I emptied the mailbag over the weekend, but a question arrived yesterday that I wanted to address and expand on rather than save it for later.

It pertains to one of the most important members of the 2024 team, an unexpected development that can’t be disputed. It’s just fact, and further proof that minor league signings can’t always be downplayed or ignored.

They can bail out a team.

Does A. Suárez have a preference for being a starter or a reliever? One way to add a significant bullpen arm would be to get starter(s) in the rotation and nudge Big Al to the 'pen, but what would he think of that? Would he see it as a demotion?

To be clear, we’re talking about Albert and not Andrew. I can’t imagine that it caused any confusion, but you never know.

For someone who covers the minor leagues as I do it is a question to ponder: When referring to the Baysox moving forward, do I go with Chesapeake, their new name, or in some cases is Bowie still acceptable?

A case like when I refer to a player who spent time in 2024 with the Baysox. They were still Bowie then, so do I say this player hit such and such at High-A Aberdeen and this number at Double-A Bowie? Or just use Chesapeake?

There is no handbook and there are no right or wrong answers.

But in noting some recent stories in this space, I did report on the name change to the Chesapeake Baysox.

“I think when we looked at where our fans are coming from, we wanted to be inclusive of the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said Brian Shallcross, in his 20^th year as Baysox general manager. “We saw people coming from the Eastern Shore, west of the Potomac. We were surprised when we dug into the stats of just how far and ranging our fanbase was. We wanted to be inclusive of all those fans without forgetting our roots.”

As the search for starting pitching goes on throughout MLB, all teams, including the Orioles, might be taking note of free-agent right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

The right-hander is a remarkably consistent pitcher in recent seasons, who at his age will not command a long-term deal or the major dollars of the top-tier pitchers.

Eovaldi is also known as a big-game pitcher who had an outstanding postseason run as his Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series.

He will turn 35 on Feb. 13, but there is still a lot to like here about both his talent and expected price tag.

Since 2020, his ERA has been between 3.63 and 3.87 each year. For the Rangers, he pitched 144 innings during the 2023 season and then another 36 2/3 in six postseason starts. Last year he pitched 170 2/3 innings, going 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA for Texas. He allowed just 147 hits with a 1.107 WHIP, 2.2 walks per nine and 8.8 strikeouts.

For Orioles top 30 catching prospect Creed Willems, some mental skills work this year help his physical talents play and show more often.

One can help the other and for Willems in 2024, it did.

The lefty-hitting catcher, who turned 21 in June, played 98 games this past season, the first 82 with High-A Aberdeen and the last 16 with Double-A Chesapeake. He missed about a month starting July 9 due to a left hamstring issue. He then played well for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League. It was a solid season that sets him up to make a run at Triple-A maybe in the second half of next year if he can handle Double-A pitchers and his own hurlers when back behind the plate.

He is ranked as the club’s No. 22 prospect by MLBPipeline.com and No. 25 via Baseball America.

“I thought it went really well. Other than the month of May, had a really tough month (with a .612 OPS),” he said in a recent phone interview. “But, worked on what I needed to work on. Pushing through the highs and lows and just keep a steady head. I was really proud of what I did this past year.

A new Baseball America O’s top 10 prospects list dropped this week. Before or even after you get to your Turkey today, take a look at the list and a few thoughts on each player.

1 – Catcher Samuel Basallo: The big man with the big bat ascends to the top spot. Now it’s a matter of time before he makes his MLB debut. A shining star for the O’s international program, he now has plenty of company among the O’s top 30 with numerous other international talents.

He played in the Futures Game in July and Minor League Baseball named him as the Top MLB Prospect in the Double-A-Eastern League. He moved to Triple-A late in the year, where, after a 7-for-44 start, he batted .297 with an .810 OPS his last 11 Triple-A Norfolk games.

2 – Infielder Coby Mayo: Another big man with a big bat. The minor league numbers were pretty special, but he was swinging and missing a ton in his brief time with the Orioles. Patience needed here. Once Mayo hits that first 450-foot shot in the majors, plenty of more are likely to follow. Biggest question for his future – what position will he play?

