Even in going 0-5 in the last two postseasons, one thing that must be of some comfort for Orioles fans moving forward is that their team should be good again. Both in 2025 and likely for years beyond that.

The Orioles' window to win, as they call it, seems wide open and vast.

The current group plus players that get added should make another run next season and maybe for several years after that.

But having a large window does not mean you will win a championship. It would seem likely to increase the odds, said Captain Obvious. But the Captain also noted that when the Dodgers won this year it was just their second title since 1988, and one came in a shortened season. That is a span of 36 years. In losing the World Series, the Yankees are now without a championship since 2009. That is 0-for-the-last-15 years even though they made 11 playoff appearances in that time.

It's hard to win it all, no matter how good your team is.

Three months remain until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, followed by the position players. The dates are formalities because most of the Orioles get there early.

I’ve written about some anticipated storylines, like 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, and anything Jackson Holliday.

I’ve come up with a few more this morning.

What a full season from Zach Eflin can do for the club.

We found out how valuable Eflin was after the July 26 trade with the Rays that cost the Orioles minor leaguers Jackson Baumeister, Matthew Etzel and Mac Horvath. Eflin went 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.120 WHIP with 11 walks – five of them in his final appearance of the regular season - in 55 1/3 innings. Seven of his starts were quality outings and he fell an out short of an eighth against his former team.

If we are to believe various free agent predictions, to re-sign pitcher Corbin Burnes, the Orioles are going to need to fork out around $200 million dollars, maybe more. 

Five outlets – MLBTradeRumors.com, ESPN, FanGraphs.com, and two from The Athletic – all predict Burnes gets a seven-year contract. That would take him through his age 36 season. On the low end, FanGraphs has Burnes getting $196 million and on the high end $247 by Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Several outlets ranked Burnes as the No. 2 free agent behind Juan Soto.

Soto’s projections by the way range from 12 years and $540 million to 15 years and $622 million. But you get a shuffle with that remember. 

That brings us to O's outfielder Anthony Santander for which we see a wide range of predictions. On the low end, ESPN predicts a three-year deal for $69 million. MLBTradeRumors.com goes with four years and $80 million. FanGraphs has him getting five years and $100 million while The Athletic goes with five years and $105 million. Jim Bowden has it six years and $142 million.

That is some range – from $69 to $142 million. The low-end predictions here seem to be in the Orioles wheelhouse, and I would imagine are very doable for the club. But would the Orioles go five years and $100 million for a player that ranked third in the majors with 44 homers?

Connor Norby hasn’t studied the Marlins’ 2025 schedule, though he’s confident that his mother could recite it because she’s already planning her trips. He expects to be in Baltimore next summer, since the Orioles played in Miami this year. The home fields alternate.

He’s right. The Orioles host the Marlins in a three-game series July 11-13 that leads directly into the All-Star break. Norby has a chance to make his return to Camden Yards after being traded with outfielder Kyle Stowers for left-hander Trevor Rogers at the deadline.

Norby, a second-round draft pick in 2021 out of East Carolina, didn’t see it coming. He had to process it. And he had to endure another stop in the minors, with the Marlins optioning him to Triple-A Jacksonville so he could learn to play third base.

After going 6-for-32 in nine games with the Orioles, Norby resumed his rookie season by hitting .313/.377/.625 with six doubles and three home runs in 12 August games with the Marlins. He set a club record with six extra-base hits in his first six games.

I had a nice phone conversation with Norby over the weekend before he headed off to attend a friend’s wedding. He was gone July 30 before media had a chance to get his reaction to the trade.

Yep, surprising news indeed. Of the five players the O’s held contract options on for the 2025 season, most would have guessed one they surely would bring back at $4 million for next year is lefty reliever Danny Coulombe. 

He’s been a reliable high-leverage reliever for two years for this team. A 2.12 ERA in 2024 and an ERA of 2.56 and WHIP of 0.951 in 94 games in two seasons for the Orioles.

But while the club picked up contract options yesterday on pitchers Seranthony Domínguez and Cionel Pérez and position player Ryan O’Hearn, they declined Coulombe’s option.

Why do that?

