There are now 133 days until Orioles Opening Day 2026. The start of spring training is much closer, as we’re now less than three months away from when World Baseball Classic-participating pitchers and catchers are set to report.

The offseason is kicking off with president of baseball operations Mike Elias saying a variety of things that, if you hadn’t paid attention to things he’s said in previous offseasons and in the vicinity of previous trade deadlines, might point strongly towards thinking that he’s serious about making multiple big, aggressive moves to improve the roster heading into next season.

This week has been the GM meetings, where nothing of consequence usually happens on its own, though the groundwork can be laid for later signings or trades. Elias was available to Orioles reporters who went to the meetings, and offered some statements:

Pretty much everybody agrees that the Orioles need to get a front-end starting pitcher, some kind of proven back-end reliever, and probably a veteran hitter, especially if they can credibly play center field. It’s no surprise to see Elias say this! But don’t go getting excited thinking that he is going to splash around and sign one of the two or three biggest names available for each of these spots. Not even when he also said this:

This is the correct attitude to have. The Orioles are not in a position where they can be precious about a second-round pick in next year’s draft. They need to get back to having a quality team now. It’s encouraging for Elias to say it outright, but as ever, there’s wiggle room there, in the form of “if the fit is right.” If he doesn’t end up signing one of those pitchers, all he has to say is the fit wasn’t right, probably more about money than about the draft pick.

We all remember “It’s liftoff from here.” Did he ever lift off? Not really. We got the Corbin Burnes trade, which was exciting and worked out pretty well in the 2024 season. That’s about it for liftoff-level moves. It’s more of the same here. Words don’t matter any more. Actions do. Elias has laid down some commitments on which his actions this offseason can, should, and will be judged. If he doesn’t deliver on what they needed, he should be made to answer for why it didn’t happen, and if the consequences are a 2026 season of disappointment, he shouldn’t get another chance to screw up another Orioles season.

The results of the Cy Young voting for this season were announced last night. Tarik Skubal repeated as the AL Cy winner. Trevor Rogers tied for ninth place in the voting, receiving a total of one fifth-place vote on the 30 five-person ballots that were cast for the award. It is pretty funny to me that, for all that some local media tried to make “Rogers is a worthy Cy contender!” happen, he got a fifth place vote and that’s it. That mockery aside, Rogers is honestly worthy of some more votes than some players who finished above him (particularly Aroldis Chapman getting four fifth-place votes) but Rogers never had much chance when he only started 18 games, no matter how good those games were.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

There was some news about the coaching staff yesterday, with a few of the same names staying around and one new coach added into the mix.

Buck Britton, Drew French, Ryan Klimek to remain on Orioles coaching staff (The Baltimore Banner)
Britton finished the season as interim third base coach, while French was the pitching coach and Klimek’s title was pitching strategy coach. Their exact titles under Craig Albernaz’s staff have yet to be determined.

Orioles hiring Donnie Ecker as bench coach (School of Roch)
Hopefully Donnie will not be out of his element. Ecker was both bench coach and offensive coordinator for Texas in the 2022-2024 seasons. This year, the bench coach title was taken away, and he was fired as offensive coordinator on May 4. Great. Ecker intersected with Albernaz in the Giants organization.

How top hitters available could fit in Baltimore (The Baltimore Sun)
Seems like the easiest way to fit them in is if they’re able to play center field.

Was 2025 really the most disappointing Orioles season ever? (Baltimore Baseball)
John Eisenberg is mostly subtweeting summer articles proclaiming these Orioles the most disappointing team in modern baseball. Most of his suggestions for other possible most disappointing Orioles seasons were either before my life or before my awareness of baseball, so I can’t speak to most of it, but I agree that 2018 is worth rating a bigger disappointment than this past season.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2023, Gunnar Henderson was awarded the AL Rookie of the Year award. That was fun. The Orioles should get someone to win it again. Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers, are the most promising candidates for next year.

There is one current Oriole who has a birthday today. Happy 28th to Trevor Rogers! He has just finished a year worth celebrating, even if the Cy Young voters gave him a touch of disrespect. Former Orioles also born today: 2016-17 pitcher Wade Miley, 2010-11 infielder Josh Bell, 2001-03 pitcher Pat Hentgen, and 1975-79 outfielder Larry Harlow. Today is Harlow’s 74th birthday, so an extra happy birthday for him as well.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Declaration of Independence non-signer John Dickson (1732), author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850), baseball Hall of Famer Buck O’Neil (1911), actress Whoopi Goldberg (1955), late night host Jimmy Kimmel (1967), and F1 driver Lando Norris (1999).

On this day in history…

In 1833, a meteor storm that is estimated to have had 100,000 meteors per hour at its peak washed over the globe. The Leonid meteor shower, a later-identified regular feature of mid-November, was responsible for the storm, with substantial showers every 33 years or so. The next large event is expected in 2033. This year’s Leonid is estimated to bring around 10-15 meteors per hour with a peak on November 17.

In 1942, the American and Japanese navies began a four-day battle in the waters off Guadalcanal. Both sides took substantial losses in the battle, but with the US Navy preventing Japanese reinforcements from landing in large numbers on the island, they had the strategic advantage after the Japanese withdrew from the area.

In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was formally dedicated.

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 13. Have a safe Thursday.