Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Yesterday was a relatively quiet day on the hot stove — other than the Red Sox acquiring Johan Oviedo, a 27-year-old starting pitcher, from the Pirates — but the action should heat up soon. Monday marks the start of MLB’s winter meetings in Orlando, where executives, players, and agents converge for three frenzied days of glad-handing and negotiations, and there are usually at least a couple of big dominos to fall during the festivities. A few top-shelf free agents could find a new home. Some major trades could go down.
There’s plenty of activity still to be had. As of now, 39 of the top 50 free agents (as ranked by MLB Trade Rumors) are still on the market, including 13 of the top 15. Pretty much any of those guys would look good in an Orioles uniform, in my opinion, but of course there are 29 other teams too, many of whom can and will bid more than the Birds. All right, fine, I won’t get greedy. I’d be perfectly happy with the Orioles signing merely five of the top 10 free agents. Maybe even four. I’m nothing if not realistic.
The starting rotation in particular seems like an area that the O’s will need to attack aggressively. They’ve already seen the division rival Red Sox and Blue Jays add two starting pitchers each (Sonny Gray and Oviedo for the former, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce for the latter), which has put pressure on the Birds to keep pace. That doesn’t mean the offseason is a failure if the Orioles don’t add a starter next week — it’s months until Opening Day, after all — but it would behoove the O’s to act fairly quickly while there are plenty of options available. You don’t want to be left out in the cold and stuck picking through the leftovers of the market after all the big names have signed. That’s how you end up with the Charlie Mortons of the world.
It’s going to be an interesting few days for the Orioles, who have already addressed a couple of their needs this winter. Let’s see if they can check a few more items off of their shopping list next week.
Ryan Helsley has been saying all the right things since joining the Orioles. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll perform well, but it sure beats saying all the wrong things. Imagine if he started his press conference with, “You know, Baltimore is great and all, but what I really love is the Yankees.”
As Rich Dubroff notes, I don’t think Wells is in the rotation because of Helsley. I think he’s in the rotation because the O’s don’t currently have five better starters than him.
Starting pitching remains O’s top priority ahead of Winter Meetings – MLB.com
Jake Rill lists some of the front-line starters still available, including Framber Valdez, Michael King, Ranger Suárez, and Tatsuya Imai. Again, I won’t be greedy. Whichever three of those the O’s sign is fine with me.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Four ex-Orioles were born on this day, including outfielder and Orioles Hall of Famer Gary Roenicke, who turns 71, as well as right-handers Gene Harris (61), Bill Swaggerty (69), and John Papa (85).
On this date in 1962, the Orioles made a five-player trade with the Washington Senators, dealing infielder Marv Breeding, outfielder Barry Shetrone, and lefty Art Quirk for infielder Bob Johnson and lefty Pete Burnside. Four of those players lasted just one more season before retiring, while Johnson hung around as a utility man in Baltimore for four years.
And on this date in 2022, the Orioles signed veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal. Gibson became a reliable if unremarkable starter for the 2023 AL East champs, making a league-leading 33 starts and throwing 192 innings, before leaving for St. Louis in free agency. This year the Orioles brought Gibson back for a four-game reunion that went terribly awry, and he announced his retirement in July.