The Orioles today announced their 2023 promotional schedule highlighted by ADLEY RUTSCHMAN, RYAN MOUNTCASTLE, and FÉLIX BAUTISTA Bobbleheads, multiple t-shirt nights, an Orioles Floppy Hat presented by Miller Lite, Birdland Hawaiian Shirt, and an Orioles Purple Pride Jersey, presented by Royal Farms. The 2023 promotional schedule also features increased numbers of giveaway items, giving more fans the opportunity to receive promotional items at the gates prior to the game.

Baltimore will celebrate its youngest fans at Kids Opening Day, presented by Weis Markets, on Sunday, April 9. As part of the celebration, fans will take home an Oriole Bird Nickelodeon Bobblehead, presented by Weis Markets. 

Orioles Legend and Hall of Famer EDDIE MURRAY will be honored as part of the 40^th anniversary of the 1983 World Series on Saturday, August 5, when fans will receive an Eddie Murray Bobblehead, presented by Royal Farms.

Fans will also receive an Adley Rutschman Bobblehead Inspired By Captain America as part of the first-ever Marvel Super Hero^TM Night on Saturday, June 10.

Returning this year are popular fan favorites, including the Orioles Floppy Hat, presented by Miller Lite, on Friday, June 30, Birdland Hawaiian Shirt on Saturday, July 1, and Orioles Soccer Jersey, presented by Pepsi Zero Sugar, on Saturday, July 15.

The Washington Nationals conclude their preseason schedule against the reigning American League East champion New York Yankees at Nationals Park on Tuesday, March 28 at 12:05 PM. Tickets are on sale now at nationals.com/Tickets.

Just two days before Opening Day, fans have the unique opportunity to watch the Nationals go up against AL home run king Aaron Judge and the rest of the Yankees in the squad’s final tune-up before the official start of the regular season. Broadcast information for the game will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the exhibition game and all regular-season games except Opening Day are on sale now at nationals.com/Tickets. Tickets for the Nationals’ Opening Day game vs. the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, March 30, go on sale later this month with special presale access for Season Plan Holders and Fan Club members.

The Orioles today announced the return of the club’s ‘Birdland Caravan,’ a four-day winter tour, that will take place from Thursday, February 2, through Sunday, February 5, at multiple locations throughout the region. The first such weekend-long celebration since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will include autograph sessions and happy hours with current Orioles players, top prospects, broadcasters, members of the front office, and the Oriole Bird. 

New in 2023, the caravan will make stops at Bowlero College Park and Topgolf Baltimore to give fans a unique and fun opportunity to interact with Orioles players and staff as they bowl and tee off with fans. The tour will also feature a community service project with the Maryland Food Bank, closed to the public, as well as fan rallies at Bel Air High School, Wilde Lake High School, and Winters Mill High School that are open to fans of all ages. Designed to take the Oriole Park experience directly to the fans, the Birdland Caravan will make stops throughout Maryland in Baltimore City, Bel Air, Bowie, College Park, Columbia, Frederick, Odenton, Salisbury, Towson, and Westminster, as well as York, Pa. Fans in Elkridge and Owings Mills will also have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the Oriole Bird.

“We are excited to reintroduce the Birdland Caravan to our fans throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and engage with them beyond the ballpark,” said JENNIFER GRONDAHL, Orioles Senior Vice President, Community Development and Communications. “The weekend’s events will feature unique opportunities to interact with players, prospects, and staff, in a larger geographical circle than ever before. We’re eager to get back out into our communities and celebrate the exciting present and future of Orioles Baseball.” 

Current Orioles participating in select events include BRYAN BAKER, FÉLIX BAUTISTA, DL HALL, AUSTIN HAYS, GUNNAR HENDERSON, JOEY KREHBIEL, DEAN KREMER, RYAN McKENNA, JOHN MEANS, RYAN MOUNTCASTLE, ADLEY RUTSCHMAN, KYLE STOWERS, RAMÓN URÍAS, TERRIN VAVRA, and NICK VESPI, along with Orioles prospects HESTON KJERSTAD and GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ. Additionally, Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager MIKE ELIAS, Vice President and Assistant General Manager, Analytics SIG MEJDAL, Assistant General Manager, Baseball Operations EVE ROSENBAUM, and Manager BRANDON HYDE, a BBWAA American League Manager of the Year finalist, Baseball America Manager of the Year, and the Sporting News AL Manager of the Year, will attend select events throughout the weekend. 

Tickets are required for autograph signings, Bowlero, and Topgolf events. Fans must purchase tickets in advance as availability will be limited. Tickets will go on sale online this Wednesday, January 11 at 10:00 a.m. ET, at Orioles.com/Caravan.

With all the recent talk about backups at first base and a lefty hitter that can play there to complement Ryan Mountcastle in 2023, I went back and took another look at Mountcastle’s 2022 season. We know it was not as productive as his 2021 when he hit an Orioles rookie record 33 homers. That number dropped to 22 last year.

