Spenser Watkins didn't have a pre-arranged agreement to stay with the Orioles after they outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk earlier this month. He was a free agent with the right to join any team that offered him a contract.
He never wanted to leave, and the Orioles made certain that he stayed in the organization.
Watkins agreed to a minor league deal on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, where he'll attempt to again crack the 40-man roster.
"Before this happened, there...
The desire for more pitching depth has led the Orioles to right-hander Rico Garcia.
The Orioles have agreed to terms with Garcia, 27, on a minor league deal pending a physical, according to a source. He didn't pitch this summer and went on the 60-day injured list with Double-A Richmond on May 17 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.
Garcia became a minor league free agent this month.
The Rockies selected Garcia in the 30th round of the 2016 draft out of Hawaii Pacific University. The...
The sorting of fact from fiction, of rumor from real, is one of the most taxing but necessary activities of the baseball offseason. A winter wonder which.
I discovered that the Marlins had interest in Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander prior to the 2021 season, but it didn't go anywhere. Santander was the reigning Most Valuable Oriole and despite losing his arbitration hearing, his salary jumped from $572,500 to $2.1 million. It made sense to keep Santander and it made sense to check the...
No matter if baseball's Winter Meetings proceed as planned next month in Orlando, Fla., or are shelved while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will be keeping both eyes on the major and minor league free agent markets.
Large sums of cash won't be spent, but there are ways to upgrade the roster and depth at the highest levels of the farm system.
Venturing to the minor league side allows the Orioles to increase camp...
Earlier this week, I wrote about outfielder Yusniel Diaz and the importance of staying healthy in 2022 and putting up the kind of numbers that finally get him to the majors - and at least keep him on the 40-man roster.
Then there's DJ Stewart, also an outfielder who brought big-time expectations into the organization. Diaz after being the central figure in the Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers. Stewart after being the 25th overall selection in the 2015 draft out of Florida State...
One year after participating in the Orioles' fall instructional league camp, young third baseman Coby Mayo is in Sarasota, Fla., again and feeling more comfortable after his first season of professional baseball.
Mayo couldn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season. He reported to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League this year, a common starting point for draft picks and especially high school players, and moved up to Single-A Delmarva after 26 games and 91 plate...
With yesterday's waiver claim of reliever Bryan Baker, the Orioles are carrying 17 pitchers on a 40-man roster that is unrecognizable since the final game on Oct. 3.
Baker's arrival leaves the Orioles with 32 players on it, still plenty of space to protect minor league prospects in the Rule 5 draft and perhaps to claim two - again, if the Winter Meetings aren't nixed after the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement.
I did my share of speculating on the bubble pitchers and...
The Orioles claimed reliever Bryan Baker off waivers from the Blue Jays this afternoon, increasing their 40-man roster to 32 players.
Baker, who turns 27 next month, made his major league debut with a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Sept. 5. He allowed a hit and struck out a batter in his lone appearance.
An 11th-round pick of the Rockies in 2016 out of the University of North Florida, Baker went 6-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 0.847 WHIP this summer in 39 relief appearances with Triple-A...
The finalists for 2021 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards will be announced tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. When Ryan Mountcastle finds out whether he's in the top three in voting for Rookie of the Year in the American League.
Mountcastle was chosen Rookie of the Year by his peers in the Major League Baseball Players Association's Players Choice Awards, finishing ahead of the Rays' Randy Arozarena and the Rangers' Adolis GarcÃa.
They could be finalists for the BBWAA...
The Orioles began their offseason with eight players eligible for arbitration, but the class has been whittled to six. Infielder Pat Valaika and catcher Pedro Severino passed through waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk, setting up their plunges into free agency.
MLBTradeRumors.com projected that Valaika would earn $1.3 million next season and Severino $3.1 million. For a team needing to clear substantial space on the 40-man roster, these were easy calls to make.
Left among the...
The Orioles made another roster move this afternoon and it eliminated a former first-round draft pick whose attempts at becoming a high-leverage reliever in the back end of the bullpen will continue in another organization.
