the Rangers a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The first extra-inning game of the 2023 postseason, and it was an instant classic.

The Diamondbacks’ lineup included first baseman Christian Walker, the Orioles’ fourth-round draft pick in 2012 out of the University of South Carolina. A delayed success story.

Walker appeared in only 13 games in 2014-15, his path blocked by expensive veteran Chris Davis and prospect Trey Mancini. He made only six starts at first.

The Braves claimed Walker off waivers in February 2017, and the Reds claimed him a month later. Arizona claimed him three weeks after that.

Part of the ripple effect from the Orioles’ wave of promotions today within the scouting department is a change in roles for Anthony Villa.

Villa is replacing Matt Blood as director of player development, according to an industry source. Blood has been promoted to vice president of player development and domestic scouting.

Villa was put in charge this year of overseeing the entire system as minor league hitting coordinator after working at the lower levels. He played in the White Sox system from 2016-18 and came to the organization prior to 2020 as hitting coach at Aberdeen before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the minor league season.

Among the announced promotions is the following:

Koby Perez is vice president of international scouting and operations. Mike Snyder is senior director of pro scouting. Gerardo Cabrera is director of Latin American scouting. Kevin Carter is manager of pro scouting. Hendrik Herz is manager of domestic scouting analysis. Chad Tatum is manager of domestic scouting. Will Robertson is special assignment scout. Alex Tarandek is a senior analyst in scouting. Michael Weis is a senior data scientist of draft evaluation. And Maria Arellano is senior manager of international operations and baseball administration.

The Orioles are making changes to the pitching side of their major league coaching staff.

According to a source, Chris Holt won’t serve as pitching coach in 2024 but maintains his duties as director of pitching, a title pinned to him prior to the pandemic 2020 season.

Assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes is leaving the organization, per the source, creating a second opening on the staff.

Holt was hired in 2019 as minor league pitching coordinator, following executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and vice president and assistant general manager Sig Mejdal from the Astros organization, where he was assistant pitching coordinator. The Orioles promoted Holt to pitching coach in 2021 as Doug Brocail’s replacement.

The latest switch enables Holt to concentrate fully on supervising the rest of the organization in the quest to develop more pitching, leveraging his skill set and experience. He retains access to and authority over the minor league pitchers while also able to work directly with the major league staff.

With so much said and written about the Orioles throughout the offseason and spring training, it’s hard to remember how much the media got right, wrong or stuck in a gray area.

The internet makes it a lot easier to keep score.

So does a good memory.

On a Sunday spent on the Eastern Shore, with my mother’s cooking a coma-inducing risk – her Italian chicken and spaghetti, preceded and followed by a table full of snacks, have laid out larger men than me – I decided to revisit some of my thoughts and predictions while I’m conscious.

Adley Rutschman’s workload behind the plate.