Good morning, Camden Chatters.<\/p>\n
In the wake of the Orioles missing out on Framber Valdez, and thus coming up empty on every high-profile free agent starting pitcher this offseason, fans wondered if the Birds might pivot to the trade market to acquire the hurler they need.<\/p>\n
Well, the O\u2019s indeed struck a trade yesterday\u2026just, maybe, not the one fans were hoping for. Instead of a pitcher, the Orioles acquired utility infielder Blaze Alexander<\/a> from the Diamondbacks, sending reliever Kade Strowd and two minor leaguers to Arizona.<\/p>\n Huh. Well, that happened.<\/p>\n Orioles fans\u2019 reaction to the trade has generally spanned from \u201cmeh\u201d to \u201cwhy?\u201d And I understand that. With every move Mike Elias makes that doesn\u2019t address the starting rotation, it seems like he\u2019s purposefully ignoring the most glaring hole on the Orioles\u2019 roster. I don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, because I wouldn\u2019t call the Orioles\u2019 current rotation a disaster by any means, but it\u2019s Elias\u2019s biggest fish to fry and he seems to be cooking up the tinier fish instead. That\u2019s frustrating.<\/p>\n Still, if you think about the Alexander trade in a vacuum and not in the context of \u201cbut he\u2019s not a pitcher,\u201d it makes some sense. He provides the Orioles with something they didn\u2019t already have: a backup at the middle-infield spots who can hit a little bit. He\u2019s got positional flexibility and he posted a .780 OPS against lefties last year, which makes him a good candidate to spell Jackson Holliday against tough southpaws. As you might guess by his name, Blaze can run, rating in the 86th percentile in MLB in sprint speed.<\/p>\n Alexander is now the favorite to crack the Opening Day roster as the Orioles\u2019 utility infielder, which probably eliminates any chance of Jeremiah Jackson making the team. It also truly means that Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo cannot coexist on the O\u2019s roster, if that was ever a possibility in the first place. It feels like Elias must have another trade up his sleeve to address the Orioles\u2019 glut of right-handed hitting first basemen.<\/p>\n He might also need to make a move to strengthen the bullpen. I wasn\u2019t sold on Strowd\u2019s chances of turning into a quality major league reliever, but he had a live arm and was a strong candidate to begin the season in the O\u2019s bullpen. With Kade gone, that\u2019s one more hole the O\u2019s will need to fill, whether internally or externally. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n In other baseball news, the rosters for the upcoming World Baseball Classic were announced yesterday, and several Orioles are scattered across the 20 teams. As previously announced, Gunnar Henderson will be playing for Team USA, making his WBC debut. Dean Kremer will pitch for Team Israel again after doing so in the 2023 WBC, and Tyler O\u2019Neill will suit up for his home country of Canada. Three less prominent 2025 Orioles \u2014 righty relievers Rico Garcia and Jose Espada and infielder Luis V\u00e1zquez \u2014 are on Team Puerto Rico, which had to scramble for last-minute replacements after some of their most well-known players were denied insurance for the WBC.<\/p>\n Several O\u2019s prospects will participate, too, most notably Enrique Bradfield Jr., who\u2019s included on Panama\u2019s roster. Chesapeake Baysox righty Ryan Long will pitch for Great Britain, as he did in 2023. Naykel Cruz, a 26-year-old lefty, will play for his native Cuba. Cruz pitched for the Dominican Summer League Orioles last year, posting a 4.58 ERA in 11 games. And lefty Micah Ashman, acquired in the Charlie Morton trade last July, will join O\u2019Neill on Team Canada.<\/p>\n I\u2019m looking forward to the WBC, which I\u2019ve always found entertaining in the lead-up to the MLB season and which was particularly thrilling in 2023. I\u2019ll be attending a couple of WBC games in early March in Puerto Rico, which is hosting Pool A games against Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama, so we\u2019ll get an early look at Bradfield and O\u2019Neill, among others.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hope that all the Orioles participating in this year\u2019s WBC have a great experience, get properly geared up for the 2026 season, and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 don\u2019t get hurt.<\/p>\n Analysis: By missing out on Framber Valdez, the Orioles risk sullying a productive offseason – The Baltimore Banner<\/a><\/p>\n Andy Kostka says it well. Mike Elias has been talking for two straight offseasons about finding an ace for the Orioles and has yet to actually do so. If the O\u2019s crash out again because of their rotation, it\u2019s going to be hard to excuse his inaction.<\/p>\n Orioles trade for Diamondbacks\u2019 Blaze Alexander, send Kade Strowd and 2 prospects – The Baltimore Sun<\/a><\/p>\n Learn more about the newest Oriole as he Blazes a trail to Baltimore.<\/p>\n 5 key topics to follow as Orioles head to camp – MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n The last question on this list, regarding the Orioles\u2019 final bench spot, seems to have been answered by the Alexander trade. But how the rotation and bullpen will shake out remains to be seen.<\/p>\n