Multiple sources confirmed that the Giants claimed Hunter Harvey off waivers. He was on the 60-day injured list, which didn't count against a 40-man roster that holds at 30, but the Orioles were approaching the date to reinstate him.
Harvey was the 22nd overall pick in the...
The Orioles' fall instructional league camp is an interesting mix of top prospects, ballyhooed international signings and trade acquisitions, and players who began to get noticed and want to keep improving their stock.
What's missing are the intrasquad games. It's more about workouts, conditioning and strength, education and bonding.
Infield prospect Jordan Westburg describes it as "a good foundation for all of us guys that are young in this organization, just building...
Heston Kjerstad doesn't know the reasons why he contracted myocarditis, a condition that causes inflammation in the heart and halts the career of a young baseball player. It could have been related to COVID-19. It could have been something else. What's indisputable is how it wrecked his professional life and changed him personally.
Maybe for the better in the long run.
Kjerstad certainly believes so, and he carries that positive attitude into his daily workouts at the Orioles' fall...
With the 2021 season officially over and baseball moving into full offseason mode, important dates on the calendar crossed off one at a time, the mailbag again is inflating like my ego.
My new wife is only available to deflate the ego. Not the mailbag. That one is up to me.
Just to review: You, my wonderful followers - which unfortunately sounds like a cult that will be documented on Netflix - ask me many questions that I attempt to answer. Some of you ask the same ones as if I ignored you. And...
The Orioles did some heavy work today on their 40-man roster, including outrighting catcher Pedro Severino to Triple-A Norfolk.
Severino and relievers Conner Greene and Marcos Diplán cleared waivers and were outrighted. They can become free agents after going through a procedural process that might take a couple of days.
Left-hander Fernando Abad entered free agency this afternoon and the Pirates claimed reliever Eric Hanhold off waivers.
The moves have left the Orioles with 30 players on...
Are there any guaranteed returns among Orioles relievers beyond Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells?
Is it weird that Wells is the first and perhaps only mention?
This is quite the commentary on Wells, who emerged as the most likely closer candidate next spring, and the state of the bullpen.
Left-handers Paul Fry and Tanner Scott are eligible for arbitration and projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to make $1.1 million and $1 million, respectively. Teams expressed interest in both relievers at the trade...
As the Orioles discuss which players to protect in the Rule 5 draft and how to create the necessary space on the 40-man roster, they're expected to again bypass catcher Brett Cumberland and roll the dice that he'll go unclaimed or return later to the organization.
Gambling in baseball can be done without placing actual bets.
Cumberland remains under team control and could continue his development at Triple-A Norfolk, where he appeared in 84 games while sharing time at various points of the...
The Orioles remain in the market for a new hitting coach and a replacement for José Hernández as assistant hitting coach as he moves into a different role, and they've progressed to the point of conducting multiple interviews.
Many of the exterior dominos might need to fall with so many jobs open throughout baseball.
I've heard that the Orioles interviewed "several people" from other teams, as well as coaches who currently are free agents trying to land with a new club, which doesn't...
If Tyler Nevin wanted to leave a nice impression on the Orioles heading into the offseason, hitting a 442-foot home run on the last day seemed like a solid idea.
Nevin, 24, reached the third deck in left field at Rogers Centre against Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu for his first career home run in his sixth major league game. It was the longest first homer by an Oriole since the Statcast era.
I should point out that the Statcast era dates back only to 2015, so we're not taking a deep dive into...
By assigning players to the Arizona Fall League, the Orioles can find at-bats that were missing due to various injuries. For infielder Greg Cullen, it was his hamstring that turned his promotion to Double-A Bowie into a challenge to stay on the field.
Getting on base isn't an issue when he's healthy.
Cullen came out of Tuesday's game with the Mesa Solar Sox due to soreness in his leg, but he received clearance the next day to resume activities. His two stops on the IL with the Baysox limited...