The Orioles didn’t make any roster moves or hires yesterday. News didn’t break or leak.

The next important date is Dec. 7, the start of baseball’s Winter Meetings at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. That’s a switch from the Swan and Dolphin hotel that’s hosted in past years.

Mike Elias will bring a shopping list that’s reminiscent of the one he carried to Nashville in 2023. He’s trying to find a couple of starting pitchers, with one of them worthy of high placement in the rotation, and he needs a closer.

The Corbin Burnes trade wasn’t finalized until Feb. 1, about two months after veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel signed a deal that paid $12 million and included a $1 million buyout and $13 million team option for 2025. He was designated for assignment Sept. 18 and released a week later.

Good first half, though.

For most, Thanksgiving is a time for the familiar. For traditions, whether that comes in the form of the food we eat, the family members and friends we gather with, the football games and parades we watch. It’s the ultimate comfort holiday.

For the Nationals, this Thanksgiving is all about the unfamiliar.

Think about it. For the first time in 17 years, there’s a brand-new person in charge of baseball operations. For the first time in eight years, there’s a brand-new person in charge of the major league team. There are tons of new people working underneath both of those leaders. And we expect there to be a decent number of new players taking the field come Opening Day 2026.

So, instead of celebrating familiar traditions today, perhaps it’s time we all embraced change. Instead of turkey, how about serving lasagna for dinner? Instead of pumpkin pie, how about chocolate cake for dessert? And instead of football, how about watching old reruns of the 2019 World Series?

Not ready for that kind of dramatic change quite yet? OK, fair enough. Change can be difficult. And maybe it’s best to take baby steps, not giant leaps all at once.

The Orioles have two openings on their 40-man roster and incentive to improve the depth in their farm system. They aren’t obligated to shut down over the holiday. Business as usual isn't banned.

They made three moves on Thanksgiving 2024, none of which garnered much attention except to briefly interrupt dinners or the cleanup afterward. Infielder Jeremiah Jackson, left-hander Raúl Alcantara and outfielder Franklin Barreto agreed to minor league deals.

Alcantara was released from Double-A Chesapeake’s roster in early August without appearing in a game. Barreto was released on Aug. 31 and still hasn’t played in the majors since 2020.

Jackson turned out to be worth the fuss that wasn’t made for him. He appeared in 48 games with the Orioles, batted .276/.328/.447 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 21 RBIs, and has a chance to break camp next spring in a utility role.

Having him in the organization is one reason for the club to be thankful. Today seems like the appropriate time to mention five others.

In the latest unexpected development in the offseason, former Padres manager Mike Shildt is joining the Orioles to work in player development.

According to a source, Shildt has been hired as upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction. Samuel Vega is going from Latin American coordinator of instruction to lower-level coordinator of instruction.

Shildt, 57, announced his retirement last month after managing the Padres to back-to-back playoff appearances, saying "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."

The news came nine days after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in the National League Wild Card series.

Shildt compiled a 183-141 record as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season.

Three young Nationals players have been financially rewarded for their performances this season, qualifying for Major League Baseball’s “pre-arbitration bonus pool” payments.

James Wood, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile all earned bonus checks, according to the Associated Press, which reported the dollar figures for 101 players who have fewer than three years of MLB service time and are not yet eligible for arbitration.

MLB and the MLB Players Association instituted this program in the collective bargaining agreement that covers the 2022-26 seasons as a path toward paying the sport’s best young players more than the near-league-minimum salaries they generally receive.

A total pool of $50 million, with contributions from all 30 clubs, is divvied up among the qualifying players. The top bonuses go to those who either win or finish runner-up for major awards like MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. Any money remaining in the pool then goes to the 100 pre-arbitration players who produced the highest combined WAR.

Wood received the largest bonus among the Nationals’ three qualifiers, earning $424,544 on top of his $764,600 salary. The 23-year-old outfielder made his first career All-Star team and participated in the Home Run Derby after a torrid first half to his season. He slumped after the break but still finished with 38 doubles, 31 homers, 94 RBIs, an .825 OPS and a combined 7.0 WAR between Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs’ formulas.

