More on Galvis, Martin and shopping list

The shortstop market unclogged in a hurry.

Life comes at you fast.

Daniel Robertson signed with the Brewers on Jan. 21 to get the ball rolling. Ehire Adrianza reached agreement with the Braves Tuesday afternoon on a minor league deal, the Blue Jays agreed to terms with Marcus Semien on an $18 million deal and the Twins agreed to terms with Andrelton Simmons on a $10.5 million contract.

There was local interest here based on the Orioles' contact with representatives for Robertson and Adrianza, but it became moot when the club signed Freddy Galvis to a $1.5 million deal.

The Orioles had no shot at Semien or Simmons due to the cost. Rebuilding clubs don't invest that much money in a player.

Galvis was an early target and came at a discounted price after having his pre-pandemic salary set at $5.5 million in 2020. And he fits as a dependable glove, clubhouse leader and potential trade chip.

"He's had a track record of being a plus defender, he's gotten Gold Glove votes," executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said yesterday in a Zoom call with the local media. "I think he's a very steady presence and we're expecting very consistent major league quality shortstop from him. He's very slick, he's got a really good clock. I think his experience comes through. He's got a real easy, smooth throwing stroke. He's one of the better shortstops in baseball at coming in on a ball, the slow roller, and timing the body control that that entails.

"I think the challenge for him, as it is with any shortstop in his 30s, is maintaining lateral range and staying healthy, and we're going to do the best we can to assist him with that with our strength and infield coaches and training staff. But he's been very durable. He's a loose guy, kind of plays the game easy, so we feel really good about his ability to hold up."

José Iglesias made it through the 2020 season without a trade, had the club pick up his option and was dealt to the Angels. Galvis is going to be a chip this summer, and the Orioles could choose to re-sign him for 2022 if he's willing to accept another one-year deal and no one else has claimed the position.

"I think the one-year deal gives us that flexibility to assess things over the course of the year and next year," Elias said. "It looks like there's going to be a bunch of free agents. We've got some interesting young infielders advancing through the levels. The cancellation of the minor league season didn't help, but Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg are doing well so far. Terrin Vavra is in the system, Mason McCoy, Rylan Bannon, who we might see this year, Cadyn Grenier.

"So we've got guys. We'll just see how they do. But this is a position where you don't want to take too many chances, so if we feel that any of those players need more time or they aren't ready, we'll be looking at a guy like Freddy or others as things play out."

Galvis received interest from multiple teams, but the Orioles checked off the necessary boxes.

"I have the opportunity to play," he said in a Zoom call. "I love to play. I love to be on the field. ... I have an opportunity with Baltimore to play shortstop and I love to do that.

"I know some guys on the team. I know the situation, I know there's a lot of young guys. I did that before with the Blue Jays and I did that before with San Diego a little bit, so I'm used to this situation. I'm familiar with the situation. And I love to play at Camden Yards, too.

"The division is kind of tough. There's a lot of good teams, so you have to prove yourself every single day. I just see a good opportunity for me and I'll try to help the team, try to help the young guys and try to play good baseball."

Iglesias would have cost $3.5 million. The Orioles received two minor league pitchers for him, got Galvis for $1.5 million, plus $250,000 if he's traded, and didn't budge in the standings.

It's still about pumping talent through the pipeline and setting up the organization for sustained success in the future. Not contending in 2021.

Elias used the word "transparent" again yesterday when talking about the long-range goals of the organization. No one kept it a secret. No one lied about its beauty.

Patience is required, but clearly in short supply in some corners of the fan base.

Richie Martin officially is out of the running for a spot on the opening day roster due to a broken hamate bone in his left wrist. Jay Gibbons had the same procedure in 2001, though he required two follow-up surgeries to remove two sutures that pressed against a nerve and to clear up an infection.

More complicated than the norm.

You don't repair a hamate bone, you just remove it. Like an appendix or a bad spouse. And life goes on.

Chris Shaw broke his hamate bone shortly before the Giants selected him in the first round of the 2015 draft. The Orioles designated him for assignment Monday to make room for Galvis on the 40-man roster.

Outfielders Nick Markakis and Matt Angle, infielder Alexi Casilla, catcher Luis Exposito and former minor league infielder Jomar Reyes also are graduates of the Orioles' broken hamate bone academy. Trey Mancini was hit on the right hand in 2018 while swinging at an inside pitch from Blue Jays reliever John Axford and feared that he had sustained the injury, but X-rays were negative.

So it isn't a huge deal, especially in the left wrist for an infielder, but Martin is a developing player who needs the at-bats and reps. These setbacks aren't his fault and they aren't doing him any favors.

The injury last summer was freakish. Martin broke a bone in his right wrist while diving back into first base to avoid catcher Austin Wynns' pickoff throw in an intrasquad game at summer training camp. We have no idea how he broke the hamate bone. Elias said it happened over the weekend after Martin left winter ball.

Wynns wasn't anywhere near him.

And this provides a nice segue to another piece of news from Elias. The Orioles aren't in the market for another catcher.

I thought they might want a veteran after Bryan Holaday signed with the Diamondbacks, but the upper-level depth behind Pedro Severino and Chance Sisco apparently is sufficient. Elias mentioned Wynns, Taylor Davis and Nick Ciuffo.

The Orioles are expected to sign a utility infielder and toss him into the spring competition. The door hasn't closed on bringing back Hanser Alberto, who was non-tendered.

When is a door not a door? When it's ajar, and that's how it's been described to me in relation to Alberto.

I'm saying there's a chance.

There's no chance of the Orioles re-signing pitcher Kohl Stewart. I've heard that he has a deal in place with another team.

Meanwhile, trucks loaded with Orioles equipment left Camden Yards yesterday for the 1,000-mile trip to the spring training complex in Sarasota.

Upon arriving at Ed Smith Stadium, a specialized staff led by the club's athletic trainers will unload, clean and sanitize equipment before it enters the facility.

They will do so with fingers crossed that spring training can start on time. Pitchers and catchers are due to report Feb. 16.

Elias said the uncertainty isn't influencing the way he conducts his business.

"I don't think it's having a lot of impact," he said. "We're still building a roster and the depth that we would want with the expectation that we're going to have a really, really long, if not a complete, full season this year. I think it's going to be way, way, way different than last year. All indications right now is we're starting major league spring training on time. Minor league spring training and the minor league season will likely be delayed because we're not going to run those spring trainings concurrently, just for, like, space reasons at the complexes. But we're expecting to play a full season or darn near a full season. We see the reports.

"This is a global pandemic and there are things evolving every day and that could change, but I think we're going to have a really long representative baseball season that's going to require pitching and injury depth and Triple-A depth like a normal year. So we're proceeding with those expectations."