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.

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 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:

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 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.

The enthusiasm that first baseman Pete Alonso showed for the Orioles and the city of Baltimore at his news conference after signing his five-year, $155 million deal hasn’t waned over the past month.

It actually seems to be more intense.

Alonso gushed again on Thursday over a roster that’s still in the construction phase while president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias searches for another starter and a few more pieces prior to the Orioles gathering in Sarasota for spring training.

“It’s looking really complete,” Alonso said on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio. “You go from, whether that be the position player group, starting pitchers, to the bullpen, there’s a lot of phenomenal pieces. And Mike’s not done. It’s going to be really exciting to see who else we add.”

He wasn’t done.

Any smart executive has a fallback option, and for Orioles president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias, it’s about his starting rotation and whether he can land an ace.

Would he really pivot to a soon-to-be 43-year-old future Hall of Famer?

Would a section of the fan base lose its collective minds?

The Athletic reported Friday that Elias is expressing interest in Justin Verlander, though it came with the caveat that a deal “is not close.” That part wasn’t in the headline but it appeared in the third paragraph.

Unanswered is the exact level of this interest and whether it’s tire kicking or talks that could advance to a much more serious stage.

So, what happened to the 11-year contract that outfielder Kyle Tucker was supposed to receive?

Chalk it up to the unpredictability of free agency.

MLBTradeRumors.com was among the sites projecting an astronomical payday for Tucker, using its formula to calculate $400 million over 11 seasons. Tucker instead agreed to a four-year $240 million contract with the Dodgers, which shattered annual average value (AAV) records. Don’t cry for him, Argentina. 

Update: The Blue Jays reportedly made a 10-year, $350 million offer to Tucker.

The Mets pivoted from Tucker yesterday and reached agreement with infielder Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal. Trade Rumors had him getting $208 million over eight years.

Every team passed on the opportunity to claim outfielder Jhonkensy Noel on waivers, which enabled the Orioles to outright him to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. A relatively small roster move that kept “Big Christmas” in the organization.

Is it a big deal?

How he’d fit on an Opening Day roster isn’t apparent. It’s downright confusing.

A corner outfielder/first baseman with a minus-1.4 bWAR last season doesn’t necessarily fill a need. It’s more about the intrigue that comes from his raw power and the organizational perception that he can be fixed after slashing .193/.242/.401 in 136 games with the Guardians and striking out 115 times.

There’s a tremendous amount of trust in the hitting philosophies and instruction, and the Orioles added two new coaches in Dustin Lind and Brady North. We also can assume that new manager Craig Albernaz put in a good word after serving as Guardians bench coach for the past two seasons.

The international signing period starts today, one of the most significant dates on baseball’s offseason calendar.

It didn't used to be that way for the Orioles.

Baseball America reports that the Orioles have agreements with shortstop Jose Luis Acevedo, who’s projected to receive approximately $2.3 million, outfielders Ariel Roque ($1.8 million) and Pedro Gomez ($1.2 million), and catcher/outfielder Gabriel Rosario ($1 million).

Acevedo, who turned 17 in November, could match or surpass the franchise record signing bonus of $2.3 million for shortstop Luis Almeyda in 2023.

Baseball America ranked Acevedo 11th on its bonus board and MLB Pipeline ranked him 14^th on its top 50 prospects list.

We’re almost to the halfway point in January and top free agents Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Framber Valdez, Cody Bellinger, Ranger Suárez and Zac Gallen remain on the market.

The Orioles are linked to the starters. Nothing seems to have changed in that regard.

Their last piece of business was outrighting outfielder Will Robertson to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers. The situation with outfielder Jhonkensy Noel hasn’t been resolved after the Orioles designated him for assignment last Wednesday.

We know more about the promotional schedule and the upcoming Birdland Caravan. Otherwise, we continue to wait for the other big offseason shoe to drop.

Here’s another batch of potential questions for players confirmed for the Caravan that begins on Jan. 22.

Tickets for all regular-season games at Camden Yards and special ticket packages go on sale to the general public on Wednesday.

Just head over to Orioles.com/Tickets for more information and to make purchases.

The club also announced some additional promotions, including Tupac and Pete Alonso bobbleheads. Because you can’t think of one without the other.

Shakur lived in Baltimore from 1984–88 and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, jazz and ballet.

The Orioles will distribute Tupac Bobbleheads to the first 15,000 fans prior to the Friday, May 8 game against the Athletics, and the Alonso Bobblehead to the first 15,000 fans prior to the Saturday, Aug. 22 game against the Rays.

In one month, Orioles president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias will greet the media on the first day of spring training in Sarasota and recite the list of injuries and other health updates that he’s asked to provide. There’s usually a surprise or two, like Trevor Rogers’ right knee subluxation last February. Infielder Jorge Mateo wasn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day while recovering from elbow-reconstructive surgery. Optimism ran much higher with closer Félix Bautista, though his build-up would come at a slower pace.

