Roch Kubatko
Roch Kubatko

Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong

Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong
The report date countdown for Orioles pitchers and catchers has reached five days. Or the amount of time it takes a call to be confirmed or overturned. Which Orioles have something to prove in camp? Plenty of them, but here are a few ideas: Dwight Smith Jr. is viewed within the organization as a left fielder and nothing more. It's the only position he played last summer and his major league body of work includes a mere three starts in right and one in center with the Blue Jays. The metrics and...
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Roch Kubatko

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
By the time that the media descends upon the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, three new coaches on manager Brandon Hyde's staff will be familiar with every corner of it. The coaches' retreat that's folded into the annual January minicamp in Sarasota enabled Fredi González, Anthony Sanders and Darren Holmes to become acclimated with the spacious facility. No need to waste valuable time later. Drills will run more smoothly. This isn't the old Fort Lauderdale complex with its...
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Roch Kubatko

Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?

Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?
Will reliever Travis Lakins break camp with the Orioles in late March, be optioned to the minors, be designated for assignment, clear waivers and stay in the organization or disappear? Those are the choices. How you rank them in order is entirely up to you. Lakins is on the 40-man roster after the Orioles claimed him off waivers Friday from the Cubs and designated utility player Stevie Wilkerson for assignment. He can be viewed now as bullpen depth and a pitcher with a shot at making the club...
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Roch Kubatko

What to expect at spring training

What to expect at spring training
Pitchers and catchers are reporting to the Orioles' spring training complex in exactly one week. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. I've been asked about leaving for "spring break" since December. There's a difference, including how you won't find me dancing poolside on MTV. It isn't all fun and exhibition games. It actually qualifies as work - with only one day off in six weeks - but the sunshine kills the pity factor. I won't be penning a love letter to Sarasota because it...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule

Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule
Celebrations that commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series championship and the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game highlight the Orioles' 2020 promotional schedule. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. Birdland Members will receive an email with details on an exclusive pre-sale opportunity that begins Tuesday. Fans who subscribe to the...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles announce LeBlanc signing

Orioles announce LeBlanc signing
The Orioles' minor league deal with left-hander Wade LeBlanc has moved into its next phase of progression. It's been announced by the club. Official word came earlier today, including how LeBlanc receives an invitation to major league camp. News broke last week that the two sides had reached agreement. LeBlanc was expected to take his physical in Sarasota, Fla. Today's news is an indication that LeBlanc signed a contract. The deal wasn't done last week. The competition for rotation spots...
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Roch Kubatko

Givens: "I bleed black and orange"

Givens: "I bleed black and orange"
As the Orioles bring in another bullpen candidate in former Red Sox prospect Travis Lakins, they keep holding onto a reliever who wears the trade chip label as if it's sewn onto his uniform jersey. Mychal Givens hears the description during the July deadline, the Winter Meetings and the ensuing weeks that lead into spring training. He offers a shrug and continues to ignore it. Givens has become a veteran in the majors and at avoiding distractions and the stress that accompanies them. "I've...
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Roch Kubatko

Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled

Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled
The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles claim Travis Lakins and DFA Stevie Wilkerson

Orioles claim Travis Lakins and DFA Stevie Wilkerson
The Orioles tossed another name into their bullpen competition today, at the expense of a super-utility player whose popularity soared last season. Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment to make room for Travis Lakins, a 25-year-old right-hander claimed off waivers from the Cubs. The team made the announcement this afternoon. Wilkerson, 28, also was designated for assignment last winter, but had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on April 22 and appeared in 117 games. He...
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Roch Kubatko

Hyde happy to have hefty camp roster

Hyde happy to have hefty camp roster
If it's true that there's strength in numbers, the Orioles will be able to out-flex the other teams in spring training. The bird logo will be replaced by a biceps muscle. The chalk lines will be drawn with creatine powder. The current number of camp invites stands at 23 and doesn't include left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who signed a minor league deal that becomes official after his physical in Sarasota. Reliever Branden Kline could make it 25 if he clears waivers after the Orioles designated him...
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Roch Kubatko

A LeBlanc check

A LeBlanc check
The first thing to know about Wade LeBlanc is that he's heard all of your "Friends" jokes. I've never asked him about it, but I'm playing a strong hunch. LeBlanc experienced a drop-off last summer after a solid 2018 season with the Mariners. His ERA climbed from 3.72 to 5.71 and his WHIP from 1.179 to 1.451. He averaged 2.1 home runs per nine innings, an increase from 1.3 in each of the two previous seasons. He'll be asked about the change in roles, where he made 27 starts in 2018 and...
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Roch Kubatko