We’re a day away from Thanksgiving gluttony and I’ve got a mailbag that’s already stuffed.

You ask, I answer and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2009 original. That’s right, 2009. You can look it up if you navigate the internet better than me.

The only editing here is to remove the Jell-O salad that your crazy aunt insisted on bringing again.

Also, my mailbag carves the turkey at the head of the table and your mailbag sit at the kids' table.

Who is more likely to be traded, Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo? And no “hold the Mayo” jokes.
I’m better than that. Mountcastle is a trade candidate because of a projected salary around $8 million, past health issues, a decline in production, and a market that exists for him. Mayo would be a big prospect piece in a potential deal. Both are possibilities, but if I have to rank them I’d say Mountcastle is more likely to go as a pending free agent. The reason why Mayo enters the conversation is because the Orioles would have to dip into that prospect pool in order to trade for an ace. He used to be untouchable but that might not be the case anymore. I’m not saying that he’s being shopped, just that there might be more of a willingness to listen.

“I live in a small town, and to avoid dealing with ex girlfriend’s moms, they go ‘oh do you still play for the Angels,’” Taylor Ward said with a laugh. “And I say ‘yeah, sure, yeah.’ So now, it’s one of those ‘oh hey, you just got traded to Baltimore!’” 

He had, of course, not been traded to the Orioles. That would be quite a career shift for Ward, who has been covering the Angels for Baseball America since 2013. 

Instead, it was a player that he had covered for a long time in Anaheim, Joseph Taylor Ward, who goes by Taylor, that had been sent to Baltimore in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez. 

“We actually played baseball against each other a long time ago, high school days,” Baseball America’s Ward said of the new O’s outfielder. “His introduction after getting drafted, the PR Director was introducing him in the Angels’ media room and said ‘we’re going to start our questions with Taylor Ward.’ And I said ‘hey Taylor,’ and he looked at me and it was one of those connections of like ‘we’ve met before but where have we met.’ And I said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and he said ‘I’m Taylor Ward,’ and it was an old connection that kind of came to fruition.” 

The duo, a reporter and a player sharing the same name, were the center of plenty of jokes in the clubhouse and on social media. So, on the day when the outfielder was traded, you can imagine what the day was like for the reporter. 

Though they certainly intend to add more players from outside the organization this winter, the Nationals could theoretically field an Opening Day lineup comprised solely of players already on the 40-man roster and compete.

Except for one position.

While there are enough players to fill out the outfield (James Wood, Dylan Crews, Jacob Young) and have a leftover guy to serve as designated hitter (Daylen Lile), as well as three infield spots (Brady House, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr.) and a catcher (Keibert Ruiz), there really isn’t anybody viable in place to handle first base.

Andres Chaparro is the only true first baseman on the 40-man roster at the moment, and his contributions through the first 67 games of his major league career include a .203 batting average, .358 slugging percentage, five homers, 20 RBIs, a .627 OPS and minus-0.4 bWAR. Not exactly the guy you want to pencil into the heart of your lineup for March 26 at Wrigley Field.

So, while there certainly are other items on Paul Toboni’s wish list this winter, a first baseman would probably need to be high on that list.

Taylor Ward is about three weeks away from celebrating his 32^nd birthday and four months from the start of his ninth major league season. He’s changing his address from Anaheim to Baltimore but keeping the responsibilities that come with age and experience.

None of the Orioles’ hitters bring as much of it except for outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who’s only 30 but also made his debut in 2018. Ward was chosen 10 picks ahead of Ryan Mountcastle in the first round of the 2015 draft, but the homegrown first baseman is entering his seventh season and is 28.

Reliever Keegan Akin, awaiting his 31^st birthday on April 1 and with six major league seasons, inherited a leadership role in the bullpen after the deadline trades.

Ward will tackle the job with the same enthusiasm that he brings as a middle-of-the-order bat and left fielder.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said yesterday during his video call with the media. “Even with the Angels having a young core that they have right now, too. Yeah, anything that they need, any questions that they have, I’m absolutely available to tell them how I do things and just try to educate them the best I can to just speed up their development.

