The offseason is just getting started, but O’s GM Mike Elias has already been active. Tuesday was a busy one. The team officially introduced Craig Albernaz as their new manager, they reacquired reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs, and it was reported that two of their coaches from 2025 had found jobs elsewhere.

Anthony Sanders and Cody Asche have both exited Baltimore and headed to Detroit. Sanders will become the Tigers first base coach while Asche will be an assistant hitting coach. Both are major league jobs.

Congratulations to the pair for snagging another MLB position. There aren’t too many of them out there, and I would imagine they spent this past summer with a lot of uncertainty after Brandon Hyde was let go in May.

From the Orioles’ perspective, this is yet another understandable change being made in the dugout. Albernaz’s staff was always going to look very different from the one that was in place this past season. It’s unclear if some of the names less connected to Hyde—like Buck Britton or John Mabry—could be back. That will become apparent as November marches on and Albernaz makes some calls.

While we still need to see the player movement that takes place this offseason, this did feel like a nice little jolt to begin the “winter.” Albernaz said all of the right things. Elias and Dave Rubenstein appear to be in lock step on improving the team. The addition of Kittredge is a logical and necessary addition to a thin bullpen. More needs to happen, of course, but it’s good to see this organization move quickly out of the gate.

Flanked by his family, new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz preaches preparation | The Athletic
You can’t draw too many conclusions from an introductory press conference, but Albernaz does come off as likable and relatable. That’s good! Now he has to win games. Hopefully the front office supports him with sufficient moves this offseason.

Albernaz an ‘all-around fit’ for Orioles — as they are for him | MLB.com
There is something to be said for Albernaz waiting to become a manager, even if it was only one year. It sounds like he could be coaching in Chicago or Miami right now. Instead, he was honest with himself that either he wasn’t ready, or those jobs just didn’t seem fitting for him. But apparently the Orioles were just right.

Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
A nice little recap of the offseason action so far. That includes the flurry of bullpen moves. It feels like there is nice organizational depth in the bullpen now. But the team needs to add some certainty with a veteran closer and maybe one more proven arm beyond that.

Orioles to turn over entire major league hitting staff as Cody Asche departs for Tigers | The Baltimore Banner
I don’t think anyone is going to be sad to see the Orioles take a fresh approach to their hitting staff. The offense has been a problem for a while now, despite oodles of talent. Coaching alone won’t fix that, but it should help.

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Josh Lucas turns 35 today. He pitched in nine games for the Orioles during the 2019 season.Javy López is 55 years old. One of the team’s big free agent signings going into the 2004 season, he would spend three years in Baltimore from ‘04-06. His debut season was impressive (4.8 bWAR, 127 OPS+), but he faded from there and would eventually be traded to the Red Sox.

This day in O’s history

1958 – The Orioles make changes. Paul Richards, who had been serving as both the GM and the field manager, is stripped of the front office job, but remains in the dugout. Lee MacPhail takes control of the front office.

1976 – Jim Palmer is named AL Cy Young winner. The 31-year-old had led baseball with 22 wins and 315 innings.

1997 – On the same day that he is named AL Manager of the Year, Davey Johnson resigns as Orioles skipper. Johnson and team owner Peter Angelos long had a bad relationship, and the final straw was a dispute over $10,500 in fines that the team had levied against second baseman Roberto Alomar. Johnson had directed the fines to be sent to a charity while Angelos had issues with how the fining process was handled.