Tossing out a few more spring training story ideas

We’re in the middle of awards week with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The Orioles’ last transaction was signing right-hander Robinson Martínez to a minor league contract on Thursday. They remain engaged in talks to add a right-handed bat and more pitching.

It’s going to heat up.

Meanwhile, I’ve written about some anticipated storylines in spring training, 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, anything Jackson Holliday, what a full season of Zach Eflin could do, whether Daz Cameron can make the club as an extra outfielder, and whether Dean Kremer can take the next step.

Here are a few more.

More reaction to the left field wall.

Every right-handed hitter with at least a little pop is going to be asked about the more favorable dimensions. The renovations will be completed for the 2025 season.

Ryan Mountcastle should be first to speak.

Mountcastle accounts for 11 of the 72 potential Oriole homers lost to the wall after it was moved back and raised in 2022, according to Baseball Savant. His frustration grew as his home run totals declined after he set the team’s rookie record with 33 in 2021.

Fly balls caught on the track or slamming into the padding will now land in the seats. Mountcastle should be a huge beneficiary.

He isn’t alone. Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías, Adley Rutschman and Jorge Mateo will notice a difference from the right side. Some of the left-handed batters also can increase their chances of turning opposite-field outs into homers.

Of course, you can’t just glean opinions from the hitters. The pitchers will have something to say, as well. Should be fun.

A bullpen that’s missing Danny Coulombe.

The Orioles declined Coulombe’s $4 million option for 2025, a move that wasn’t anticipated. He missed three months after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow, but he posted a 2.12 ERA and 0.674 WHIP in 33 games and averaged 1.5 walks and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He didn’t allow a run in four September appearances covering 3 2/3 innings or in two-thirds of an inning in the Wild Card round.

We won’t know if a full season could have changed the club’s thinking with the option, how much of it was based on health history and age (35), along with payroll.

The spring story shifts to left-handed holdovers Keegan Akin, Cionel Pérez and Gregory Soto, and to Luis González, who was added to the 40-man roster ahead of yesterday’s deadline to protect players in the Rule 5 draft. González hasn’t pitched in the majors.

Soto didn’t allow a run in 18 of his last 20 appearances. He walked two batters and struck out 11 in nine September innings. The high-leverage innings that belonged to Coulombe could fall upon him.

The early favorites for bullpen duty also include right-handers Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez, Jacob Webb and Albert Suárez if he isn’t in the rotation. But this unit isn’t set with four months left before Opening Day.

Whether Cade Povich can head north.

The Orioles will give him every opportunity to do it.

Povich made 16 starts and went 3-9 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.431 WHIP in 79 2/3 innings. The final month offered a clue to his potential, with eight runs and 16 hits allowed and 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. The 7.36 ERA and 1.841 WHIP in three Augusts starts were followed by a 2.60 ERA and 0.868 ERA in five September outings. His strikeouts per nine innings jumped from 7.4 to 10.4.

The left-hander gained so much trust, he made the Wild Card roster and would have started Game 3 if the Orioles needed to use Kremer in Game 2. Kremer didn’t pitch and the Orioles didn’t win.

The rotation could look much different in a few months with the Orioles fishing for at least one starter and willing to at least drop the hook in deep water. They have Eflin, Rodriguez and Kremer with cemented roles and a bunch of other candidates while the club waits for Wells and Bradish to hopefully return in the second half. Povich is in the mix.

We can find out later whether he’s also an option in the bullpen or whether the Orioles would rather start him in Triple-A and continue that development process.