This, that and the other (Orioles reach agreement with Bañuelos)

The Winter Meetings wrapped up two weeks ago and the Orioles hadn't added anyone to their roster until trading for Royals pitcher Jonathan Heasley on Monday. The last deal was the $12 million paid to closer Craig Kimbrel in 2024, along with a $13 million option and $1 million buyout.

Exactly one year ago tonight, the Orioles and Mets swung a trade that provided a backup catcher to Adley Rutschman. James McCann was acquired for a player to be named later who became minor league first baseman/outfielder Luis De La Cruz.

The Mets assigned De La Cruz to their Dominican Summer League team. He didn’t play in 2023.

They also were responsible for $19 million of the $24 million owed to McCann, who had two years remaining on his contract.

McCann said he was Christmas shopping when contacted by his agent. The catcher was caught off guard.

The Orioles expected McCann to be the backup on Opening Day but a strained oblique muscle forced him on the injured list, his third trip in two years after fracturing his left hamate bone and straining his left oblique with the Mets.

Infielder Tyler Nevin was designated for assignment to make room for McCann on the 40-man roster.

It was a busy transaction day for the Orioles, who also announced the free agent signing of reliever Mychal Givens after reaching agreement with him on the 19th. Givens received $5 million while returning to his original organization, and the deal included a mutual option for 2024.

Givens lasted six appearances after beginning the season on the injured list with left knee inflammation. He was released in August.

I’m marking it safe to declare the McCann deal as the real winner. The undisputed champion.

Givens has returned to the free agent market. First baseman Lewin Díaz elected to do it on the minor league side after appearing in 118 games with Triple-A Norfolk.

They were linked a year ago because the Orioles designated Díaz for assignment to make room for Givens. Díaz was traded to the Braves on Dec. 23, and the Orioles claimed him on waivers Jan. 5.

The offseason already has been much calmer for Díaz, who represents the final 2022 transaction for the Orioles. Kimbrel was in line to get the honor in 2023, going back to Dec. 6, before Heasley ruined it.

* Baseball America chose Norfolk earlier this week as its Minor League Team of the Year, a predicable honor after the Tides won the International League title and Triple-A National Championship.

They had seven different players ranked on the publication’s top 100 prospects list. Shortstop Jackson Holliday, who played for four Orioles affiliates, is the No. 1 prospect in baseball.

The 90 wins set the record for most in Norfolk’s Triple-A franchise history, and 11 offensive records were broken.

“It was crazy to see our lineup, how young all of our guys are compared to the other lineups that the other teams were bringing out and how much older they are,” said Cade Povich, the left-hander acquired in the Jorge López trade with the Twins at the 2022 deadline who made 18 starts with Double-A Bowie and 10 with Norfolk.

“It seems like the majority of teams are older guys or guys who have had some big league time, where Norfolk, we had a few of those, obviously, but for the most part everybody’s super young, still working through the levels, trying to make their debuts. The fact that it was like that and we were still able to win so much, it’s crazy and awesome to look at.”

* Povich, 23, was tutored by pitching coaches Forrest Herrmann at Bowie and Justin Ramsey at Norfolk. Two voices preaching similar messages.

“Both of them are very talented coaches,” Povich said.

“Both have been at different levels, seen different things, worked with different guys. It was really nice seeing both of them, getting to work with both of them. See two different coaches work the same plan, and the fact that it’s like that in our system, where basically all of the coaches are on the same page, so when guys move up it’s just an easy transition. You’re not going from one coach saying one thing to another coach saying something completely different.”

* The Orioles re-signed right-hander Wandisson Charles to a minor league contract and assigned him to Norfolk.

Charles, 27, elected free agency on Nov. 6 after posting a combined 4.57 ERA and 1.324 WHIP in 41 relief appearances, with 33 walks and 66 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.

Charles had a 2.35 ERA and 0.783 WHIP in 13 games with Bowie but allowed 19 earned runs (20 total) in 30 innings with the Tides. He's never pitched in the majors.

* The Orioles have reached agreement with catcher David Bañuelos on a minor league contract, according to an industry source, and he’s expected to receive a spring training invite.

Bañuelos, 27, is a career .216/.277/.354 hitter in six minor league seasons but also has thrown out 38 percent of runners attempting to steal. He provides catching depth for the Orioles after Anthony Bemboom signed with the Tigers as a minor league free agent.

Maverick Handley wasn’t claimed in the Rule 5 draft and should return to Triple-A Norfolk. He’s the only catcher listed on their current roster.

Samuel Basallo, the organization’s No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, appeared in four games with Double-A Bowie over the summer and eventually should move up to Norfolk next year.

The Mariners drafted Bañuelos in the fifth round in 2017 out of Long Beach State. They traded him to the Twins on Dec. 6, 2017 for future considerations.