Mike Elias remembers Shane Baz from their days in Houston – the executive working as scouting director with the Astros and the teenager pitching at Concordia Lutheran High School. Elias went to the right-hander's house and met his parents.

This is where the relationship began, though it didn’t fully blossom until about eight years later.

“I had a lot of familiarity with him,” Elias said.

Elias traded for Baz yesterday, sending four prospects and a Competitive Balance Round A pick to the Rays. The Pirates made Baz the 12^th overall selection in the 2017 draft and packaged him a year later in a deal with Tampa Bay.

Now it’s Elias’ turn.

The same question was asked after the Orioles surrendered four prospects and a Competitive Balance Round A pick yesterday to acquire pitcher Shane Baz from the Rays.

What’s next?

We wondered about it after closer Ryan Helsley signed for $28 million over two years and again after first baseman Pete Alonso agreed to the five-year, $155 million deal that ranked as the second-most lucrative in franchise history.

Yesterday’s trade caused a redesign of Tampa Bay’s Top 30 prospects list, as calculated by MLB Pipeline, and it's dramatic. Pitcher Michael Forret is No. 5, outfielder Slater de Brun No. 6, catcher Caden Bodine No. 11 and outfielder Austin Overn No. 20. That’s a forceful injection of talent for a pitcher who won’t rise atop the Orioles’ rotation.

Baz isn’t expected to be a No. 1 starter and he probably slots behind Trevor Rogers in the current alignment, leaving Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer for the last two spots. He’s likely to be pushed further back - which would have happened to Grayson Rodriguez before the Orioles traded him to the Angels - if president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias negotiates a bigger signing or deal.

The Orioles took a big swing to address their needs in the starting rotation.

Earlier this afternoon, they completed a trade for Tampa Bay right-hander Shane Baz, the 12^th overall selection in the 2017 draft. The cost in prospects is steep, with the Rays receiving outfielders Slater de Brun and Austin Overn, catcher Caden Bodine, right-hander Michael Forret and a Competitive Balance Round A pick.

MLB Pipeline ranks de Brun as the No. 6 prospect in the system, Bodine 10^th, Forret 11^th and Overn 30^th. The Orioles held the fifth selection in the A Round, which takes place between the first-round compensation picks and the second round.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias has sought at least two starting pitchers, with a willingness to spend money or consummate a trade. Baz is the first move, and another one is anticipated at or near the top of the rotation.

A big appeal of Baz, 26, is the three years of team control. He has a career 4.25 ERA and 1.227 WHIP in 54 starts over parts of four seasons, with 103 walks and 293 strikeouts over 286 innings.

The Orioles announced their 2026 coaching staff this morning, with no new hires after the most recent reported updates.

Drew French returns for his third season as pitching coach and Mitch Plassmeyer for his third season as assistant pitching coach. Ryan Klimek enters his fourth season as pitching strategy coach and his 10^th in the organization.

Buck Britton made his major league debut last season as major league coach before shifting to third base coach, the role that he’s filling in 2026.

The 11-man staff under new manager Craig Albernaz includes Donnie Ecker as bench coach, Dustin Lind as hitting coach, Brady North as assistant hitting coach, Jason Bourgeois as first base coach, Hank Conger as bullpen coach, Miguel Cairo as infield coach and Joe Singley as field coordinator and catching coach.

“I think it's going to be a great fit for everyone,” Albernaz said at the Winter Meetings. “All of our guys, our goal for our coaching staff is to have great coaches, great teachers, great communicators, but more importantly, great people. I think all the coaches that were brought in and the coaches that have been here, our pitching group and also Buck, they're great people. And so for us, we just needed great people around our players to support them.”

Baseball business will slow down over the holiday but isn’t necessarily poised for a total shutdown.

The Orioles found their closer (Ryan Helsley) and two big bats (Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward) by the second week in December, and they also brought back a trusted set-up man (Andrew Kittredge) and might have snagged a fifth outfielder (Leody Taveras) to back up in center. That’s an impressive number of boxes checked, but there’s more to do before players start reporting to spring training.