Taylor Ward’s phone rang around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he checked the name of the caller and saw that Angels general manager Perry Minasian was trying to contact him.

Ward had always prepared himself for the possibility of a trade, and now, Minasian randomly was on the other end of the line.

“Obviously,” he said today in a video call, “there’s been rumors for years now.”

The chatter apparently didn’t cause him to make any assumptions that night, to come away as anything except surprised when told that the Orioles acquired him for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

“Our conversation was pretty brief, but just told me that I was traded to Baltimore and he appreciated everything that I had done with the Angels and wished me luck. But had no idea,” Ward said.

The Nationals’ decision to tender contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players Friday was something of a surprise. Given the new regime now running baseball operations, it stood to reason there would be at least one or two non-tenders, signaling a desire to make at least some changes to the roster this group inherited.

President of baseball operations Paul Toboni went a step further, though, when he also agreed to terms with Riley Adams on a 2026 contract, avoiding arbitration. Adams’ salary isn’t known yet, but that move all but solidified his return next season, which would seem to say a lot about the state of the organization’s catching corps.

Adams, 29, had another difficult season at the plate. While playing a career-high 83 games and taking a career-high 286 plate appearances, he batted only .186 with a career-worst .308 slugging percentage. He did show improvement on the defensive side of things, but his offensive production was down from each of the last two seasons despite far more opportunities for playing time than he had ever received.

Bringing back Adams for something in the range of $1 million-$1.5 million isn’t that noteworthy of a move. What is noteworthy is what this decision suggests about Toboni’s overall view of the catching position.

Adams is a perfectly capable backup, one who typically has caught about 40-45 games per season while Keibert Ruiz started the other 115-120 games. But Ruiz played only 68 games this season, only two after June 23, when he was struck in the head by a foul ball while watching from the dugout at San Diego’s Petco Park.

The Orioles’ pitching staff is incomplete, with additions sought for the rotation and bullpen. Mike Elias traded for an outfielder but might want another option in center. He also has indicated that he could target a big bat.

Nothing much is said about the infield besides the decision to tender Ryan Mountcastle a contract.

Ramón Urías was used in a utility role until the deadline trade to Houston, which designated him for assignment last week. The Orioles designated Luis Vázquez for assignment on Tuesday, but he stays in the organization after clearing waivers yesterday and accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Vázquez will come to spring training after appearing in 32 games and going 8-for-50. He’s a plus defender at shortstop and maybe the best emergency reliever in history with four scoreless appearances with three hits allowed over 4 1/3 innings.

Got to be in the top 10 at least, right? Maybe he should close.

The 17-minute video call with president of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias confirmed that he isn’t necessarily done with the outfield. He’s got the numbers but also a willingness to work them.

Seven outfielders are stashed on the 40-man roster, including Reed Trimble, who was added to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. He’s expected to head back to Triple-A Norfolk and wait for a phone call.

Heston Kjerstad could join him after a lengthy shutdown caused by an undisclosed illness. He hit .192/.240/.327 in 54 games with the Orioles and .149/.225/.248 in 27 games with the Tides. The Orioles would settle for getting him back on the field and continuing their work with him at the plate and in right and left.

An Opening Day roster with Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras would suffice. Cowser could start in center, with the capability of moving to a corner late in games. Taveras could replace him. Ward could be the regular in left, with O’Neill and Beavers making most of their starts in right.

Taveras signed for $2 million but he’s out of minor league options, which could complicate matters. He’d have to pass through waivers – the contract could make it easier - and approve an outright assignment.

Because it’s never too early to wonder about lineup construction, even before Thanksgiving, there’s an instant curiosity over the most ideal spot to bat Taylor Ward.

Ward has hit everywhere during his eight-year career, and before the Orioles acquired him from the Angels this week for starter Grayson Rodriguez in a shocking one-for-one deal.

