Christmas Day takes

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Birdland!

I hope you have a great day today and a great holiday season with your family and friends. I'm sure baseball will be a part of it, either with gifts you may give or receive, or conversations at the dinner table.

Providing a short entry today, so feel free to jump in with any comments and/or questions.

Here are a few topics we've discussed here recently along with one or two in the news in the last few days.

What is the ceiling for Manny Machado?: How much better can the Orioles' young superstar get and how much money is in his future? Machado went from batting .286 with 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 2015 to batting .295 with 37 homers and 96 RBIs last season. His OPS went from .861 to .876. Clearly there is another level or two yet to come from a player with a high ceiling. Here is the earlier story.

Hunter Harvey's comeback from Tommy John surgery: Harvey is expected to begin a throwing program tomorrow, as I first reported in this story from Dec. 15. He may find his way pitching in minor league games sometime late next season and also may pitch in the 2017 Arizona Fall League. After the successful return to the Orioles from Tommy John surgery for Dylan Bundy, is Harvey next?

Jose Bautista might take a one-year contract: That is according to Yahoo Sports. But Bautista wants to play in 2017 for more than the qualifying offer of $17.2 million. His former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, still seem like a landing spot for Bautista. Any team wanting to sign the slugger would give up a first-round draft pick or their highest unprotected pick, except the Blue Jays. Is he a fit for the Orioles? Well, no.

Angels sign Ben Revere: An outfielder the Orioles were said to have interest in landed in Anaheim. Revere agreed to a one-year deal for $4 million and could add another $2.25 million through incentives.

The 28-year-old Revere hit very well from 2013-15, and then had a poor year in 2016, when he batted .217/.260/.300 with a .560 OPS. In the previous three seasons, those numbers were .306/.334/.365 with a .700 OPS. He stole 102 bases those three years. In 2016, he suffered a torn oblique muscle on opening day, never got it going and was non-tendered by the Nationals.