Could Kohl Stewart stay with Orioles? (and other notes)

Three months after leaving the Orioles due to health concerns related to COVID-19, pitcher Kohl Stewart has no regrets and is working out in preparation for the 2021 season.

The reps are done now with Stewart coming off the 40-man roster, a move announced Thursday by the Orioles. He declined his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and became a free agent.

This is the second time that Stewart has been outrighted, with the Twins removing him from their 40-man roster in November 2019, so he had the right to decline. He's also accrued the necessary service time in the minors to become a free agent.

In other words, there are multiple roads out of town.

Stewart opted out on July 31, uncomfortable in his surroundings during a pandemic as a Type 1 diabetic. He never made it into a game, with his start against the Marlins postponed due to an outbreak among the Miami players.

The team issued the following statement on the day of Stewart's departure:

"For the time being, I have decided to pause my participation in the 2020 season. My elevated risk of serious complications of COVID-19 due to Type 1 diabetes continues to be of great concern. I am grateful to the organization, as well as my coaches and teammates, for their incredible support."

Manager Brandon Hyde said in his Zoom conference call that he had multiple conversations with Stewart and understood the reasoning behind the right-hander's choice.

"This is a personal decision," Hyde said, "and I was going to be fully supportive in whatever he decided to do."

Stewart was the only pitcher signed by the Orioles to a major league deal in the offseason. He received his salary and accrued service time.

The Orioles kept Stewart on the 60-day disabled list, but he had to rejoin the 40-man roster in the next wave of transactions and cleared waivers. He formulated an offseason plan ahead of the report date for pitchers and catchers, crafting it before the Orioles outrighted him.

I was prepared to anoint Stewart the forgotten starter candidate in 2021. It could still happen. The door hasn't closed on his return.

A top six list holds John Means, Alex Cobb, Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, Jorge López and Bruce Zimmermann. However, only a healthy Means and Cobb are locks. The rest are assumptions of varying degrees, with Akin and Kremer the most likely to make it.

Zimmermann made only two appearances and one start after his late promotion. The Orioles are still figuring out what they've got with López, who could make the club in long relief if failing to earn a rotation spot.

Stewart also is a mystery of sorts after missing most of spring training with right biceps soreness. They couldn't evaluate him over the summer, but both sides have the opportunity to hit the reset button and try again if Stewart re-signs with the Orioles. He'd be invited to spring training.

This is a real possibility, so stay tuned.

I'd also expect executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias to sign at least one veteran. He secured left-handers Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone on minor league deals in January and February, respectively.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand listed right-handers Trevor Cahill and Iván Nova as potential targets for the Orioles.

They'd need to fall into the bargain bin.

* Reliever Branden Kline, also removed from the 40-man roster on Thursday, exercised his right to decline the assignment and became a free agent based on a previous outright. He also was eligible based on his years of minor league service after the Orioles drafted him in the second round in 2012 out of the University of Virginia.

Don't assume that Kline is coming back to the organization. But don't dismiss it, either.

Kline is lauded for his upper 90s fastball, and he allowed only one run and two hits with seven strikeouts in five innings this summer. He issued one walk in each of his three appearances.

The right-hander was sitting on the roster bubble after spending most of his time on the Triple-A and alternate camp site shuttles.

The local ties could lead Kline back to the Orioles if they try to re-sign him to a minor league deal. He's happy here, but also wise to check what else is out there for him.

Same with David Hess. The Orioles haven't closed the door on re-signing him, but there's no downside to testing the market.

* The Athletic has ranked shortstop José Iglesias as the 24th-best player in free agency, but he'd first have to hit the market.

Iglesias isn't a free agent unless the Orioles decline his $3.5 million option. A decision will be announced this weekend.

It has to be done within five days after the World Series, which concluded on Tuesday.

Money is tight, but Iglesias brings significant value and he can be a trade chip next summer if he's healthy.

Under normal circumstances, the decision would be a no-brainer. Also under normal circumstances, Iglesias probably would have more interest in testing the market again, but it's a scary place in a pandemic.

I'm predicting that the Orioles pick up the option, but I've been fooled before and it's likely to happen again prior to my retirement years.

* The odds of the Orioles winning the 2021 World Series are 100/1, according to BetOnline.ag.

That's improvement.

The odds were 250/1 this year, the worst in the majors. Now there are five teams below the Orioles: the Rockies (125/1), Rangers (125/1), Royals (150/1), Mariners (200/1) and Pirates (300/1).

The Dodgers are the early favorites to repeat at 9/2, followed by the Yankees at 13/2.