The breakdown goes as follows:

First: 169 starts
Second: 19
Third: 139
Fourth: 179
Fifth: 37
Sixth: 36
Seventh: 49
Eighth: 32
Ninth: five

Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs this year and 18 of them came from the cleanup spot, where he made 99 starts. He batted third in 30 games and hit nine homers and swatted six among his 22 starts at leadoff. Ward batted fifth in three games (two homers) and second twice (one homer).

With more than two decades of their own history to call back upon now, more and more players from Nationals history are beginning to show up on the Hall of Fame ballot.

This year’s ballot, as a matter of fact, includes three ex-Nats players for the first time: Gio Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy.

OK, so none of those three is likely to garner much (if any) support from BBWAA voters. But it’s a distinct honor simply to make the Hall of Fame ballot, and not too many Nationals have over the years.

This year’s trio brings the grand total of Nats players to appear on the ballot to 19. Only one has earned election to Cooperstown: Ivan Rodriguez who made it in 2017 on his first attempt, receiving 76 percent support. But only four others have ever even received any votes, and none came anywhere close to induction.

Alfonso Soriano got six votes in 2020. Jonathan Papelbon got five votes in 2022. And Liván Hernández (2018) and Adam Dunn (2020) each received one vote. (No, none of those came from yours truly. I have stricter standards than that.)

The decision to non-tender pitcher Albert Suárez didn’t necessarily close the door on his return next year.

The decision to tender first baseman Ryan Mountcastle showed that the Orioles are open to making room for him on the roster.

President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias explained today’s moves in a video call, as well as the motivation behind trading for Angels outfielder Taylor Ward earlier this week.

“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” Elias said when asked about Suárez, who pitched in only five games this year due to shoulder and forearm injuries.

“We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did particularly in 2024. And it was a real bummer and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last (season) that he got hurt.

The first major decision made by Paul Toboni and his new Nationals front office: To retain all of the players currently under club control for now.

The Nats tendered contracts to all of their unsigned 40-man roster players before this evening’s deadline, opting to keep all seven of their arbitration-eligible players. Infielders Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams, left-hander MacKenzie Gore and right-handers Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli all were tendered, with their salaries to be determined at a later date (either by agreeing to terms with the club or filing for arbitration).

Catcher Riley Adams, meanwhile, not only was tendered a contract but already agreed to terms on his 2026 salary, avoiding arbitration, the team announced. Figures were not revealed, but Adams made $850,000 this season and was projected to receive a raise up to about $1.5 million via arbitration.

Though these moves don’t necessarily guarantee all of the above players will be part of the 2026 roster, they do suggest Toboni and his newly assembled team at least are willing to pay all of them what they could command in arbitration, barring any trades this winter.

That’s particularly notable for García, Irvin and Adams, who appeared to be the most likely of the group who could’ve been non-tendered, essentially getting released and becoming free agents.

The Orioles tendered first baseman Ryan Mountcastle a contract for the 2026 season earlier today but chose to let pitcher Albert Suárez enter free agency.

Suárez was the only non-tender at today’s arbitration deadline.

Closer Félix Bautista, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, agreed to terms on a contract for 2026 that prevents a possible hearing. A source confirmed an MLB.com report that the deal is worth $2.25 million.

Bautista will miss the majority of the upcoming season, but the club is hopeful that he can contribute down the stretch.

Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Yennier Cano, Gunnar Henderson, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were tendered contracts, along with all pre-arbitration players on the 40-man roster.

The Nationals have avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year contract for 2026 with Riley Adams.

The Nationals have also tendered contracts to all of our other unsigned 40-Man Roster players.

The 40-Man Roster remains at 37.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Tendered 2026 contracts to LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Kyle Bradish, RHP Yennier Cano, INF Gunnar Henderson, RHP Dean Kremer, INF Ryan Mountcastle, LHP Trevor Rogers, C Adley Rutschman, OF Taylor Ward, and RHP Tyler Wells, as well as all pre-arbitration 40-man players.
• Agreed to terms with RHP Félix Bautista on a one-year contract for the 2026 season, avoiding arbitration.
• Declined to tender a contract to RHP Albert Suárez, allowing him to become a free agent.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 38 players.