The rotation is light on proven starters. Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano remain on the free agent market. The Orioles are down to Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells, along with a batch of No. 5 candidates that includes Cade Povich, Brandon Young and Trey Gibson – the latter waiting to make his major league debut.

Sixteen pitchers made starts for the Orioles last season, including Keegan Akin (three), Scott Blewett, Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia as openers. Sugano led the crew with 30, followed by Kremer with 29, Povich with 20 and Rogers with 18.

Charlie Morton was next with 17 before the Orioles traded him to the Tigers at the deadline. He retired with the Braves. Kyle Gibson made four starts before his release on May 20, and he retired two months later.

A few lingering questions were answered yesterday with news that the Orioles re-signed pitcher Albert Suárez to a minor league deal, lost switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo to the Mets on a waiver claim and sent catcher Maverick Handley to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers.

Suárez was non-tendered on Nov. 21, but president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias indicated in a video call that the Orioles were willing to bring him back.

It always was expected to be a minor league contract because Suárez made $825,000 this year and MLBTradeRumors.com projected his arbitration salary at $900,000. Why else would the Orioles non-tender him?

“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 last month 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 are keeping pitcher Albert Suárez in the organization.

Suárez was non-tendered on Nov. 21, but the club announced today that he agreed to a minor league deal for 2026. He will come to spring training with a chance to recapture his job as a swingman/long reliever.

Suárez was one of the most valuable players on the 2024 team after returning to the majors for the first time since 2017 and posting a 3.70 ERA in 32 games, including 24 starts. However, he sustained a shoulder injury during his first appearance this year on March 28 in Toronto and didn’t return until rosters expanded in September. He pitched in four games and was shut down with a mild forearm flexor strain.

The club received positive news after Dr. Keith Meister examined Suárez in October. Suárez was the only non-tender by the Orioles at the arbitration deadline.

Suárez made $825,000 this year. He settled for a minor league contract but the bullpen has room for him. Closer Ryan Helsley signed a two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out and the Orioles reacquired Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs for cash considerations.

The circumstances aren’t an exact duplicate. Pete Alonso played only for the Mets before the Orioles signed him as a free agent. Bobby Bonilla split his first season between the White Sox and Pirates, signed with the Mets in December 1991, his deferred money through 2035 creating a legendary deal, and got traded to the Orioles at the 1995 deadline.

That’s close enough for Bonilla to relate.

Bobby Bo knows about going from New York to Baltimore.

“It was fantastic,” Bonilla said yesterday in a video call. “I got a chance to play with Cal Ripken. He broke the (consecutive games) record that year. We were a very good hitting team. I mean, if I’m not mistaken, we led the league in home runs. I think we had like (seven) guys hit 20 or more bombs in that lineup.”

The Orioles belted a then-record 257 home runs and had eight players finish in double digits, led by Brady Anderson’s 50. Jeffrey Hammonds hit nine to just fall short.

The Orioles were linked to Michael King pretty much from the outset of free agency in their quest to land a starting pitcher, and nothing has changed in the many weeks that followed.

Framber Valdez also is in play and the Orioles already met with him at the general managers meetings. Ranger Suárez, too, seems to fall in their price range, given that they spent $155 million over five years for first baseman Pete Alonso.

It wouldn’t be completely accurate to say that money is no object, but it isn’t nearly as much of an obstruction anymore.

“We have resources to do other deals, as well, and we don't have particular constraints,” control owner David Rubenstein said again at the Alonso press conference. “We don't have any particular limit that we imposed on Mike (Elias). So as long as the baseball rules are what they are today, we can do what we want to do, and we're prepared to do what we need to do to get the team to be on a championship level. We're ready to go.

“If there are other great players we can get, we'll try to get 'em.”

For anyone still processing what happened with the Orioles last week … Ryan Noda stayed in the organization after clearing waivers.

We don’t know what’s going on with catchers Maverick Handley and Drew Romo after they were designated for assignment.

There’s a little more to talk about, of course. The Orioles have a new first baseman. The buzz hasn’t faded.

