While we wait for the next significant pitching domino to fall, we can look forward to the start of spring training. It\u2019s not far away now!<\/p>\n
According to MLB.com<\/a>, Orioles pitchers and catchers that will be taking part in the 2026 World Baseball Classic will report to Sarasota on February 9. That would include Dean Kremer (Israel) and Rico Garcia (Puerto Rico). The rest of the pitchers and catchers would join on February 11.<\/p>\n Position players that will be playing in the WBC must be at Ed Smith Stadium by February 11. Gunnar Henderson (USA) and Tyler O\u2019Neill (Canada) are in that group. The rest of them will arrive by February 16.<\/p>\n The Orioles\u2019 Grapefruit League slate will get underway on February 20. It will include a March 3 matchup with Team Netherlands. The World Baseball Classic will begin in earnest on March 5. Team USA\u2019s first game is on March 6 against Brazil.<\/p>\n What many of us would love to know is how, exactly, we are going to consume the Orioles games down in Florida. But as has become an annual tradition, it\u2019s a mystery. In recent years, MASN has tended to broadcast a handful of games themselves, the Orioles Radio Network has offered a few more, and then you can usually see several road games by finding an opposition\u2019s broadcast feed.<\/p>\n One can imagine that TV ratings of midday spring training games are not terribly high. And it costs money for MASN and the Orioles to broadcast these games. So it may not make financial sense for them to get every game on TV. But last time I checked, the cable providers that carry MASN still charge extra for the channel each month. And unless you are interested in the random mid-major college basketball game here or there, or an insane amount of horse racing, you aren\u2019t getting your money\u2019s worth during the winter months.<\/p>\n To me, it would make sense for MLB to step in and tell every club that they need to provide some type of broadcast for every home game during the the spring. Then, the away team can simply simulcast that feed in their local market. Now, do I want to hear the Yankees announcers give me some anecdote about a 20-year-old wearing number 87 without a prayer of making the roster? No. But I will take it if it means I can see the Orioles play baseball.<\/p>\n Orioles Outright Will Robertson | MLB Trade Rumors<\/a> Orioles\u2019 Birdland Caravan returns with star-studded player lineup, including Pete Alonso | The Baltimore Banner<\/a>
Another Mike Elias waiver claim works out just the way he wanted. The Orioles\u2019 boss loves to claim players and then DFA them days later, hoping to sneak them through to Triple-A. Now the club has the player without clogging up their 40-man roster. Robertson is still in a position to compete at spring training next month, although the O\u2019s outfield is pretty darn full.<\/p>\n
This is an updated story as the Orioles continue to finalize the details ahead of the Caravan later this month. The players, coaches, Oriole Bird, and Mr. Splash will be all over the place, from Montgomery County to Bel Air, several spots in Baltimore, Frederick, and elsewhere. Specific info on individual events and how to buy tickets can be found at Orioles.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n