The Orioles' quest for more starting pitching has carried them to a former Cy Young Award winner.
The second minor league deal offered in two days.
According to an industry source, the Orioles have agreed to terms with veteran Félix Hernández on a contract that pays $1 million if he's on the club.
The news on Hernández comes less than 24 hours after confirmation that the Orioles re-signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a deal that offers $700,000 if he's on the active...
The warning came early Monday morning, with pitcher Alex Cobb told by his representatives in a phone call of the pending trade from the Orioles to the Angels. The bags packed for spring training weren't going to make it to Sarasota, Fla.
"I had had some discussions with my agents about some possibilities, that things might be happening, so it was on my radar, but also, didn't put my stock into it," Cobb said this afternoon. "I believed I was showing up to spring training. Had my place set,...
Brian Krehmeyer first began to notice the eighth-grader on days that the kid would sit in the stands at Wesleyan School in Norcross, Ga., watching baseball practice and greeting the coaches. Always eager to strike up a conversation, always smiling.
Krehmeyer had been an assistant for six years and became head coach in 2012. One of his freshman players that first season in charge was Jahmai Jones.
The talkative kid who later would be drafted by the Angels in the second round and traded to the...
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc is headed back to the Orioles.
LeBlanc has agreed to terms on a minor league deal with a spring training invite, according to a source. LeBlanc can earn a base salary of $700,000 if he's on the club.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias has sought at least one veteran starting pitcher. The trade of Alex Cobb to the Angels, which is still awaiting approval from the commissioner's office, could lead to another signing.
The Orioles have major league offers...
The structure of the 2021 season is beginning to take shape.
And just in time.
The union rejected, as expected, a proposal from Major League Baseball that would have pushed back opening day about a month and reduced the schedule to 154 games with full pay. The plan included expanded playoffs and a universal designated hitter.
Seemed reasonable to me - especially the part about full pay - but players are concerned that there's a higher risk of injury if the season starts on April 28. Pitchers...
The question was delivered with Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini in mind.
During a recent Zoom conference call with the local media, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias was asked about the possibility of acquiring players via trades rather than free agency.
"Trades where we're adding to the major league team or trades where we're trading veterans for prospects?" Elias asked.
Either way, but I was more interested in talks involving Santander and Mancini.
"I think...
Immediate reaction to yesterday morning's news that the Orioles were working on a trade to send veteran starter Alex Cobb to the Angels included the following:
Why now?
How many young pitchers are coming to the Orioles?
What happens to the rotation?
What is it about the Angels?
How about that payroll?
Not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea.
Cobb might carry more value in early February than at the trade deadline, when he's a rental with free agency approaching. And there are no...
The Orioles aren't done reducing their payroll and increasing the amount of young talent funneled into the organization during the rebuild process.
An industry source confirmed this morning that the Orioles are in trade discussions with the Angels involving starting pitcher Alex Cobb, 33, who's entering the final year of his four-year, $57 million contract and currently stands as the second-highest paid player on the team.
There's work to be done before the deal is finalized - a source told...
As Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias rattled off the names of shortstop prospects in the system during a recent Zoom conference call, the topic born from a question relating to how the club might fill the position next summer, he made sure to include the 37th overall selection in the 2018 draft.
The former teammate of catcher Adley Rutschman at Oregon State University.
A product of the final draft under the previous front office and head of scouting.
Cadyn Grenier has...
We've entered a new month that draws us closer to the Feb. 16 report date for Orioles pitchers and catchers. The equipment truck left Camden Yards on Wednesday to begin the 1,000 mile journey to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla.
And yet, we still aren't certain that Major League Baseball is offering a full spring training and 162-game regular season. There are assumptions, hope and the ever-present possibility that ownership and the union will be unable to agree on crucial...
We know where newest Orioles infielder Freddy Galvis is going to play. He's the starting shortstop and expected to be part of a new double play combination with second baseman Yolmer Sánchez.
But where does he hit?