Valaika rejoins Orioles on waiver claim, Kline DFA

Valaika rejoins Orioles on waiver claim, Kline DFA
If you missed the first Pat Valaika era with the Orioles, and were disappointed when the infielder was designated for assignment on Jan. 16, you'll be happy to hear that he's rejoining the club. Valaika was selected off waivers from the Diamondbacks this afternoon, the Orioles announced, after he was designated for assignment on Monday when Arizona needed a roster spot for the recently acquired Starling Marte. Valaika was claimed off waivers from the Rockies by the Orioles on Oct....
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Roch Kubatko

How LeBlanc could adjust rotation projections

How LeBlanc could adjust rotation projections
The reaction is the same each time that the Orioles announce the signing of a starting pitcher. Are they done? The minor league deal with Brady Rodgers didn't end their search. The minor league deal earlier this week with Wade LeBlanc didn't end their search. They aren't done. A major league contract remains available to a veteran starter if the price is right, which can further increase the camp competition and make a crowded field almost suffocating. The Orioles are up in arms. They have...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles sign Wade LeBlanc to minor league deal (updated)

Orioles sign Wade LeBlanc to minor league deal (updated)
The Orioles may have found their veteran starting pitcher to toss into the spring training competition. An industry source confirmed tonight that left-hander Wade LeBlanc, 35, has agreed to a minor league contract and will be in camp when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 11. The list of spring training invites released this afternoon by the club now includes LeBlanc, an 11-year veteran who's spent the past two seasons with the Mariners. LeBlanc went 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.179 WHIP in 32...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp

Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp
The Orioles released their list of 23 non-roster invites to spring training earlier today, headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman, their top prospect and the first-overall selection in last year's First-Year Player Draft. Rutschman is joined by pitching prospects Zac Lowther, Alex Wells and Bruce Zimmermann, infielders Rylan Bannon and Mason McCoy and outfielder Yusniel Diaz. The future will be illuminated by the Florida sunshine. Other non-roster invites to camp are pitchers Cristian Alvarado,...
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Roch Kubatko

Notes on Trumbo, Jannis and Valaika

Notes on Trumbo, Jannis and Valaika
Mark Trumbo was prepared for this. The market dictating his next professional move. The reality that he might have played his last game. Trumbo has been exploring some other options as teams draw closer to opening their spring training camps and the 10-year veteran is unable to get a nibble. The sport hasn't been embracing sluggers like Trumbo, and he talked about it with me back in January 2019 while providing an update on his surgically repaired right knee. "I am aware of the market for...
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Roch Kubatko

Could Cobb consume leftover innings?

Could Cobb consume leftover innings?
The decision to trade Dylan Bundy to the Angels left a big hole in an Orioles rotation that already had team officials scrambling to fill spots. He made 30 starts in 2019 and logged 161 2/3 innings, totals that led the club with rookie John Means as the surprise runner-up. Means bested Bundy in plenty of other categories, including wins, ERA, WHIP, average against and WAR. But the first-round pick in 2011 has left lots of people wondering how the Orioles replace those innings. Is the answer...
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Roch Kubatko

Does Diaz present a summer roster complication?

Does Diaz present a summer roster complication?
Yusniel Diaz is going to be invited to spring training again and eventually be reassigned to minor league camp. No matter how he hits. No matter how he fields. The Orioles weren't tempted by last spring's statistics, which included 11 hits in 33 at-bats, with three doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in 14 games. The rebuild plan doesn't permit prospects to be rushed. Diaz never made it above Double-A last summer due to two leg injuries that limited him to 76 games. He slashed .262/.335/.472...
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Roch Kubatko

The curiosities continue over Mountcastle

The curiosities continue over Mountcastle
Challenged on a recent radio interview to name a few of my spring training curiosities relating to the younger players, I blurted out Ryan Mountcastle's name as if moved by a reflex. My leg didn't fully extend, but it was a similar sensation. Mountcastle isn't expected to head north with the team, though a final decision hasn't been made. That isn't why the media will watch him as if he were a Netflix documentary. It's about his defense again, which must test his patience. How much has...
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Roch Kubatko

Leftovers from Shorebirds Hot Stove Banquet

Leftovers from Shorebirds Hot Stove Banquet
Another day passes and brings the Orioles closer to the Feb. 11 report date for pitchers and catchers at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. They've increased their pitching and catching depth, found their starting shortstop and improved their utility options. More activity is on the horizon, as I've written. They want another starting pitcher, willing to hand out a major league deal and make the corresponding 40-man roster move. A veteran on a one-year contract. And they are checking on available...
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