If the answer turns out to be no, a whole lot of speculation about the Orioles offseason will be wrecked.
Hello, friends.
We are now three months and 22 days away from Orioles Opening Day 2025, and roughly two months and ten days from the not officially announced pitchers and catchers report date that will mark the start of spring training. Perhaps more importantly for the development of hot stove season, we are four days away from the start of this year’s winter meetings.
Two times a week I sit down to put down some thoughts into a Bird Droppings article, and another time I try to organize things to go into a podcast. All of these instances run into one big question that governs all other things about this offseason: Are the Orioles going to really spend the money that we’re imagining they should now spend?
If yes, then there are a number of possibilities by which they might address the needs they have on the roster. If no, then any discussion like one of today’s clipped articles that supposes that the Orioles will be serious contenders to sign either their own departing free agent Corbin Burnes, or another ace like Max Fried, is going to run aground on the shoals of reality.
So far, we don’t know that it won’t happen. Only one big dollar pitcher has signed, and that’s Blake Snell. Only one medium dollar pitcher has signed, in the form of Yusei Kikuchi. The market remains open until suddenly it’s not. This could start to change at the winter meetings next week, unless this year’s meetings end up being kind of a dud, like last year’s were.
I’m skeptical of such a big move. I understand very well the forces at play that essentially obligate people with platforms to talk about the Orioles to pretend like they could happen. So, I get it. I also always come down to this, which I’m sorry for repeating but it’s always true: The next time that Mike Elias signs any player to a contract with multiple guaranteed years is the first time. He’s never even given two years to a free agent and I’m supposed to believe he might do five or seven for a hopeful #1 starting pitcher?
Maybe he’ll cannonball into the pool and splash everyone who’s just hanging out on their little rafts. It could happen, sure. It’s just unlike anything else that he has done up to this point.
Around the blogO’sphere
The starting pitching market is moving fast. Can the Orioles afford to be patient? (The Baltimore Sun)
Patience is how you get 2018 Alex Cobb late in spring training at no discount relative to his projected salary, and then he goes on a game broadcast and, when asked how he felt about returning to an AL East team, he says, “I tried to avoid it.” (Not an exact quote. But he definitely said something like it.)
Three best fits to fill the hole atop the Orioles rotation (Orioles.com)
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the Orioles will not fill the rotation hole by either signing the suggested Corbin Burnes or Max Fried or trading for the suggested Garrett Crochet.
Big trades I’d like to see happen at MLB’s Winter Meetings (The Athletic)
I can’t stress enough that you should not take anything Jim Bowden says as being serious or grounded in reality. But sometimes it’s worth talking about what’s good or bad about a particular idea, in this case Bowden’s suggestion of a match around trading for Seattle’s Bryce Miller that’s headlined by giving up Coby Mayo. (Unexplained is why he thinks Mayo is 26 years old.)
Orioles hope for Eflin: Repeat what they saw in his nine starts (Steve Melewski)
The amount of heartburn that we experience in the long run over Mike Elias trading Jackson Baumeister can be reduced if Zach Eflin has a good-to-great 2025 season, something that was suggested by his performance after the trade this year.
Colton Cowser discusses his rookie year and what he wants to improve (The Baltimore Banner)
“I’m aware of (the strikeouts),” Cowser said. “It’s something I’d like to cut down.” (He elaborates on this in a way you may find interesting.)
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1998, the Orioles signed first baseman Will Clark to a two-year contract. 34 years old at the time of the signing, Clark had a productive year and a half with the team before being dumped with all the rest in the 2000 fire sale.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1995 three-game pitcher Gene Harris, 1983-86 pitcher Bill Swaggerty, 1979-85 outfielder Gary Roenicke, and 1961-62 pitcher John Papa. Today is Papa’s 84th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: 8th president Martin Van Buren (1782), animator Walt Disney (1901), musician Little Richard (1932), writer Joan Didion (1934), football Hall of Famer Art Monk (1957), and comedian Margaret Cho (1968).
On this day in history…
In 1757, a Prussian force outnumbered close to 2 to 1 by the Austrians emerged victorious in the Battle of Leuthen, recognized as one of Frederick the Great of Prussia’s deftest tactical victories. The battle effectively ended the Third Silesian War, which was itself wrapped up as part of the Seven Years War.
In 1848, President James K. Polk delivered a message to Congress in which he acknowledged the discovery of gold in the California territory. This was about 11 months after the first gold was located there.
In 1952, a combination of cold fog and air pollution from coal furnaces created the Great Smog of London, four days of darkness with smoke so thick it even penetrated some indoor areas. A contemporary report attributed about 4,000 fatalities to the smog, with 21st century researchers estimating more than 10,000.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on December 5. Have a safe Thursday.