The Orioles paid a visit to the Blue Jays in Dunedin, where they met up with an old friend.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Just 10 games remain on the Orioles’ spring schedule. That’s two games at most for each member of the Birds’ projected five-man rotation to get fully stretched out and ready to go. So far, none have worked five full innings; yesterday in Dunedin, Cade Povich attempted to do so but came one out shy, running out of gas and giving up four runs in the fifth. It was the first shaky outing of what’s been an otherwise stellar spring for Povich, the Orioles’ presumptive fifth starter.
The big story of the day, though, was the Orioles’ first matchup against Anthony Santander, their longtime fan-favorite slugger who left the Birds for the Blue Jays in free agency this offseason. It was a meaningful reunion for Santander, who admitted he was “kind of emotional” facing the Orioles, the only team he’d ever played for during his first eight MLB seasons.
Santander also told the media that there was “zero chance” he was going to re-sign with the Orioles after the team made an offer that “wasn’t even close” to the five-year, $92.5 million deal he ultimately got from Toronto. He doesn’t seem to hold any bitterness toward the O’s about his contract negotiations, adding, “We get it, we understand. it’s the business side.”
I get it, too. As much as the Orioles will miss Santander’s 44-homer thump in their lineup, they were understandably unwilling to offer a long-term deal to a 30-year-old who has some notable flaws in his game. We’ve seen previous O’s regimes make the mistake of re-signing one-dimensional sluggers to long-term deals, with disastrous results. From a roster standpoint, letting Santander walk was a justified decision.
Still, that doesn’t mean we were happy to see him go. Santander was a popular Oriole, both among his teammates and fans, and he provided some memorable highlights during both the Birds’ lowly rebuilding seasons and their return to prominence.
It’s going to be weird watching him in a Blue Jays uniform for the next five years, playing 13 games every season against the Orioles, starting with Opening Day in Toronto in just two weeks. Just try to take it easy on O’s pitchers, OK, Tony?
Links
Predicting the Orioles’ opening day roster as the season approaches – The Baltimore Banner
Nothing screams “get excited about the 2025 Orioles!” like a projected Opening Day roster with Bryan Baker on it.
Orioles’ Basallo’s improving English expediting his development – The Baltimore Sun
On the other hand, there are some Orioles who are legitimately worth getting excited about. Samuel Basallo is definitely one of them.
If Basallo is real deal, would Orioles extend or trade Rutschman? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
The Orioles’ possible co-habitation of top catchers reminds Rich Durboff of the Yankees’ 1950s duo of Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. I dunno, until Rutschman starts coining a bunch of daffy but poignant Adley-isms, it’s not a perfect comparison.
Orioles get great return from bringing in ex-players as guest instructors – School of Roch
OK, Camden Chatters, which ex-Oriole would you most like to bring back as a guest instructor, and which would you least like to bring back? For the former, I’ll agree with Brandon Hyde about Mike Mussina. For the latter, I’ll say…I don’t know, Kevin Gregg?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day, all right-handed pitchers: Josh Stinson (37), Randor Bierd (41), and Kevin Brown (60). Brown had a sensational 19-year MLB career, spending one season with the Birds in 1995. He probably should have gotten more Hall of Fame consideration but was a surprising one-and-done from the ballot in 2011.
On this date in 2022, the Orioles signed veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos to a one-year deal. As planned, Chirinos spent couple of months as the Birds’ starting catcher and then moved into a backup role after Adley Rutschman was called up in late May. Chirinos wasn’t productive on the field and retired after the season, but made such a good impression on the O’s clubhouse that he is now the team’s bench coach.