3 – Outfielder Heston Kjerstad: He has been on the O’s playoff rosters the last two Octobers. Now he could be the replacement in right field if Anthony Santander's signs with another club. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the O’s soon need to figure out what they have here. He’s had 814 plate appearances in Double-A and Triple-A over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The trend for O’s young players and some of the top prospects in the last year or two has been to come to the big leagues and struggle initially. It doesn’t happen every time, but it has happened a lot of the time.

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and outfielder Colton Cowser are two prime examples. In his first 10 MLB starts during the 2023 season, Rodriguez went 2-2 with a 7.35 ERA and .956 OPS against. It got better for him. During that same ’23 season, over 77 plate appearances (yes, a small sample) Cowser hit. 115 with an OPS of .433.

Rodriguez, as was Cowser, was sent back to the minors after those initial struggles in 2023. In July of that year he came back a different pitcher. In fact, in his last 33 games, he has gone 18-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He has 18 quality starts allowing a .237 batting average and .664 OPS. His groundball rate is 45.7 and that helped him keep the ball in the park allowing 0.84 homers per nine since that July 2023 date.

Cowser just posted a second-place finish for the AL Rookie of the Year, losing out to Yankees right-hander Luis Gil after a strong first full season in the majors.

Watching Rodriguez go from pitching to a 7.35 ERA to pitching like a No. 1 or No. 2 starter and watching Cowser go from hitting .115 to getting Rookie of the Year votes, reminds us it can take a while for young players to reach their potential or to trend up on the stat sheet.

The Orioles set their coaching staff. They have a ways to go before they can say the same about their roster.

Pitchers and catchers report in February – it’s usually somewhere in the second week – and more storylines will materialize as we plow through the offseason.

I’ve already provided a sampling - how Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo fit on the roster, how Adley Rutschman will hit, anything Félix Bautista, rehab progress made by Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, Grayson Rodriguez’s health after being left off the Wild Card roster, anything Jackson Holliday, what a full season of Zach Eflin could do, whether Daz Cameron can make the club as an extra outfielder, whether Dean Kremer can take the next step, reaction to the left field wall, the bullpen, and whether Cade Povich makes the club.

I focused on Danny Coulombe’s removal from the ‘pen, but now we can add Jacob Webb.

Here are a few more.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced the return of the weekly “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL NewsRadio, the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network. Beginning Thursday, December 5, fans can tune into AM 1090/FM 101.5 and WBAL.com each Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. ET as Orioles broadcasters GEOFF ARNOLD and BRETT HOLLANDER provide Orioles news, analysis, exclusive interviews, and more.

Arnold and Hollander will host the Hot Stove Show every Thursday from December 5, until the team reports to Spring Training in mid-February, with some exceptions. For more information, including updates on live show dates and locations, visit Orioles.com/HotStove.

This Thanksgiving, the Baltimore Orioles continued their long-standing commitment to the community, partnering with key organizations to support families and individuals in need across Birdland. Through food donations, volunteer efforts, and community outreach, the Orioles made a tangible impact in the lives of those who needed it most during this season of giving.

“As we gather with our loved ones this Thanksgiving, the Orioles remain committed to supporting the Baltimore and Sarasota communities, especially those who need it most,” said KERRY R. WATSON, JR., Orioles Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “Whether it’s providing meals, volunteering our time, or partnering with local organizations like Giant Food, Wegmans, and CareFirst, we are proud to make a positive impact and help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the holiday season.”

Gift Cards and Food Donation to Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women
In collaboration with Giant Food, the Orioles made a special Thanksgiving donation to the students and families of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. The team contributed 25 gift cards and 50 pies, ensuring these families could enjoy a festive holiday meal together. Additionally, Orioles employees rallied to collect more than 1,100 canned goods and other non-perishable items, further supporting the school's efforts to provide for those in need.

Volunteering at The Food Project
On Tuesday, November 19, the Orioles Corporate Partnerships team, alongside employees from CareFirst, volunteered at The Food Project, a local nonprofit dedicated to addressing food insecurity. Volunteers assisted in preparing meals in the kitchen, distributing food, and packing toiletry bags for those in need. Following their work, volunteers joined students and staff across the street for a meal, prepared by the talented chefs and students at The Food Project.

