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SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles will hold their final spring training workout this morning at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and board their flight to Boston. They get a full off-day Wednesday and begin the playoff hunt the following afternoon.
Opening Day rosters must be set by noon Thursday and the Orioles aren’t ready to announce their final 26. Too much can happen between the waiver wire, opt-outs and possible trades.
The final bench and bullpen spots are getting further scrutiny. The optioning of Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall finally allowed Tyler Wells to settle into the rotation and made room for another reliever. But Danny Coulombe arrived from the Twins yesterday for cash considerations, a left-handed wrench tossed into the latest projections.
The roster as it stands now has 31 players with Rule 5 pick Andrew Politi on waivers, a move that the club hasn’t announced but a source confirmed.
The placement of John Means, Dillon Tate, Mychal Givens and James McCann on the injured list would make it 27.
SARASOTA, Fla. – We have reached the final day of spring training. The Orioles play the Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium. The equipment is packed, the complex will empty after Tuesday morning’s workout, and the word “Publix” won’t be uttered again until next spring.
Also going away are the warm temperatures. The high in Boston for Thursday’s opener is 43 degrees, with a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday.
Baseball isn’t boring but it can get rude.
The sure things on the Opening Day roster also started to disappear, beginning with reliever Dillon Tate. His forearm strain is expected to keep him on the injured list until mid-to-late May.
Mychal Givens hasn’t been used in relief since March 16 and he limped off the mound only 10 pitches into yesterday’s simulated game, firing his glove against the dugout railing and venting verbally, as well. Couldn’t miss it.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Two weeks from today, the Nationals will be taking the field in D.C. to face the Braves in the 2023 season opener.
That means there’s still two weeks for things to happen, two weeks for things to change and two weeks for club officials to make decisions on which 26 players will take the field March 30.
But with a full month of spring training now complete, some matters have begun to come into focus. Between the cuts that have already taken place and a few unfortunate injuries that have occurred, we have some clarity at some positions.
With a night game on tap this evening against the Mets, let’s take the opportunity this morning to look at who’s still in big league camp, with a position-by-position breakdown of the players who appear to be locks to make the team, those who are unlikely to head north and those whose fates are still up in the air. …
CATCHERS
Locks: Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams
Unlikely: Israel Pineda
Comment: This one is pretty much locked up, barring some kind of late-camp injury. Pineda actually is dealing with an injury, still recovering from getting hit by a pitch on his right hand two weeks ago. Ruiz is the established No. 1 catcher with the big contract to match now. Adams is the established backup, though he’ll need to start hitting a little more consistently to hold that job long-term.
The baseball world has spun into a new month, which brings the Orioles within two days until the beginning of their Birdland Caravan with a kickoff fan rally with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde inside the Bel Air High School auditorium.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training by the 15th, with the first workout held the following day. Position players are due on the 20th, with the initial full-squad workout the next day.
Back to normal, it appears, after the pandemic forced everyone to head home early in 2020 and impacted 2021, and after the lockout delayed and shortened the 2022 activities.
Roster business last February was limited with the sport shut down on the major league side, but the Orioles were busy in 2021 with the Alex Cobb trade on the 2nd that brought infielder Jahmai Jones from the Angels and the minor league contracts handed to pitchers Spenser Watkins and Dusten Knight. On the 3rd with the minor league deals with veteran starters Félix Hernández and Wade LeBlanc and reliever Konner Wade. Matt Harvey’s minor league deal became official on the 17th.
The Orioles might not show the same starter aggression this month, though they’ll need to know whether their inventory sufficiently stocks Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation.
It could be a tough year for spring training non-roster players looking to break north with the Orioles for opening day 2023. And while the non-roster invitees list has not been announced yet, maybe a reserve lefty-hitter at first base has the best chance to make it among several NRI candidates.
But among those signed to minor league deals to try and make the club in the outfield, one interesting candidate is 27-year-old lefty hitter Nomar Mazara.
Interesting because he has a bit of a resume, even though the Orioles are his fifth team in five years following Texas, the Chicago White Sox, Detroit and San Diego. Once a top 100 rated prospect, Mazara has been a reserve corner outfielder the last two seasons for the Tigers and Padres.
Mazara was once a bonus baby, signed for a then record $4.95 million for an international amateur by the Texas Rangers in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. He first made the majors at age 20 in April of 2016 and went on to finish fifth that year for the AL Rookie of the Year honor with a .739 OPS and 20 home runs.
On his way to the big leagues, Mazara was a Texas Rangers' top 30 prospect every year from 2012 through 2016. He was ranked in the top 100 at No. 87 by Baseball America in 2015. In 2016 he was No. 9 via ESPN and No. 21 by Baseball America when he was the Rangers' third-ranked prospect.
The Nationals roster, as currently constructed, is by no means loaded. It’s littered with inexperienced players, plus a handful of experienced ones trying to bounce back from recent struggles. It’s exactly what you’d expect the roster of a team that lost 107 games last year to look like.
Except in one peculiar way: Nearly every position on this roster seems to already be locked up, which could make for a strange spring training.
Most 100-loss teams come to camp with a host of spots up for grabs. There’s always going to be a competition for one or two rotation jobs, at least a few places in the lineup and most definitely a bunch of bench and relief positions.
But look at the Nationals right now, and you’ll quickly realize there isn’t that much that still needs to be decided.
Eight of the nine everyday players are probably set in stone already: Catcher Keibert Ruiz, newly signed first baseman Dominic Smith, the young middle infield combo of Luis García and CJ Abrams, new third baseman Jeimer Candelario, outfielders Lane Thomas and Victor Robles, plus Joey Meneses (whether he winds up in left field or as designated hitter).