And it cannot all be about wall ball and the moving back of the left-field fence. With mostly shorter dimensions than Camden Yards in left in road games, Mountcastle hit 11 road game homers and 11 at home last season. He hit one homer every 25.2 at-bats at home and one every 25.3 on the road. The dimensions and different ballparks didn’t make much difference here.

But if Mountcastle’s actual stats could have mimicked his expected stats, he might have been one of the better hitters in the league. No exaggeration here.

His final actual slugging percentage for the year was .423, which ranked 38^th in the American League among qualified hitters. But his expected slugging percentage of .509 would have tied AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez of Seattle for seventh-best in the actual final AL slugging leaders. That slugging percentage would have moved him ahead of the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kyle Tucker, Anthony Rizzo, George Springer and Carlos Correa.

MLB.com defines expected slugging as a stat that is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle and, on certain types of batted balls, sprint speed. In the same way that each batted ball is assigned an expected batting average, every batted ball is given a single, double, triple and home run probability based on the results of comparable batted balls since Statcast was implemented Major League wide in 2015. For the majority of batted balls, this is achieved using only exit velocity and launch angle.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Claimed INF Lewin Díaz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
• Designated INF Ryan O’Hearn for assignment.

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

The Nationals have signed the following players to Minor League contracts with invites to 2023 MLB Spring Training: LHP Anthony Banda, INF Michael Chavis and LHP Francisco Pérez.

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with first baseman Dominic Smith and designated right-handed pitcher A.J. Alexy for assignment on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Smith, 27, hit .246 with a .308 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging percentage in 447 games across six Major League seasons with the New York Mets. He recorded 78 doubles, three triples, 46 home runs, 179 RBI, 95 walks and 147 runs scored in that time fame. Smith hit double-digit home runs in three of his last four seasons.

From 2019 through 2021, Smith slashed .269/.332/.455 while clubbing 51 doubles, one triple, 32 homers and 125 RBI in 284 games. He set or matched career marks in nearly every offensive category in 2021, including home runs (11), runs (43), hits (109), RBI (58), walks (32) and stolen bases (two).

 Smith ranked among National League hitters in doubles (2^nd, 21), extra-base hits (T2^nd, 32), OPS (4^th, .993), slugging percentage (4^th, .616), RBI (T5^th, 42) and batting average (8^th, .316) during the 60-game season in 2020.

Smith appeared in 58 Major League games in 2022, hitting .194 with 10 doubles, one triple, 17 RBI, 12 walks and 11 runs scored. He hit .284/.367/.472 with 11 doubles, 10 homers, 38 RBI, 25 walks, four stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 54 games with Triple-A Syracuse. 

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired infielder/outfielder RYAN O’HEARN from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations.

 O’Hearn, 29, slashed .239/.290/.321 (32-for-134) with six doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 runs scored, 16 RBI, and eight walks in 67 games with the Royals last season. He spent the entire year on the active roster and led all Major League players with 11 hits as a pinch-hitter, becoming the seventh Royal in team history with 10-or-more pinch-hit hits in one season. In 342 career MLB games, all with Kansas City, he has batted .219/.293/.390 (210-for-960) with 40 doubles, five triples, 38 home runs, 99 runs scored, 131 RBI, and 98 walks. He was originally selected by the Royals in the eighth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Sam Houston State University (TX).

 Additionally, right-handed pitcher CHRIS VALLIMONT has been designated for assignment. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

On Aug. 30, 2020 the Orioles traded reliever Mychal Givens to the Colorado Rockies for three players, including Tyler Nevin. Recently Givens rejoined the Orioles, but now Nevin is officially leaving the organization.

Designated for assignment on Dec. 21 when the club acquired catcher James McCann from the New York Mets, Nevin was traded to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations Saturday night. The New Year’s Eve move beats the end of 2022 by several hours in what is likely the club’s final move of this calendar year.

Nevin, 25, played in 58 games for the Orioles in 2022 and in 184 plate appearances batted .197/.299/.261/.500 with four doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. He debuted for the Orioles in 2021, going 4-for-14 (.286). In 64 career games he hit .205 with a .604 OPS.

In parts of the last two seasons for the Orioles, Nevin made starts at first base, third base, left and right field. Most of his starts came at third in 2022 when he made 40 starts at the hot corner.

This past season for Triple-A Norfolk, Nevin batted .291/.382/.479/.861 in 44 games for the Tides. Nevin tied Norfolk's franchise record and set a professional career high with eight RBIs on April 15 versus Scranton. He went 3-for-6 and hit his first career grand slam in the second inning.

The Orioles have traded Tyler Nevin to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations.

Nevin was designated for assignment on Dec. 21.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired catcher James McCann and cash considerations from the New York Mets in exchange for a player to be named later.