Providing Thanksgiving Meals for Families at Harlem Park Elementary Middle School
In partnership with Wegmans, the Orioles helped to provide full Thanksgiving meals to 50 families at Harlem Park Elementary Middle School (HPEMS) as part of their Adopt-A-School campaign. Wegmans worked alongside the Orioles to create a Thanksgiving shopping experience for families as well as providing holiday activities for students.

We found out yesterday that former O’s backup catcher Robinson Chirinos and the O’s Triple-A manager Buck Britton, are joining their big league coaching staff.

Those hires no doubt will be most popular in the clubhouse. A clubhouse that Chirinos shared in 2022 with Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and several others. That 2022 season was the year the Orioles went from 52 to 83 wins. They ended the losing and set the stage for playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.

During that 2022 season, I had several enjoyable interactions and interviews with Chirinos, a player his then cohorts called a “a great teammate.”

That summer he told me being called that was important to him.

“It is (meaningful to me). When you understand as a player it’s not about you; it’s about the team. It’s about how many people you can impact on your team. So many people we talk every single day to that end that make baseball more fun. This game is so hard every day. When you take away the focus on yourself and you’re trying to get the best out of people, it makes baseball more fun.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Agreed to terms on 2025 minor league contracts with LHP Raul Alcantara, OF Franklin Barreto, and INF Jeremiah Jackson.

Former catcher Robinson Chirinos is making his coaching debut in 2025. The Orioles are bringing him onto their staff, and they aren’t easing him into the next phase of his professional life.

Chirinos was hired as bench coach, with the club making an announcement this morning. He replaces Fredi González, who wasn’t retained.

Also debuting is Buck Britton, who’s promoted from Triple-A Norfolk manager to major league coach. Britton, older brother of former Orioles closer Zack Britton, replaces José Hernández.

Chirinos, 40, is widely viewed as a future major league manager and he drew heavy praise from manager Brandon Hyde for his knowledge and leadership as the backup catcher in 2022. Chirinos, an 11-year veteran with six clubs, batted .179 with a .552 OPS in 67 games before retiring as a player.

From 2013-19, Chirinos ranked as the sixth-most valuable primary catcher with a 13.0 bWAR.

The Orioles today announced their 2025 major league coaching staff, led by 2023 American League Manager of the Year BRANDON HYDE in his seventh season. The club has named CODY ASCHE as the hitting coach, ROBINSON CHIRINOS as the bench coach, TOMMY JOSEPH as the assistant hitting coach, SHERMAN JOHNSON as the assistant hitting coach/upper level hitting coordinator, and BUCK BRITTON as a major league coach. The other coaches are remaining in their same positions: GRANT ANDERS as major league development coach (2^nd season), TIM COSSINS as major league field coordinator/catching instructor (7^th), DREW FRENCH as pitching coach (2^nd), RYAN KLIMEK as pitching strategy coach (3^rd), TONY MANSOLINO as third base coach (5^th), MITCH PLASSMEYER as assistant pitching coach (2^nd), and ANTHONY SANDERS as first base coach (6^th).

Asche, 34, spent the last two years as the offensive strategy coach. He served as the organization’s upper-level hitting coordinator in 2022. He played five years in the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies (2013-16) and Chicago White Sox (2017) and finished his professional playing career in 2020 following the cancellation of the minor league season. His coaching career started in 2021 with the Phillies as the hitting coach for Single-A Clearwater. In 2023, Asche helped the Orioles rank among MLB teams in home runs (2^nd, 235), slugging percentage (3^rd, .435), total bases (3^rd, 2,424), OPS (4^th, .750), runs scored (4^th, 786), and triples (T-4^th, 33).

