Are there any guaranteed returns among Orioles relievers beyond Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells? Is it weird that Wells is the first and perhaps only mention? This is quite the commentary on Wells, who emerged as the most likely closer candidate next spring, and the state of the bullpen. Left-handers Paul Fry and Tanner Scott are eligible for arbitration and projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to make $1.1 million and $1 million, respectively. Teams expressed interest in both relievers at the trade...

As the Orioles discuss which players to protect in the Rule 5 draft and how to create the necessary space on the 40-man roster, they're expected to again bypass catcher Brett Cumberland and roll the dice that he'll go unclaimed or return later to the organization. Gambling in baseball can be done without placing actual bets. Cumberland remains under team control and could continue his development at Triple-A Norfolk, where he appeared in 84 games while sharing time at various points of the...

Davey Martinez has added another new member to his staff, hiring Gary DiSarcina as third base coach, making the former infielder and longtime big league coach the third new face brought in by Martinez since the season ended. The hiring hasn't been formally announced yet, but a source familiar with the decision confirmed it. The Washington Post was first to report the news. DiSarcina comes to D.C. after four years on the Mets' staff, the last three as third base coach. The 53-year-old was one...

PLAYER REVIEW: KYLE FINNEGAN Age on opening day 2022: 30 How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2019 MLB service time: 2 years, 0 days 2021 salary: $582,400 Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2023, free agent in 2026 2021 stats: 5-9, 3.55 ERA, 68 G, 11 SV, 66 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 26 ER, 9 HR, 34 BB, 68 SO, 2 HBP, 1.485 WHIP, 115 ERA+, 4.52 FIP, 0.1 fWAR, minus-0.6 bWAR Quotable: "Don't get me wrong, he's been a godsend for us. He's handled the ball for multiple...

If you were to pick the Orioles' best reliever during the 2021 season, it will probably come down to a choice between two right-handers: Tyler Wells and Cole Sulser. Both had solid years, but I would give the lean to Sulser. He went 5-4 with a 2.70 ERA. In ERA+, Sulser was 69 percent above league average at 169. No other Oriole rated higher than John Means at 126. In fact, Sulser's ERA was the lowest by an O's reliever (minimum 60 innings) since Zack Britton's 0.54 in 2016. So, yeah, not...

The Orioles remain in the market for a new hitting coach and a replacement for José Hernández as assistant hitting coach as he moves into a different role, and they've progressed to the point of conducting multiple interviews. Many of the exterior dominos might need to fall with so many jobs open throughout baseball. I've heard that the Orioles interviewed "several people" from other teams, as well as coaches who currently are free agents trying to land with a new club, which doesn't...

PLAYER REVIEW: TANNER RAINEY Age on opening day 2022: 29 How acquired: Traded from Reds for Tanner Roark, December 2018 MLB service time: 2 years, 126 days 2021 salary: $589,000 Contract status: Likely arbitration-eligible in 2022, free agent in 2026 2021 stats: 1-3, 7.39 ERA, 38 G, 3 SV, 31 2/3 IP, 29 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 6 HR, 25 BB, 42 SO, 3 HBP, 1.705 WHIP, 55 ERA+, 5.64 FIP, minus-0.3 fWAR, minus-1.1 bWAR Quotable: "You know what I like a lot from Rainey right now? He looks way more under...

If Tyler Nevin wanted to leave a nice impression on the Orioles heading into the offseason, hitting a 442-foot home run on the last day seemed like a solid idea. Nevin, 24, reached the third deck in left field at Rogers Centre against Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu for his first career home run in his sixth major league game. It was the longest first homer by an Oriole since the Statcast era. I should point out that the Statcast era dates back only to 2015, so we're not taking a deep dive into...

Since the day the Orioles acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels, right-hander Kyle Bradish has seemingly been trending up with his new club. Acquired by the team with three other right-handers for pitcher Dylan Bundy on Dec. 4, 2019, Bradish was rated No. 21 on the Angels top 30 by MLBPipeline.com at the time of the deal. Now he is in the Orioles' top 10 and is their third-highest rated pitching prospect following right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and lefty DL Hall. Some in the O's front...

PLAYER REVIEW: JOE ROSS Age on opening day 2022: 28 How acquired: Traded with Trea Turner from Padres for Steven Souza Jr. and Travis Ott, who went to the Rays along with Jake Bauers, René Rivera and Burch Smith for Jose Castillo, Ryan Hanigan, Wil Myers and Gerardo Reyes, who went to the Padres, December 2014 MLB service time: 5 years, 18 days 2021 salary: $1.5 million Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2022, free agent in 2023 2021 stats: 5-9, 4.17 ERA, 20 G, 19 GS, 0 CG, 108 IP, 98...