McCann, 32, slashed .195/.257/.282 (34-for-174) with six doubles, three homers, 19 runs scored, 18 RBI, and three stolen bases in 61 games with the Mets last season but was limited in action due to nine weeks spent on the Injured List with a left hamate fracture (May 11 to June 24) and a left oblique strain (July 10 to August 4). He appeared in one postseason game in the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres, entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of game three. McCann is a veteran of 783 MLB games between the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Mets, and caught Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter with the White Sox on August 25, 2020 vs. Pittsburgh. The 2019 American League All-Star was originally selected by Detroit in the second round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arkansas.

He was named the Mets’ 2022 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, sportsmanship, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Additionally, infielder Tyler Nevin has been designated for assignment. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Nationals have claimed infielder Jeter Downs on outright waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Nationals have designated Reed Garrett for assignment.

The 40-man roster stands at 40.

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramírez on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Ramírez, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 60 games for the Nationals in 2022 on his way to being named Nationals Pitcher of the Year by the Washington D.C. media. He ranked among National League relievers in innings pitched (1st, 80.1) and inherited runners scored (5th, 27.3%). He led Washington’s bullpen with a 2.46 ERA in 58 relief appearances. Ramírez made two starts last season, both against Atlanta, on June 13 and July 17. Ramírez pitched 2.0 or more innings in relief in 16 games during the 2022 season. He had a 1.43 ERA over 37.2 innings in those games.

Ramírez posted team-best scoreless innings streaks of 18.0 (Aug. 12 – Sept. 11) and 16.0 (July 17 – Aug. 9) last season. His 18.0 scoreless innings streak was the eighth-longest by a National League reliever in 2022.

Over his final 28 relief appearances last season, Ramírez went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA (7 ER/42.0 IP), 28 strikeouts, five walks and a .189 opponents’ batting average. He allowed just three of 17 inherited runners to score over that stretch (17.6%).

A veteran of 11 Major League seasons, Ramírez is 37-42 with a 4.21 ERA in 276 career games (94 starts) with Seattle (2012-14, 2017-18), Tampa Bay (2015-17), Boston (2019), New York-NL (2020), Detroit (2021) and Washington (2022).

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Agreed to terms on 2023 minor league contracts with RHP Eduard Bazardo, RHP Wandisson Charles, and RHP Kyle Dowdy.

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with infielder/outfielder ADAM FRAZIER on a one-year contract for the 2023 season. 

Frazier, 31, appeared in a career-high 156 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2022, pacing the team. He slashed .238/.301/.311 (129-for-541) with 22 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 61 runs scored, 42 RBI, 46 walks, and a career-high 11 stolen bases. His four triples led the team and ranked tied for ninth in the American League. According to Statcast, he ranked in the top five percent of MLB in strikeout rate (12.1%) and whiff rate (14.4%). Defensively, he made appearances at five different positions, playing 124 games at second base, 21 in right field, 16 in left field, four at shortstop, and two in center field. He ranked eighth among MLB second basemen with six outs above average, per Statcast. Frazier made his Postseason debut in 2022, appearing in five games for Seattle and tallying five hits with one double, three runs scored, one RBI, and one walk.

In 2021, Frazier was named to his first career All-Star team as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates after slashing .330/.397/.463 (115-for-348) with 26 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 53 runs scored, 29 RBI, 33 walks, and five stolen bases in 89 games prior to the All-Star Break. He finished the year with career highs in hits (176), batting average (.305), doubles (36), runs scored (83), walks (48), and on-base percentage (.368) in 155 combined games between the Pirates (98 G) and San Diego Padres (57 G). He ranked among Major League leaders in hits (8^th) and average (10^th).

A native of Athens, Ga., Frazier was selected by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University. He made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh on June 24, 2016. The left-handed batter is a career .273/.336/.392 (751-for-2,751) hitter with 149 doubles, 25 triples, 43 home runs, 374 runs scored, 257 RBI, 228 walks, 41 stolen bases, and a .728 OPS in 821 combined games with the Mariners (2022), Padres (2021), and Pirates (2016-21). He is a two-time Gold Glove Award finalist at second base (2019-20) and was the Pirates’ recipient of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) Heart and Hustle Award in 2017 and 2021.

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

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a two-year contract with right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Williams, 30, went 3-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 30 games (nine starts) for the New York Mets in 2022. He struck out 84 hitters in 89.2 innings and walked just 23. In his nine starts last season, Williams was 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA. As a reliever he was 1-1 with a 2.47 ERA. He collected his first career save at Wrigley Field on July 14, when he finished the final 3.0 innings in an 8-0 win over the Cubs.

A veteran of seven Major League seasons, Williams was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the second round (44^th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Arizona State University. He has gone 38-44 with a 4.27 ERA with three teams since making his debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 24-year-old on September 7, 2016 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched for Pittsburgh from 2016-20, Chicago-NL in 2021 and New York-NL from 2021-22.

In his career, Williams is 35-41 with a 4.33 ERA in 118 starts and 3-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 41 games as a reliever.

The Nationals now have 40 players on their 40-man roster.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms on a 2023 Minor League contract with INF Josh Lester.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms on a 2023 Minor League contract with OF Nomar Mazara.