Mateo and Bautista convinced the Orioles that they didn’t need to go on the injured list. Mateo was more of a last-minute call.

The unexpected absences really hurt. Gunnar Henderson strained his right intercostal. Andrew Kittredge had a left knee debridement. Grayson Rodriguez lost velocity, experienced discomfort in his elbow, triceps and lat, and didn’t pitch. Chayce McDermott couldn’t compete in camp due to a right lat strain. And the sky kept falling.

The Orioles didn’t make it out of Toronto without losing reliever Albert Suárez to right shoulder inflammation and outfielder Colton Cowser to a fractured left thumb. A tone was set and it shattered eardrums.

Henderson returned on April 4 and Zach Eflin was sidelined five days later with a right lat strain. That’s how it worked in 2025. Gain one and lose one. Gain one and lose two.

Gunnar Henderson won’t need to worry about innings and at-bats with the Orioles this season. He’s the everyday shortstop as long as he’s healthy.

He also won’t have any concerns about his role with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, though regular duty isn’t as readily available.

Bobby Witt Jr. also is on the roster, but manager Mark DeRosa said at the Winter Meetings that Henderson is “gonna play.”

“We did it the last time,” DeRosa said. “We had Trea (Turner), we had Tim Anderson, we had Jeff McNeil. You’ve got Brice Turang at second. I know Gunnar won’t go over to second base, but there’s a way to make all these guys happy.”

Appearing as a call-in guest Thursday on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio, Henderson said he was told that he’d play a game at short, a game at third, maybe serve as the designated hitter.

We've moved past the deadline for teams to sign their arbitration-eligible players before exchanging salary figures and risk a hearing. The next important offseason date is next Thursday with the opening of the international signing period.

In between could be the acquisition of another starting pitcher, reliever or position player. Or absolutely nothing.

Something happened yesterday but it might not impact the 2026 season. Outfielder Will Robertson cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, and the Braves claimed reliever George Soriano.

The Orioles took a depth hit with the bullpen but deepened their outfield options.

Let’s do another dozen-question mailbag dump.

The Orioles are inviting fans to the Senator Theatre in Baltimore for a “Meet the New O’s” Q&A session with manager Craig Albernaz and first baseman Pete Alonso, which highlights this year’s Birdland Caravan event.

The caravan runs from Thursday, Jan. 22-Saturday, Jan. 24 and makes stops in multiple locations throughout the region.

Current Orioles players participating in select events also include (alphabetically) Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Dietrich Enns, Ryan Helsley, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jeremiah Jackson, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Tyler Wells, Jordan Westburg and Grant Wolfram.

Locations include Baltimore, Bethesda, Ellicott City, Halethorpe, Linthicum Heights, Sykesville, White Marsh and a mystery Pop-Up Photo Op location in Prince George’s County. The Orioles say fans in Bel Air and Frederick also have the chance to meet and take photos with alumni that include former reliever Brad Brach, along with the Oriole Bird and Mr. Splash.

Tickets must be purchased for several events, including the “Meet the New O's,” breakfast with the O’s, family bingo, bowling and all happy hours. Fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance at Orioles.com/Caravan due to limited availability.

Gunnar Henderson has a new $8.5 million contract, the largest salary for an Orioles player in his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Now, he’d like a fresh start.

Henderson strained his right intercostal muscle on Feb. 27 after making a leaping backhand catch of Bo Bichette’s line drive in the first inning. He grounded out in his only at-bat and came out of the game in the top of the second.

Henderson was held back in camp in 2024 due to soreness in his left oblique, but he had no issues making the Opening Day roster, appeared in 159 games, was selected to the All-Star team and finished fourth in the American League’s Most Valuable Player voting. However, he didn’t appear in his first game last season until April 4 and experienced a decline in most of his numbers.

Among the biggest drop-offs were his home runs, from 37 to 17, and in RBIs, from 92 to 68. His slugging percentage fell from .529 to .438 and OPS from .893 to .787.

The Orioles held at three players in DFA limbo yesterday by outrighting left-hander Josh Walker to Triple-A Norfolk and designating outfielder Jhonkensy Noel for assignment.

Noel has joined outfielder Will Robertson and reliever George Soriano in the land of uncertainty.

The club wants to retain these players to improve depth, making them non-roster invitees to camp, but one step at a time.

In an offseason defined by its hirings, trades, signings and waiver claims, the Orioles haven’t done much with their arbitration-eligible players unless there’s a frenzy of activity behind the scenes.

Today is the deadline for the sides to reach agreement on contracts or exchange salary figures. Negotiations can continue until the scheduled hearings, though the Orioles tend to live by the trial-and-go (aka trial-and-file) approach unless offering an option year.