Let’s keep the discussion going.

* Pete Alonso’s homework on the Orioles extended to a ballpark where he played 10 games as a visitor, resulting in three doubles, five home runs and 11 RBIs.

When a series of events unfolds as they did for the Orioles at the Winter Meetings and in the days that followed, there’s almost too much to digest. It’s like devouring a holiday feast but not having to adjust the holes in your belt.

Fans are hoping that their team keeps behaving like gluttons.

Beyond the minor league depth moves, the Orioles have signed outfielder Leody Taveras to a $2 million contract, traded for reliever Andrew Kittredge and power-hitting outfielder Taylor Ward, signed closer Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract with an opt-out, and secured power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso with a five-year, $155 million contract.

It’s the second week in December.

Alonso’s deal includes a $12.5 million signing bonus and an $18.5 million salary in 2026, followed by payments of $31 million in each of the next four seasons. He can receive award bonuses and has no-trade protection that allows him to reject eight clubs.

The Orioles went into the Winter Meetings with a full 40-man roster and kept it that way. They just changed some of the names.

The big one, of course, is first baseman Pete Alonso, with the ink now dried on a five-year, $155 million contract. To make room, the Orioles designated catcher Maverick Handley for assignment.

"I think as the free agent process, once that kind of starts, you really kind of don’t know what’s going to happen," Alonso said at yesterday's introductory press conference. "It’s this weird baseball limbo. But then as you start to sit down and really start to think about things, you kind of have some time to really reflect. As the offseason progressed, realistically, as we got further along, this partnership to me, it was just head and shoulders above everybody else. This park, this city, this team, this organization, everything combined, everything just clicked. And for me, it was the perfect fit, not just as a player but for family life, too.

"I could go up and down a laundry list of things, there were just so many boxes, and every single box this place checked. For us, we’re just so pleased, and for this organization to see me, not just in the now but in the future, I mean, it’s such a blessing. I can’t wait to play, I can’t wait to perform, I can’t wait to win games.”

Switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo was a DFA victim Wednesday, which led to the understandable assumption that the Orioles were clearing a spot for Alonso. But no. They claimed left-hander Josh Walker on waivers from the Braves, bringing him back to the organization.

A large stuffed polar bear sat at the end of a long table earlier today for Pete Alonso’s introductory press conference as the Orioles’ new first baseman. The player who inspired its arrival for an event that more prominently featured the control owner, president of baseball operations and the agent who brokered the deal was struggling to button his No. 25 white jersey.

“This is harder than hitting,” he quipped.

The Orioles didn’t invest $155 million over five years for Alonso to dress quickly.

One of the biggest moments in franchise history, with multiple billboards along I-95 celebrating his arrival, delivered a five-time All-Star, a great deal of optimism and some laughs. 

New manager Craig Albernaz and bench coach Donnie Ecker sat in the front row. Mike Elias referred to it as “a very momentous and historic day for the Orioles franchise.”

To make a big splash at the Winter Meetings, the Orioles shed their conservative ways and took the Polar Bear Plunge.

The reception from the industry and fan base was anything but chilly.

Pete Alonso passed his physical and signed his five year, $155 million contract, giving the Orioles an infield composed entirely of Scott Boras clients – Alonso at first base, Jackson Holliday at second, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop and Jordan Westburg at third.

Long gone are the days when the Orioles hated to deal with Boras and tried to avoid negotiating with him – at any cost.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, appearing as a call-in guest last night on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show,” explained how quickly the deal came together.

ORLANDO – The Orioles looked like they were going to complete the most eventful Winter Meetings without actually doing anything.

They were rumored to be on just about every free agent, and certainly the most expensive. They offered designated hitter Kyle Schwarber $150 million over five years, but the Phillies matched it and got him. They remained in the hunt for outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, the former ranked No. 1 on every board with a projected cost in the neighborhood of $400 million over 11 years. They were serious enough about first baseman Pete Alonso to schedule a face-to-face meeting and be viewed by at least a few industry folks as the dark horse pick to sign him.

