Never in the true running to win this year's American League Rookie of the Year Award due to the historic bashing in the Bronx, the Orioles' Trey Mancini settled for a third-place finish tonight in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
It's an honor just to be nominated. And to be a finalist, which was confirmed last week.
The Yankees' Aaron Judge was a unanimous winner, of course, garnering all 30 first-place votes for 150 points. The Red Sox's Andrew Benintendi was...
My recent dive into the ol' mailbag went swimmingly, so to speak, but I neglected one question that turns into an obsession every winter as the Orioles try to fix their rotation.
It comes in many forms. It's the ooze of offseason inquiries.
Is there any chance that Zach Britton becomes a starter again? Is there any talk of Zach Britton becoming a starter again? Could Zach Britton become a starter again? Why aren't the Orioles at least thinking about making Zach Britton a starter again?
It's...
As the Orioles sift through the batch of minor league free agents who could fill out rosters at the upper levels of their farm system, they're going to stumble upon some familiar names. Reunions are unlikely, though a few of them may intrigue you.
Others may cause you to run screaming into the night.
The list includes former Orioles outfielder Henry Urrutia, who finished the season with the Red Sox's Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.
The Orioles released Urrutia on May 25 and the Red Sox...
As the Orioles try to plug holes and upgrade in spots over the winter, they figure to maintain their aggressive approach with certain prospects in their system.
They may have to go station to station on the basepaths, but they aren't afraid to bump minor leaguers a level or push them harder up the ladder.
I like this mindset.
Cedric Mullins skipped high Single-A Frederick after batting .273/.321/.464 with 37 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs and 30 stolen bases at low Single-A Delmarva. He had...
The shopping list compiled by the Orioles every winter always includes left-handed relievers. There's a steady search for a specialist who can compete for a job in spring training.
Richard Bleier gave them more than matchups this season after executive vice president Dan Duquette pulled off a Feb. 21 trade with the Yankees. He offered up a 1.99 ERA in 63 1/3 innings.
Bleier would seem to be a lock to break camp with the Orioles in 2018 as a second lefty along with closer Zach Britton, but...
With a break in the awards shows - the Silver Sluggers are announced on Thursday and the Wilson Defensive Players of the Year on Friday - it's a convenient time to rummage through the ol' mailbag again and delve into the duplicates.
You ask and I answer. Someone else asks and I answer again. And the dance continues until my feet swell.
I skipped the ones asking, "Who exactly will the Orioles sign this winter?" I already feel pretty useless. Let's not crush my spirit completely.
Otherwise,...
Though the Orioles aren't offering up names of pitchers who are targeted in free agency, there's definite interest in Andrew Cashner and left-hander Jason Vargas to plug holes in a rotation with only two returning starters.
MLBTradeRumors.com predicted that Cashner will receive a two-year, $20 million contract from the Athletics. Past injuries and a decrease in fastball velocity are marks against him, and he's a pitch-to-contact guy, while the Orioles could use the strikeouts. He averaged...
With Aaron Judge a lock to be named American League Rookie of the Year, cracking the top three finalists can be viewed as a nice consolation prize.
Trey Mancini will take it.
Mancini, Judge and Red Sox's outfielder Andrew Benintendi were revealed as finalists tonight on MLB Network. The winner will be announced on Nov. 13.
Judge, the Yankees' baseball-crushing right fielder, should gather all of the first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Benintendi...
The Orioles are supposed to find out by 5 p.m. today whether catcher Welington Castillo will exercise or decline his $7 million option for next season.
I checked around yesterday and no one had received official word. The expectation remains that Castillo will enter the free agent market.
Meanwhile, the hype machine gets revved up tonight as we enter the awards portion of our offseason.
Finalists will be revealed on MLB Network beginning at 6 p.m. for Most Valuable Player, Cy Young Award,...
Left-hander Tanner Scott allowed one hit and struck out four batters last night over two scoreless innings in the Arizona Fall League's Fall Stars Game.
Ryan Mountcastle, batting third and playing third base, doubled and drove in a run.
Meanwhile, the news that the Orioles were inviting back all of their coaches for the 2018 season drew mixed reactions on this blog and Twitter, which is exactly what should be expected. You can't get everyone on the same page. That would be boring - and a...
Catcher Welington Castillo severed his ties to the Orioles today, as expected, by declining the $7 million player option on his contract.
They could reconnect later this winter, with both sides leaving the door open, but it's unlikely to happen.
Today was the deadline for Castillo to inform the club, which I'm told he still hadn't done this morning. It seemed to be a formality.
Castillo immediately becomes one of the top catchers on the free agent market, rivaled only by Jonathan Lucroy and...
The Phillies keep dipping into the Orioles' baseball operations department, mining for talent that again leaves a sizeable void back in Baltimore.
Ben Werthan won't return in 2018 as the Orioles' advance scouting coordinator, accepting a job yesterday as Phillies minor league player information coordinator. He held his position in Baltimore for the past six years.
Werthan, 31, reported directly to manager Buck Showalter and led the team's advance scouting process. Showalter often raved...
The Orioles have officially parted ways with shortstop J.J. Hardy and left-hander Wade Miley, declining to exercise their respective options for the 2018 season and allowing them to become free agents. It feels like the end of an era with Hardy, who spent the last seven years in Baltimore and won Gold Gloves from 2012-2014. He goes down as one of former executive Andy MacPhail's top acquisitions with the Orioles, and one of the most important in franchise history.
MacPhail sent minor league...
The Orioles are one more day away, at the most, from receiving official word that catcher Welington Castillo is declining his $7 million option for 2018 and entering the free agent market. Nothing has happened over the last month that leads them to believe in a different outcome.
There's always the chance that everyone is floored by a reversal. Never say never. But it would be a huge shocker.
Castillo was more likely to return after batting .175/.230/.386 in June and .258/.298/.412 in the...
Let's take a look at four more questions confronting the Orioles as the offseason really kicks in following the World Series.
Last-place teams have lots of them. Questions, not World Series. I've been picking and choosing which ones to highlight.
The level of importance varies, but each topic is worth discussing.
Should the Orioles push to negotiate a new deal for Manny Machado beyond spring training?
There's an ice-breaker offer, the preliminary kind that the Orioles presented Chris Tillman...
The entire Orioles coaching staff has been invited to return for the 2018 season.
Contracts were being sent out tonight, according to multiple sources. The deals are for one year.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter had expressed a desire to keep the staff intact and the process unfolded today.
The coaches have the freedom to decline the offers extended to them, but everyone is expected to come back. They just need to sign and return the contracts.
Bench coach John Russell, hitting coach Scott...
The offseason can provide various doses of drama as important dates drop off the calendar. For the Orioles, the qualifying offer process should be duller than an insurance seminar.
Teams must decide whether to extend the offer to its free agents within five days after the World Series. The Orioles should have 11 players on the market and none of them are expected to receive it.
Only five players in the past five seasons have accepted the offer, including former Orioles catcher Matt Wieters in...