We didn’t get to interview anyone yet on this decision so we can only guess at the club’s thinking. Coulombe missed a big chuck of this past season, from June 11 to Sept. 20 after a left elbow procedure to remove bone chips. Now at 35, is there concern about that – also that this was his second career elbow procedure in addition to his 2022 hip surgery?

The Orioles have picked up 2025 contract options on first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, lefty reliever Cionel Pérez and righty reliever Seranthony Domínguez. But in a surprise move, they declined the $4 million 2025 contract option on lefty reliever Danny Coulombe.

The club today also made the procedural move of reinstating pitchers Félix Bautista, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells and infielder Jorge Mateo from the 60-day injured list. 

Coulombe has been a dependable reliever for the club since they acquired him just ahead of Opening Day 2023 from the Twins for cash considerations. But now he officially becomes a free agent where he could re-sign with the Orioles or sign with any other club. 

Perhaps the team has injury concerns here as Coulombe was on the injured list last year from June 11-Sept. 20 as he underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

But he finished the year throwing 3 2/3 scoreless over four games and pitched 0.2 innings scoreless in the playoffs.

An Orioles offense that ranked second in the American League and fourth in the majors in runs per game in 2024, has produced three Silver Slugger finalists in Anthony Santander, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg.

The Orioles are also up for the American League offensive team of the year. Their batters did slump in the second half and scored just one run in two playoff games.

Henderson is a finalist at the shortstop position, Santander in the outfield and Westburg for a utility spot.

The finalists for the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award are voted on by MLB managers and coaches. Winners will be announced on MLB Network on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Henderson and Adley Rutschman won Silver Slugger awards last year. Santander is a finalist for the third straight year and Westburg is a finalist for the first time.

When I wrote this blog last week, it was a blog that, as I said then, where I was just thinking out loud about ways the Orioles could make small improvements in 2025 in how they do business.

This is not about the makeup of the roster so much, about adding or subtracting players, but about how the Orioles employ the players they do have.

That earlier blog made suggestions that the Orioles could potentially do themselves some good in being less aggressive in two-strike counts. More balls in play may be needed, even at the expensive of slugging pitches in such counts.

It is just one man’s opinion.

Same guy with a new opinion today.

The offseason gives media a chance to make early predictions on free-agent signings, trades and other activity while waiting for actual news.

Don’t pay any attention to early World Series odds. No team has a set roster in November.

Can we at least wait until spring training?

OK, if you’re going to press me, the Orioles make the playoffs in 2025. That’s all I’ve got.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden has Corbin Burnes and Max Fried signing with the Mets. I never considered Burnes as a realistic possibility for the Orioles, but I also stress how new ownership dumps us in uncharted hot stove waters.

It's about that time. A time when I ask the readers here a few Orioles questions and get your input. Answer one question or all of them. Provide short answers or long ones. Respond to what other readers have to say.

It's not a quiz and won't be graded.

There are no right or wrong answers.

If you cannot participate today there will be other chances before Opening Day for similar blogs here.

Now, today's questions.

Another mailbag left me with another batch of leftovers. Grab a plate.

You ask and I answer. Everybody knows the rules.

Everybody also knows that my mailbag signs long-term extensions and your mailbag gets cut by Rancho Cucamonga.

Why the mass exodus?
Too much Taco Bell. Oh, you mean changes on the coaching staff and in the front office. Some left on their own, others didn’t have their contracts renewed. There isn’t an all-encompassing answer. But the .500 second half and quick exit in the Wild Card series figured to bring about some changes.

Do you view any of this as an overreaction to the season we just had or were some people unhappy in their roles?
A better opportunity came along for Matt Borgschulte. I don’t profess to know all of the details in the other moves. Fredi González and José Hernández expected to be back. I haven’t heard why they’re going to be replaced. That’s for later. Change always happens at the major league and minor league levels.

The Orioles made one decision today regarding club options for 2025 and it was the easiest to forecast.

The team announced that it declined the $16.5 million option on Eloy Jiménez’s contract, which puts him on the free agent market. His deal with the White Sox included a $3 million buyout.

