We know where newest Orioles infielder Freddy Galvis is going to play. He's the starting shortstop and expected to be part of a new double play combination with second baseman Yolmer Sánchez. But where does he hit? Why wait to gather more information? There's no fun in being patient and letting the process play out. Begin speculating and predicting now and beat the post-holiday rush. José Iglesias was slotted second and third in the lineup last summer, which seemed ridiculous until he...

The news of the death of former Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson this week hit hard throughout the Orioles organization and beyond. He managed the Tides for seven years through 2018 and sent many a player to help the O's during a period when they made the playoffs three times from 2012 through 2016. Johnson served the Orioles very well. Players were made better having played for him. His last Norfolk team in 2018 included the likes of DJ Stewart, Cedric Mullins, Austin Wynns, Chance Sisco,...

Earlier today, Von Paris Moving & Storage trucks carrying Orioles equipment departed from Oriole Park, making their way to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota in preparation for the 2021 Spring Training season. Orioles staff have gone above and beyond to implement health and safety protocols as they packed and loaded equipment for departure. In addition to wearing masks and gloves at all times, the crew utilized sanitizing stations throughout the clubhouse and worked in staggered shifts to ensure...

He's won three championships for two iconic franchises, started Game 1 of the World Series, appeared in Game 7 of the Fall Classic and pitched in a bunch of postseason clinchers. He beat cancer. He's made nearly $200 million in career earnings. He'll never have to buy anyone another drink in Boston or Chicago (though he actually did buy a whole lot of people drinks in Chicago after the 2020 season). Jon Lester, suffice it to say, doesn't need to prove anything to anybody at this point in...

The shortstop market unclogged in a hurry. Life comes at you fast. Daniel Robertson signed with the Brewers on Jan. 21 to get the ball rolling. Ehire Adrianza reached agreement with the Braves Tuesday afternoon on a minor league deal, the Blue Jays agreed to terms with Marcus Semien on an $18 million deal and the Twins agreed to terms with Andrelton Simmons on a $10.5 million contract. There was local interest here based on the Orioles' contact with representatives for Robertson and Adrianza,...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with three-time World Series Champion and five-time All-Star left-handed pitcher Jon Lester on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Lester, 37, joins the Nationals after six seasons with the Chicago Cubs in which he went 77-44 with a 3.64 ERA in 171 starts. He won double-digit games and made at least 31 regular season starts in five of the six seasons...

New Orioles shortstop Freddy Galvis hopes to play some quality defense for his new team and provide some pop in a ballpark where he enjoys hitting. He also brings a career marked by durability and wants to show that to his new club as well. From 2015 through 2019, he played in 151, 158, 162, 162 and 147 games. He had a consecutive games played streak of 349, then the longest in the majors, ending with Toronto on April 24, 2019. "I think it's really important," Galvis said during a Zoom...

Made available this afternoon to talk about the Freddy Galvis signing, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias shifted focus to another shortstop in the organization who's undergoing a second surgery. An unexpected piece of news dumped within a 20-minute interview. Elias revealed that Richie Martin broke the hamate bone in his left hand, apparently in a workout mishap over the weekend, and will undergo a procedure in Sarasota to remove it. Martin was expected to be ready...

Some assorted news and notes for you on this Wednesday morning ... * Much has been made of Brad Hand's diminished fastball velocity last season, and it has been presented as perhaps cause for concern as the left-hander joins the back end of the Nationals bullpen. But is this anything to actually worry about? First, let's look at the numbers. Hand's four-seam fastball averaged 92.7 mph in 2019. It then dropped to 91.4 mph last season. That's not nothing. And yet, it should be noted hitters...

Thomas Eshelman is a new father with a new contract that keeps him tied to his old team. The Orioles re-signed Eshelman to a minor league deal three weeks ago, or about three weeks after the birth of his son, Trey. The foray into free agency led Eshelman back to his comfort zone. "Ultimately, the opportunity is one of the biggest (reasons), but also familiarity with everybody there," he said earlier this week in a phone conversation. "I've been there obviously for two years now and got to...