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...

When the Orioles signed José Iglesias as their shortstop on Jan. 7, 2020, he had last played for the Cincinnati Reds. When they signed infielder Freddy Galvis to a one-year deal last night, he also joins the team from the Reds. Galvis was a free agent and signed for one year at $1.5 million per various reports with a bonus of $250,000 if he gets traded. For the 2020 Reds, over 47 games, he hit .220/.308/.404 with seven homers, 16 RBIs and an OPS of .712. In the last full season of 2019, he...

The Orioles found their shortstop. As expected, they got him on the free agent market. The team announced tonight that it signed veteran Freddy Galvis to a one-year contract. Galvis is guaranteed $1.5 million, per a source, and can receive $250,000 if he's traded. The deal doesn't include an option. Galvis is the starting shortstop after the Orioles traded José Iglesias to the Angels on Dec. 2 for minor league pitchers Garrett Stallings and Jean Pinto. Iglesias was set to earn $3.5 million...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed infielder Freddy Galvis to a one-year contract for the 2021 season. Galvis, 31, appeared in 47 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, making 31 starts at shortstop and 11 at second base. He posted a combined .977 fielding percentage between the two positions. He hit .220/.308/.404 (31-for-141) with seven home runs, 18 runs scored, and 16 RBI. In his last full season, in 2019, Galvis hit a career-high 23 home runs and recorded a career-high 70...

Former Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson, who spent seven years in the Orioles organization and became one of its most popular members, died today in Tennessee of complications from COVID-19. He was 64. Family members confirmed the news to The Virginian-Pilot. Johnson is Norfolk's all-time winningest manager with a 491-511 record, an impressive accomplishment given the large turnover in personnel and constant shuttling of players between the majors and minors. He was named International...

There's no greater privilege in this business than serving as a Hall of Fame voter. And there's no greater feeling than seeing one of baseball's greatest get the news of his election, knowing you played a small role in making it happen. So it's always disappointing to put the time and effort into voting in a given year and then find out nobody was elected. Unfortunately, it does happen from time to time. Not by design, but by a confluence of events including an excess number of players...

Though he was the consensus best reliever available on the free agent market this winter, Brad Hand spent 2 1/2 months waiting to learn where he would pitch in 2021. Chalk it up to this most unusual offseason across baseball, and it's understandable, though no less nerve-wracking for the players involved. Early in the process, though, Hand knew the Nationals were among the teams interested in him. And over the last couple of weeks, he said, they stepped up their efforts before finally sealing...