Colton Cowser and Ryan Mountcastle are the two Orioles who are in the running at their positions.
Hello, friends.
The offseason is here. Things are happening! We are in the period over the first few days where teams and players are choosing to exercise contract options or decline them. The Orioles are in on this news already, as yesterday the team announced that it was declining the 2025 option for Eloy Jiménez. No shock there, with Jiménez being a good story for about two weeks after the O’s acquired him and then falling back to the level he’d been at with the White Sox afterwards.
Four more decisions are to come, with contract options for Danny Coulombe, Seranthony Domínguez, Ryan O’Hearn, and Cionel Pérez to be decided on today or tomorrow. If Pérez’s option is declined, he’ll go to arbitration; any of the others would become free agents. I don’t expect any of Coulombe, Domínguez, or O’Hearn to have their options declined, though it’s not official until it’s official.
News is being made elsewhere with option season. The biggest story is that Gerrit Cole exercised an opt-out from the rest of his contract with the Yankees, the result of which is that the Yankees must either add an additional one year and $36 million onto his existing contract, or allow him to become a free agent. Presumably, they’ll do that, and this won’t have much impact on their 2025 plans, but again, it’s not official until it’s official.
One other thing that’s coming later today is the announcement of Gold Glove winners. The two Orioles who were revealed among the top finishers at their positions are Colton Cowser and Ryan Mountcastle. Do you think either one of them could end up winning? It would surprise me if either one did. Cowser probably has the better case but I don’t think these guys are going to win out over the competition based on either reputation or advanced metrics.
Tomorrow will also mark the deadline for teams to decide whether to make the qualifying offer to their departing free agents. For 2025, that’s a one-year, $21.1 million contract. The number changes annually based on the average of the top 125 salaries in MLB. The Orioles are likely to make the QO to Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander. They’ll then have a week to decide whether or not to take them (they won’t), after which time the O’s will receive a 2025 draft pick when those players sign with other teams.
Around the blogO’sphere
How would Anthony Santander fit in an Orioles lineup that’s less reliant on home runs? (The Baltimore Banner)
Jon Meoli’s theory of an Orioles lineup that’s less reliant on home runs involves an Adley Rutschman offensive bounce-back, Jackson Holliday using his experience to perform solidly at the MLB level, and Cowser and Jordan Westburg taking a step forward. And he doesn’t think the O’s front office will be looking to bring back Santander anyway.
Can we read anything into how the 2024 postseason played out? (Steve Melewski)
The answer to this question is basically always no, although I’m sympathetic to anyone who feels the need to pose it for the sake of something to talk about.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1982, Jim Palmer finished as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young award, which would have been his fourth career win. Palmer’s season was superior in every way to the winner, Milwaukee’s Pete Vuckovich, although by modern standards, Toronto’s Dave Stieb was screwed over the worst by unenlightened voters of the day.
There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1994-98 reliever Armando Benitez, 1979-81 outfielder Mark Corey, 1991 outfielder Dwight Evans, 1976 pitcher Ken Holtzman, and 1961-64 outfielder Earl Robinson.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: chemist Daniel Rutherford (1742), baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller (1918), actor Charles Bronson (1921), actor/martial artist Dolph Lundgren (1957), and famous person Kendall Jenner (1995).
On this day in history…
In 1534, the Parliament of England passed the first Act of Supremacy, which replaced the pope with the king (at that time, Henry VIII) as the head of the Anglican Church.
In 1868, John Willis Menard was elected to Congress for a seat in Louisiana, becoming the first Black man to ever be elected to the body. However, his election was challenged and he never took office.
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched its Sputnik 2 mission. On board the craft was a dog, Laika, who became the first animal to enter orbit. Laika did not survive the mission.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 3. Have a safe Sunday.