Rumors swirl, thinking about spring, and the O’s re-think how to win.
Good Morning, Birdland!
The Winter Meetings are still a month away. That is the point in the offseason where things tend to really take off. For now, we mostly have to sift through rumors that could maybe, sorta, kinda happen. The Orioles, it seems, will be in the thick of those discussions for a good chunk of the winter.
So far, the team has been named in rumors connected to outfielder Teoscar Hernández and left-handed starter Max Fried. Both of those players make sense, albeit with caveats.
Hernández is a right-handed, power-hitting outfielder that also comes with playoff experience (the guy JUST won the World Series). The Orioles need all of those things. He’s also 32 years old and a poor defender. Those are not, necessarily, dealbreakers, but they do put a cap on what the Orioles should be interested in offering him. The Athletic projects his contract at three years, $69 (nice) million. For comparison, they peg the younger Anthony Santander at five years, $105 million.
Fried would be a left-handed (and likely slightly cheaper) replacement for Corbin Burnes. The southpaw is really good and has been since 2020. He also dealt with several injury concerns in 2023 and is not view as the start-to-start “horse” that Burnes is. As a result, he should not require the years or money commitment that Burnes will. The Athletic estimates five years, $140 million for Fried, where Burnes is projected to get seven years, $217 million.
We do not know how Mike Elias operates when he has a beefier budget at the big league level. It sounds like we will find out this winter. But this is absolutely a “see it to believe it” situation. Elias is not going to get a blank check, and as he doles out free agent deals with significant years he will also have to think about how that impacts the team’s chances of signing someone like Gunnar Henderson long term.
Links
Blue Jays, Orioles, Red Sox Interested In Max Fried | MLB Trade Rumors
I would like to see how a top-level lefty operates at Camden Yards with its spacious left field dimensions. Also, is it just me or does Fried look a lot like Cade Povich? Perhaps some teaching could happen there. If Povich pans out for the Orioles in 2025 that would be a big boost.
After a painful postseason exit, Orioles are rethinking everything | The Washington Post
They should, at least to a degree. Elias has build a powerful regular season square that has flaws in the postseason. You can’t just bring everything back next year and expect a different result.
Taking another swing at possible spring training storylines | Roch Kubatko
We are talking about Daz Cameron in this one, folks! At least it is in relation to the fourth outfielder role. That would probably be fine.
The pros and cons of Orioles’ re-signing Santander | Baltimore Baseball
Con: He will be expensive and has a limited skillset. Pro: I love him.
Super Two Status Set At 2.132 Years Of Service | MLB Trade Rumors
This would pertain to players that debuted sometime in 2022. If they spent at least 132 days on the active roster, they will get to arbitration a year sooner. Henderson debuted in ‘22, but that was quite late in the season, so he will not qualify. It does not seem like the Orioles will have any players impacted by this determination, but still good to know.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- The late Al Severinson (b. 1944, d. 2015) was born on this day. He pitched in 12 games for the 1969 Orioles.
- It’s a posthumous birthday for Whitey Herzog (b. 1932, d. 2024). The Hall of Fame manager also had a playing career, which included two seasons in Baltimore from 1961-62.
This day in history
November 9 has not been the busiest day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So instead, here are some things that have happened on this date beyond Birdland:
1906 – Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first sitting President of the United states to make an official trip outside of the county. He inspects progress on the Panama Canal.
1985 – Garry Kasparov, 22 years old, becomes the youngest World Chess Champion.
2004 – Firefox 1.0 is released.
2023 – U.S. surgeons in New York City announce the world’s first whole eye transplant.