This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it recurrently in your inbox.
BALTIMORE — This offseason, the Orioles have added two gamers to their 40-man roster, which presently sits at 38. Only a kind of acquisitions is a lock to make the workforce in Spring Training.
Although it’s been greater than a month for the reason that Orioles have added to their 40-man roster, it doesn’t imply that common supervisor Mike Elias hasn’t been making an attempt to take action.
“I’m sure he’s trying — I know he’s trying,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated on the opening ceremony for the Orioles Dominican Academy earlier this week. “I’m sure there will be some names popping in at some point, but I can’t give you any information today if there’s anything happening. But I know Mike is making all the effort to try to improve our roster.”
Baltimore stays available in the market for a beginning pitcher — ideally one who slots nearer to the highest of the workforce’s rotation than the underside. Elias first said his need to herald a strong starter on the GM Meetings in November, then reiterated it the next month on the Winter Meetings.
The free-agent pool has thinned a bit, however loads of large league-caliber beginning pitchers stay unsigned. Others may very well be accessible by commerce and are featured in rumors nearly each day. The Orioles nonetheless have time to land a starter earlier than departing for Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla., the place pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 14.
For a lot of the winter, Baltimore has been linked to White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease. The 28-year-old was the runner-up in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and will present an improve to the Orioles’ rotation. Chicago desires prospects, and the O’s have a deep farm system crammed with kids to make use of as commerce chips.
It looks as if an ideal match, nevertheless it’s not all the time straightforward for 2 sides to work out a commerce. In this occasion, the associated fee required to amass Cease could also be too excessive.
The Orioles gained’t be shifting Jackson Holliday — MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 total prospect is untouchable within the group’s eyes. Samuel Basallo, the membership’s No. 5 prospect, could also be reaching that degree as properly, contemplating he’s solely 19 and a rising star within the system.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, Baltimore doesn’t wish to half with Jordan Westburg, the 24-year-old infielder who was strong throughout his 68-game stint as a rookie in 2023. There are absolutely different younger gamers the Orioles wish to maintain, even when it looks as if there might not be room for all of them sooner or later.
“This perception that we have too many prospects and we need to get rid of some of them — that doesn’t register with me,” Elias stated on the Winter Meetings. “We want to have a very talented organization. We need to make good trades. We don’t need to jettison players. So, that’s what we’re focused on doing.”
Elias additionally understands he can’t commerce for a noteworthy participant with out shedding prospects.
“You’ve got to give something to get something,” Elias stated then.
If no commerce materializes, it’s nonetheless potential the Orioles may accomplish their aim of buying one other starter through free company. Heyman reported the marketplace for the second tier of free-agent beginning pitchers ought to quickly “heat up,” naming Baltimore as a workforce that may very well be concerned.
Among the highest remaining starters in free company are Jordan Montgomery, Michael Lorenzen, James Paxton, Hyun Jin Ryu and others. There’s additionally reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, though it’s unlikely the Orioles would pay the quantity wanted to signal the lefty.
At this level, Baltimore’s rotation for the upcoming season would doubtless look one thing like this: Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, John Means, Dean Kremer and considered one of Tyler Wells, DL Hall or Cole Irvin. But the O’s misplaced depth with the departure of veteran righty Kyle Gibson, who threw a team-high 192 innings final yr and signed with the Cardinals earlier this offseason.
The Orioles may use one other starter, and there’s ample time for them to get one, particularly as a result of they’ll proceed their search after Spring Training begins, if obligatory. Until then, Elias will maintain making an attempt to make a transfer occur.
Content Source: www.mlb.com