Jiménez wasn’t staying with the Orioles after batting .232/.270/.316 with five doubles and a home run in 33 games. And after going 1-for-24 with eight strikeouts in September.

He also couldn't play in the field while recovering from a left hamstring strain that slowed him on the basepaths.

The Orioles carried 12 position players on the Wild Card roster and Jiménez wasn’t among them. They optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk on Sept. 24 while activating first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list, but he was brought back to Camden Yards as an extra in case of an injury.

The 2024 baseball season ended Wednesday night, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 7-6 to win the World Series four games to one.

Last year the World Series was a matchup of wild card teams with No. 5 seed Texas beating No. 6 seed Arizona for the WS championship.

In 2023, there were three teams that won 100 games or more. The Atlanta Braves won 104, the Orioles won 101 and the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100.

None of those teams won a single playoff series. In fact between the three teams, they won one playoff game. The O’s and Dodgers were swept in the Division Series.

Fans were wondering if winning your division and getting a five-day layoff, was working against those teams. This year, teams had no such problems.

Let’s dive into the first post-World Series mailbag while the offseason heats up.

You ask again, I answer again, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

This is a politics-free mailbag. Let’s consider it practice for next week.

It’s also an editing-free mailbag. Let your clarity, length and style shine.

An important reminder here that my mailbag gets lots of candy on Halloween and your mailbag gets a toothbrush and dental floss.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Agreed to terms on 2025 minor league contracts with C David Bañuelos, RHP Yaramil Hiraldo, and RHP Rodolfo Martinez.

It might have been, on the one hand, an indication that the new O’s ownership group might spend more on player salaries moving forward when they added a pitcher in July that is signed for $18 million in 2025.

Not only did the Orioles give up three top 30 prospects when they acquired right-hander Zach Eflin from Tampa Bay on July 26, but they took on that salary for next season as well.

Eflin pitched quite well in nine O’s starts in the regular season and one more in the postseason. Right now, he is likely the No. 1 pitcher in a rotation that might be adding a pitcher or two over the winter and one that looks to get Grayson Rodriguez back as a full go when 2025 begins. A rotation that could see free agent Corbin Burnes signed for $200 million or more elsewhere leaving the club a draft pick, but a hole at the top of the starting five.

No one is saying Eflin is the equal of Burnes, but he was close to that since the start of 2023.

In that two-season span, Eflin has made 59 starts, going 26-17 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.085 WHIP. In the same two-season span, Burnes has gone 25-17 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.083 WHIP.

Eight players elect free agency

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder DAZ CAMERON from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.

Cameron, 27, slashed .200/.258/.329 (34-for-170) with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 runs scored, 15 RBI, 13 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and five stolen bases in 66 games with the A’s last season. He opened the season with Triple-A Las Vegas and batted .307/.424/.577 (42-for-137) with 15 doubles, two triples, six homers, 32 runs scored, 27 RBI, 27 walks (1 IBB), one hit-by-pitch, and eight stolen bases in 41 games for the Aviators before having his contract selected on May 23. In his Athletics debut that same day against Colorado, Cameron launched a game-tying solo home run leading off the ninth inning as the A’s rallied for a 10-9 victory in 11 innings. He earned Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the period April 29-May 5 with Las Vegas.

Cameron was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training with Baltimore in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on November 9, 2022, and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on December 2. He spent the entire 2023 season with the Tides, helping the team win the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship. Cameron was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the Competitive Balance Round A (No. 37 overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (GA). The Astros traded him to the Tigers as part of a five-player deal that involved Justin Verlander going to Houston on August 31, 2017.

He’s the son of 2001 American League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner Mike Cameron.

The first day of the offseason includes some Orioles moves within baseball operations, which they announced this afternoon.

* Senior director of pro scouting Mike Snyder is promoted to vice president of pro scouting.

The Orioles explained in a press release that Snyder will continue to oversee their pro scouting and player analysis across the majors, minors and Asian professional leagues, and also assist with contract negotiations, 40-man roster construction, player transactions and departmental hiring. He’s one of the most important behind-the-scenes guys in the organization.

