The conclusion of the World Series, with the crowning of a 60-game COVID champion, opens the door for free agency and trades. The official offseason is underway. As always, please continue to breathe normally. Players enter free agency the day after the World Series. For the Orioles, it's a short line at the moment with only pitcher Wade LeBlanc and catcher Bryan Holaday, according to Baseball-Reference.com. A two-man stampede doesn't make much noise. LeBlanc will be removed from the 60-day...

Our offseason player review series continues today with Luis García, who unexpectedly became the Nationals' starting second baseman ahead of schedule. PLAYER REVIEW: LUIS GARCÍA Age on opening day 2021: 20 How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2016 MLB service time: 105 days 2020 salary: $563,500 (prorated $140,175) Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2024, free agent in 2027 2020 stats: 40 G, 139 PA, 134 AB, 18 R, 37 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI,...

When fans look to grade how successful the 2020 season was when it comes to the Orioles rebuilding, what is the best way to do that? Is it just noting the won-loss record and looking for progress there? Or is it about looking more at individual players, especially those that came up from the farm and finding successes there? Since we don't have to choose just one standard, it was nice to have a little of both during this past season. But which one is more significant: an improved record or...

Our offseason player review series continues today with Andrew Stevenson, who spent most of the summer at the alternate camp site in Fredericksburg, then wowed the Nationals after his late-season promotion. PLAYER REVIEW: ANDREW STEVENSON Age on opening day 2021: 26 How acquired: Second-round pick, 2015 draft MLB service time: 1 year, 122 days 2020 salary: $563,500 (prorated $71,645) Contract status: Under team control, likely arbitration-eligible in 2022, free agent in 2026 2020 stats: 15 G,...

What a week for Stevie Wilkerson. Get discharged from physical therapy on Thursday, drive from Chicago to Sarasota on Friday - accompanied by his wife and dog - and sign a minor league deal with the Orioles on Saturday. The guy was due for some good fortune. He earned it after missing the 2020 season with a fractured finger on his left hand and later being released. The sides reached agreement over the weekend on a split contract. Wilkerson will report to spring training in February and try to...

The 2020 season for Orioles outfielder Austin Hays included a few firsts. He made the opening day roster for the first time. He hit his first inside-the-park home run and he went to the injured list because he was hit by a pitch for the first time. The last few seasons have seen Hays battle various ailments and injuries. A player that has said he didn't deal with injuries in high school and college has had a steady stream in pro ball. He spent time on the injured list at Double-A in 2018,...

I look forward to the day when the world gets closer to being normal again, however we define the term. When a baseball season lasts longer than a dental appointment and hearing "corona" makes you want to squeeze a lime wedge into a bottle of beer. I look forward to the day when I can conduct a MASN interview from the press box without looking like I just came out of surgery. When I can prepare for a group interview without checking my Zoom background or calculating my consecutive mornings...

The news that the Orioles released Stevie Wilkerson on Sept. 14 came with an important attachment. The move was procedural, with Wilkerson unable to return from a fractured ring finger on his left hand and the team needing an open spot in its 60-man player pool. The Orioles would continue to monitor his recovery. They would retain interest in him. Re-signing Wilkerson before he hit the free agent market was presented as a strong possibility. It became a reality yesterday, according to an...

A couple of weeks ago, we got an update on shortstop Jackson Cluff and how much he valued his time this summer at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg. Cluff, 23, appreciated the opportunity to stand in against big league pitchers and learned a great deal about what it takes to be a professional baseball player and how to maintain at this level from veteran Brandon Snyder. "That was a great experience for him to be around veteran guys and see how they work and see how they go about...

There were quite a few things that went right and/or showed some promise during the 2020 season for the Orioles. They provide areas to build on as the club rebuilds and tries to work its way up in the American League East standings. Today, I list three things that worked or showed promise and I rank them in importance. 1) The bullpen was quite solid: This was an area of marked improvement for the 2020 Orioles. They traded three key 'pen members during the year and still got better. So that...