Good morning, Camden Chatters.<\/p>\n
Friends, we are exactly one month away from the 2026 Orioles playing baseball. Spring training baseball, yes, but baseball nonetheless. There will be lineups and uniforms and everything! The O\u2019s will kick off their Grapefruit League schedule on Feb. 20 with a home game in Sarasota against the Yankees, and most of us will even be able to watch, as it\u2019s one of the 20 games that MASN will air this spring<\/a>.<\/p>\n That exhibition opener, of course, won\u2019t necessarily tell us much about what we should expect from the 2026 season. Not every projected Orioles starter will be in the lineup, and probably by the fifth or sixth inning the O\u2019s will have nothing but backups and minor leaguers on the field. That\u2019s spring training for you. Still, it\u2019s a warming thought \u2014 on this 20-degree day in the greater Baltimore area \u2014 that there will be actual baseball happening not too long from now.<\/p>\n Before we get there, though, the O\u2019s still have some roster business to attend to. They\u2019re continuing their stated pursuit of a top-shelf starting pitcher, which at this point is Framber Valdez or bust on the free agent market, unless the Birds have another surprise trade in them. They also need to address the whole three-right-handed-hitting-first-basemen logjam, and maybe add another reliever or two while they\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n There\u2019s more work to do. There\u2019s more roster maneuvering in store. But baseball is on the horizon.<\/p>\n Alonso talks again about the quest to \u201chunt down a championship in October\u201d – School of Roch<\/a><\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing Pete Alonso is as good at as hitting dingers, it\u2019s saying things that get me super fired up.<\/p>\n JAWS and the 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot: Nick Markakis – FanGraphs<\/a><\/p>\n Nick Markakis won\u2019t hear his named called during today\u2019s Hall of Fame election, but Jay Jaffe offers a fine recap of the former Orioles fan favorite\u2019s outstanding career.<\/p>\n