Why wait to gather more information?
There's no fun in being patient and letting the process play out. Begin speculating and predicting now and beat the post-holiday rush.
José Iglesias was slotted second and third in the lineup last summer, which seemed ridiculous until he...
The shortstop market unclogged in a hurry.
Life comes at you fast.
Daniel Robertson signed with the Brewers on Jan. 21 to get the ball rolling. Ehire Adrianza reached agreement with the Braves Tuesday afternoon on a minor league deal, the Blue Jays agreed to terms with Marcus Semien on an $18 million deal and the Twins agreed to terms with Andrelton Simmons on a $10.5 million contract.
There was local interest here based on the Orioles' contact with representatives for Robertson and Adrianza,...
Made available this afternoon to talk about the Freddy Galvis signing, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias shifted focus to another shortstop in the organization who's undergoing a second surgery. An unexpected piece of news dumped within a 20-minute interview.
Elias revealed that Richie Martin broke the hamate bone in his left hand, apparently in a workout mishap over the weekend, and will undergo a procedure in Sarasota to remove it.
Martin was expected to be ready...
Thomas Eshelman is a new father with a new contract that keeps him tied to his old team.
The Orioles re-signed Eshelman to a minor league deal three weeks ago, or about three weeks after the birth of his son, Trey.
The foray into free agency led Eshelman back to his comfort zone.
"Ultimately, the opportunity is one of the biggest (reasons), but also familiarity with everybody there," he said earlier this week in a phone conversation.
"I've been there obviously for two years now and got to...
The Orioles found their shortstop.
As expected, they got him on the free agent market.
The team announced tonight that it signed veteran Freddy Galvis to a one-year contract. Galvis is guaranteed $1.5 million, per a source, and can receive $250,000 if he's traded.
The deal doesn't include an option.
Galvis is the starting shortstop after the Orioles traded José Iglesias to the Angels on Dec. 2 for minor league pitchers Garrett Stallings and Jean Pinto.
Iglesias was set to earn $3.5 million...
Former Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson, who spent seven years in the Orioles organization and became one of its most popular members, died today in Tennessee of complications from COVID-19. He was 64.
Family members confirmed the news to The Virginian-Pilot.
Johnson is Norfolk's all-time winningest manager with a 491-511 record, an impressive accomplishment given the large turnover in personnel and constant shuttling of players between the majors and minors. He was named International...
Left-hander Fernando Abad, signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract in December, has been exceptional as the closer for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.
Abad made 10 appearances prior to the Caribbean World Series and didn't allow a run in 11 innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked one batter, struck out 10 and recorded six saves.
Toros del Este is set to compete in the Caribbean World Series beginning Sunday at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mexico.
Abad will be a...
The Pirates traded starter Jameson Taillon to the Yankees yesterday, surrendering a pitcher who underwent two Tommy John surgeries after becoming the second-overall pick in the 2010 draft. They received four prospects in return.
There's a tie to the Orioles beyond his arrival in the American League East.
Pittsburgh's choice in the draft came down to Taillon or prep shortstop Manny Machado, with the Orioles selecting third. Scouting director Joe Jordan would have pounced on Taillon if the...
Various sites are publishing their top prospects lists and the Orioles can't be ignored.
No one puts baby Birds in the corner.
Baseball America placed five Orioles in its Top 100: catcher Adley Rutschman (No. 2), right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (No. 22), left-hander DL Hall (No. 59), outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 62) and outfielder/first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (No. 63).
The Orioles have never been represented by more than five players.
Mountcastle retains rookie status, which makes him...
The three-day minicamp earlier this month in Sarasota, Fla., was designed for evaluation purposes and to provide needed work in the offseason prior to the start of spring training. For Orioles who aren't natural outfielders and others who want to get better at it.
DJ Stewart wasn't just a participant. He was a driving force behind the idea.
"The first thing I can say is this guy will work harder than anybody else we have out there," said first base coach and outfield instructor Anthony...