Chirinos, 40, joins the Orioles after an 11-year MLB career that began in 2011 with Tampa Bay and ended in 2022 with Baltimore. He batted .226/.319/.419 (480-for-2124) with 114 doubles, five triples, 95 home runs, 275 runs scored, 306 RBI, 231 walks, 69 hit-by-pitches, and five stolen bases in 714 career games between the Tampa Bay Rays (2011), Texas Rangers (2013-18, 20), Houston Astros (2019), New York Mets (2020), Chicago Cubs (2021), and Orioles (2022). From 2013-19, he was the sixth-most valuable primary MLB catcher with a 13.0 bWAR. This will be his first professional coaching position.

Joseph, 33, completed his first season as an MLB coach in 2024 as the assistant hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners. He joined the Mariners after three seasons as a minor league hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants with High-A Eugene in 2023 and with the New York Mets for Double-A Binghamton in 2022 and Single-A St. Lucie in 2021. Joseph appeared in 249 MLB games with the Phillies from 2016-17 and slashed .247/.297/.460 (200-for-810) with 42 doubles, one triple, 43 home runs, 98 runs scored, 116 RBI, 55 walks, six hit-by-pitches, and two stolen bases. He participated in the 2012 Futures Game as a member of the Giants before being acquired by Philadelphia at the trade deadline along with two players in exchange for Hunter Pence on July 31, 2012. Joseph also appeared in the Rangers and Red Sox organizations, as well as one season with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization, and with Team Texas of the Independent Constellation Energy League as part of an 11-year professional playing career from 2010-20.

Britton, 38, joins Baltimore’s big league staff after spending the last three seasons as the manager at Triple-A Norfolk, his sixth overall managing in the O’s minor league system along with 2019-21 (Double-A Bowie) and 2018 (Single-A Delmarva). He started his coaching career as the hitting coach for Delmarva in 2017 after a nine-year minor league playing career with the Orioles (2008-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2015), and Minnesota Twins (2016). Britton guided the Tides to the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship in 2023 and earned International League Manager of the Year for his efforts. He also earned Eastern League Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading the Baysox to their second league Championship Series in franchise history. Britton was named the 2021 and 2023 recipient of the Orioles' Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award, given annually to a minor league staff member who exemplifies Ripken’s qualities as an instructor. He is the just the third multi-time winner since the award’s inception in 2003. This will be Britton’s first coaching position at the MLB level. He is the older brother of former Orioles pitcher, two-time All-Star, and 12-year MLB veteran ZACK BRITTON.

For as good a year as Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. had and same for the Yankees Juan Soto, we knew they were not going to win the American League's MVP award. On Thursday that went to New York’s Aaron Judge, who got all 30 first-place votes as a unanimous selection.

Witt was second in the voting, Soto was third and the Orioles' Gunnar Henerson was fourth. A strong showing for the Baltimore shortstop, who was eighth in the AL MVP vote in 2023 when he was the AL Rookie of the Year.

Soto finished with 229 points in the balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and Gunnar was at 208. On six of 30 ballots, the writer placed Henderson third, ahead of Soto.

What O’s fan would not celebrate that?

An Oriole being voted on a few ballots ahead of a Yankee, especially one with hot dog tendencies that has the cocky approach of Soto.

We’ve entered a fresh week and the Orioles, like so many other teams, are waiting to make that huge strike in free agency or via a trade. The 40-man roster underwent some adjustments. Arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts. Some minor league depth moves have been completed, with more to come.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias appeared yesterday on MLB Network Radio, and he barely heard his introduction before a host playfully asked when he would announce his first big move of the offseason.

“You want to do it right now?” Elias asked, playing along with the bit. “I’ve got to make one first.”

Talks were held at the general managers meetings in San Antonio and will heat up again at next month’s Winter Meetings in Dallas. Elias is talking to other executives and to agents. But the shopping list remains the same.

“We’re working on it,” he said.

In the Orioles' search for a top-of-the-rotation type starting pitcher, they could turn back to a pitcher whose name came up a lot at the midseason trade deadline – lefty Garret Crochet. 

Baseball insiders feel he is a prime trade prospect right now. He has two years of team control left for the Chicago White Sox, but they are not likely to win much in those two seasons. He could help them more in the future when they hope to be better by acquiring young position player talent to help them down the road.