I go back to an observation, which I shared yesterday morning, that Alonso was going to fall in their laps. My advice: Always wear a cup.

This is a monumental statement from the Orioles, who went from back-to-back playoff appearances to last place and a decline in attendance.

Alonso’s deal is the second-largest financial commitment made by the Orioles after Chris Davis’ seven-year, $161 million contract in 2016 that kept him in Baltimore. Adam Jones received a six-year, $85.5 million extension in 2012.

ORLANDO – It wasn’t just talk.

And these weren't just another Winter Meetings for the Orioles.

The club is finalizing a five-year, $155 million contract with first baseman Pete Alonso, pending the results of a physical. A source has confirmed the agreement.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias sought a big bat and didn’t care about the position, in this case the crowd at first base. He also sought a clubhouse leader for a team relying so heavily on its young core.

Those boxes are checked.

ORLANDO – Having Kyle Schwarber come off the board yesterday is expected to create the proverbial domino effect, which is a popular phrase at the Winter Meetings. A highly sought free agent reaches agreement on a contract and others begin to move, as well.

The Orioles could play their own version of the game.

They had serious interest in Schwarber, enough that they offered the same five years and $150 million that he accepted from the Phillies, as first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by an industry source, and plugging a designated hitter into the lineup would have led to some sort of trade. The same is true if they sign an outfielder or first baseman, and they remain linked to both Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso.

According to another industry source, the Orioles were given a final chance at Schwarber if they attached an extra year to their offer. Schwarber turns 33 in March.

Agent Scott Boras had quips for days but didn’t bite when asked which teams were meeting with Alonso. The Orioles were reported to be in that group.

ORLANDO – The Orioles couldn’t beat their odds in tonight’s Draft Lottery.

Given the fourth-best chance to earn the No. 1 selection at 9.24 percent, they had to settle for receiving the seventh pick in July. The White Sox choose first, followed by the Rays, Twins, Giants, Pirates and Royals.

This will be the fourth time that the Orioles hold the seventh-overall selection and the first since taking outfielder Nick Markakis in 2003. Markakis is in their Hall of Fame and appears on the ballot this year for Cooperstown.

They’ve gotten the first pick on three occasions, selecting pitcher Ben McDonald in 1989, catcher Adley Rutschman in 2019 and infielder Jackson Holliday in 2022.

“Didn’t have a huge reaction, honestly,” said Will Robertson, the club’s vice president of domestic scouting. “I mean, it’s so out of our control. Obviously, higher is better, so would have loved to have seen a better number, but we just can control what we can control.”

ORLANDO – For the Orioles to make a huge splash in free agency, they might have to dip into agent Scott Boras’ pool of superstar talent.

They haven’t shown a hesitancy to talk about it.

Boras represents pitchers Ranger Suárez, Zac Gallen and Tatsuya Imai and first baseman Pete Alonso, among many others, and the Orioles have made it known that they want a frontline starter and an impact hitter.

Has Boras noticed that Orioles president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias is more aggressive this offseason in his pursuit of Boras clients?

“You know, you gauge that by the notice of how they and their ownership respond to the offer exchanges that occur, and that varies in every market,” said Boras, who drew another big crowd to his annual Winter Meetings presser in the lobby at the Signia by Hilton Bonnet Creek.

ORLANDO – The Orioles went through a prolonged Winter Meeting phase when they sat out the big-ticket negotiation dance and settled for the occasional under-the-radar move and a Rule 5 selection.

One year, they drafted three.

Mike Elias arrived in the front office and spent his first Winter Meetings, less than a full month on the job, interviewing candidates for manager and other important positions in the organization. He had to build analytic and international scouting departments. Fielding a winning team wasn’t on the agenda.

The sessions this week aren’t guaranteed to bear fruit, but the Orioles have become the apple of everybody's eye. They've raised expectations to a level unseen in a long time.

They made a huge splash back in 2003 by signing shortstop Miguel Tejada, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, to a six-year, $72 million contract at the Winter Meetings in New Orleans.