Snyder’s tenure with the Orioles goes back to 2009, when he worked as a baseball operations intern. He moved up to baseball operations assistant and international scout in 2010-11, assistant director of scouting and player development in 2012, assistant director of player personnel in 2013-14, director of pro scouting and director of Pacific Rim operations and baseball development from 2015-19. He jumped to director of pro scouting in 2020.

Snyder graduated with honors from Princeton University (NJ) in 2008 with a degree in economics, and he received his master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 2019.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced the following promotions within Baseball Operations: MIKE SNYDER from Senior Director, Pro Scouting to Vice President, Pro Scouting; BRENDAN FOURNIE from Director, Baseball Strategy to Senior Director, Baseball Strategy & Operations; DI ZOU from Director, Baseball Systems to Senior Director, Baseball Systems & Analytics Operations; RYAN HARDIN from Senior Data Scientist, Pro Player Evaluation to Director, Pro Player Analytics; MICHAEL WEIS from Senior Data Scientist, Draft Evaluation to Director, Draft Analytics; JIM DANIELS from Senior Software Engineer to Assistant Director, Baseball Systems; PETER ASH from Senior Software Engineer to  Principal Software Engineer; BEN MacLEAN from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; BEN REED from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; and SAM KIM from MLB Fellow to Analyst, Pro Scouting.

“I am proud to announce these promotions, which reflect the growth of our front office and the ascent of the organization as a whole," said MIKE ELIAS, Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager. “The pro scouting department has made a tremendous positive impact in shaping our roster and farm system. The baseball analytics group has provided the high-quality information and cutting-edge tools that shape everything we do in our offices in the Warehouse and across our scouting and player development operations. The work of these staff members has been indispensable in our winning more games than any team in the American League the last two seasons. I’d like to thank David Rubenstein and the entire ownership group for their commitment and investment toward continual improvement in baseball operations.” 

Snyder will continue to oversee the club’s pro scouting and player analysis across the majors, minors, and Asian professional leagues, and assist with contract negotiations, 40-man roster construction, player transactions, and departmental hiring. He previously served as the club’s Director of Pro Scouting (2020-23), Director of Pro Scouting Director of Pacific Rim Operations & Baseball Development (2015-19), Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2013-14), Assistant Director of Scouting and Player Development (2012), Baseball Operations Assistant and International Scout (2010-11), and Baseball Operations Intern (2009). In his time with the Orioles, he has had active involvement in the amateur draft, international scouting, compliance, contracts, and salary arbitration, in addition to his pro scouting leadership that has contributed to several impact acquisitions. He graduated with honors from Princeton University (NJ) in 2008 with a degree in economics, and he received his master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 2019. Snyder and his wife, Lindsay, reside in Frederick, Md. with their two children, Ellie and Jonah. 

Fournie oversees baseball economic research and advance scouting, while advising the baseball operations team on roster management, transactions, and contracts. He just completed his ninth season in Major League Baseball and third with the Orioles after spending his first six years in the industry in various baseball operations roles with the Houston Astros from 2016-21. Fournie attended the University of Missouri and received dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and sport management and received his master’s degree in sport management from the University of Florida, where he also minored in statistics and entrepreneurship.

Zou just completed his eighth season with the Orioles and third as the Director, Baseball Systems. He will continue to oversee development of internal baseball operations information systems and contributes to various initiatives related to baseball technology and analytics. Zou started with the organization in 2017 as Developer of Baseball Systems before being promoted to Manager of Baseball Systems in 2020. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in mathematics and resides in Ellicott City, Md. with his wife and daughters.

We’re kind of just thinking out loud here today. But as the Orioles look to win more games and get back on top of the American League East next season, I believe changing or making some slight alterations to how the Orioles do business could be helpful moving forward.

Over the next few weeks, I will take a look in this space at some ways that could happen. 

Less aggressiveness on two-strike counts

Going back several years when I started hearing about and writing about the O’s working hard to make better swing decisions on the farm, I reported that this means essentially that a hitter does not shorten his swing with two strikes.

The thinking was, always put your best swing on the ball and try to drive it. In all counts. Shortening up the swing to just make contact works against that.