To get Crochet for the next two years, a team will have to part with some premium talent very likely. If the Orioles were willing to part with one of Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo or Heston Kjerstad they could get the White Sox's attention. But that is a pretty big if. Very big.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman recently said four clubs - the Orioles, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies - are showing the most interest in acquiring the left-hander.

Crochet, age 25, went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA for a 121-loss team. Over 146 innings he allowed 123 hits with a 1.068 WHIP with 2.0 walks per nine and 12.9 strikeouts. He didn’t have enough innings to qualify for league leaders but would have been first in K/9, sixth in WHIP and 10^th in opponent OPS at .642.

The mailbag is stuffed again like a Thanksgiving turkey.

I’ll do my best to provide answers but at times will just have to wing it.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. Editing rules are trashed like a two-week-old green bean casserole.

Also, my mailbag carves the turkey at the head of the table and your mailbag heats up a Hungry Man dinner.

Which unprotected players are most vulnerable in the Rule 5 draft?
Before I begin, let’s remember that losing a player in the Rule 5 draft doesn’t mean he won’t come back to the organization. It’s hard to carry one throughout a season. OK, pitcher Alex Pham is the No. 25 prospect in the system per MLB Pipeline and he had 138 strikeouts in 119 innings at Double-A Bowie. Reliever Keagan Gillies had a 4.94 ERA with the Baysox, but he fanned 54 in 47 1/3 innings and surrendered only four home runs. He’s averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors. He’s an interesting guy, but again, challenging to stash in a major league ‘pen.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – So now the score is 2-2. There are two Orioles full-season affiliates that use a very specific home name, as in the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds. Now two have a more regional look: the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds and, as of yesterday, the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox, formerly the Bowie Baysox.

“I think when we looked at where our fans are coming from, we wanted to be inclusive of the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said Brian Shallcross, in his 20^th year as Baysox general manager. “We saw people coming from the Eastern Shore, west of the Potomac. We were surprised when we dug into the stats of just how far and ranging our fanbase was. We wanted to be inclusive of all those fans without forgetting our roots.”

Shallcross noted that the club went through a two-year process to change the name and meet all Major League Baseball approvals. The Orioles were involved throughout. They don’t own this team, but it’s their farm system.

So, what changes now?

“Well, I think what changes, basically, is we want to make sure that everybody knows they are welcome in our ballpark," Shallcross said. "Anywhere within the Chesapeake - and, heck, you saw we’ve sold tickets to fans from 42 states and Maryland – but anywhere, really, in the watershed we want to be welcoming and a destination.”

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Tendered 2025 contracts to LHP Keegan Akin, RHP Kyle Bradish, RHP Dean Kremer, INF/OF Jorge Mateo, INF Ryan Mountcastle, OF Cedric Mullins, LHP Trevor Rogers, C Adley Rutschman, LHP Gregory Soto, INF Ramón Urías, and RHP Tyler Wells, as well as all pre-arbitration 40-man players.
• Agreed to terms with INF Emmanuel Rivera on a one-year contract for the 2025 season, avoiding arbitration.
• Declined to tender a contract to RHP Jacob Webb, allowing him to become a free agent.

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

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Orioles current longest-running minor league affiliation is with their Double-A team since 1993, the Bowie Baysox. And as of this morning, the team has a new name, the Chesapeake Baysox.

The team found during the 2024 season, that it welcomed fans from 378 zip codes and all 23 counties across the state of Maryland and from 43 states nationwide.

To better reflect its regional drawing power, the Bowie-based team now becomes the Chesapeake Baysox. The club will remain at Prince George’s Stadium where it holds a long-term lease to continue as home base.

Today’s announcement, at The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis, was made by Attain Sports CEO Greg Baroni. The announcement was attended by Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and director of minor league operations Kent Qualls.

Attain Sports, which purchased the Baysox in January of 2022, also just recently bought a controlling interest in the O’s High-A Aberdeen IronBirds club with the Ripken family maintaining an ownership stake. Attain also owns the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League, the Spire City Ghost Hounds of the Atlantic League and Loudoun of the United Soccer League.